TRAILER ANALYSIS- Nerve

 Here is a link to the Nerve trailer:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AX1BTiHzq-I
Nerve is a mystery/crime film centered around young teenagers. Pressured by her friends, a girl named Vee decided to join an online game that challenges players to accept a series of dares. The film stares Emma Roberts and Dave Franco. 

The trailer begins with a camera zoom of an apple laptop with a girl behind the computer. We can see that the girl has blonde hair which stereotypes wealth and beauty. We can see in the background of the zoom, that she is in a bedroom as there are photographs around, a bed, curtains and girl-bedroom accessories. As the camera zooms into the laptop, it then zooms out again, but this time at a wider angle. Here, we can see that she is wearing a black and white striped top which makes her seem like an ordinary, standard teenage girl. We then hear a non-diegetic voice of "Welcome to Nerve". The voice is deep, sounds slighted pix-elated almost like a robot is speaking. This sets the idea that the film is very modern and up to date, which intrigues the audience into the mystery and secrecy genre of the film. As this is stated, computerised images of a laptop are shown on the screen. This is supposed to show what the young girl is looking at on her computer, so that the audience can see what is going on. The voice then goes on to say "A game like TRUTH, or DARE..." As the words are spoken,"Truth" comes onto the screen in a bold, green font. Green holds connotations with poison and mystery which engages the audience into the genre of the film. The font fills up the frame of the screen which makes the audience view the text and interpret it it on a much stronger level. In addition to this, a larger font could suggest that it is a significant moment in the trailer. "DARE" is then projected onto the screen in the same way, but this time in a dark purple colour. Dark purple usually connotes evil, which adds a dramatic suspense to the audience, which might suggest that the game might not be as all good as it seems. Through a fade, the we are presented with ordinary people on a tube/subway on their tablets/phones and laptops. The camera is panning between each person which makes it seem like the characters are all linked together. Over the top of this, we hear the same robotic voice saying "Players play to watch,players play to win, cash and glory, are you a watcher or a player?". This suggests that the people on their devices are playing the game, which suggests that it can be easily accessible to anyone of any age, and is a fun game which brings everyone together in a social community. The camera then shows quick cuts of people doing different things. Firstly, we see a medium shot of four people jumping off a cliff. The cliff is extremely tall and slighting daunting, which suggests that the game can involve unsettling dares that players may find hard to accomplish. The second shot shows a close up shot of a man holding onto the back of a van as the van is moving. He is holding his camera/phone in the other hand, which means that he is holding onto the vehicle with only one hand, which again, adds a dangerous vibe to the trailer, which creates suspense to the audience. The fact that the male is holding the camera, could suggest that you have to prove and justify your actions to the game in order to win the prize (money.) We then see a video clip from a guys camera/phone again, but this time its a different male. He is heading towards a guy in the street and then steals this guys wallet. This suggests that the game involves illegal activity which helps to fit the crime conventions. It adds suspense to the audience as they will want to know what will happen if the guy gets caught or not. Again, the male is recording what he is doing which suggests that you need to justify and prove what you're doing to the game in order to win. At this point, the robotic voice repeats the same sentence in which it becomes quicker and quicker and quicker. The sentence states "Are you a watcher or a player? Are you a watcher or a player? Are you a watcher or a player?" ( and so on, until you can only hear the word "Player.) This creates the idea of a dramatic climax towards the audience. It makes the actions seem intense, and that someone needs to make a decision to weather they want to play the game or not. The camera then jump cuts to an extreme close up shot of the same girl on her computer. The shot only shows her eyes which suggests that she is watching all the action extremely closely, demonstrating that she is considering to play the game. The fact that the camera jump cuts straight to her, suggests to the audience that all the previous footage shown is what she has been looking at on her computer.

 We then see the girl tap the selection of "player" which suggests that she has come to a conclusion that she will play the game. However, she does states diegetically "This looks kinda sketchy, is this even legal?" as shes on facetime/a video call to her friend, to which she replies "I know, it's cool right?" This suggests to the audience that she is being peer pressured by her friends to play the game.  The screen then cuts into the main action of the trailer. We see a close up shot of the girl, with a friend of hers looking into her phone. This shot is extremely effective as a way of involving the audience. The girl is looking into her camera phone, which is actually the whole of our screen that the audience can see. This makes the audience seem like they are part of the game as well, and that you go on a journey with the characters. This is a highly unique and successful way to engage the audience into the film. We can see on the screen that it says "Kiss a stranger for five seconds, with a $100 dollar sign underneath, suggesting that if you accomplish this dare, then you win $100. This seems like a lot of money for a simple and non-dangerous task, which would make the girl seem like this game is actually okay as there is no harmful dares being said... yet. The camera then tracks the girls movement into a bar, where her posture seems nervous and on edge. Her friend that is with her says "Just kiss that guy".The camera then goes into a medium, low angle shot of her hesitating whether to kiss him or not. The guy is slouched into a sofa in the bar, with a newspaper covering his face. As the girl leans in to kiss the guy, he moves the newspaper down and smiles and then the girl kisses him. The soundtrack here now becomes a lot more sped up, which could link to how the girl is feeling about kissing a stranger. 

The trailer then shows that these two strangers end up working together. The guy invites the girl onto his motorbike to complete the next dare, which is "Go with him to the city for $200". The girl claims that she wouldn't make a very good partner while he is the complete opposite, saying that it will be fun and an adventure. She decided to get on the motorbike and they both go around the city meeting new people and completing new dares. We see a medium two shot of both the characters in an underground garage typed place. The lighting here is low key which creates a ominous atmosphere. Motorbikes are seen as dangerous and thug like, which conforms to the crime genre. The girl is wearing jeans and a baseball jacket which makes her seem laid back and ordinary. The motorbike is large, with blue inner decoration on the tires. The motorbike makes the guy seem intriguing and mysterious to the audience but also a tad dangerous as well.  The camera then divides into two, with the top screen showing a long shot of the motorway. We can see that it is night time, as all the cars have there lights on. The music here is fast paced and thrilling which corresponds with how the girl is feeling on the motorbike. On the bottom half of the screen we see a close up shot of the girl screaming on the back of the motorbike. This suggests to the audience that she is feeling excited and thrilled that she is going out and completing the dares with a new guy on a motorbike. The screen then fades to a long shot of the girl in the street. The use of the long shot, makes her seem smaller and therefore more vulnerable. Her phone bleeps, and the game is now daring her to try on a dress. The prize is now $300, so unsurprisingly, she accepts the dare. Her and the guy go on a hunt to find the dress, in which, eventually they find it. An extreme close up shot is shown, of the label of the dress. The dress costs $3,5000, but she only needs to try it on, and so she does. As she is in the changing room, her phone then goes off again. Through an over the shoulder shot, the audience can then see that the game is daring her to "Leave the store" for $400. The camera then shows a low angle, close up shot of the girls face appearing confused, as to just leave the store, to get $400?. She then leaves the changing room, as the camera pans behind her, to tell the guy the next dare. However, she soon realises that all of her stuff is gone, including her clothes and her wallet. The camera shows a birds eye view of the girl running around in the store looking for her clothes. The birds eye view show the audience a larger scale of the store, which gives them a wider insight into the trailer. The guy then diegetically states " we have to leave the store" to which she replies " i cant steal the dress?!" She then cleverly concludes that she only has to leave the store, so she takes the dress off, and they both leave in their underwear. It becomes quickly apparent that the game isn't all fun and games, but actually involves doing crimes in order to win money. Her friends and family begin to see the effects, as their money goes missing, and she has to get tattoos to win even more money. 

The trailer proceeds showing different dares and activities that they have to do to win the money. I feel that this trailer is a really succesfull way of engaging the audience into the action and suspense shown, especially through the camera work and angles. 

TRAILER ANALYSIS- Insurgent

Here is a link to the Insurgent trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UtgPdoxU-SY


Insurgent is a thriller/action movie based around individuals living in a democratic society, whereby each individual belongs to a particular group, or "factions." There are five factions: Abnegation, Erudite, Dauntless, Amity and Candor. Those that do not fit into a faction, are known as divergent's, which are believed to threaten the system and therefore need to be abolished from the system. 

The trailer begins with an establishing shot of Chicago city. The buildings are tall with reflective glass all over them. There is greenery in the background which connotes the idea of peace and relaxation. We hear  non diegetic dialogue of a women speaking as the trailer fades to different scenes. She states " We have created a society where each faction plays a critical role in maintaining the social order." This effectively engages the audience straight away. Through the sophisticated and political type vocabulary, it sound like this women is part of the government of Chicago, which makes her seem superior and dominant. Through a fade, the audience is presented with tanks and men strolling through a village. This immediately makes the audience feel engaged, as this is the first part of action that is shown on the trailer. Tanks and associated with the military which are used to fight in wars. This adds a negative vibe to the trailer as it can connote the idea of death. However, it can also add a mysterious atmosphere, as it questions the audience as to why there are tanks in such a quiet and small village. Through a fade again, we are then presented with a medium shot of a male holding out some piece of equipment that scans individuals faces and gives them an indication of what faction they belong to.Regarding the mise en scene, the male has an eyebrow piercing and is wearing a black uniform, he is also has a round, black circular earing in his right ear and is tall with a very dominating posture. Piercings are stereo typically associated with rebels and "hard" people, which makes this character seem very powerful and authoritative. The colour black connotes power and prosperity which further enhances his representation. The device that he is holding looks extremely high-tech and hard to function, which suggests that the film withholds new technologies and gadgets which is an exciting element to have in a film, as it brings new ideas and diversity to the film. We then jump cut to a slow motion clip of two people running in the woods. One is a girl, and the other is a boy. They too are also wearing black which makes them seem powerful and dominating. The use of the slow motion is effective, as it makes the audience feel part of all the action. Slow motion can be used to enhance the action on the screen. As the individuals are running through the woods, it makes it seem like they are running away from something or someone. This is a stereotypical convention that is expected to be shown in a action/thriller film. It adds suspense and captivates the audience, to see what it would be like if they were those characters running away. We then fade to a medium shot of a pretty,young girl looking in a mirror and starring at herself. The use of the prop of a mirror is an effective way to show the audience that the girl is thinking about something. Stereo typically, in films when a character looks in the mirror, it demonstrates that they are thinking about their action,emotions and feelings. The girl has beautiful, long, blonde hair which is usually associated with wealth and prestige. However, this is soon stripped away when the girl aggressively grabs a pair of scissors off the side, and cuts her hair extremely short. As soon as the scissors touch the hair, the camera zooms in and then fades to a cut. This is an effective way to intrigue the audience to find out what the girl has done to her hair. When a character gets a new appearance, it can add an exciting twist and vibe to the trailer, as it almost shows the character turning over a new leaf. 

We then see four short clips of the girl and a few other individuals fighting the people that were all in black. This suggests that these two sides are enemies and are fighting about something to do with the government. We see props of guns and artillery which conforms to the stereotype of thriller/action movies. It also adds excitement to the audience as it creates the idea of "who's going to win" typed scenario. We then see a long shot of a tank pushing down a fence and rolling into a village -( similar to the beginning). The truck is black and appears heavy and is driving towards the village at a very fast pace. This suggests that the individuals driving the truck are ruthless and careless about anyone in the village, and are only there to do their job. We then see a young boy through a close up shot diegetically state "You are living proof that the divergent problem has grown beyond all control." This suggest that the divergent's are dangerous and cannot be managed or restricted, as they do not follow the same criteria as everyone else in the village. The camera work in this part of the trailer is significant. When the male is stating this, the camera then zooms out, to suggests that what he is saying is irrelevant, as the audience are not up close with this character. The camera then fades to black, and then zooms into the girl that was running through the woods. This suggests to the audience that she is a divergent, which makes her the protagonist in the film. Titles of "On March 20th" then come onto the screen, with loud and dominating music. The titles are black with white writing which is interesting. The colours black and white directly juxtapose each other, which means that both colours help each other to stand out. The colour white symbolises purity and goodness, whereas the colour black symbolises death, power and integrity. The use of the black and the white could further suggest the idea og "good vs evil" which could link to the action/battle that is displayed in the trailer. 

We are then presented with a close up shot of an older women with blonde hair and a blue suit diegetically state "Kill them both." The audience here are soon to recognise that this is the women that was speaking at the beginning of the trailer. The colour of her suit is blue, which connotes tranquility and calmness, which subverts to her character due to her dialogue of "Kill them both." The close up allows the audience to see her facial expressions when she states this aggressive statement. Surprisingly, she has absolutely no facial expression and remains completely normal. This suggests that killing individuals to her, is not out of the ordinary which puts her in a bad position, but also gives her credibility and authority. Through a jump cut, we are presented with a medium shot of the girl firing bullets from a large gun. Initially this subverts to the stereotype of women in general, as they are not usually seen to be doing the killing. However, her posture appears confident and aggressive, which suggests that she is putting a lot of power into shooting whoever is behind the gun. Her hair is short ( as seen from the mirror scene in the beginning of the trailer) which adds a slight masculine side to her mise en scene. in addition to this, she is wearing a striped red shirt, with a dark pink top underneath which adds a masculine side also. The gun is very large, which brings to mind the idea of high technology and gadgets which is also a common stereotypical convention found in thriller/action films. 

TRAILER ANALYSIS- Suicide Squad

Here is a link to the sucide squad trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SULFiCh0Zsw

Suicide squad is an action based film based around the activities that a bunch of criminals do throughout the day. The trailer opens with bold, 3D text showing the words "Hey Hall H" later followed by a question reading "You wanna see something?!". The transitions between the text shows a fire exploding to show the next line of the sequence. This initially gives the audience an impression that the film is based around thrilling events and action conventions as fire is a common element used in action movies. The font is in a purple colour, which can resemble posion and mystery, which helps reflect the title of the film. The effects around the font almost look cartoon like, which adds a childish vibe to the trailer. This is effective as it ties in with the characters in the film. The music has a high tempo and has the presence of a drum and a violin playing. The drum helps to add a thumping sound, which adds excitement, and the long, high pitched use of the violin adds suspense and eagerness to the trailer. The first actual piece of footage that the audience are presented with is an establishing shot of what seems to be New York. It is night time, so all the lights on the tall buildings are lit up which adds a mysterious atmosphere, as the audiences are limited to see anything as everything is blacked out due to the time of day. The establishing shot is an effective way to set the scene of the trailer. In addition, New York can be known for it's high levels of crime, which makes the audience even more captivated about what proceedings and action is going to take place in the movie. Through a fade, the audience is presented with a close up shot of a shot glass being slammed onto a table and some kind of substance from a bottle being poored into it (assumed to be alcohol). Alcohol is mainly associated with adults and can hold negative connotations of death and careless individuals, which conforms to the conventions of an action movie. The use of the close up shot is effective, as the audience are restricted to seeing who is drinking the alcohol, which makes them even more engaged in the trailer. The screen then fades to black, and we see two men and a women saying "cheers" to eachother. The MES here is interesting, the girl who plays a character names Hayley Quinn, has blonde hair which stereotypically associated with wealth and beauty, however this stereotype becomes quicklys stripped away from the audience as her hair is parted into bunches, with one end of the hair red and the other side blue. She is wearing red lipstick and red and blue eyeshadow that has been smudged down her face. Through the medium shot, we can also see that her T.shirt reads "Daddy's Monster" which makes the audience feel puzzled as she seems a hard character to work out. Bearing in mind that none of the characters have said anything yet, it adds a mysterious vibe to the trailer. The appearance of Hayley looks scary, confusing, distressed and diverse which gives her prevalence in the trailer. The camera then fades between all the characters that are sitting in the bar, one individual has a mask on, which looks like a crocodiles skin over a humans face. Crocodiles are seen as dangerous and rebellious, which could suggest a trait in his character. We then diegetically hear "We almost pulled it off" suggesting that these individuals where in a group trying to accomplish something that hadn't worked out, and has now left them in an unfortunate situation. Another guy is covered in tattoos, gold chains and a white vest top. His posture appears aggressive, which makes him seem powerful. Through the dialogue and MES of all the characters, the audience are made to assume that these individuals are all criminals and bad people in their society, which kickstarts the trailer into a lot of action.

Through a fade, we are then presented with a different environment with different people. We are shown a room through a long shot, of around ten people in an office, They are all on computers and one women is looking at a giant board  containing images of maps and flashing lights. As the camera is situated behind the women, we are unable to see her facial expressions, however, we are able to see her posture. Her head is up high which connotes aspects of power and dominance. This can further be interpreted through her body language of her hands, which are looped together behind her back. The camera pans downwards so that the audience are able to see the rest of the room, which just more individuals on computers. The audience are made to believe that the room is a FBI room, where police officers or undercover spy's are trying to locate someone or something. The idea of a hunt is a common convention in action movies, as it brings suspense to the trailer and the audience. The screen then dips to black and the music suddenly stops, and then becomes deeper and mellower. We are then presented with a medium shot of all the criminals that where at the bar, walking down the street in a row in unison. Together, they appear powerful and dominant, which engages the audience as they appear to be the main characters in the film/trailer. We then non-diegetically hear the words "Remember, we are the bad guys" which further enhances the audiences understanding that the group of people are criminals. The screen then fades into three short pictures. The first is a medium shot of a wall with a symbol on it. The symbol is of a skull locked behind jail bars. This links in with the idea of the criminals. Skulls are what is formed after a long time, which suggests that the individuals have been locked up for a long duration, and are about to be released. Skulls are also commonly associated with death which adds a negative impact to the trailer. The next shot is of a a girl locked in a room hanging from pieces of cloth from a celling. She has long, snow coloured hair and is looking at the camera. She looks at ease and appears peaceful when hanging from these pieces of cloth, which makes her seem courageous and powerful. The next shot shows a close up shot of a man starring upwards. The use of the close up shot is effective, as it means that the audience can see his facial expressions. He appears to be stressed and looks helpless, which makes the audience sympathise with him. In addition, his T.shirt is ripped, which makes him look tacky and dirty, followed by an orange duffer coat which has dirt marks around the corners.

Next, we are shown a close up shot of an individual in a prison cell. The camera then zooms outwards so that the audiene can see the outline of the door. The person inside the cell screams diegetically "let me out!" which suggests that he feels stressed that his is locked away. The police officer then moves the letterbox-typed thing that is found on prison doors upwards, as a way of of keeping the individual quiet. The screen then fades to the office room that the audience has seen previously in the trailer. This time, we can see the womens face through a close up, and she is talking to the rest of her employees. She states diegetically: " We are dealing with some of the most dangerous people on the planet, are you aware of that?" this gives the audience a deeper insight into the characters and why they are in jail. It also adds excitement and a thrilling nature to the film, which a common convention expected from action films. We then see short cuts of buildings exploding, drag races and guns being fired. This again conforms to the aggressive and violent nature shown in action films.  Titles then come up on the screen saying " are you ready?!?" The use of the exaggerated punctuation, again, adds a childish effect to the trailer, which link in with the the joker-typed characters shown in the trailer.

In conclusion, Suicide Squad is an effective trailer that successfully meet the expectations of an action film. There is drag races and card explosions that help keep the audience engaged. The use of the especially unique and diverse characters adds a fun twist and approach to the film, which gives the film a unique selling point.

TRAILER ANALYSIS- The Wolf of Wall Street

 Here is a link to the Wolf of Wall Street Trailer: Here is a link to the Wolf of Wall Street Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pabEtIERlic

The trailer opens with non-diegetic sound of the drums being played loudly, at an upbeat tempo. This makes the audience feel content and ammused by the trailer before any footage is actually shown on the screen. Having an up-beat sound track is a successful way to really engage the audience into the film. We are then presented with three establishing shots of what looks like to be New York. New York is a large, indipendent and well known state, and is known for its positions of employment and money making. Many people there are buisness men, and work in large, tall buildings. New York is also known for having yellow taxi's which we are able to see in the background of the establishing shits. Through a cut, we are presented with a close up shot of a sign stating "Wall St" idicating "wall street" to the audience. This is effective, as it shows a direct link to the title of the film, which helps make the audience feel enagged as they are able to piece together parts of the trailer to the name of the film. We then see titles being placed onto the screen. The background of the titles is in yellow and the font is in black. Having a yellow background is brght and colourful and connotes the idea of happiness, which helps to make the audience feel relaxed. HAving a yellow background and black font also creates a strong contrast in colour, which helps the font to stand out. As with most trailers, the music is synchronised with what is happening on screen. The titles appear in coordination with the beat of the song, 'Black Skinhead' by Kanye West. Actors Leonardo dicaprio and Jonah Hill are presented in the titles which gives the film a unique selling point. They are both very well known actors and are very successful, and popular. Thus, audiences will be attracted towards the film, as there are successful actors in the film. I feel that having well known actors/actresses in the film is a really effective way to reach a global audience. In addition,  Multiple quotes that sum up the plot and tone of the film are included in the trailer in order to draw and captivate the audience in with the premise. Moreover, it highlights its star-studded cast and the accolades won by its director through the titles in between clips, which is another common theme in Hollywood film trailers. After the three establishing shots, which help set the scene and location of the film, we are presetned with a medium, front-tracking shot of our protagonsit walking down a hallway of a building. Regarding mise, en scene we can see that he is wearing a suit. Suits are seen to be powerful and hold connotations with domiance and authority, which helps to show characteristics of our protagonist.  In the opening quote of the trailer, the protagonist states non-diegetically  "My name is Jordan Belfort, the year I turned 26, I made $49 million, which really pissed me off because it was 3 shy of a million a week" . The use of the colloquialism "pissed" shows that the protagonist can sometimes be seen as rude, and disrespectful. The audience are left to interpret that this could be because of the sheer amount of money he had earnt when he was 26, which could make him seem stuck-up and very money orientated. These personality traits can also be witnessed later on in the trailer, where the protagonist is shown throwing a wine glass containing an alcoholic beverage away in his garden, while he is also seen throwing money into a bin.. This also helps to attract the target audience as it gives them an insight into the protagonists's lavish and action packed lifestyle. The trailre then cuts to a long shot of an office, and many people that are working in that office to be the employees. All the workers are cheering excessivley as the protagonist walks into the room. This happens as he states "$49 million dollars" which suggests to the audience that the employees are congradulating him on his huge success of his earnings. The use of the long shot is an effevtive way to show the audience the amount of people that are congradualting him, which suggests that the protagonist is a well known and likeable guy, whichh helps make the audience feel an attachement towards him.  We then cross cut to a long shot of a sports car pulling up outside of a very large house. The long shot allows the audience to see the grand scale of the house, and the whole appearence of the car, rather than just one part. The house has 4 long white polls attached to the celling, with 5 steps leading to the front door. Towards the left of the shot, we can see that there are other cars parked in a car park, which helps to reinforce the powerful and wealthy characteristics that the protagonist has. We then see a medium shot of our protagonist realaxing on a large yacht. Yacht's are very expenive, and are commonly associated with the elite members of a society. This again emphasises his earnigns, and how wealthy this individual is. It almost helps to engage the audience, as anyone would want to live this lifestyle that he is living, which helps them become more engaged into the film. He then states diegetically "We are making a name for ourselves" which gives the audience an explanation as to why the protagonsit is spening his money on unesecarry things, and why he is just throwing away his money. 

We then cross cut to a close up shot of the protagonist looking directly into the  camera. This is effective as it makes the audience feel like the protagonsit is talking to them directly, making them feel part of all the action. His body language and posture appears every relaxed, with his shoulders down, and hand gestures of pointing and shrugging. This helps to make the audience feel more engaged, as its like he is having a realistic conversation with the audience. He then states diegetically "Was any of this legal...? Absalutley not!". This suggests to the audience that he is a wealthy and rebellious individual, as his huge earnings of money is not entirely legal. This helps bring suspense and annticiaption to the audience, as illegal acts can have serious consequences, which are ideas that may be shown in the whole film itself. We are then introduced to a female character in a medium,two shot. The female lead is represented in a sexual way in the trailer which is often the case in the modern age of film. The 'male gaze' - the idea of women being sexualised in film in order to attract a male audience - is clearly taken into account in this trailer, as the only scenes in which the female lead is shown, she is presented in a seductive manner. She is wearing a pink dress with black high heels on.The colour pink can symbolise romance and relashtionships, which emphasises her seductive attitude.In the trailer, Leonardo Dicaprop has a voice over feature to help explain the narrative. In this case he informs the audience of his name,age and background of his life ambition ( money).  The trailer then shows quick close up shots in a sequence showing money being stacked into boxes, money being thrown in the air off of boats, and money being chucked at individuals. Inbetween these shots, the titles come up saying "MORE". At the same time, the music is becoming higher higher inbetween each shot. This suggests that the director is trying to create this idea of a dramatic climax, and create suspense towards the audience. I feel that this is a really successful way of getting the audience involved into the trailer, making them want to see more and more. 

TRAILER ANALYSIS- Insidious

here is a link to the Insidious trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zuZnRUcoWos

Insidious is a horror film which was released on the 29th April 2011. The film is rated a 15, due to the dramatic and aggressive nature presented in the film.

Interestingly, the trailer opens with the title of the film, rather than the title being presented at the end of the film. This is an effective way to draw the audience in, as they would expect the name of the film to be shown at the end. It gives them a direct insight into the name of the film and what it might be about. The adjective "Insidious" means "proceeding in a gradual, subtle way, but with very harmful effects."- Google. It brings to mind thoughts of mystery and deceit, which are emotions that the audience will feel, due to the name just being shown on the screen. The font is in white, which brings positive connotations such as purity and goodness. The background however, is black, with a subtle hint of red around the font. These colours connote negative factors such as death, evil and mystery which creates a strong contrast against the fonts colour. It almost cements the idea of good vs evil, which is a common convention expected in horror films. The trailer then cuts to a medium shot of out protagonist sitting in a chair. He is wearing a red checked shirt,with a black top which seems very simplistic clothing. This makes the audience think that he is an ordinary guy, just relaxing in his own home.  We can see photographs hanging in the background, with a piano on the right hand side, which helps to set the scene of an ordinary house. A sound bridge is used here, where someone calls "are you ready?" in which he responds "yes!" This builds tension and anticipation towards the audience as they are unaware of what they are talking about. It brings the audience into the trailer,as it is shown at the beginning rather than at the end. The protagonists expression and desaturated grade of the shot creates suspense and an uneasy atmosphere. Through a fade, we are presented with a metronome is shown. The use of the diegetic and non diegetic sound is a pace setter for the trailer,it engages the audience into the film, and creates suspense. The metronome is going at a fast tempo and the transitions between shots are synced with it which makes the trailer continue on a fast speed and menacing pace. Through a fade, titles are placed onto the screen saying " from the makers of Paranormal Activity and Saw" These films have been huge successes all over the world, so by including that this film is created by the same people, the audience already know that the film is going to be good and either up to or exceed their expectations. We then cut to the beginning shot of the protagonist sitting down on the chair, in the same position, closing his eyes. Through the camera movement of a zoom, we begin to zoom into the protagonists face. This is effective, as it makes the audience feel like they are getting a close up and interpersonal relationship with the protagonist, which helps make them more engaged into the film. It could also suggests that the audience are reviewing and looking at his thoughts. Through a cut, the audience is presented with an establishing shot of what seems to be their house.There are palm trees in the background, which gives the audience an indication that the film is set in a hot location. The camera is tracking towards the left of the house, at an uneasy and un-naturalistic pace. This gives the idea that someone is watching the house, which adds a creepy and sinister vibe to the trailer, which is a common convention of horror films. In addition, the establishing shot is at a slightly low angle, which brings in the idea of power and dominance. 

We are then presented with medium shots of a family inside the house. This indicates why we saw an establishing shot of the house, as we can now see the family living inside. We see a two shot of a mum and a child playing together with their toys. We then cut to a scene in the kitchen with a mum and a dad. The dad is wearing a suit which connotes being wealthy and powerful. Due to the composition of the shots and cardboard boxes in the background it is insinuated that the family have just moved house, and that the dad is starting a new job. We here diegetically a lot of shuffling and sighing which suggests that the characters may be feeling stressed and overwhelmed at moving into a new house, which is a common emotion to feel. We are then presented with a long shot of an attic. Dark colours such as black, brown and grey's are used in these scenes which are scary which creates unease as they have connotations of evil and horror. The music in this scene is deep and mellow, which adds to the idea of a scary atmosphere.  We then cut to a two shot of the parents looking confused and terrified at something. They are looking downwards, which suggests that they are looking at something small, rather than something big and powerful.  The composition of the shot illustrates that they are behind a window, connoting that they are looking at what is unknown and therefore needs to be controlled.  The lighting throughout the trailer is an important and interesting factor to look at. The lighting is very soft in daytime and calm scenes of the trailer, such as the hospital scene, which creates a reassuring nature that the audience can feel relaxed about and also relate tot he film.. In the tenser and darker scenes, the lighting is harsher, with lots of shadows This creates a darker atmosphere and harsher tone so creates horror. This is a typical convention of a horror film. Through a cut, we are presented with a long shot of the boy lying on a hospital bed attached to OSS-operational support system This reveals to the audience what the parents were looking so terrified about, and indicates to the audience emotions of distress and terror. The use of the OSS reinforces the idea of "The unknown" . The parents are placed far away from the boy, which suggest that they do not know what condition the boy has, thus they have to stay away. This gives off an uneasy and scary atmosphere towards the audience.  The camera then cuts to a close up shot of the mother looking into her sons eyes. The close up shot is effective, as the audience are able to see the sheer  and distressing emotion presented on her face. It also means that the audience are able to relate to the way that she feels. In addition, her upsetting emotions shown here, directly contrasts with her emotions at the beginning of the trailer. 

We then cut to a dark, medium shot of a staircase. The camera is at a low angle, looking upwards which makes whatever is on the staircase to be more powerful. The lighting here is very low key, which brings fear and terror to the audience.The soundtrack here, dips slightly and becomes much deeper, much like the sound of a cello. Having deep music in horror films is a common convention and is expected from the audience. It brings a dramatic climax to the film, and suggests that something is about to happen. The audience can see shadows moving past the staircase, due to the dim lighting. The un-natural movements has connotations with the supernatural. The fact that we can only see the shadows, connotes that we the supernatural is outside the house, trapping and captivating the family inside. We then quickly cut to an armchair rocking, which gives connotations of old fashioned and old toys, which the audience naturally associate with horror. We then cut to an extreme high angle of the woman looking upwards which suggests that she is being watched. The lighting here is also low key, meaning the audience cannot see much, giving a uneasy and spooky atmosphere. This shot directly contrasts with the previous shot, which was a low angle, which suggests that the power struggle has been overturned. The colouring in this shot is de-saturated which  creates a stylistic theme and illustrates a bleak, unusual atmosphere which creates fear towards the audience. The screen then cuts to a long shot of a boy sleeping in his room. The long shot is effective as it means that the audience can see the whole landscape of his room, meaning that they can spot any mysterious movements that may occur. We then hear the door creek open, which is a common convention used in horror films, which suggests that the supernatural is in the room and something shocking is about to occur. The music changes here, from low, deep music to chimmey, child like music. This kind of music is seen as old fashioned, and is also a common convention shown in horror films.  Finally, we are shown a medium shot of a girl looking towards the camera. The music and editing here is really fast pace, which brings suspense to the audience and suggests that something is about to happen. We then see a red figure come up behind her shoulder, which only the audience can see, and not the character. This gives the character vulnerability and innocence, as we are aware of what could happen and not the character. The colour red connotes blood and danger, which are aspects that the director and makers of the film want the audience to feel.

In conclusion, i feel that this trailer was highly successful in keeping the audience engage. The mise en scene of lighting and the fluctuation of sound levels helps make the audience feel suspense and terror as the trailer progresses. 

TRAILER ANALYSIS- Maleficent

Maleficent is a 2014 American epic dark fantasy film directed by Robert Stromberg from a screenplay by Linda Woolverton and starring Angelina Jolie and Elle Fanning. The film is base on the tale of sleeping beauty, which was a classic Disney movie known by many. Within the first two seconds of the trailer, we can see that the institution of the film is Disney. Disney is a very successful and well known company making millions of dollars every year. By placing this at the beginning of the trailer it immediately creates a buzz and excitement to the audience, due to their huge success and good reputation. Disney has made loads of films over the years, which means that it has a well established audience, thus it guarantees a large audience for any upcoming films. Through a fade, we are presented with an establishing shot of a castle. This type of shot is a successful way for the audience to understand the setting and location of the film. Castles are often associated with princesses, so it already creates a positive atmosphere towards the audience. The camera pans around the castle, possibly through using a helicopter or a crane. This gives the audience a much wider view and gives them a bigger opportunity to interpret the film.  On the left hand side, we can see soldiers moving. Soldiers can create an idea of danger, as they are known to fight. This already sets to the audience that there might be some kind of battle to be seen in the film, which adds excitement to the movie. Next, an extreme close up of candles being blown out is shown. When candles are lit, it means that individuals are able to see, which brings to mind positive thoughts. When candles get blown out, it usually means that there is darkness. Darkness brings negative thoughts to mind, which makes the audience feel apprehensive and scared as to why the candles had been blown out in the first place. By this point, the audience are aware that something bad is about to happen which adds suspense to the trailer. Through a fade to black, we are presented with a dark and sinister looking room. We can see chandeliers hanging from the ceiling, which have sharpe points on them with little light being shown, again introducing this idea of darkness. Through editing, a Montague of three clips of the same room are pasted together, each with a cut to a black screen therebetween. This is effective, as it brings to mind the idea of distortion, which will make the audience feel on edge. The music here builds, suggesting that something bad is about to happen. The music is deep, with the sound of gusts of wind being blown, with a light chiming sound in the background. This type of sound is commonly associated with small children in horror movies, so it also brings a sense of fear to the audience. The darkness, low music and quick cuts, makes the audience feel that something bad is about to happen. We are then finally presented with out main character Maleficent. Here, we see a medium shot of her. The medium shot allows the audience to see her outfit and facial expressions. She is mainly wearing black,which again brings in the darkness, but black connotes danger,evil and mystery, which makes the audience assume that these emotions are attached to this particular character. She has two long horns attached to her head, surrounded by a black-hat like material circulating the perimeter of her face. The lighting in this scene has significantly changed, and has become more low key lighting which reflects the characters ora that is given off. On her left hand side, she hold a long stick, with crow resting on top. Crows are also black, and are symbolised as being an object of death and evil, which further reinforces Maleficent's ominous ora that is created. She has bright red lips, which makes her seem alluring to the audience and to characters in the film. This could be a subtle way to attract victims into her, and make her seem powerful through the idea of beauty.

Next, we are presented with a long shot of Maleficent constructing her power around a room. She is in the center of the frame, which makes her seem the most dominant person in the room. Her composure looks powerful. She holds both her hands out, widely spread making herself seem that she is trying to take over the whole room. Her power is in the colour green. Green is seem to be ugly, alien-like and exciting, which further enhances her dominant style.In this scene she is creating a curse on the castle, suggesting a sense of hatred and jealousy which is a common theme and  convention shown in fairy tales. Through a fade, we are presented with an extreme long shot of a woodland with spiky, sharp trees pointing out aggressively to the right. The branches almost appear like they are guarding something, which inter-veins the idea of protection and jealousy. Previously in the trailer, it was spring/summer, which can be shown as there was leaves on the trees, and flowers on the ground. In this long shot, it can suggest a change in the seasons, which helps to show the development of the film and how it is continuing. We then see a two shot of a girl with long blonde hair with flowers in it. Long blonde hair is stereo typically seen as attractive in film, which makes this girl seem innocent and likable to the audience. Her representation is juxtaposed by Maleficent's dark clothing, at spooky Ora. This differentiation of characters captivates the audience into the film, as its uncommon to see a dark/mysterious character sitting next to a sweet and innocent child.  The lighting in this shot is high key which connotes a pleasant and satisfying atmosphere. The composition of the shot shows the two characters having the same amount of space on the screen, suggesting that they are seen as equal and even. 

Next, we are presented with a medium shot of our protagonist attempting to touch a needle on a spinning wheel. Earlier in the trailer, Maleficent states that when she does this, she will fall into a "death like sleep" which makes the audince feel tense and on edge, as they can predict what is about to happen. The lighting behind our protagonist is high key, which contrasts with the negative concept of the sharp needle.The needle is lit up, which brings the audiences attention direcltytowards the tip. It engages their eyes to look directly at the point, which is the begnning of where things start to go down hill. The girl is wearing a dress, which reinforces her vulnerability, making her look weak. This is because girls are commonly seen in dresses, and are known as the weaker se

TRAILER ANALYSIS- Casino Royale

Here is a link to the Casino Royale Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=36mnx8dBbGE

Casino Royale is part of the James Bond franchise, and was released during 2006. the film is based on a game of poker, where individuals lives are at risk and danger is right around the corner. The film consists of numerous killings,punch ups, drag races and exotic locations. Daniel Craig is James Bond, followed by Vesper Lynd playing Eva Green.

The trailer begins with a medium shot of James looking out in the distance. Regarding mise,en,scene, we can see that he is wearing sunglasses which indicates that he is possibly in a hot location. He is also wearing a suit which connotes the idea of power and authority, as its seen as respectable and honorable clothing. Suits are also expensive to buy,so it could also indicate to the audience that he is a wealthy individual. This wealthy idea can also be interpreted by the the background of the medium shot, we can see a plane. This suggests that James has just gotten off the plane, suggesting to the audience that he is in a new location, further in the distance of the shot, we can see palm trees waving. Palm trees only grow in hot locations so this further enhances the audiences understanding that the trailer is filmed in a hot location. The first part of the trailer is in black and white, which adds a historic feel to the trailer. Historically, movies were filmed in black and white until colour was introduced in 1967. By the trailer opening in black and white, it adds an historic atmosphere to the film, as the audience are restricted from any colour, thus cant interpret any emotion. Over the top of this, we hear non-diegetically "Your file shows no kills Bond..." The voice is from a man and is deep, which makes it sound superior. The idea of murder is introduced to the audience just 5 seconds into the trailer, which tunes audiences into the conventions of an action/thriller film. The screen then fades to a scene with James bond sitting down in a room with an older man talking about how to become a "double o" (007). James then pulls out a gun and shoots the man, with no facial expression shown at all. This suggests to the audience that James is good at his job (being a spy) and does not show much emotion when he does kill people. Through fast pace cross cuts as James pulls the trigger, snippets of men being shot are shown quickly onto the screen. The men fall backwards over buildings and fall into rivers. we then flash back to a close up shot of James sitting down, as he mutters diegetically "considerably..." and places the gun back into his pocket. This intense and dramatic actions engage the audience into the film well. It submerges them into the "Spy world" where killing,hunting and stealing are common factors that occur. A shooting is shown very early on in the trailer, so it engages the audience straight away into what they are expecting, making them want to carry on watching the rest of the trailer to find out what else James gets up to.

The James Bond soundtrack then interplay's where "COLUMBIA" is faded onto the screen. The James bond soundtrack is effective, as its iconic to every film. This suggests that there is the presence of a sound motif which makes the audience feel part of the film and the action, as they know that when this particular music is played, thrilling action is about to take place. We then see a long shot of a rain forest, with army trucks moving boxes on the road. The street is muddy and wet, which suggests that in this location it rains a lot, with makes the audience feel negative, as rain makes people feel down. (Pathetic fallacy. There is few people here, which indicates to the audience that it could be an area suffering from severe poverty. We then see a medium shot of a man with grey hair in a suit. One of his eyes is a different colour to the other- blue and brown. His left eye has a cut down it vertically, and this eye is the blue one.This makes this man stand out from anyone else. Facially, he almost looks abnormal to the others, which gives him a sinister appearance. He is wearing a black suit, which again shows power and authority. His mise en scene also makes him stand out from the others, as the other individuals in this locations are wearing almost like cloth clothing, with no shoes and headscarves, again, reinforcing the idea of poverty. The screen then fades to a panning camera movement of numerous boxes being opened with a stacks and stacks of money inside. Again,this creates a contrast between the poor individuals living in the forest, to the rich man in the suit with boxes and boxes of money. We are then introduced to another character named "M" played by Judi Dench, who is James Bond's manager. She explains that this man is planning a leader of a terrorist organisation, and a poker game in Montenegro is going to be planned. We then see numerous close up shots of a poker game, consisting of chips, cards, dealing and the poker table. M then states diegetically " if he looses this game, he will have nowhere to run." This suggests that James is going to be playing the poker game in order to save his country from various attacks. Through a fade, we are presented with a two shot of M and James walking together in a hotel garden. The setting here is relaxed and peaceful, which juxtaposes the dramatic punching and killing scenes presented in the beginning of the trailer.  M is wearing a white blazer. The colour white symbollises purity and goodness, which are traits that are expected to be seen in her character, James is wearing a blue polo top, with sunglasses tucked between his shirt, with grey chino-like trousers. This suggests that this location is relaxed and the characters are too. Next, we fade to a long shot of the casino. the main colour scheme shown is red, which connotes ideas of wealth and royalty. Many of the characters are dressed up very glamorous and alluring, possibly to distract the opposing male poker players from their game. The trailer then shows a fast pace montage of clips of cars racing each other and people getting beat up. These are effective in showing the audience all the action and common conventions of a thriller/action film.

Through a fade, we are presented with the opening of a gun about to shoot. The guns opening part, is filling the frame of the screen, and is pointing towards the audience as if the audience are the ones that are about to get shot. This is effective as it makes the audience feel part of the action. Its important that in thriller films the audience are kept engaged. By pointing a gun directly at them, it makes them feel like they are in the shoes of the characters in the film. By showing this in the trailer, it gives the audience a taster of what they are to expect in the whole film, making them feel more persuaded to go and watch the film. Through a lens flare, we are shown a two shot of James Bond and a girl in a shower sitting down. James is comforting the girl, by wrapping his arm around her. Interestingly,they are both wearing clothing, which seems odd especially when being in a shower. The fact that James has his arm around her suggests that the girl may be feeling emotional and upset. This type of behavior contrasts with the high and aggressive nature presented in the car chases and killing scenes, so it adds a sense of variety to the film. Having this type of behavior would attract female audiences, as females tend to lean towards romance and emotional scenes, as they feel that they can relate to that character. By showing a "romance" scene in the trailer, it suggests that there is content for everyone in the film.

We are then presented with a low angle shot of James looking at his phone. Having a low angle shot is successful, as it means that the audience can see James's body language and facial expressions. Furthermore, a low angle shot makes James appear taller, resulting in him appearing more dominant and authoritative to the audience. He appears puzzled when glaring at his phone, which adds suspense to the audience, as the main character doesn't appear to be in control of a situation if he looks confused at something. Regarding MES, we can see that James is wearing a suit, which connotes power and authority within his character, which juxtaposes his facial expression. In his right arm he is holding a gun. Although his face appears to be confused, his body language seems to make him appear confident as he is holding the gun with one hand. Guns are usually held in two hands, to get precision and accuracy when shooting someone. Within this shot, it appears that he is careless about the gun, and doesn't see it to be an issue that he has a dangerous object capable of killing an individual with little effort needed. In addition, the gun is larger than usual guns, suggesting that it may be more powerful. This will make the audience feel tension, as it suggests that the film has a high amount of killings and thrilling fight scenes, which are common conventions of a thriller/action film.