Trailer Analysis

                                                    Trailer AnalysisT
The trailer I will be analysing is 'Scream' which is an American slasher film made in 1996.
I have chosen this trailer because it is a well known slasher film and is popular with teenagers and the characters are based on teenagers. The sub-genre of this film is slasher which is the chosen sub-genre for our own trailer. This trailer includes the typical conventions of a slasher film. An example of a generic convention used is the use of a psychotic masked killer stalking a group of young adults and killing them one by one. The choice of weapon is a knife or a machete. The main character is a vulnerable, young girl who has some sort of link or past with the killer. All of these conventions are evident in the Scream trailer.

I like this trailer for many reasons, one of these reasons are the establishing shot that the trailer begings with. I think this shot is effective because the audience are able to see everything in the scene. The makers of this trailer have used this shot effectively by making the mise en scene include scary looking and mysterious things. For example, a large empty house and an empty swing. I like this idea of filming the setting of a house or estate that looks quiet as this creates tension and suspense. The image of a big house has many connotations with murder and mystery.

The use of lighting in this trailer is effective because at points where the level of fear and suspense is high, the lighting is often dark and the focus is on the main character or object of the scene. When the level of tension is low, the lighting is light and ordinary. This is effective because the lighting goes from normal and light and suddenly changes to dark and scary. The mood of the audience will change quickly and this adds and emphasises the shock.

The music and sound effects used in this trailer is dramatic, fearful and fast. It almost symbolises the heart beating fast and the footsteps of a person running. This music is only used half way throughout the trailer when action is present. This is effective because the music used gives the audience an adrenaline rush and makes them feel frightened. The change from normal speech to fast and scary music will shock the audience and emphasise their shock and fear. We will use diegetic sound, dialouge and a voiceover in our own trailer.