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Media Language Investigation

Lewis Brown

I have chosen to analyze the horror trailers of three films; Carrie (2013), You’re Next (2013), and Curse of Chucky (2013)

I will analyze these trailers in terms of Cinematography, Sound, Mise en Scene and Editing.

Trailers

Carrie (2013)

Cinematography…

At the beginning of the trailer, there is a low angle shot of a suburban home. This connotes that although the house is not particularly large or spooky-looking, there is something or someone inside with great power.

There is a close-up of a lock being shaken as if someone is banging against the door. This suggests that there is someone inside who is so powerful that they need to be locked away and they are frantically trying to get out.

We see the protagonist, Carrie, through a high angle shot to make her look weak. She looks distressed and upset to give a false impression that she is the weak, damsel in distress-type character. Throughout the trailer we see her gradually transform into a villain.

We are given another false impression through a low angle shot of Carrie’s classmates taunting her. This suggests that they are more powerful than her, yet this changes throughout the trailer and they become the victims.

We also see a low angle shot of Carrie on a bed that is floating mid-air. This angle suggests that Carrie is gradually finding her inner power.

We are shown a long shot of the chaos that occurs on prom night. This suggests that the roles have reversed and her classmates are now victims of carrie’s onslaught.

We are shown a close-up of a girl looking terrified, which creates a tense atmosphere and shows that the trailer is coming to its horrific climax.

Sound…

The trailer begins with a woman singing and birds tweeting, however this is contrasted with screaming layered on top of it. This creates an unnerving juxtaposition.

We then hear a sad guitar solo, which emphasizes Carrie’s loneliness when she says “The other kids, they think I’m weird”

The guitar becomes aggressive and distrorted when we see Carrie screaming on the floor and we hear girls laughing at her which connnotes that something bad is about to happen.

When Carrie’s mother shouts ‘pray’ at her, we hear a loud boom sound to emphasize her mother’s fear of God that she instills in her.

When Carrie gets asked to prom we hear a sinister piano track which suggests that things aren’t as they seem. When we hear Carrie say “Mama, I’ve been asked to prom” we suddenly hear screaming to suggest that prom is going to be chaos.

Mise-en-scene…

The house is a typical suburban home that looks bright from the outside, however this contrasts with the dark lighting inside the home which suggests that the home has a hidden, evil secret. The cross in the home is large and looks sinister in the low lighting which reflects on Carrie’s life and how the fear of God is constantly instilled into her.

There is a close-up of a miniature model of Jesus Christ bleeding on the cross. There is a common emphasis on blood in the horror genre as it suggests danger. The fact that Jesus Christ is bleeding suggests that even Carrie’s religious upbringing can prevent her onslaught and her great power.

The longshot of the explosion connotes danger and disaster which are common themes in the horror genre of film.

Traditionally, a mother figure in a film is meant to be kind and loving, however in this close-up she is admiring a knife. This may be unnerving for the audience as mothers are associated with caring and looking after children.

Near the end of the trailer, we see a dramatic change in Carrie’s costume. She usually looks innocent with blonde hair, however she is now covered in a thick, black oil substance and her hair has been changed to black due to the oil. This change in costume suggests that Carrie has been transformed into the villain.

Editing…

At the beginning of the trailer the editing is slow paced to suggest equilibrium.

There are also slow fade-ins and fade-outs to the next shots which gives a sinister atmosphere.

When Carrie looks upset on the floor there is a shot-reverse shot of her on the floor, then the low angle shot of her peers taunting her.

When we see the shot of her peers laughing at Carrie, it is in slow motion to suggest that it is as if the taunting lasts forever for her and feels as if it lasts a lifetime.

CGI has also been used when Carrie is floating on her bed and the books are flying everywhere. For this shot to be made there must be computer software that creates the effect.

There is also the use of flash-forwards when Carrie is asking her mother about prom, the scene flicks back and forth to the disaster and chaos of prom.

As the trailer progresses nearer to the end, the editing becomes much faster paced to emphasize that the trailer is coming to a climax.

You’re Next (2013)

Cinematography…

At the beginning of the trailer, there is an establishing shot to show a large, daunting house hidden by trees. This gives a sense of isolation and mystery to the house and adds to the tense atmosphere.

There is a two-shot of a woman and an eerie figure in the windows reflection. This suggests that the woman is being watched from outside the window and creates a sense of fear.

We see a close-up shot of a window breaking. This could connote that the people in the house are going to have their lives broken to pieces. It also suggests that someone from outside the house has smashed the window. As the trailer progresses we understand that it was broken by a crossbow arrow.

After the glass breaks, we see several close-up reaction shots when an arrow flies through the window and hits one of the people in the house. They look totally bewildered at why the window has broken and this connotes mystery.

Here we have a POV shot of an unknown figure aiming a crossbow at one of the people in the house. This suggests that whoever is aiming it has a murderous plan for the inhabitants of the house.

Here we have a close-up shot of a persons footsteps which creates a sense of mystery.

There is then one low angle-shot of the villain followed by a high angle shot of the victim. This connotes that the victim is totally powerless against the masked figure as low angles are associated with power, whereas high angles are associated with weakness.

Sound…

To begin the trailer, there is laid-back music to contrast with the tenseness of the rest of the trailer and suggest equilibrium.

We then hear a snippet of a characters voice saying “Dear Heavenly Father”. Spiritual and religious references are common in horror films as they connote demons and other frightening apparitions.

When we first see the villain appear in the window there is an unknown metallic sound to suggest murder and mystery. This is when we know something is going to disrupt the equilibrium.

After we hear “What is that?” we hear glass breaking and an arrow flying through the air. Everyone screams as a man falls over suggesting that he has been hit by the arrow.

We also hear creaking floor-boards which is a common sound in horror films, it suggests someone dangerous is approaching.

After a great metallic sounding crescendo, the laid back song from the beginning of the trailer plays as we hear sounds of screaming and slaughter. One of the lyrics of the song is “its such a perfect day” which contrasts with the sounds of murder and is an effective juxtaposition.

Mise-en-scene…

The setting is an old house that looks as if it is isolated from the rest of the town or city. This suggests that the people in the house are far away from any help such as the police and this creates a sense of fear. The trees look sinister as they stretch out like hands trying to hide the house away.

When we enter the house we see a close-up of the fire which connotes danger as fire is associated with being hurt if touched. It could also connote that the house will be burnt down, literally or metaphorically.

Here we have a woman who is dressed in little clothing, only her underwear. It is common for women to be sexualized in horror films as they are usually filmed through the male gaze and are portrayed as sex objects who are damsels in distress.

Here is a shot of a family portrait with a crossbow arrow smashed through it. This suggests that the family is going to be metaphorically broken to pieces through the course of the film.

Here we have a man whose head is covered in sweat. Sweating usually connotes when someone is fearful or when they have been running for a period of time. This character could possibly be running away from the villain.

The words “You’re Next” have been written in blood on a mirror. Blood is a common mise en scene element in horror films. The shot reveals the title of the film in the same typography as it is usually displayed in posters and other media products that advertise this film and creates a sense of synergy.

Here is a shot of several knife props falling out of a characters hands. This suggests that all forms of protection for the person is slipping away and they will eventually be killed.

Here is an unusual shot of a character bloodied head sitting next to the masked villain. Gore is a common element of horror films and so are masks (for example, Scream, Jason in Friday the 13th and Michael Myers in Halloween) as they hide the identity of the killer and this creates a sense of fear for the unknown.

Editing…

Similar to the trailer for the film Carrie, there are several slow fades from shot to shot to create a sinister atmosphere.

When the lyric “When it gets dark we go home” is sung, there is a reverb effect and the voice echoes as the music stops. This creates tension as the words reflect on the night approaching.

When the arrow from the crossbow smashes through the window we see everyone’s reaction’s as we cut to the faces of the people in the home. This allows us to understand that everyone was not expecting this to happen.

We also see several fades to a black screen. In the horror genre, black is a common colour as it connotes fear snd darkness.

When one of the victims falls and drops the knives it is in slow motion to place an emphasis on the persons protection falling out of their reach.

Near the end of the trailer, there is an extremely fast paced editing section of shots of people’s terror, this suggests that the trailer is coming to its climax.

Curse of Chucky (2013)

Cinematography…

The trailer starts with a high angle shot of an isolated house with a delivery van outside. This connotes that whatever the van is delivering is about the make the people who live in the house powerless.

Here is a high angle shot of a young child holding ‘Chucky’. This angle suggests that the young girl is weak against the doll’s powers.

Here is a close-up shot of Chucky behind the childs back. His pupils begin to dilate which is asscosciated with strong, negative, emotional responses such as fear and anger. This creates a tense atmosphere and suggests that Chucky is evil.

There is a low angle shot of the house which makes it look eerie and is typical of the horror genre.

Here is a two-shot which is an interesting juxtaposition of emotions. The young girls frightened expression contrasts with Chucky’s cheerful face and creates an uncomfortable atmosphere.

Here is a high-angle shot of the mother which connotes that she is weak and powerless compared to Chucky.

Here is an uncomfortably close, close-up which emphasizes how Chucky’s expression has changed from happy and playful to evil.

Sound…

At the beginning of the trailer we hear a sad piano waltz which connotes that something sinister is about to happen.

We hear chucky saying “Wanna Play?” in a friendly voice, but then we see his pupils dilate and a metallic sound plays. This suggests that Chucky has a deadly motive.

We hear the sound of thunder and “Can we sleep with you tonight?”, this is a pathetic fallacy and suggests something bad is going to happen.

We then hear the manic laughter of Chucky and aggressive rock music begins to play. This suggests that Chucky’s slaughter is about to begin.

We also hear Chucky saying “Its time to play” and then a woman's heavy breathing. This is a juxtaposition because Chucky’s dialogue is associated with playing and having fun whereas the woman is clearly not enjoying herself; its as if she has been running from Chucky.

Mise-en-scene…

The high angle establishing shot shows clearly that the house is iscolated from the outside world (similar to the previous house in “You’re Next) which shows the family are far away from the help of others. The van that delivers Chucky can be seen clearly in this shot to create emphasis on the doll.

Behind the child’s back we see Chucky with a pleasant expression, however his pupils dilate which is usually associated with danger. The doll also has freckles which connote innocence; this is totally untrue for Chucky as he is murderous and evil.

In contrast to his previous expression, Chucky now looks evil. The fact that the dolls face has changed completely suggests to the audience that he is not a doll at all, but is an evil being. He also is wearing children’s dungarees which connote playfulness and this contrasts with chucky’s real personality.

There is a shot which emphasizes a rack of knives, but the sense of fear is heightened as the lightening creates bright lighting which makes the knives look sinister. It is common for weapons to be constantly emphasized in horror films.

Here is a shot of a curtain (possibly a shower curtain) with a hand about to pull it back. This is an homage to the horror classic “Psycho” and its shower killing scene.

Editing…

Similar to both of the previous trailers, the trailer begins with slow paced editing and ends with fast paced editing at the climax.

At the beginning of the trailer when we are introduced to Chucky, we first see his full body when he is revealed in the cardboard box. Suddenly we cut to a close-up of his face which creates the feeling that he is jumping out at the audience.

Each time after we see a close-up Chucky’s face, the shot is filtered with several frightening effects. Here are some examples below:

Also, when Chucky is pushing a woman in a wheelchair, there is match on action as he pushes her at an extremely fast speed from different angle shots. This suggests that he is about to push her out of a window or into a wall, with either causing harm to the woman.