Thursday, 11 October 2012

Trailer analysis : The Shining (1980)


Although my timeline says that I should be completing 3 format research tasks of trailer in week 2, I completed this piece of analysis over the summer so that I could save time when this full project started in September. 

Mise-en-scene
  • Dull, bleak colours (brown, grey, white etc) – shows no sense of possessiveness, and makes the set look more creepy from the dark grimy colours
  • The red blood coming through the elevator doors contrasts to the white and dark colours – connotations of death, shows horror genre
  • Set in a hotel lobby – realism makes it more scary as it is a public place which most views would’ve visited at some point

Camera shots/angles
  • One long shot of the elevator and corridor – builds tension and creates eeriness to go with the genre of the film
  • Low angle shot, looks directly at the doors – makes the audience feel vulnerable
  • Static shot – builds tension, the viewer knows something will happen

Editing
  • Simple white font credits ascending at the beginning of the trailer – looks like end credits – attracts viewers attention to the visuals
  • Scrolling motion of the credits creates tension and keeps the viewer watching
  • No cuts or transitions in the trailer – simplicity, builds tension, minimalistic feel, makes the viewer focus

Sound
  • Non-diagetic slightly harsh toned music crescendos to build tension – builds up to something?
  • The simplicity of the music (just the piano playing) creates eeriness and makes the viewer focus on the visuals rather than the music (music isn’t distracting)

Genre / how specific audiences are targeted
  • Goes against Lisa Kernan’s quote, “…a unique form of narrative film exhibition, wherein promotion discourse and narrative pleasures are conjoined” – the trailer is simple, and is not a mini narrative of a normal film trailer. The meaning of the film and clips from the film are not shown and therefore aren’t distorted
  • Goes against the normal conventions of a horror trailer, as there is only one shot and no characters/storyline is shown

No comments:

Post a Comment