The Sixth SenseTrailer Deconstruction (1999)

Audiences & Institutions• Trailer Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VG9AGf66tXM• Length of Trailer: 2 minutes, 20 seconds• Title of Film: The Sixth Sense• Director: M. Night Shyamalan• Release Date: 5 November 1999 (UK) 8 August 1999 (USA)• Certificate: 15 (R)• Top Billing: Bruce Willis, Haley Joel Osment, Toni Colette and

Olivia Williams • Awards: 32 wins & 53 nominations• Production Companies: Hollywood Pictures, Spyglass

Entertainment, Kennedy/Marshall Company, Barry Mendel Productions

• Distribution Companies: Buena Vista Pictures• Worldwide Gross: $293,501,675 (USA)

Audience & Institutions (Cont.)

Marketing: Trailers and posters were the main source of marketing due to the lack of social media and platforms as it was released in 1999. Though, one key element was the choice of Hollywood star, Bruce Willis which was a result of the large budget. The film received an average of $26,681,262 in its opening weekend and managed to make a massive profit from a budget of $40,000,000 to a gross of $293,501,675. The film was financially successful as the second highest grossing film of 1999, most likely due to the star casting of Bruce Willis and the large budget available.

Genre: It is classified as a Supernatural Horror/Thriller. I agree with this as it incorporates the usual thriller element however, I believe it is primarily a horror because it is recognised as a horror film by audiences worldwide as it is famous for its frightening jump scares and narrative therefore demonstrating typical horror conventions.Target Audiences: The primary audience is young adults, ranging from as young as 15 to 40, predominantly in the 18-30 year old category as demonstrated in the graph sourced from IMBD. This is conventional for the genre, as horror films are usually aimed at young audiences whom will be more easily scared and will yearn to be frightened for a sense of thrill and enjoyment. The film is aimed at both genders but leans slightly towards women with the star casting of Bruce Willis and the more sentimental themes within the film as well as the child protagonist, evoking the maternal emotions of women.

Micro Analysis – Camera WorkThe audience are aware that the main character in the film is the young boy due to the significant amount of the screen-time. The trailer consists predominantly of shots of him displaying the narrative of the film. • Crane shot: Used at the beginning of the trailer to establish the location, showing the audience that there has

been an accident/traffic. The crane shot is quite slow and used with the cross dissolves, reflects the slow pace of the opening scene.

• Low Angles: Used throughout the trailer to show inferiority or weakness of a character, the young boy is vulnerable due to his ability to see dead people. These shots are of Cole without the other characters indicating his vulnerability when he is alone.

• Point of View Shot: Used for similar effect as the low angles, used together to make the audience feel small like the boy an vulnerable as they are placed in his position e.g. the teacher shouting at him.

• Distorted shots: Conforming to the conventions of thriller films, the out of focus and stretched shots, both create a sense of uneasiness in the viewer.

• Two Shots: To establish the relationship between characters, (young boy and mother, young boy and male character, young boy and ghosts etc.) allowing the audience to grasp the narrative and also see the connection between characters:Boy:

“Please make them leave”Man:“I’m working on it”

Micro Analysis – Mise en Scene

Lighting: The majority of the trailer is shown in dark lighting which conforms to the horror conventions, the use of darkness indicating the dark themes within the film and creating a sense of unease in the viewer. The film uses the theme of death which is connoted through the lack of natural light, the use of low key lighting being conventional of the horror genre as it is hard to make out everything that is happening. Colours: The film uses blue tones to connote coldness, a trait usually associated with the paranormal as it connotes discomfort and death. However, there are glimpses of red throughout the trailer as to foreshadow events to proceed, such as the balloon, the colour red being associated with danger and the genre of horror. Costumes: The costumes within the film are predominantly causal everyday clothing. The young boy is seen in ordinary children’s clothing, predominantly darker neutral colours (browns). Both the boy and mother are seen in red jumpers in separate scenes, connoting danger, a horror genre convention. The male character is seen in a suit and shirt, connoting business and occupation which notifies the viewer of his character’s position. Throughout the trailer we see all of the characters in warmer clothing which plays on the theme of cold and the connection with death, perhaps foreshadowing the narrative whilst also leaving the audience feeling uneasy. The boy is also seen in school uniform, signifying his young age and his academic ability, he is young, but still knowledgeable.

Micro Analysis – Mise en SceneProps: Throughout the trailer red props are shown to symbolise the threat of danger, the flare, balloon, tent/den, blanket etc. all of which are conventional of the colour theme of horror films. Furthermore, the use of creepy puppets is stereotypical of the supernatural element and the gun signifies danger and death, also stereotypical of the horror genre. Another significant prop is the box which entails a series of questions (enigma code) which are left unanswered by the trailer. The rest of the props used are in continuity with the scene or the narrative e.g. breakfast bowl, school chalkboard.Location: The trailer uses the conventions of the horror genre, including a shot of a graveyard which is stereotypically seen in horror films. Additionally, we are shown short scenes in a school, signifying the young boy’s age, which is not as typical of the genre. The use of the boy’s home is conventional and used repeatedly to emphasise his lack of escape from his ability, it is even haunting him in his own home. Furthermore, the use of scenes in the street and traffic jam imply a sense of normality which is later challenged with the theme of supernatural. The scene in the bedroom with the sickly girl shows a hospital bed which implies sickness and death, conventional of the horror genre as well as the choice of scene in a church which is another convention as it relates to religion, the afterlife (ghosts) as well as a place of protection.

Micro Analysis - Sound• Non-diegetic: The music reflects the mood and atmosphere of the scenes. The first

piece of music is very slow and eerie, foreshadowing the later events in the trailer and building suspense. This music then fades out as the heartbeat fades in further building the suspense. Once the heartbeat reaches its fastest it fades out and string instrument music fades in. This string instrument music then builds up to a climax and then fades out to some more slow creepy music. This is repeated again before fading out to the last piece of slow creepy music. The trailer ends with a bang which will leave a lasting impression on the viewer.

• Diegetic sounds: Used throughout the trailer, lighting the flare, bangs, car horns, doors closing, all have been accentuated to startle the audience, a typical convention of horror films.

The trailer does not use a voiceover and instead the diegetic dialogue serves as a source of information as to what is happening, often dialogue is used over the top of clips it doesn’t belong to give the audience a running commentary. The dialogue incorporates the whole narrative of the trailer and keeps the montage of scenes connected and understandable.

Micro Analysis - EditingThe trailer follows the structure of slow editing which builds up to faster editing with a climax before returning to slower editing which keeps the audience engaged an on the edge of their seat. As a thriller, the trailer is quite fast paced and builds suspense throughout whilst using horror conventions within the actual camera work and mise en scene etc.• Cross dissolves: Used at the beginning of the trailer - slow

transitions reflect the slow pace at the start of the trailer (sat in traffic) and later on in the trailer after the first climax and before the second/final climax.

• Fast cuts: Quick cuts between scenes to build suspense are used throughout the trailer, especially when building the suspense. The audience only see a glimpse of the scene before it changes again.

• Flashes/Strobing: Flashes of white as the scene changes which has a similar effect as the fast cuts, building suspense and leaving the audience with man questions as to what is happening.

Micro Analysis - Text

The use of uppercase conforms to the conventions of both trailers and the genre of horror. It is very difficult to tell the genre of the movie from the font as it is quite simple and plain, using a straight and thin typeface. With quite rounded edges and a slight blurred effect, the font does not look a sharp and menacing as you might expect for a horror, perhaps trying to achieve a more ghostly appearance rather than the typical horror gore and scare factor. All of the text shown is centred in the page with black backgrounds to make them easier to read, the use of reverse out (white font) gives it a ghost like appearance and removes colour, denoting death and lack of light (positivity). The title of the movie appears towards the very end. It appears, then there is one last clip before we see the other details of the film so that the audience will be anxious to see the title of the film after the climatic build-up of the narrative. The most notable star in the movie is Bruce Willis, which is why we see his name appear first, sparking the viewers interest as he is recognised for his high quality acting and appearance in some of the top billing films. Only his name appears during the clips, usually the majority of the main actors and actresses’ names are shown, highlighting the significance of his reputation which will entice the audience (star theory).

List of text within the trailer (chronological):1. The following preview has been approved for all audiences’ MPAA (The Motion Picture Association of America)2. Hollywood Pictures (Logo)3. Spyglass Entertainment (Logo)4. Bruce Willis5. The Sixth Sense6. (Film Credits)

Macro Analysis - Representation

Within the trailer the key stereotypes established are the heroic male figure, young and innocent child, maternal mother figure and the stereotypical scary ‘ghost girl’ seen in the horror genre. Unconventional for a horror film, usually the main character will be the ‘final girl,’ the innocent, usually attractive and young girl left at the end after the other characters have left or been killed off. As this film is not the typical gory horror film, the main character is still young and innocent, but instead it is a small boy. With light eyes and hair he is stereotypically innocent looking and his sweet appearance engages the viewer whom will sympathise for him and be concerned for his safety as he is only a child. The male character in smartly dressed denoting experience and knowledge which portrays him as strong and capable, the conventional heroic male figure. Whilst the female character is shown hugging her child in a maternal caring way which conforms to the mother role of women in the media. However, she is also shown driving at the beginning of the trailer which is arguably challenging some of the older conventions for women in film as being unable to drive. She is also portrayed as a single mother which also challenges these gender stereotypes and gains the viewers sympathy as they will appreciate her difficult role as a single parent. The inclusion of the ghostly and sickly looking young girl conforms to the genre conventions of horror which often include a creepy and disturbing young girl as the contrast of an innocent child like appearance and demon-like behaviour and characteristics makes the audience feel uncomfortable and frightened.

Macro Analysis - GenreWithin the first 30 seconds of the trailer the audience are informed that the boy has a supernatural ability indicated through the dialogue:

Mother: “You can see her?”Boy: “Yes”

Mother: “Where is she?”Boy: “Standing next to my window”

The audience can clearly see that there is no one standing next to the boy’s window, as well as the dialogue, as soon as the boy says “Standing next to my window” eerie music begins to fade in contributing to the unease and genre of horror. This is then confirmed through the next sequence of dialogue:

Boy: “She doesn’t look at me like everyone else. I don’t want her to. I don’t want her to know…”Man: “Know what?”

Boy: “I see dead people.”We can also tell this movie belongs to the genre of horror due to the lighting used throughout the whole of the trailer. The use of low key lighting which builds suspense and makes it difficult for the audience to clearly see everything in the shot/scene. This is further demonstrated through the continuous fast editing and use of colour, predominantly red, which is associated with the horror genre and the indication of danger or blood. The use of jump scares, intended to startle the audience as typical of the genre, are also used in the trailer, mostly nearer the end. One being when the boy screams after seeing a young girl, presumably dead, beneath a hospital bed.

Narrative TheoryTzvetan Todorov’s “Equilibrium Theory”• Equilibrium – Boy and mother are in car, seemingly

stuck in traffic with no immediate threat/danger, flashes of a positive relationship.

• Disequilibrium – Boy reveals that he can “see dead people” to a male character and scenes of him frightened and uncomfortable are shown, presumably showing the ‘dead people’ he can see.

• Recognition – The male character talks to the boy about his ability and advises him to help the ‘dead people’ he is seeing.

• Attempt to repair – The boy asks the male character to “please make them leave,” he replies “I’m working on it” and acknowledges his attempt to try to help the boy control his ability.

• Equilibrium – Not revealed within the trailer, presumably the male character helps the boy with controlling his ability and the boy returns to a happier state.

Roland Barthes’ “Enigma Code”Roland Barthes’ enigma code is heavily incorporated within the trailer, conforming to the usual conventions of thriller films by leaving the audience questioning what is happening and what the outcome will be. Some of the questions asked include:• Who is the main character? • What happens to the main character? • Is the main character in danger?• Can he really “see dead people”?• Who are the other characters? (Bruce Willis)• Will it be a happy or sad ending?• When will it be released?The trailer leaves many questions unanswered therefore engaging the audience and resulting in a spark of interest and curiosity as to what happens in the film.