Paranormal Activity Trailer Analysis
1. Video
2. Audio
3. Evaluation
1. Video
The trailer starts with a fade in transition to what is clearly a home video camera. This is clear from the fact that the camera is hosepiping and the mise-en-scene consists of an open box (suggesting that they are new to this house). We are then introduced to Katie, who is the girlfriend of the male holding the camera. Katie is doing what seems to be some craft work, which is nothing abnormal, so we can identify ourselves with her. This makes everything seem believable. One of the scary things about a good horror film, is that it is believable and makes you ask yourself ‘could that happen to me?’ This is something that we can relate to the films of Sir Alfred Hitchcock. Hitchcock’s films were scary for one reason, they were very believable. He is said to have pioneered the sub-genre of psychological thriller (which has elements of Horror).
The speed of the shots now starts to speed up, the shots are shorter and there are more cuts. All shots are still home video style. The couple are clearly trying to find out if there is ‘something else’ in the house with them. They leave salt on the floor to try and look for footprints. They seem very alone, it is just the two of them.
Looking at what we have been told so far, in just the first 13 seconds we know a lot. There haven’t been any classic establishing shots (eg. Buildings to establish the setting). But we do know the following:
· Setting – the house, they haven’t lived there long.
· Plot – Katie believes there is something else in the house. They are trying to find proof.
· Characters – Katie is the main character, her boyfriend is also a main character. We haven’t met any others
From 0:13 to 0:19, there are just 2 shots. They are longer and slow paced. It is designed to be an infra-red style ‘night-cam’. The camera is on a tripod so the shot is still. There is an ‘R’ in the bottom right with a red dot; this again shows us it is a home video camera. There is then the classic horror movie line, ‘Did you hear that?’ This is now starting to become more and more abnormal.
From 0:19 onwards, the shot is again handheld (hosepiping). The salt has been moved on the floor. There is no reasonable explanation for this that I (as the audience) can come to, other than to accept that there is indeed, ‘something else’ in the house.
‘There are footsteps in, but no footsteps out’. The connotation of this quote is that whatever came in is still there. As the audience realise this, it is a very spooky thought. At 0:20 there is a transition but it is much faster and abrupt than before. It is more violent than a straight cut. There is a visual noise (that you used to see on analogue television when there was a poor signal). The denotation here is that there is a change in shot on a home video camera. The connotation is that this ‘paranormal existence’ is interfering with the camera.
0:23 is the first title of the trailer with the loudest sound so far. A quote from a magazine called ‘Bloody-Disgusting’. Quotes from critics in trailers seem to be very popular, if a critic has good things to say about a film then it portrays to the audience ‘wow, it must be good!’
The pace now starts to build. All the shots show faster camera movements and terror in Katie’s face. There are visual effects on the text as the title enters with a crash and another quote. There is now a pattern emerging which consists of a montage of mixed sized shots separated by titles which come with the fuzzy-noise effects on them.
Around 0:31/2 there are a couple of shots of a girl with a black and white filter on the shot. She is clearly distressed and it is possible that it is actually Katie. This is quite a scary picture to have in the mind of the audience as we have been given the picture of Katie being a very normal person (again, we are posed with the thought of ‘this could happen to anyone’ and that is what I feel is the scariest thing about this trailer).
There is then a shot from the floor, the trailer is starting to be made of a variety of different shots, not just repetitive handheld and tripod shots. The camera is at an angle, which tells us it has been dropped/placed in a hurry. This is also clear because Katie is injured. As it is just the two of them there, we are again shown suggestive material in favour of the presence of a paranormal being.
I feel that in a horror trailer such as this one, the audience is never shown evidence that there is a paranormal being or ‘something else’ in the room/house. The trailer just gives us clues (although very suggestive clues). The audience comes to the conclusion after eliminating every other possibility, we ignore all sensible reasoning and conclude that there must be something else in the house. I found myself thinking ‘what else could it be?’
It is now clear that whatever is happening is causing harm. This is cemented by the very short shots (around 0.5 seconds) of injuries. It shows us just how vulnerable the couple are, yet only Katie is hurt so far.
0:36 shows us a very clever and effective title.
EXPERIENCE IT
I like this particular title as it addresses the audience and almost says to me ‘come buy a ticket’. After all, the trailer of a movie is its biggest marketing ploy; it’s just doing its job.
The shots now start to speed up again, Katie is clearly upset. The shot transitions are combinations of cuts, very quick fades and a strobe effect which comes between two shots. It is now building to a climax. The mood here is very dark and creepy, very much what we expect from a horror film.
There are two more titles with the same design as the last.
FOR YOURSELF
The latter title ‘yourself’ again addresses the audience, this time directly; another sales pitch.
This title (at 0:41) seems to be the climax of the building crescendo but it suddenly cuts back to the bedroom/night cam and the duvet is moving – clearly insinuating that there is something else there again.
The door slams and we go to the main title:
PARANORMAL ACTIVITY
The text flickers and we then hear a female voice (that we can presume is that of Katie’s) begging and pleading “Please pleasepleasepleaseplease” she sounds very upset at is clearly terrified. This gives us an idea of what it is like to be someone who is in total desperation, has nowhere to go and genuinely fears for her life.
At 0:55, there is the final climax of the trailer. A body, that looks to be male, is flung at an extraordinary pace towards the camera. The force that has the power to do this is certainly nothing capable of any human. The body knocks the camera off the tripod and the trailer comes to a close.
2. Audio
The sound is very important in this trailer. It tends to set the mood and feeling for the audience. I feel that the audio is important in any film (silent films being the exception) but more so in a Horror film. This, in my opinion explains this theory:
For example a scary beast jumps out at a character, right in front of the screen, yes it may be scary but it does not startle the audience, they won’t leave the cinema shaking with fear and telling all their friends how scary it was. On the other hand, if a loud sound was timed with the surprise, it makes it jumpy and much more exciting and scary for the audience.
At the start, there is a deep bass rumble with dualog between the male and Katie. There is some simple diegetic sound eg. The echoing voices in the hallway and the beep from the alarm. Everything is very normal at this stage, but the bass rumble does set the mood as being very eerie and dark. It gives me the feeling that something is going to happen.
There is some fuzzy noise to accompany some of the shot transitions. This may represent some interference in the camera which the audience will then decide for themselves why it happens. (Is it because of a dodgy camera, or some invisible existence in the house?)
For the 1st title, there is a large increase in the sound. It takes the audience by surprise. I feel this is done to get the message across more effectively, if it scares the audience, they are more likely to remember what it said.
There is also a very strange background voice which comes across as very wise and knowledgeable. It says “you cannot run from this, it will follow you”. A very scary sentence as is furthers the feeling of loneliness and vulnerability.
The Heartbeat sound is a classic code of Horror films. It tells you a lot about what the characters are going through. Eg. If it is going very fast, it shows excitement, shock, or that they are scared. If it is slow, it shows us that they are relaxed or trying to remain calm, or not moving very much or even trying to hide, therefore breathing slowly. If it suddenly stops, it could signify a death.
After the first title, the sound keeps in sync with the shots and link together well. There are:
· Heartbeats
· Screaming
· Voices
The sound really comes into play when we hit the climax of the trailer. When the body is flung into the camera, it is quite a startling moment but it is the sound that accompanies it which makes it all the more scary.
3. Evaluation
In my opinion, the Paranormal Activity trailer is a very scary, effective and believable example of a Horror film trailer and strong marketing tool for the film.
The things I like about this trailer are:
· The titles and their design
· The way the titles address the audience
· It is an example of classic Horror codes and conventions, luring you into a false sense of security with the normality of the situation and then ‘throwing it back in your face’. I will look further into the work of Alfred Hitchcock as he was a master in this technique.
· The voices which have key lines ‘there’s footsteps in, but no footsteps out’ and ‘You cannot run from this, it will follow you’.
· The desperation in the voice of Katie when she is pleading and begging.
I look to adapt these points for my own Horror trailer, in my own way.
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