Research into Similar Products - The Ring Trailer

The Ring released in 2002 follows a young journalist who must investigate a mysterious videotape which seems to cause the death of anyone in a week of viewing it. To be easily relatable to the audience an everyday setting and everyday characters are used which would help the audience identify with the situation thus making it more realistic and therefore more scary. Also the use of the videotape identifies with the fear of technology.
The themes involved are emphasised by the use of the four technical areas.

Sound

The trailer begins with a futuristic, mechanical sounding piece of non diegetic music with a voice-over on top. The music then takes a slower pace with a mystical, mysterious feel. The dialogue continues over the top, higher in the sound mix, when the phone rings it is very loud and the highest noise in the sound mix as it is key to the story line. Also we know from the opening dialogue of this trailer that the telephone call is to tell you that you will die within seven days. The audience then hears, what seems to be a young child, whispering "seven days". After this is heard the music becomes faster and more intense, fitting with the pace of the editing. The dialogue is heard over the transitions of the shots and the shots themselves, but fragmented and jumpy, what the audience hears is the repeat of consequences when you watch the video tape and also "The Ring" can be heard repeatedly towards the end. The trailer finishes as it began with television interference and the sound of white noise.

Editing

Fig. 1

The beginning of this trailer seems to be the mechanical workings of the inside of a VCR, which would seem fitting as the entire movie surrounds itself around a video tape. It then cuts to the iconic image (Fig. 1) which is most commonly associated with  this film, being the lit ring on a black background, the light seems to move, flickering around the ring. This image then cuts to what we can assume to be television interference as if the trailer is a television screen, again fitting as the film follows the story of a deadly video tape. After what we can assume is a section of the video tape being played is a fade to black and then a sequence of shots all linked to the next with a simple cut giving a stark, harsh visual. This technique is used throughout the entire trailer and is paced steadily, however increasing in the middle and towards the end of the trailer, this creates intensity and a sense of adrenaline amongst the audience.

Mise en scene 

Fig. 2

The costumes of the key characters within this film are everyday clothes, creating a sense of reality making it more easily relatable to the audience. Within the trailer we see that children are involved in the film giving a sense of vulnerability and enhancing the horror of the film as an audience feels a need to protect the child full well knowing there's nothing they can do. We also see a horse included which gives the same feeling of vulnerability. Linking in with this are the props of the children's drawings, they again reinforce the atmosphere created by the inclusion of the children and show how young they are (Fig. 2). Use of images drawn by children also gives a sense of mystery as they can be depicting thoughts or feelings that a child could not convey in any other way. The lighting is kept pretty low key throughout giving a dark atmosphere and the feeling of impending doom. Another of the props used is the videotape, perhaps the most key prop within the film as it creates the story and affects each of the characters.

Camerawork


The first few shots we see are edited into a shot reverse shot and are close ups of two young girls, this allows the audience to see their reactions as it seems the first character introduced is telling a key piece of information. We then see a wide shot of a small child and a grown man, this shows the contrast between the two characters, who we can assume are key as they are introduced early on, both in age and in size. The next series of shots are all close ups of several different characters again showing reactions. We then see a point of view shot of what the young woman is looking at, which we can see is a shelf full of videos with, what seems to be, one missing. A close up is used later to of the young woman slipping the video into her bag as if indicating that she is taking without permission. A mid shot and then a close up is used to show her watching the video and through quick editing we see her facial expression and what is on the television screen and also a point of view shot of the phone ringing. We then see a similar arrangement of shots as the young man is introduced and as he watches the tape for himself. Over the shoulder shots and close ups are used when the child's drawings are introduced and shown to the audience. A series of extreme close ups are used as the pace of the editing quickens towards the middle of the trailer, these are mainly of pieces of camera and equipment in a stark white room which confuses the audience as it is unsure what is happening and what these pieces are for. As the young lady, who seems to be the main character, changes location an establishing shot is used showing a remote location giving the idea of vulnerability and isolation.

Insidious Trailer

Research into similar products - Insidious Trailer

Insidious, released in 2010, follows a young family looking to prevent evil spirits from trapping their comotase son in a realm called the further. The involvement of family relationships and their stereotypical suburban lifestyle are key here as we see them ripped apart by the unknown and the paranormal, thus breaking the 'security' of family life. The easily relatable family situation makes the situation seem more real to the audience, therefore reinforcing and intensifying the feeling of fear and terror.

The story line, although key, is not the sole component to creating atmosphere and fulfilling the horror genre, the four technical areas are imperative.

Editing



Fig. 1



The trailer opens with a transition slide reading 'Insidious' and then condensing down to 'Is' this is repeated numerous times throughout, making it more memorable to the audience, and is coined as the films slogan. The visual of this slide is stark as they have contrasted the black background with white writing making it stand out and clear to the audience.

The pace of the editing within the trailer is imperative as it creates impact and a tense atmosphere, to begin with the pace of the editing matches the beat of the metronome, a cut with every beat. This has a dramatic effect and captures the audience, the pace of the editing then slows down as the beat and music fade out giving the audience several clips with the audio from the film, which creates interest in the movie as it gives a taste of what happens leaving the audience wanting to know more. Towards the end the music is reintrouduced fading in and building pace as this happens the editing follows suit and the cuts become incredibly fast and jumpy, flashing from one image of the film to another. This is common in horror trailers as it comes across as adrenaline rushing and thrilling. During one of the final sequence of clips we see the use of ellipsis of time (Fig.1) which gives the impression of broken time, and a lack of continuity. The fast pace of the shots grabs the audiences' attention and brings across an unsettling atmosphere, of which horror films can rely on to put fear into the audience. This technique is used again at the very end of the film after the last transition slide showing one of the evil spirits moving closer to the camera.

Camerawork



Fig. 2



The first shot we see is a mid shot, of who we can assume is the, or one of the, main characters as he is introduced to the audience primarily. It then moves to a close up of the metronome which is key in this trailer as it dictates the pace of editing and is heard throughout. The trailer then moves back to the first shot seen however a zoom in is used emphasising the importance of this character. The shots that follow are quick however there is a selection of establishing, master, two and close up shots which all introduce the main characters that this film follows. These shots show a typical, happy, suburban family life until the last one in this sequence showing a child falling which, as this is the last shot, indicates that this is the beginning of the main plot line. After this we see a two shot of the adults, who we can assume are the parents, which then quickly switches to an over the shoulder and point of view shot showing their child in a hospital bed indicating illness which is a common feature in horror films as it makes the character vulnerable. After this the shots are focused on the mother alone, which again brings across vulnerability and loneliness, we see a close up and a low angle tilt upwards towards her after the close up on the rocking horse. The shots that follow now focus more on the children in the film around whom the horror element of this film is focused. The majority of shots here are wide or long to show the children comparitive to their surroundings, which in most we can see an element of the supernatural such as the 'demon' standing in the corner of one of the childs rooms. The next series of shots are extreme close ups, of what we can assume is a camera. We are then introduced to a new character with an over the shoulder shot showing her in the foreground and the family in the background showing her importance. This shot also shows her as an outsider as she stands alone. The trailer then cuts to an extreme close up of her eye and a high angle shot looking down on to her giving the impression that she is aware of a presence or element that the family are not. In the next set of shots the trailer cuts back to this several times however incorporating a zoom connotating the idea that the supernatural or the unknown is looming and coming ever closer. In this section of the trailer we also see several close ups of drawings, of what we can assume are the spirits or monsters, and again an extreme close up of the older womans eyes. There are two over the shoulder shots showing the father of the family against two different monsters. One of these shows him looking into the mirror and not only seeing his reflection but also the reflection of an old, woman, this brings across the idea that maybe he has a closer relationship with the spirits than was first expected. This in turn creates interest amongst the audience and makes them want to know what happens. The last set of shots is set at a very fast pace the majority are close ups or extreme close ups, showing the reactions and facial expressions of the characters. The trailer then cuts to a transition slide which gives the impression that that is the end of the trailer which then also puts the audience at ease, however we then see a number of shots showing one of the spirits previously seen in the mirror moving closer to the camera at a fast pace. As it is unexpected this shocks the audience instilling fear and finishing with a tense atmosphere.

Mise en scene



Fig. 3

The costumes of the key characters in this trailer are typical everyday clothes with relation to gender and age group, this makes the family more relatable to the audience and makes it easier for the audience to identify with the characters and their situation. Make up, again, is very simple and typical of the family involved. The make up of the supernatural characters (Fig. 3) is seen only twice in this trailer as the 'demons' or 'monsters' are kept hidden to entice the audience, however, for the split second we are shown them we can see that they are far from human. The skin colour, being red, connotates the idea of fear and danger, along with the large eyes and sharp pointed teeth. There are several key props used throughout this trailer such as the baby monitor. This is used in conjuction with one of the first encounters of a spirit or demon in the trailer. The use of a prop closely correlated and associated with children brings across an element of vulnerability and the idea of innocence being corrupted such as the use of the rocking horse (Fig.4) and the baby monitor. The metronome is a key prop throughout the film as it begins by setting the pace of the shots and is also incorporated towards the end of the trailer creating a feeling of continuity and circularity to bring the trailer to an end. In the first set of shots a higher key lighting is used as the audience and family are yet to be introduced to the spirits. However once the trailer moves on to introduce a further insight into the film a low key lighting is used to give a feel of impending fear.



Fig. 4





Sound

The non diegetic music used in this trailer sounds, to the audience, sinister and aggressive, a typical convention of the horror genre. The trailer uses sudden loud noises to startle the audience and instill fear it also uses distorted sounds to give an eery sense and to create tension. The metronome used in the trailer, a diegetic sound, is high in the sound mix giving again an aggressive feeling as if something is looming.