Analysing Film Trailers: Presentation

Hello, my name is Jasmine Fennell and I am an A2 media student at Christ the King St Marys.
The three trailers I have chosen to analyse and compare are two horror trailers and one
comedy. The two horror trailers being 2013s MAMA (show poster) and 2002s horror film
The Ring (show poster). The non-horror trailer, being a comedy which I have chosen is
2014s Bad Neighbours (show poster).
The first shot that we see in MAMA is the distribution company logo (show beginning clip).
This is Universal pictures much like this 2014s Bad neighbours trailer also begins with the
distribution company logo which also happens to be Universal pictures (screenshot),
however the first shot of The Ring 2002s trailer is the audience certificate information
(show screenshot), which states in bold that the film advertised has been rated PG-13 due
to some material being inappropriate for those under 13 years of age.
The film MAMA is labelled as a horror we can tell because of the codes and conventions
used in the trailer. The trailer of MAMA starts with a clip of an old house (show clip) in the
middle of the forest which is a conventional setting for a horror film. The trailer continues
with shots of inside the house (clip), the low level lighting used also adds effect to the
trailer. All seems normal, until a shot of a dark hallway shows a small, (clip) animal like
human crawling down the stairs. The image of the creature is not shown clearly therefore
creating suspense, which is also another code and convention of a horror movie. The trailer
clips are set in a large house, in the middle of quiet street which is another similar code and
convention that horror movies share.
In the MAMA trailer music is also used to create suspense and tension, to draw in the
audiences attention. As the trailer progresses the music gets louder (show clip) and shorter
building up to a big finale.
Camera shots and Special Effects have been used in the trailer of MAMA, near the end of
the trailer. The special effects help establish the genre as its supernatural and immortal,
something which wouldnt be found during comedic or romantic trailers. During the trailer
there is a shot of a wardrobe (clip) being lit up by a torch which a character is using after a
voice is heard saying where is she now. On the wardrobe special effects are used to create
tension and depth to the story, connecting the narrative of where is she now with the
special effects.
In the trailer of the ring, there are a multitude of short and sharp clips shown (clip).
Narration is played over the short clips which creates tension. The music in the background
of the trailer creates suspense and tension. The two specific props used in the trailer are a
TV and telephone, (show screen shots of both props) both through which communication is
made with the supernatural. Further on in the trailer the main character, being the woman,
picks up the phone after watching a video. As she does (show clip) the music gets quieter as

a noise of a ticking clock gets louder, a voice is heard over the sound effect saying 7 days,
this is the most recognised line throughout the trailer which creates most suspense for the
audience.
In both trailers; the ring and MAMA, the title of the movie is shown at the end of the trailer.
This is because the title is most important factor of the movie, for the audience to be able to
remember the title of trailer they had watched. The trailer builds up to the title of the
movie, creating the suspense throughout to end with the title. In the trailer of MAMA, the
title is shown at the very end of the trailer (show screenshot); the title is the last thing you
see. The title is bold and large drawing attention. Behind the word MAMA is the same
pattern of the special effects used in the trailer, connecting the title of the film with the
content of the film. At the beginning of the Rings trailer there is a clip (show clip) of a circle
of light amongst pitch black, in the beginning the audience dont understand the meaning of
the circle, however at the end of the trailer, the same clip is used, however this time with
the title The Ring in the middle of the circle of light (show clip), which loops the trailer and
again connects the content of the film with the title.
The main characters in MAMA are the two children and two adults (show screenshot); they
are shown most throughout the clip and have important roles during the movie, compared
to the ring which has one main character, the woman (screenshot), who has the most
important role. In neither of the trailers are the horror characters shown, this is to keep
the story tense rather than giving it away during the trailer, also its to create the suspense
of who the character is causing everything during the trailer.
In the bad neighbours trailer the lead characters are shown most throughout the trailer, the
married couple and the two younger guys (screenshot) who lead the fraternity. We know
this because they have most screen time during the trailer.
MAMA includes todorovs narrative theory, as we can see the equilibrium of the family
moving into a house (show clip) and the girls having a fresh start after their past, to the
disequilibrium of the chaos which they encounter later on in the trailer (show clips). The
ring however doesnt include this theory as the trailer doesnt being with the equilibrium, its
begins with the disequilibrium.
In the trailer of the ring and MAMA, the audience is left guessing who or what is the thing
thats creating the chaos during the trailer the enigma is used in both horror trailers, there is
no real image of the cause of the death, chaos and drama, therefore it creates suspense.
The trailer for bad neighbours has no suspense or tension created as its not a code and
convention of a comedy genre, the audience is not left guessing and after the trailer have a
sense of the whole story and what will happen.
Throughout both trailers, editing is used to create a fast paced movement, building up
tension and surprise. Short, fast clips are used to impact the audience, creating uncertainty

and apprehension. Both trailers use mostly low key lighting, however high key lighting is
used when there are clips of normal and realistic life, therefore the low key lighting adds
drama to the clips.
Colours such as black and grey are used throughout both trailers of MAMA and The Ring
(show clips), this is because horrors are usually associated with dark colours such as redbeing like blood, and black- death, the colours are suitable for the trailer and enhance the
genre. However in the trailer for bad neighbours brighter colours are used (clip), such as
blues, white, greens, this is because the trailer isnt meant to create suspense or tension
being of the comedy genre.
Both horror movie trailers; MAMA and The Ring both follow the codes and conventions of a
typical horror movie, this is to create the tension and suspense they wish the audience to
feel. If the trailers had not followed the typical horror codes and conventions, such as
comedy, then the trailer wouldve not had the same impact on the audience as they had.
Trailers are created to advertise the film, however to draw in the attention of the audience
so that the film would be watched, both horror movies did this in different ways, through
sound, lighting and camera. The trailer for Bad neighbour has the same effect on the
audience, however through different ways. Both of the horror trailers want the effect to be
that the audience want to find out more about the mystery and for them to want to seek
whatever is causing the chaos/drama in the trailer, both horror trailers did this. Overall both
horror and comedy are completely different on different levels.