Psycho (1960) Still Analysis 1

This scene from Psycho shows Marion in her car running away, as she has recently stolen the money from her work. The strong close-up shot we are given of her face in the middle of the mise-en-scene, allows the viewer to almost be a part of the scene-and really get in touch with the emotions she is feeling. This shot conveys her great concern & worry, contemplation and maybe regret from what she has done. The extra-diegetic voiceover also emphasises our understanding of her thoughts and paranoia because of what she has done.

The night-time diegesis and low-key lighting accompanied with the bright lights of the cars connotes a possible disorientation of Marion’s feelings, insinuating she is getting tired, and will eventually need to stop. The night time rain outside also connotes her feelings of sadness and regret over what she has done. This also shows the panic she feels as she is running away from the police, and that any one of the car headlights may be a policeman. This scene is an example of how Hitchcock used cinematography and editing to create an uncomfortable and suspenseful atmosphere in Psycho.

Nightmare on Elm Street Review (Individual Trailer 3)

Name of film: Nightmare on Elm Street

Year released: 2010

Genre of trailer: Fantasy/Horror/Thriller

My marking after viewing: 9/10

What happened in the trailer: A man is being hunted by a mob and ends up being cornered off into this building, where he is then trapped inside while flaming whiskey bottles are thrown inside. The story continues as a group of teenagers are stalked by Freddy Krueger in their dreams, and their only escape, is to stay awake.

Which positive clever or interesting aspects do you think you could include in your own trailer? What generic features are fulfilled well? The sound effects are used very effectively in the trailer, especially the simplistic continuous sound of the little girl singing the song, makes the trailer a whole lot more creepy. The use of the generic convention of creepy locations is also used well, to start with the abandoned buildings, and also the teenagers individual dreams, typically in some sort of misty factory surrounded by low-key lighting and fog.

Which aspects of the trailer did you think were unsuccessful and would put off its target audience? How is it disappointing?
The trailer might have been able to include a few more jump scares throughout the trailer to make it more grueling to watch.

The Descent Review (Individual Trailer 2)

Name of film: The Descent

Year released: 2005

Genre of trailer: Adventure Horror

My marking after viewing: 8/10

What happened in the trailer: A group of girls go on a caving expedition, but after a sudden rockfall, they find themselves trapped in unmarked territory. The story continues as the girls are ultimately pursued by a strange breed of predators, picking the girls off one by one. Their only escape, is to try and navigate their way through the dark and claustrophobic caves they have never seen before.

Which positive clever or interesting aspects do you think you could include in your own trailer? What generic features are fulfilled well? One prominent feature of the trailer I recognized and particularly liked, was the use of a night-time/vision camera throughout the second half of the trailer. The change in look of the trailer through the use of changing the colours to a darker setting gives the entire tone of the trailer a far more creepy and suspenseful feel. The text used fits the style of a horror trailer perfectly, as well as the use of overdubbing some speech on the text allows for greater continuity. The possibility of a final girl fits the generic horror conventions perfectly, as well as having a broad spectrum for a female victim, as all the main characters are girls, and will fit the convention of blonde hair, blue eyed victim well.

Which aspects of the trailer did you think were unsuccessful and would put off its target audience? How is it disappointing? 
Although the narrative is established well in the trailer, there is far too much dialogue in the trailer, of characters just talking about the cave. Too much speech can slow the pace of the trailer dramatically, and cause an unwanted interruption to the supposedly fast-paced horror trailer, creating an unwanted possibility of boredom for the viewer.

The Possession Review (Individual Trailer 1)

Name of film: The Possession

Year released: 2012

Genre of trailer: Supernatural Horror

My marking after viewing: 7/10

What happened in the trailer: A little girl goes to stay at her dads house as her parents are divorced. While there, they go to a yard sale and her father buys her this mysterious box. The girl mistakingly opens it during the night, and a weird supernatural creature possesses her from the inside. The parents then proceed to try and find out what is wrong with there daughter, and start looking for ways to get rid of this supernatural creature that has possessed their daughter.

Which positive clever or interesting aspects do you think you could include in your own trailer? What generic features are fullfilled well? The use of effects im the trailer works incredibly well with the unusual lighting they have used in the trailer, for instance, when the little girl is shining a blue light down her throat, it creates a creepy atmosphere for when the hand creeps up the back of her throat.

Which aspects of the trailer did you think were unsuccesful and would put off its target audience? How is it disappointing?
The trailer starts of very slow paced, and takes far too long to develope any sort of narrative, and to start adding any real scares/ jumps in the trailer.

What was the trailers average score in class? Why did it receive this score?
The average score for this trailer was 10. This was because the trailer offered everything you would expect from a gory horror. The montages, and collision cuts of fast to slow scenes of gore helped add a disgusting and heartpounding feeling to the trailer. The parallel music also worked really well, as the deep groans, and high nasty sounds of things running through the woods, gets the viewer on the tips of their seat.

30 Days Of Night Review (Class Trailer 3)

Name of film: 30 Days Of Night

Year released: 2007

Genre of trailer: Gory Horror

My marking after viewing: 9/10

What happened in the trailer: A quiet town in the arctic while experiencing 30 days of night, suddenly come under attack by a group of vampires. The only survivor of the town finds out she is not alone, and meets a group of other survivors who plan on taking revenge on the vampires, and hunting them down, starting with the leader of the vampire group.

Which positive clever or interesting aspects do you think you could include in your own trailer? What generic features are fulfilled well? The trailer overall has a great jump factor, incorporating slow to fast montages. But also, it makes good use of lighting, for instance, the committee hall at the beginning is relatively dark, but when she turns on the lights to kill the vampires, it suddenly becomes very bright and disorientating, adding to the creepy factor of the trailer. The narrative is set out very well from the beginning, and the generic feature of the 'Final Girl' is established quickly.

Which aspects of the trailer did you think were unsuccessful and would put off its target audience? How is it disappointing? The ending could have been made to be a bit faster and more jumpy, as there are a few slow moments that ruin the pace of the trailer. 


What was the trailers average score in class? Why did it receive this score?
The average score for this trailer was 8. This was because the trailer was good in setting the narrative, and also is a positive representation of how when you don't have gore, you are able to make it just as scary by including a load of 'jump' factors in there.