Paranormal Activity

Paranormal Activity Magazine Cover on Prezi

Teaser trailer - Hot Fuzz

Hot Fuzz is a 2007 British action comedy film written by Simon Pegg and Edgar Wright and starring Simon Pegg and Nick Frost. The three had previously worked together on the 2004 film Shaun of the Dead as well as the television series Spaced. The film was directed by Wright and produced by Nira Park, and follows two police officers attempting to solve a series of mysterious deaths in a small village. Hot Fuzz is a commonly used example of Postmodernism in film as Simon Pegg and Edgar Wright who worked on the film took inspiration from over a hundred other action films in order to create the film.

Hot Fuzz analysis

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The trailer itself:

Paranormal Activity 2 teaser trailer

The trailer starts with a green screen in which a message states 'The following preview has been approved for appropriate audiences by the motion pictures association of America, INC' This is atypical of American movies and features on everyone that passes through their censorship. The frame lasts around 4 seconds before fading to black in a attempt to build up tension keeping in context with the conventional rise and fall theory. In which tension is created to add to the rise of the trailer.

The colour of the frame is not stereotypically full black, however it is a off-black colour which looks almost like a TV screen when is enduring interference. This helps engage the audience in the trailer as they they are tense, and more alert, to what is about to happen. Black screens are conventional of the common teaser trailer as they help smoothing the transition between shots and make for a improved continuity.

The build up of the opening 8 seconds is then justified by a sudden sharp noise, in which what looks like a television interference can be seen on the screen. This provides a scare factor for the audience as the abrupt sound frightens the engaged viewer, at this point it becomes fairly obvious the trailer is for a horror film, as the conventional aspect of trying to make the audience jump is exercised.

The shot then cuts straight to the previous black screen, in a which we can hear in non-diegetic sound of a thud in the background, as if some walking up stairs. This adds to the tense mood of the horror and connotes the feeling of someone approaching in an attempt to scare the viewer. The black screen then switches back to another short disturbance, which looks almost like a video camera in appearance.

The black screen continues before cutting sharply to a shot of a man flying towards the camera. A screeching noise can be heard in the background of the shot very much reminding the audience of the tense atmosphere of the trailer. The mans violent movement towards the camera shocks the audience, and ties in with the name of the movie 'Paranormal Activity' due to the unrealistic and shocking events seen. It is obvious to the viewer that the man is in his bedroom as a stereotypical set up of bed, bedside table and other objects confirms. The use of this mundane setup helps dramatise the other unnatural events taking place. It also engages the audience as they feel involved as the common set up is reminiscent of their own lives. The time can be seen in the bottom right hand side of the frame, connoting the use of video camera which is seen throughout the film. It also gives the audience an combined with the obvious dark lighting adds to the intensity of the trailer.

The next shot is a low-angle shot in which the camera is placed at an angle as if it has been dropped on to the floor. The door is open, the fact we cant see anything in the distance adds to the enigma surrounding the trailer. The lurking position of the shot adds to the idea that someone is watching aiding the sense of danger in the trailer. There is a sound in the background of wind, connoting the sense of a spirit in the house further adding to the plot of the story. The sound builds up, suggesting something bad is about to happen. In the bottom left hand corner of the frame, we can see the man lying on the floor clearly injured or even dead. This in addition to the sense of danger, makes for a more serious tone to the trailer in which the audience feel sympathy for the character and are genuinely scared for his health. The message 'IN 2009 YOU DEMANDED IT' appear on the screen, this is used to add to the hype of the film, often messages similar to this are used in teaser trailers as they build up the expectation and interest in the film and make the audience want to watch it. It could be suggested that the door is symbolic of the spirits entry into the physical world. Reiterated by the next shot, in which we see the camera zoom into the door, as if acting as the go-between from the spirit world to the physical world.

The tense build up is justified as an high pitched non-diegetic sound is heard as we see a scary looking woman jump forward towards the camera. Her sudden movement towards the camera comes as quite a surprise causing the audience to jump. This seen in the next shot of what looks like the crowds reaction to the film in a cinema as they all jump 'out of their seats'. The jump cut between the shots help to disorientate the audience, so they feel even more insecure about what is going to happen next adding to the 'fear factor' of the trailer. The following shots, for a montage effect in which we see around 3 different shots, in the space of around 2 seconds building a sense of pace to the trailer.

Parallel editing is then used to demonstrate a shift in time, this adds to the continuity of the trailer making transitions smooth and understandable. The shot consists of again what looks like a stereotypical family house in which we can see a dog lying on the floor and a cot just to the right of it. The dog connotes a sense of protection from something again reinforcing the sense of danger, and the cot adds a sense of innocence and again a stereotypical family scene. The shots then switch to two further views of the house from what looks like a CCTV set up, adding to the 'big brother' essence of the film. The pace of the shots is quick, however just enough time is left in order to be aware of the surroundings, everything looks normal but for how long ? is the question on the audience's lips. The third of the shots of the house we see a kitchen in which the pans are swaying two and throw in a harmless fashion, however suggesting stronger forces are about to come. The natural sound of the shots add to the tension as creaking and noises can be heard suggesting someone or something is lurking around the house. The dog moves to look around clearly sensing something is not right, stereotypically the ideology that animals have a six sense when it comes to detecting spirits is being played on here.

The shot then fades away to reveal a further message building up the hype and tension surrounding the already widely anticipated film 'NOTHING CAN PREPARE YOU' the capitalization adds to the boldness of the text making it stand out and almost shock the audience. The ongoing messages add to what is almost a narrative to the trailer in which no human voices are heard, this helps to guide the audience through the trailer, whilst informing them of the notorious reputation of the film.

The next shot fades in to reveal a similar CCTV-esque view of the lounge in which the same dog featured earlier has stood up backing away from what we can only think is a spirit. The dog is growling and is defensive but aware that the spirit is not here of good intentions. The little boy in the cot is stood up in attention looking at the door. This clearly adds a sense of tension to the shot as no one wants to see the little boy or dog harmed what we know as a violent spirit. A further message fades in to the frame 'FOR WHATS NEXT' the audience having seen prior messages are following like a story, giving them less time to prepare for what is about to happen next. The shot quickly cuts to the living room in which we see the same shot as before nothing abnormal happening possibly suggesting the start of the 'fall' period.

Probably the most shocking shot of the trailer are most feared suspicions are confirmed, in which we see the same shot as before of the living room, without the baby or dog and standing in the door way is the figure of what looks like the possessed girl featured earlier. This shot marks fall period indefinitely as the tense non-diegetic music stops and she is revealed as the villain of the peace, stereotypically featured in teaser trailer at the very from a long shot in which their features cannot be defined to add a sense of tension and suspense to see what happens next in the film.

The trailer then peeters out until revealing the name of the film in a series of flashing words and number spelling out Paranormal Activity 2, it is conventional of horror teaser trailers to leave the name of the film to the end, this ties in with the suspense created throughout and the stable atmosphere at the end, provides a perfect slot to throw the films name in having gained the attention of the engaged audience. The title then fades out to signify the end of the film and the end of the audiences engagement in the trailer.

Teaser Trailer Research

Shutter Island

The trailer starts with a black screen for around 0.5 seconds this helps to build up a period of tension which is realised when the trailer jumps straight in to action. The production company logo of Paramount follows at the foreground of the shot, in the background we can see what looks like a flame flickering in the wind. The image of the flame is almost symbolic having watched the film as it is reminiscent of the match being lit. The image in the background of the frame then disappears as the Paramount logo changes to black and white possibly connoting the nostalgic feel of the film. Looking closer at the trailer all of the above happens within a space of two seconds giving an indication of the fast pace of the teaser trailer in general. It seems a conventional factor of the teaser trailer is to fit in as much information as possible within a short space of time, whilst still captivating the audience and keeping them entertained and most importantly informed. The Paramount logo then fades out to in which we see a medium shot of what we assume as the main character Leonardo DiCaprio. The character has a rather bewildered look on his face, in astonishment possibly reacting to something he has seen. It is clear that is dark connoting a sense of danger, however the lighting within the shot beams down upon DiCaprio almost like a spotlight. We discover at this point that the character is a marshal in the police as the voice over declares 'marshal welcome to Shutter Island'. This statement is when we begin to realise that Shutter Island apart from the obvious connotations of the name itself, is a bad place. The shot lasts for around 0.5 seconds before cutting to an establishing shot of what we believe to be the island, the shot is almost picturesque contradicting earlier claims of danger and entrapment. However the cloud above the island seem to be closing in expressing a form of entrapment within the boundaries of the island. Non-diegetic music then sets in with a tense tone to again reinstate the danger of the island, the shot then fades out to a tracking shot of the gates of an asylum. The gates open as the shot moves forward towards the gate,as the shot slowly fades to black we as the audience feel as if we are entering the asylum with him. Gates signifying the sense of being captured which seems an ongoing theme of the trailer. The frame again fades to black for around 0.2 seconds then reveals an aerial shot which pans around the asylum. We then hear the voice over of the main character as he seems to give a summary of what we can only distinguish as the plot of the film. Next there is a very brief shot probably only around o.2 seconds long in which we see a hand tap on a table in a puddle of blood, blood suggesting that there is to be violent content in the film, also building up tension along with the fast paced shots. The shot fades out very quickly to black as if the light has been switched off then momentarily switches back. Having looked at previous media products the fade is very much conventional in teaser trailer as it helps create tension and often when only used briefly helps smoothen the transition of the cuts. We then see DiCaprio in the stereotypical attire of a detective with a bowler hat and long coat, by now the audience realises that this is more complex than it looks and DiCaprio's character is obviously following up a case.
The next few shots become extremely fast paced as the tension begins to build throughout the trailer providing the conventional rise of the trailer. The next shot is very brief around 0.2 seconds in which we see sheets of paper being submerged in water signifying time is running out for DiCaprio. The next shot is also very brief around the same timing in which we see the use of bars in a conventional thriller fashion connoting imprisonment. For the first time in the trailer we see a prisoner in the asylum, he is standing gripping the bars in a menacing stance half naked in an animalistic fashion. This helps build to build up the sense of danger and makes the audience feel fear for the character DiCaprio in which we believe is the Hero. He is covered in tattoos in a tribal fashion building up the tension and dangerous aroma he gives off. The trailer speeds up further in which we see 3 shots in the space of around half a second. The speed of the images adds to the eeriness of the trailer as the images move so fast they are almost distorted. The first showing what looks like a torture chamber in which there are hooks hanging from the ceiling and in the background of a shot a man is seen walking towards a bench rather conspicuously. This is followed by a close up shot of a woman with her face half covered in blood, connoting the sense of facade which becomes more apparent throughout the film as an integral part of the plot. The shot cuts to a black screen in which the name Martin Scorsese is seen flash on the screen. This obviously a convention of any trailer to have the directors name feature in the opening of the film. The trailer makes for excellent viewing as it builds up tension whilst maintaining a fast exciting paste and still managing to inform the audience.

Teaser Trailers

A teaser trailer is a short trailer used to advertise an upcoming film, television program and many more other media products. Teasers unlike theatrical trailers, are usually short in length (between 30-60 seconds). They serve the need in teasing the audience as they usually show very little footage of the actual film, petering down to a truncated version on the theatrical trailer, also they are released fairly early in the film making process, one or one and a half years before the release of the film. There main purpose being to tease the audience without giving to much information away about the forthcoming film.
Teaser trailers are usually only used by big-budget popular film companies, as instead of informing the audience on the plot of the film they are simply there to alert them to the fact they are coming out. They also assist in adding hype to the upcoming larger scale movie campaign in which a full length theatrical trailer may be released. Teaser trailers are usually released during the production stage of a film in which theses may involve scenes which are not evident within the film itself and are made for the trailer itself. They have become increasingly popular in advertising due to the internet downloading and convention circuit, in which millions of viewers can be obtained. As technology has moved foward various avenues have opened to film makers, and the television is no longer the only way in which trailers can be shown now millions of trailers can be viewed and downloaded on through the internet. This allows reasonably small film makers to publish their trailers online as it is a cheap and effective way in advertising a film to a large ammount of people.
The main target audience of the teaser trailer is the teenage audience, this is believed to be as teenagers are the widest users of the internet and they are inevitably going to be the biggest watchers of these type of trailer. Teaser trailers are also shown at cinmeas before the feature film often enticing the audience to go see the film, stating the date it is out and the name so the audience are well informed on when they can see the upcoming film. Conventions of the teaser trailer are what is known as the rise and fall -this being within the trailer a rise is created through the creation of tension and quick cut shots, this is commonly followed by what is known as the fall in which the climax of the trailer brings about a slower selection of frames in which we see the title of the film and those involved. This is a common structure of a teaser trailer and it helps keep the viewer enticed and most importantly informed without giving away to much about the film itself. They often contain the use of black screens in which shots are faded out this help smoothen the transition between shots and gives for a better structured trailer as teasers tend to jump from shot to shot. The main goal of a teaser is to create a sense of hype and tension, in which the viewer is excited and wants to follow up interest in the film in question.