Trailer Analysis

The Notebook - Romance

This trailer for The Notebook uses many editing techniques such as slow motion and shot reverse shot, which help to portray the romantic elements in the trailer, for example, the slow motion is used on moments of intimacy such as when Noah and Ally are dancing and when they embrace. Shot reverse shot is used to show their loving glances towards one another, which again, portrays the theme of love and romance. The colours within the trailer are quite natural as a lot of the trailer is outdoors, which can also be perceived as a romantic setting, especially as it is in the countryside. Fades are also used as the transition from one clip to another, which again reinforces the theme of romance. A lot of fast paced cross-cutting is also used during the dramatic scenes during the trailer which make the film appeal to it's audience as it creates tension and makes the audience wonder what will happen. Many close ups are used throughout the clip, showing the facial expressions of the two love interests, which show their loving emotions again reinforcing the romantic theme. A few long shots are also used, for example, a long shot shows the lake at sunset - this sets the romantic theme. The soundtrack of the trailer is slow, orchestral music, which relates to the theme of romance as lots of orchestral music sounds romantic and it is often used in romance films, which makes it stereotypical to this theme. Superimposition is also used at the end of the trailer stating the name of the film in a soft, calligraphy kind of font, which can be related to femininity which then can be related to romance. The superimposition also fades slowly onto the screen which again relates to the theme of romance.

The Inbetweeners Movie - Comedy

Unlike the trailer for The Notebook, the trailer for The Inbetweeners Movie uses a fast, dance music kind of soundtrack, which instantly sets the theme of the film - comedy and fun. During funny moments or catchphrases in the trailer, there is often silence, emphasising the comedic factor. The sound of surprised gasps is also used, for example, when Jay's shorts are pulled down. This again reinforces the comedy of the clip. A lot of fast paced wipes are used throughout the clips as transitions from one clip to the other, which suggests lack of seriousness of the trailer. This differs to The Notebook trailer as slow fades were used as transitions which emphasised the seriousness of the love story, whereas The Inbetweeners is more light hearted because it is a comedy. Jay's costume of a snorkel and glove also adds comedy value to the audience, along with Neil's white outfit and the pink holiday t-shirts because they are generally quite stupid costumes. A lot of fast paced cross cutting is used throughout the trailer, showing the boys having fun, for example, when Will is drinking the shots. This reinforces the fun of the film and shows little seriousness as it is a comedy.  Slow motion is used to show the boy's surprised faces as they enter to street where all of the clubs are. This emphasises the humour of the clip as the boys are so amazed by everything. A mid shot also shows Neil's dancing, along with a fast paced, humorous song playing in the background, which emphasise the humour of the scene. Any superimposition in this trailer is wiped quickly onto the screen, and is also a bold, bright font, which portrays the theme of fun and comedy, unlike the superimposition used in The Notebook trailer which slowly faded onto the screen and was in a feminine font.

Fast and Furious Five - Action

The trailer for Fast and Furious 5 begins by using a near enough silent soundtrack at the beginning, which then begins to sounds like a kind of ticking, counting down, which builds the tension, which is a major factor in an action film. Superimposition is also used, showing the setting of the film. It comes up on screen in a 'secret agent' kind of font, which again supports the theme of the trailer. A mid shot then shows a man being punched in the face and the soundtrack then changes to a fast paced, upbeat soundtrack, which supports the fast paced action that's happening in the trailer. Fast paced cross cutting is used throughout the trailer, showing people fighting and also using weapons, such as guns - these props help portray the theme of action. A mid-long shot is used to show the group of men standing beside one another with their arms folded, which suggests power and unity, which relates to the theme of action as they are a powerful team setting out to beat the opponent. A point of view shot is also used when the man is driving in the car and also when the man is running which makes the audience feel as if they are in the character's position, which involves them in the action happening and also builds the tension. Diegetic sound is used to show explosions and banging, which also help portray the action that is happening in the trailer. Other diegetic sound includes the sound of punches, grunts and shouting, which all relate to the theme of action as they are all hectic and show that something dramatic is happening.  A mid shot also shows a huge explosion, while slow motion is used to show the men jump onto the roof and also when another man jumps through a window and the glass smashes. This slow motion makes the clip appear more dramatic, which is essential for an action film and it also makes the characters appear for heroic. Superimposition is used during the trailer -  a bold, blue and silver font is used, which you could say are more aimed at males, which is common for action films are they are often more aimed at males while films like The Notebook use natural, light colours which are often identified with females. A red flashing is also used on the superimposition - you could argue that the blue and the red, along with the flashing, symbolises sirens, which again, relate to the theme of action.  

Insideous - Paranormal/Thriller

The trailer for Insidious uses superimposition to show the name of the film in a white font on a dark red background, which could symbolise blood - red also symbolises danger, which relates to the theme of thriller. The font also flickers and appears distorted, which again relates to the theme of thriller. A repetitive thudding sound is used to build the tension throughout the clip, while diegetic sound shows the whispers and low voices of the characters, which suggests suspicion or secrecy which are major themes in a thriller film. A high angle shot is also used to show the woman standing in the hallway - this shot makes her appear in danger and as if she is the victim, which relates to the thriller genre as it shows the fear of the characters. Diegetic sound is used to show screams and bangs and also the rocking of the horse, which is a classic fear factor in thriller films. A zoom is used in the trailer when the door appears to be getting closer and closer. This builds the tension for the audience and gives the impression that something bad is getting closer. The whole trailer appears to use a blue-ish filter, as they trailer appears very dark and has little natural light, which gives the illusion of enclosure, which can be related to the thriller theme. Close ups are also used showing the fear on the character's faces, which shows the audience they are scared. At the end of the clip, fast paced cross cutting is used, along with a thudding sound at each transition, which emphasises the drama and fear in the trailer. Many shots also appear unfocused which makes the shots appear flickery and distorted, which both relate to the paranormal theme. This trailer differs drastically to all three previous trailers I have analysed, for example, in The Notebook, natural light is used which emphasises the romantic element of the film and also shows freedom and love, however, in the Insidious trailer, the light is very dim and I think a blue ish filter has been used to portray the darkness of the film. Also, in the Fast and Furious 5 trailer, a fast paced, upbeat soundtrack was used, while the soundtrack in this trailer appears very slow and uses heavy thudding beats, which build the tension and emphasise the fear of the film.

The Strangers - Thriller

The trailer for thriller film The Strangers uses a mixture of diegetic sound and non diegetic sound to portray it's genre, for example, the soundtrack of the trailer is slow, mysterious music, which helps build the tension for the audience. Diegetic sounds used include sudden bangs, whispering and the creaking of hinges on doors, which are all noises associated with mystery and fear. Fades are used as the transition from one scene to the other, which emphasises the thriller theme as it portrays the mystery. Many close ups of the two main victim characters are used, showing their scared and shocked expressions, which supports the thriller genre. The 'villian' like characters in the trailer all wear masks. This prop relates to the thriller genre as masks disguise someone's face which can be scary and also masks can be associated with Halloween when people dress up, which is a occasion related to fear. Another prop which was used was a meat cleaver, which, when used in films, can be associated with violence, which relates back to the genre of the film. Throughout the trailer, dark colours are used, for example, it is set at night, so it is dark outside and quite dim inside the house too - the fact that it is set at night also portrays the thriller genre, as the majority of films in this genre set their films at night for the fear factor.  A long shot is used during the trailer, showing the woman standing in the kitchen, then deep focus is used to emphasise the masked figure standing behind her. The long shot portrays the theme of thriller as it makes the woman appear alone due to the amount of space surrounding her, which makes the audience feel as if something bad is going to happen to her. Also, the deep focus focused on the masked figure builds the tension for the audience as they can see the woman's fate. Shadows are also used, which relate to the thriller genre because shadows represent the unknown and mystery. Fast cross cutting from one scene to the other is used towards the end of the trailer, which builds the tension for the audience and gives the impression that 'time is running out' for the victims. 
Superimposition is also used during this trailer - a faded, grey text would appear on screen between scenes on a black background. The text slightly wobbles, which gives the illusion of disorientation  which links directly the thriller genre of the film.

The Sixth Sense - Thriller

The trailer for The Sixth Sense uses a series of close ups, often showing the young boys scared expression. This portrays the thriller genre of the film as it shows that something scary is happening in the film, and also the fact that they've used a child as the victim in the film makes it more frightening as children are perceived as more innocent and vulnerable than adults. Slow motion is used throughout the trailer, often when the young boy is being haunted by the spirits. This makes the haunting appear for significant and shows the boys fear more slowly, which makes it appear frightening and emphasises the fear of the audience. The soundtrack of the trailer is slow and tense and sounds slightly mysterious, which emphasises the fact it is a thriller film. Fades are used for the transition of one scene to another, which again, portrays the thriller theme as it prolongs the scary parts of the trailer and also the fade effect gives the illusion of a ghost or a spirit, which relates directly to the film The Sixth Sense. The young boy often whispers throughout the trailer. Whispering is often associated with fear. There is also shadows in the trailer, which are associated with fear and mystery. These two factors help portray the thriller genre of the film. Superimposition was used during the trailer, with white, glowering text which zooms out. The glow around the text gives the illusion of a ghost, as ghosts often 'glow' in films. There are also many sudden bangs throughout the trailer, which help to emphasise the audience's fear. This is similar to the trailer for The Strangers which also uses silence, and then sudden bangs, which help to make the audience feel the characters fear. 

Paranormal Activity - Paranormal

The trailer for Paranormal Activity shows the interesting use of handheld camera. This creates more tension and makes the events in the film appear more realistic because it looks as if someone has actually filmed them on an ordinary camcorder. A mid shot is used to show an actual audience watching the film in the cinema. This means the trailer shows actual audience reactions, with the mid shot showing their shocked, genuinly scared faces. This creates tension and emphasises the fear factor, whilst also suggesting the success of the film which should make it appeal to our target audience. Diegetic sound was used throughout the trailer, for example, the gasps and screams of the audience. This emphasises the fear factor, making the genre clear. It also makes the film appeal more to the target audience as it shows that the audience were genuinly scared, suggesting the effects were realistic and professional. It is important to maintain realism and professionalism when it comes to our own film trailer, as our target audience specified that the 'fear factor' of films in this genre were what attracted them the most. Other diegetic sound include the sudden loud bangs of an object falling off the side for example, after a long period of silence. This helps to create tension and also shocks and scares the audience as the sounds were so sudden. This, again, helps to portray the 'fear factor' of Paranormal Activity. The silence used also helps to build tension as it leaves the audience wondered when something is going to happen, created suspense. This trailers use of 'night vision effect' on the handheld camera footage further portrays the paranormal genre as this effect is a reoccuring effect used in many films of this genre. It also emphasises the fear factor, as night time is a time often associated with scary events happening. It also makes the image seem slightly unclear or distorted, which adds to the fear factor. Superimposition is also used, against a black background. The distorted effect on the font for the superimposition adds to the genre and fear factor of the film trailer as it is a common effect used in other films of this genre. The non diegetic soundtrack of an eerie, beating thriller sound builds up as the events in the trailer begin to grow worse and more dramatic, suggesting the tension and fear that the audience will feel. Fast paced crosscutting is used in the final scenes of the trailer, suggesting the tension that has built up throughout the trailer. The fast pace of the crosscutting builds tension and suspense as it often cuts off from certain vital points, making the audience want to know more, attracting them to the film via the trailer. A flickering effect is often used during the handheld scenes, which gives a more realistic effect as if ordinary people have filmed the scary footage, making the events seem more realistic. The climax at the end of the trailer shows one of the characters being thrown at the screen, forcing the audience to scream and close their eyes - the choice to show their reactions further portrays the fear factor of the trailer and film.