"Psycho" - 1998 Official Trailer Analysis

Camera Shots:

Extreme Close Up: The use of the extreme close up of the characters eyes allows the audience to see the fear by the darting around of their eyes. It creates an intimate moment of tension where the audience sympathises for the characters as they feel very close to the action. 

Long shot: Long shot establishes the characters in the environment and allows for 

Establishing shot: The establishing shows the characters in a specific location allowing more understanding of the environment which the action is taking place in. A split second shot of a house in this trailer, fills in a whole lot of information for the audience and as its a trailer its important to squeeze as much information in to make the plot make sense but at the same time laving the audience wanting more. 

Ariel shot: This makes the audience feel as they are fly on the wall as the chaos unfolds below them. It allows for this dynamic shot to display the action from a different angle.

Editing:

CGI: The use of CGI in the montage allows for a more psychedelic and twisted insight into the 'mind' of Norman Bates. It immediately tells the audience that his brain functions in a different way to a normal person. 

Fast pace cuts: The fast pace cuts again reflect the jumpy and scatty mind of the killer, but the jumpiness also helps to convey tension and confusion with in the trailer to stick to the conventional thriller trailer.

Montage: The montage of different images with norman's face flashing up in-between once again shows a reflection of his murderous thoughts, his inability to function propeller and his instability. 

Cutaway: The cut away cuts away from the present action and allows again for a more disorientated viewing for the audience, reflective once again of the unstable mid of the killer. 

Action Match: The action match allows shots to fall into each other and this adds to the confusion that is Norman's mind. Its a clever way of the shots fitting together to mimic time passing or fading into a new scene in a trailer where time is limited. 

Mise-en-scene:

Location: December 4th; Set in Phoenix, Arizona, then moves to the main location of the 'Bates Motel' in Fairvale California. 

Set Design: The set is a very large old house, known as the 'Bates Motel'. It's a rural setting off the nearby interstate highway.

Costume: The costumes are fairly stereotypical. They are all white, males and females, dressed fairly casual. 

Lighting: The lighting when filming establishing shots outside the hotel is using natural lighting (the appearance of sunlight). When Norman is seen spying on Marion he is very dimly lit therefore convey a very sketchy image of Norman Bates. 

Sound:

Foley:  The use of foley is very important in a thriller as sound is a key factor when creating a tense/jumpy environment for the audience to be watching. 

Soundbridge: Another way of creating a sense of narration in a trailer weather than a voice over is the use of a sound bridge as it allows a characters voice to be carried over the top of multiple shots. It's an quick and easy way of introducing dialogue into the trailer. 

Voiceover: The voice over at the beginning over the face of norman, delivers a sinister feeling as the distressed voice of his mother talks about Norman in the voice over while the screen shows shots of a smiling Norman sitting in prison. The voice over at the beginning of the trailer adds a sense of foreshadowing of normans behaviour and an eery beginning to the trailer. 

Ambient Sound: Ambient sound sets the tone and environment of the scene very well in thrillers, sounds can be used such as 'creeks', 'scratches' and 'slamming' of doors all to create a tense atmosphere without the use of dialogue. 

Narrative:

Equilibrium: The narrative is set in Phoenix, Arizona. Marion Crane steels $40,000 from her employer and drives out of Arizona toward Fairvale California. 

Disequilibrium: Marion decides to pull over for the night into the Bates Motel run by Norman Bates and his 'mother'. Marion is showering and a female figure appears and stabs her to death. Norman finds the corpse, wraps her up and put her in the trunk of her car where he sinks it in the river.

Recognition: Marion's Sister and Sam, Marion's boyfriend come to the bates motel looking for Marion. They Find Norman Suspicious and investigate with Inspector Arbogast.

Attempt: Lila finds Mrs. Bates sitting in a chair. Lila turns her around and discovers that she is in fact a mummified corpse. Lila screams as a figure comes running into the cellar: Norman, holding a chef knife and wearing his mother's clothes and a wig. He tries to attack Lila but is subdued by Sam.

Resolution: There is no resoloution as this is a TRAILER. 

"The Silence of the Lambs" - Official Trailer Analysis:

CAMERA SHOTS

Close up: The initial first few shots are of three different people, all close up's of their faces. Straight away, we as the audience, can establish the type of relationship these people have between one another. The close up allows the audience to step into the characters world as they are some what 'face to face' with the characters on screen. A close up therefore distinguishes differences between characters facial expressions whether that be one of fear, sadness or happiness. 

Over Shoulder shot: In terms of a thriller/ horror trailer, an over the shoulder shot conveys much more than a relationship between two characters. The fact the shot is placed behind a character adds to the tension and suspense of characters always being on edge and feeling like they are the prey of an attack. It helps to build up suspense with in the trailer.

Wide Shot: A wide shot allows for a location to be put into perspective. It allows the audience to understand the setting of the place which will then help inform the audience of the type of environment the characters are in. For example in the trailer the woman is in the presence of a killer in a prison, this setting evokes danger when we think of this woman being trapped here.  

Extreme Close up: An extreme close up is used to convey intense emotion, a focus on the eyes allows the audience to see pain or fear very easily without showing their emotions through the use of body language. It's a much more intimate way of evoking emotions and allows the audience to empathise with the character as they become more emotionally invested. 

Tracking Shot (backward):  Brings the audience away from the action,  and reveals the rest of the scene leaving the characters in the middle. 

Tracking Shot (forward): A fast tracking shot forward is show and this immediately draws the audience right in to the pinocle of the action.

Pan: A panning shot allows a variation in the shots and allows for a quick glance around the scene allowing for all characters to be viewed in one take. 

Mid shot: A mid shot allows more body language to be used in the shot but still is close enough to enable facial expressions to be accounted for as well. 

Long Shot: A long shot is mainly used in the trailer to establish the characters surroundings.






EDITING TECHNIQUES 

Eye-line match: When Hannibal and Clarice are talking, there is an eye-line match to suggest they are on the same level. Although Clarice is of a higher status than Hannibal because he is a prisoner, (Claude Levi Strauss' binary opposition is demonstrated here) she needs him to help her with this crime case therefore they become equals. 

Direct eye contact: Hannibal is seen to look directly into the camera multiple times. It makes the audience feel as if they are also being manipulated by him and reluctantly makes them feel closer to the action and more emotionally invested in the film.  

Pace: The pace of editing is of a normal pace yet when there are very loud notes in the sound track the editing speeds up to match the sound and flicks between 1 second cutaways. This becomes a reflection of the fragmented mind of Hannibal and the confusion in which Clarice feels.

Shot reverse shot: Shot reverse shot between Clarice and Hannibal, it distinguishes a very distant relationship between the two characters as they are not seen in the same shot.

Prevalence: The character with the most prevalence is Clarice but equally Hannibal. This shows the hegemonic model being challenged as the woman is seen as the hero rather than the white male. 

MISE-EN-SCENE

Location: The primary location is in a maximum security prison with the most notorious, psychopathic serial killer 'Hannibal'. 

Set design: The set design is 'dirtied' up to make the prison look harsh. The bars on the prison cell are very prominent and look to be rusted and old suggestive of the long period of time the prison has been there. There is basic to minimal furniture emphasising the lack of possessions which prisoners have. 

Costume: The woman detective looks smartly dressed, with a feminine suit and heals. She has a professional look. The prisoner on the other hand is either dressed in a white t-shirt and plain basic trousers or prison overalls. 

Lighting: The lighting in the prison is very dimly lit with low-key lighting being the main source of light.  

SOUND 

Dialogue: There is a lot of dialogue in the trailer mostly between Hannibal and Clarice, the use of the dialogue going back and forth between them throughout the trailer allows the audience to understand the twisted relationship that they have as Hannibal tries to get inside Clarice's mind.  

Voice over: The voice over is not spoken by a character in the trailer but as a narrative feature. As this film was made in 1991 (25 years ago) it is considered to be an older film compared to the other movies I am analysing. The use of a narrator was perhaps more common in older thriller movies. 

Score: The running track of the score that is played under the trailer consists of very low pianist base notes with the resultant effect of a tense and dangerous environment.

Foley: The use of Foley emphasises the 'jumpiness' of the trailer, such as the footsteps, breathing, cell doors/bars slamming and the photograph shutter click. It keeps the audience on the edge of their seats. 

NARRATIVE

EQUILIBRIUM: Clarice the young female detective is assigned to help find a missing woman who is in the hands of psychopath 'buffalo Bill'. 

DISEQUILIBRIUM: Clarice decides to match wits with Hannibal the 'Cannibal' in order to help understand the mind of 'Buffalo Bill'.

RECOGNITION: Hannibal is very manipulative therefore Clarice must gain the confidence of the once most respected 'psychiatrist' in order for him to give her any information. 

ATTEMPT: Clarice must not let Hannibal inside her mind once he starts asking questions about her personal life. The twisted relationship between Hannibal and Clarice is a dangerous one. 

RESTORATION: There is no restoration as this is a TRAILER

"Shutter Island" - Official Trailer Analysis:

CAMERA SHOTS

Long shot: A long shot is used to open the trailer with, the harsh and brutal conditions of the ship at sea set the tone for the rest of the trailer as it conveys a dangerous, mysterious and isolated environment which the film is set in.

Close up: A close up of the main character is shown after the establishing shot his facial expressions , it displays him looking past the camera, implying he is intrigued by his surrounding. Suggestive of an unfamiliar environment. The rule of thirds is also used here so as the audience is even more draw into the characters face. 

Establishing shot: The establishing shot demonstrates the mysterious and secluded environment of the area in which the film takes place. The establishing shot of the island reinforces the concept of mystery, anxiety and suspense in which a thriller movie is set.

Two Shot: This shot establishes to the audience the main characters in the film. Due this being a trailer, it is important to establish the characters early on in the trailer to enable the plot to be clearer. 

Tracking Shot (forward): The tracking shot immediately draws the viewer into the action after establishing the setting. This is effective in a trailer as there are lots of quick cuts and fast paced editing to build up the suspense of the trailer. 

Tracking Shot (backwards): This shot is in slow motion showing the main characters walking toward the camera and is framed as a mid shot. The slow motion walk conveys that the people in the shot are important and are of a higher status.

Two shot: another two shot, this time close up, shows the two male men in the shot yet the one who is speaking is physically back-grounded yet his importance is not subverted as all other characters in the shot are seen to be looking at him and paying close attention to his words. 

Close up: close up of the chief Marshall and it shows he is an authoritative figure therefore all attention is on him. It makes the audience feel intimidated as his eye line is very close to being directed at the camera. 

Perspective shot: This shot was hard to categorize as one shot as it demonstrates a five people in the scene with the chief Marshall facing away from the camera while the other four characters stand in a symmetrical pattern facing the Marshall. The shot isn't a direct point of view shot of the Marshall because the camera would be in front of the Marshall. if the camera was places in front of him it would make the Marshall seem intimidated by the other characters, yet the director wanted to have the opposite effect therefore by placing his back to the camera it makes the audience feel intimidated by him as he stands in front of everyone else and hold the most power. The two detectives are trapped between the other two guards who are back grounded implying that those guards are not as important as the chief Marshall who stand central in the shot.

Wide Shot: Establishing other characters in the trailer, in a new environment. The quick shot to a new environment helps in trailers to display the different locations in which the film takes place. 

Reaction Shot: The male detective is shown to react to the entrance of the new characters, he has a cautious, yet intrigued expression on is face. He knows the dangers of these patients as this is a very dangerous mental institution. This quick close up reaction shot allows for the audience to gain an understanding of the relationships between the characters as in a trailer this can be hard to convey in the space of two to three minutes of snippets from the film.

Quick cutaway shots: Multiple shots here are used to speed up the establishment of the location and the actions taking place. In this case, a shot of the the inspectors holding up their badges, followed by a pressing of a buzzer, then a shot of a warning light labeled 'Restricted Area'. Therefore the audience is quickly aware of the dangers in the space of two seconds. 

   
Panning Shot: The use of the pan down the female nurse, gives her an eerie vibe as it leads to another close up of a tray of needles and large syringes. This is a distressing image to the audience as the irony of the medical equipment looks as though it is being use to inflict pain rather than to help the patients.


Aerial Shot: The use of this aerial shot is not stereotypical with regards to a large space of establishing a stetting. it is used indoors to show a shot of a man with his fingers anticipating grabbing a gun which lays before him on the table. The use of the aerial shot conceals his identity adding a further air of mystery to the shot.  

Close Up: This close up is on a body of an inmate of the mental institution as it shows the prison bars over his tattooed body. Again his face is not shown like the man with the gun in the aerial shot. As thrillers trailers are all about suspense and building to a climax the use of not showing peoples faces adds to the suspense thus creating an enhanced mystery to the trailer. 

Mid Shot: A mid shot is then showed of the same tattooed body yet this time we get a glimpse of his face yet the shot is harshly lit on the left side of his face, therefore leaving the remaining right side of his face in darkness. Again adding to the suspense.

Crane Shot: Establishes the Prison in day light, the audience is now getting a better feel for the type of environment these characters have been placed in. The wide crane shot allows for the surroundings to also be shown, the sea, this emphasises the seclusion of the prison. 

Fast Pan: The fast pan down around the corridor conveys a paranoid state of the charter in the shot, constantly looking around, on edge, as he is suspicious of his surroundings.  

High Angle Shot: This high angle shot of the cell room shows the minimalist, dark and hostile conditions of the environment but it also makes the audience think they shouldn't be able to see into this room as the high angle shot with the camera placed on the floor is almost like a 'fly on the wall' effect.

Aerial Shot:  Again used like a 'fly on the wall' effect, it shows the detectives/inspectors looking around the room. It shows the audience an environment which is very secure making them think they are watching something that is confidential, once again adding to the suspense of the thriller trailer. 

Canted Aerial Shot: The use of this shot reflects the white male detective's own state of mind, his confused plethora of thoughts as he becomes vulnerable in this dangerous environment. 





EDITING TECHNIQUES 

Cutaway: A cutaway to a 'Deputy Marshall's' badge indicates that these two men are part of a police department and therefore suggests that the two main male characters are of higher authority than the other passive characters such as the police or guards in uniform.

Pace: The pace of the editing gets increasingly faster toward the end of the trailer as to build up to the climax, although the ending of the film is obviously not shown on the trailer, the trailer ends on a cliffhanging scene meaning the viewer is left wanting more. This guarantees that people will watch the full film as they already feel emotionally invested with the characters. 

Cross Dissolves Transition: Cross dissolve transitions are used throughout the trailer as a way to convey a compilation of footage from the whole film into one. It builds the bridge between each scene, as although in chronological order, there is still significant information missing between each shot and the cross dissolve (dip to black) allows to piece these shots together. 

Insert: A close up of the gun after it has been shown in the previous shot heightens the audience's awareness of the the danger of the gun and the type of violent environment which the characters are in. 

Cutaway: There is a cutaway to the detectives passing their weapons to the guards. the close up on this prop suggests that it forebodes the dangers that are yet to come in the rest of the film. An echo of violence throughout the rest of the trailer follows this shot and also places the two detectives in a vulnerable position as they unarmed in a place of the 'criminally insane'.

Slow Motion: The use of slow motion adds to the dynamic of the trailer, it is used to dramatise the scene, for action purposes or to convey to the audience a sense of empowerment.

Use of CGI: The use of the CGI in the trailer is there to convey an even deadlier environment such as the characters at sea and when the male detective is shown to be holding a crumbling person in his arms, the use of over exaggerated features like this heighten the excitement and diversity of the production. 

Over the shoulder Shot/Two shot: helpful when establishing relationships between certain characters.





MISE-EN-SCENE

Location: The location of the film reflects the nature of the film. The trailer conveys one main location (seen through the establishing shot) of an isolated island home to a large prison/metal asylum. The isolated location, reflects the isolation of all the characters and the lives they lead.

Set Design: All of the sets in the trailer are in the prison and are all seen to have minimalist features. The lack of 'Props' shows that the set was designed to enforce the idea of the mysterious and isolated island of the prison. 

Costume: There are many different costumes displayed with in the trailer, the policemen/guards have uniform on, the detectives are in typical clothing which we would associate with detectives (hats, smart trousers and shirts and long coats). The nurses in the hospital are in usual nurses costume, there is an eerie feel to them as they are in white pristine clothing yet the nature of the prison and the people it contains reflects the opposite tone. The inmates are not all fully dressed exposing their tattoos which the audience associates with gang culture. 

Lighting: Throughout the film the lighting is dark and very harshly lit in most scenes, there is no sense of light with in the film excluding very short periods of sunlight outside but this only occurs before the detectives have yet to of entered the actual prison. 





SOUND  

Non-Diegetic sound: Non diegetic sound is played over some scenes and is there to build suspense and or create mystery to the scenes that follow.  

Sound bridge: a sound bridge is used in one scene almost in the form of a voice over then it cuts to the next scene where the voice over turns to dialogue and the audience can see who is speaking.  

Dialogue: There is significant amounts of dialogue to fit with the tone of the trailer. It also establishes  sense of who/what the character is like therefore the audience can immediately identify who is the hegemonic stereotype or who challenges this convention. dialogue also helps to establish the setting of the trailer.      

E.g. 'It's a mental hospital for the criminally insane, we take only the most damaged and dangerous patients, these are all violent offenders.'

Score: The score plays throughout the trailer, it is a very discordant sound, using different pitches and tones and fast paced drum beats to build up a tense feel to fit with the footage.  

Synchronous Sound: The sound is matched with the editing cuts to make the trailer appear to jumpy to scare the reader whilst watching the trailer. 

Foley: Foley is especially good in thriller trailers in terms of making the audience jump and constantly be on the edge of their seats. Things such as the enhancement of footsteps, scratching on doors, creaking doors etc.. are all use in this trailer to build up suspense. 

Ambient sound: The ambient sound in the back ground highlight the eerie setting, there are screams and noises which are disturbing in the background of the scenes.  





NARRATIVE

EQUILIBRIUM: The prison guards and detectives are the main characters and are in control of the scene. 

DISEQUILIBRIUM: The detectives are entering an unknown environment, this foreshadows the rest of the narrative as there power is questioned in this unfamiliar environment.  

RECOGNITION: A prisoner goes missing putting the whole institution at risk

ATTEMPT: The detectives try to find the prisoner yet there are a lot of issues along the way 

RESTORTATION: There is no restoration as this is a TRAILER

Understanding Todorov's Theory of Equilibrium

Creating Ideas for a Mystery Thriller Trailer

After looking at trailers of the mystery/thriller genre, I wanted to look deeper into what makes a trailer for a thriller film so successful whilst still allowing it to be realistic. 

STEP 1: Looking at the history of the genre will enable me to recognise conventions which have been used over decades, as these have obviously created an influence upon recent films. As each new 'thriller' movie is released the genre gets pushed and pushed in terms of how the production team challenges new forms of creativity in order to create a better film than before. It's all about keeping the audience engaged and not giving them something that they have already seen before yet still are able to follow the basic conventions of that specific genre. E.g. thriller. 

STEP 2: In order to understand the types of conventions used with in this genre I looked at three film trailers of the mystery/thriller genre and analysed the camera shots, sound, editing, mise-en-scene and the narrative of each one. I have identify the conventions which I discovered through out the three trailers as well as when I analysed the short film. For example, fast past editing and use of quick shots work hand in hand with a thriller trailer/movie as it builds up suspense. The non-diagetic backing track which also heightens the tension, until the point where it reaches a climax, demonstrating the disruption of the equilibrium at its peak point. 

STEP 3: It will be necessary for me to research existing products of the same genre in addition to the physical trailer but also the promotional advertisements such as a billboard poster and a magazine feature or spread. These ancillary products will work along side the trailer and add to the brand identity of the production.

STEP 4: By researching these promotional advertisements as well as the trailer it will allow me to identify features of conventions not only on the filming aspect but on the design of the poster and magazine. These 2D promotional posters need to have the same impact as the actual trailer in order to create synergy within the production. 

Codes and Conventions of a Film Trailer

Production Information

Trailers begin in almost every single instance with the production information and age restrictions, the company logos can instantly make a viewer decide if they want to view the film or not. This can even mean a decision on whether they will enjoy the trailer/film before even watching it, this is because big companies often have higher budgets and usually higher quality productions so audiences once they see who made it will make up their mind whether it will be good or not. Reputations are massive in the film industry and production companies such as Universal and 20th Century fox have built huge reputations with their worldwide audiences and can ultimately be a deciding factor in someone going to watch a film. For my trailer, I do not have a high budget, high production or any sense of reputation. It means my trailer will not be 'Universal' or '20th century fox' standards yet the type of conventions such as camera shots, sound, editing and mise-en-scene will be as mirrored as possible to the blockbuster films so as to make my trailer as realistic and as cinematic as possible.

Plot Summary

The plot of a film has to be well structured and interesting if it is to be successful, trailers are similar and this is why they show the most interesting parts of the film to make sure they grab the viewer and keep them engaged for the whole length.

Music/Voice-over

Voice overs and music are used to narrate the scenes and give the audience a better understanding of what’s going on and also to help set the tone and pace of what is happening on screen. The music is usually in relation to how intense a scene is if there is romance then it’s likely the music will be softer and much slower than that if it was a thriller movie it would be discordant, jumpy, and loud in order to reflect the haunting tone of the film. Voice overs as said before are used to narrate what is happening in the scene, it can be used to compact chunks of information that would be too hard to understand or too long to show in the scene in dialogue form. 

Understanding Genre Conventions

Thriller is a broad genre of literature, film and television, having numerous sub-genres.

Thrillers are characterized and defined by the moods they elicit, giving viewers heightened feelings of suspense, excitement, surprise, anticipation and anxiety.

Successful examples of thrillers are the films of Alfred Hitchcock such a "Psycho" which is one of my trailer choices to analyse.

Thrillers generally keep the audience on the "edge of their seats" as the plot builds towards a climax. The cover-up of important information from the viewer is a common element.

Literary devices such as red herrings, plot twists, and cliff hangers are used extensively. A thriller is usually a villain driven plot, whereby he or she presents obstacles that the protagonist must overcome.

The three genres are closely related. In each type, a character is trying to get at the truth of something, or prevent some bad thing from happening.

Mystery: The main character is occupied in tracking down the truth about an event, usually a murder. If the protagonist is in any danger, it is usually moderate, and becomes a problem only as the detective approaches the truth.

Thriller: The protagonist is in danger from the outset.

Suspense: The main character may become aware of danger only gradually. In a mystery, the reader is exposed to the same information as the detective, but in a suspense story, the reader is aware of things unknown to the protagonist. The reader sees the bad guy plant the bomb, and then suffers the suspense of wondering when or if it will explode.