Research And Planning: Trailer Analysis 2

 TRAILER ANALYSIS 2

This is the second teaser trailer that I will be analysing. This one is called 'Mirrors' and was brought out in 2008 which has also been given a 15 certificate like 'The Grudge III' did. Alexandre Aja directed it and I chose this trailer to do because I thought that the lighting was effective and that again, it may help me have a larger insight into what I need to include in my horror teaser trailer. I also wanted to do a film that hadn't been made into a triology or sequel so that I had the slight contrast between both my analysis'.

GENRE

As I pointed out in my last analysis, Steve Neale's theory suggests that within every film there are differences and repetitions. The repetitions consist of the trailer being very alike a lot of others when it comes to stereotypical lighting and editing, although I dont think that theres as many jump cuts and fast editing in this one compared to my previous choice. In addition its again this idea of the unknown and something unreal and not logical that ends up being the thing that does the haunting and is classed as the villain and in quite a few films such as the grudge, the exorcist, the ring etc, it takes control of a younger child or teen, alike this one, from looking at the trailer. The differences on the other hand would be that the mirror is the main source of haunting which isn't that common. In addition to this Kiefer Sutherland is stereotyped to be seen in action films so it is different to see him in a film like this.

REPRESENTATION

In my opinion, from what I've seen of the trailer, I don't think that this trailer completely suggests that Laura Mulvey's theory is correct. I believe that for the first half of the trailer, this could be true since it's the Mum we see checking up on her son and it's her that we see getting scared and upset about this idea of something strange happening to her child and in her house. This suggests her helplessness and that she's weak. After saying this, the trailer then goes on to show the husband being concerned when he hears her scream and we also get to see him break down and get affected by whatever's going on which in my opinion is the complete opposite to how a guy would portray oneself.

NARRATIVE

The story behind this trailer is that the husband we see is an ex-cop and him and his family become the target of an evil force that uses mirrors around the house as it's way of getting into their heads. We can see throughout the trailer the innitial story idea that is occuring in this household. This is called the equilibrium which lets us see a little insight to the plot of the trailer. In this trailer, the distruption happens near enough at the beginning when we see the little boy move but the reflection does not and this immediately attracts the audience in. From then on we are bombared with peaks from the film which are shown by fast editing transitions which keep us on the edge of our seats.

AUDIENCE

This film is additionally aimed at people who are the age of 15 or over. Alike the last film that I looked at more closely, this one doesn't seem to be aimed at a specific gender and I think that it can be watched by any social class. The reason that it's a 15 is because of parts of scenes which include:

• Sex or Nudity
• Violence and Gore
• Foul Language
• Alcohol/Drugs
• Frightening and Intense scenes.

MEDIA LANGUAGE

Mise-En-Scene

• We can immediately tell that it's quite a modern house by how it is presented in the first shot of the trailer. In addition the car thats in the driveway doesn't look very old, and to have a car and have a house that size, the family must be quite well off.
• The lighting changes dramatically throughout the trailer. It starts off really sunny and bright in a open space outside suggesting a happy atmosphere, but as soon as the door opens and we see the reflection doing the complete opposite to the child, everything changes and begins to be shot in almost darkness.
• The facial expressions from the characters are generally quite tortured, especially the character of the Mother. The young boy on the other hand, constantly looks innocent which makes it more intense.

Editing

• When the regency logo disappears and we see the start of the movie trailer, it dissolves into a shot of the families house. This helps the flow start instantly, helping audience members to have a good impression of the first shot.
• It then straight cuts to the Mother opening her sons door. 
• A shot reverse shot has then been used on the Mother and son talking. This captures both people talking in conversation which helps us to relate to the characters by seeing their body language and facial expressions.
• I think that there is then a fade to black but because it is so quick it just looks like a flash of light flickering on and off so I can't be too sure. 
• Another dissolve has then been used to change the location in the house. This transition is again quick which adds tension and helps us follow the story line.
• Then a series of jump cuts are used which between the captions that start to appear on screen. This is when the peaks start to shine through.
• A fade to black has been used at 00.27 seconds when the shot of the cupboard has just been shown but it then quickly gets back to the action and commotion that is being caused.
• More jump cuts are then used to build the dramatic effect and tension again. 
• The trailer ends with a couple more jump cuts but also a couple of fairly fast edited straight cuts also. The flicker happens again and then it goes to black where the release date is shown. This may have been a fade but again because of the fast pace, I'm unsure

Sound

• A score is played in the background up until approx 00.28 seconds. Although it's not distinctive throughout the whole of it but it still gives the clip that edge that helps it remain spooky and abnormal.
• We have synchronous, diegetic dialogue that is heard at the very beginning also by the young child and his Mum. His voice is really soft and sounds cute which contrasts with how he is portrayed when the mirror takes over.
• A sound effect of what sounds like a trumpet is heard. It's an eerie noise and it is played to add emphasis to the young boy's reflection staying exactly where it is. In addition to this, a sound effect is also played which is of young children playing and laughing. This has been used very well as because it has been played where it is, it makes them sound almost patronizing.
• More dialogue and diegetic screams are then heard as well as non diegetic sound effects like a whooshing sound or someone breathing once, as the captions come on screen. In addition to this, banging is heard when the picture turns stencil like. 
• More laughing is then heard and the score has by this time gotten much louder. The male character is also yelling which makes it all sound hectic and intense.
• Everything then calms down as the boys voice is then changed at the end as though he has been taken over by this evil force until his Mother goes to touch him and then there's a big non diegetic roar and bang heard.

Cinematography

• The trailer starts with a wide shot of the surroundings. This lets us see the social class of the people we are going to meet and also lets us see whether we are watching a trailer for a film that is set in modern day or in the past. The camera is slightly tilting here as well.
• We then see a mid shot of the Mother, which turns into an over the shoulder shot of the young boy as the camera crabs around the corner of the door. It appears slightly at a high angle as though to show at this stage that the Mum has the higher authority.
• Here we see a long shot of the young boy to get an initial view of him and then when the camera reverses to an over the shoulder shot to show the Mum, we get to see her facial features for the first time also. 
• A mid close up has been used to show the horror on his Mums face when she see's the mirror reflection not moving.
• The camera then slowly zooms in to the reflection at a high angle which is strange since high angles are stereo typically known to be used when trying to show someones not powerful, which contrasts since we can instantly tell that the mirror has something to do with being the villain. 
• The camera also zooms for a split second on the wardrobe we see which suggests to us that there's something in there or that it signifies something unnatural. 
• An extreme close up has been used showing the door opening, and this with the sound that goes with it really makes it have a good effect.
• The framing appears to be really closed in on the husbands face when the camera shows a close up of him admitting that he's 'seeing bad things'. This adds suspense to the situation. The over the shoulder shot used a couple of seconds later is very effective too since not only does it allow both the character and the reflection to be in shot; it also allows us to see the distortion that has been made to his face. 
•  When the yelling begins, the shots turn to mid shots, allowing us to see their expressions and shifty body actions. The framing gets tighter also.
• I think that one of the last shots are really effective also, of the young boy saying 'Don't worry Mummy...etc' because we can really see the innocence on his face but because he is still placed in front of a mirror, we know that that's just an illusion.