Peter Lengyel

Thriller Teaser Analysis 2

I will be analysing my 2nd thriller trailer, this movie was made in 2016. I will be
analysing the enigma codes of the trailer also how the characters are established and
represented. I will also analyse the Camera and editing techniques used in the movie
and the use of sound. Lastly I will analyse the captions/titles and the Intended target
audience.

What is the film about?

Three girls are kidnapped by a man with a diagnosed 23 distinct personalities. They
must try to escape before the apparent emergence of a frightful new 24th.

Title: Split
Year: 2016
Producer: M. Night Shyamalan

Enigma Codes: In the first shot they are in a parking lot and they are the only one
there, why? This makes the audience curious because there is always someone else in
the parking lot but now there is no one except them.

After a few shots there is a shot when the camera is looking at the mirror, in the
mirror the audience can see the chocolate laying on the ground, this is weird which
makes the audience think why is there chocolate on the ground.

In the next shot the teenager looks scared however we hear the passengers at the back
laughing. This makes the audience think why is she scared if the other 2 are laughing?
This creates tension and suspense in the thriller also its mysterious.
Peter Lengyel

In the next shot we see a man sitting on the driver site, we dont know who he is
which creates curiosity in the audience because they want to know who he is and why
is he there.

After that shot the girls ask him why did he sit in the car but he doesnt reply, this
makes the audience curious because they want to know who he is. After that the guy
puts a mask on and then sprays the 2 passenger girls that are sitting at the back.

After this the next few shots are the man and the girl on the front, it shows that she is
shocked and knows that this is not going to end well.

In the next shot we see a tunnel which is full of cables and pipes, this makes the
audience curious because they dont know where he is or what happened to the girls.

In this shot we see all the 3 girls are together, they dont know where they are. This
creates a lot of curiosity in the audience because they want to know where they are
also why they are there.

In this shot we see that the man is drilling into the wall probably screws which will
hold the door secure and locked. The audience will have tension and a lot of curiosity
because they dont know why they are locked in and by who they are locked in by.

In this shot the girl says there are flowers on the bed and the bathroom, and she
suggests that they are important. Which creates a lot of curiosity why are they
important and who are they important to?
Peter Lengyel

After a few shots we meet this men who we havent seen before, this creates curiosity
also tension in the audience because they want to know who this guy is also why is he
here for.

In this shot the men said that the other men listen to him. Why does he listen to him
also who is this man?

The girl ask how old is the guy and he says that he is 9 years old, this is impossible
because he looks like a grown man. This can suggest to the audience that he might
have a disability.

In this shot the girl is trying to convince that men that they should leave and how can
they leave, the audience is curious whether they will be able to escape.

The men is moving around we can hear his bones breaking which creates a lot of
tension also curiosity because the women said that the men has more than 20
personalities and he can change it with his mind. This almost seems impossible also
the audience wants to know what he is going to become.

She is hiding in the lockers but we dont know why and from who she is hiding from,
this creates a lot of tension also curiosity.

The audience doesnt know who is outside the locker which makes a lot of curiosity
because it could be someone who wants to save her or kill her
Peter Lengyel

What is that on a picture? Is he bad why is he bad? This makes the audience very
curious also it builds a lot of tension because they dont know who that monster is and
what he/she can do.
How are the characters, established and represented?
The first character that is introduced to us is Mr.Benoit, he is represented as a
stereotypical dad he is smart and happy, we can see this when he is loading the
shopping goods into his car.

The second character that is introduced to us is Casey Cooke is one of the main
characters in the movie. She is represented as a stereotypical adult teenager also she is
like a leader because she reveals some of the clues which the other girls dont even
think of. For example when she says `the flowers suggest that we are important` This
shows that she has better knowledge then the other two girls. She is a stereotypical
smart girl that will lead their way out maybe.

The next character is Kevin; he is the one that kidnap the girls and takes them to the
secret location. He is represented as a stereotypical villain because he is evil also he
doesnt seem happy at all. We can see this when he get a spray out and sprays at the
girls at the back. After that he grabs the girls head who is sitting on the front, this
suggests that she is her main target because he didnt grab the other girls.

The next character is Claire she is represented as a stereotypical adult teenager girl
who is scared doesnt know how to make the right choice and needs someone to
support her. This can be seen when she looks very scared, she wants to get out of the
secret room soon as possible. This tells the audience that she is going to be one of the
girls that will need help because she cant handle this situation.
Peter Lengyel

The next character is Kevin again but with a different personality His name is Patricia
and Hedwig as well. He is presented in a different way, now he is still a villain
however he is dressed differently he is represented as a person who is a stereotypical
disabled kid which is non stereotypical because he is a grown man. After that he
reveals more of his personalities. When Dr Karen says that he has 23 different
personalities the audience knows that is not going to end well because he is a psycho,
also he is able to change his body chemistry which is non stereotypical because that is
not natural which suggest that he is a mutant or the devil might be inside him. This
creates a lot of tension in the audience because they dont know his bad side e.g. The
beast who kills/ done awful things to people as he said to the girls.

The next character that is presented is Dr. Karen Fletcher she is a non-stereotypical
old lady what has a very high degree in Psychology. She is a non-stereotypical old
woman who has a very high degree also still working even though she is very old.
This shows the audience that she is very smart and she knows a lot about different
peoples personality, she is very experienced and when she says that this man has 23
different personalities the audience will get a lot of tension also a lot of enigma
because they dont know what his personalities are.

Camera and Editing Technique

There is a shallow focus in the trailer 14 seconds in. This is a very important shot
because it shows that there is something wrong. As we saw before that Casey`s dad
was loading the shopping goods into the trunk, by seeing the chocolate on the floor
we the audience will become feared which creates a lot of tension. They know that
there is something wrong.

The next shot is a close up of the girl that sits at the front of the car Casey. This shot
was used to show her impression when she sees the person that is sitting in the driver
side of the car which is supposed to be his dad but instead its a stranger who is about
to kidnap them. By using this shot it builds up tension and suspense in the audience
because they know by her face impression that there is something wrong which means
something bad is about to happen.
Peter Lengyel

A medium close up was used in the thriller. This can be seen when the guy, Kevin is
in the car sprayed the girls at the back and then he grabs Casey`s head who is sitting at
the front in the passenger seat. This shot is used to show the audience that Casey is
more important than the other characters because Kevin just sprayed the other 2 but
didnt touch them yet; the only one he touched is Casey. The audience knows that
Kevin is kidnaping them which create a lot of tension and suspense and enigma
because they dont know where they will be taken or why they are kidnapped.

Tracking shot was used in the trailer to show the audience where the kidnaper took
the 3 teenager girls. This is used to show that its an isolated place which means they
will have a very hard time if they try to escape because they cant get any help from
the outside world. This tells the audience that they are kidnaped and the location
where Kevin keeps his hostages is isolated from the outside world.

A medium shot was used in the trailer when the camera is looking at the hamster that
is in a tank. The reason they used this shot is because it emphasises that the girls are
stuck/ trapped and there is no way out. This creates tension because the audience
knows there is no way out also the audience will feel sorry for the 3 girls because they
dont have a high chance of escaping from the room that they are in. Also it builds up
the tension because it shows that they are completely isolated from the outside world.

A long shot was used in the trailer to build up the tension even more. In the long shot
we see the man Kevin who kidnapped the 3 girls; he is drilling into the wall which
suggests that he is putting up a lock or something that will not let the door to open.
This tells the audience that the girls are trapped/locked inside the room and there is no
way out. The audience will feel sorry for the girls also they will build up tension
because they want the girls to escape.
Peter Lengyel

Point of View shot was used in the trailer when one of the girls is looking through the
little hole probably where the key goes, she sees a `woman` that could be their way to
escape. This gives the audience a feeling that they might be saved if they can get the
`woman` attention. However there is a twist which the audience doesnt expect after
this shot within the next 3 shots they see that the `woman` they called for help is
actually the same man who kidnapped them. We see this through a medium shot of
the men; this confuses the audience and builds suspense because the audience knows
there is something wrong with that person.

A close up was used in the trailer when Casey is hiding in the locker; this was used to
create suspense and tension in the audience. Before that shot Hedwig said that
`someone is coming for you` which suggest that the girl is in danger. The audience
will get loads of enigmas such as why is she hiding who is she hiding from this
creates tension in the audience because they dont know whether something bad or
good is about to happen.

Use of sound
Non diegetic sound was used, we can hear this when the girl at the front (Casey) sees
the chocolate thats on the floor. When she looks into the mirror this sound comes in
which creates suspense because the audience knows same as Casey that there is
something wrong.

Diegetic sound was used, we can hear this when the hamster is running in his tank.
This is used to emphasise that whatever they will just be run around and not go further
because they are trapped just like the hamster and there is no way out. The audience
will feel sorry for the girls which makes them sad, this is used to create tension and
suspense.
Peter Lengyel

Sound Bridge was used, we can hear this when Dr Karen is saying `I havent seen a
case like this before. ` This tells the audience that this is not a usual case. Because Dr
Karen has masters which tells the audience that she is very experienced it suggests
that this case is not usual at all. This builds up suspense and tension in the audience
because they know if this never happened before then they dont know what could
happen.

Captions/Titles

The font they used is commonly used is Arial, this is font is often used which
represents the girls that are kidnapped they are innocent and normal people, they are
not special in any way. Also the colour of the font is white which also represents the
girls that are innocent. The text is also cut into pieces (split) which suggest that
someone will get hurt.

Arial font is used again which is used to represent that the three girls are just normal
everyday teenagers that got kidnapped. The font is white which shows that they are
innocent however they is grey shady spots in the font which suggest the secrets
(enigmas) that we dont know about yet they might be revealed or not. Also because
the girls dont know where they are the police doesnt know where to look for them
which means they are stuck because the girls location is a mystery.

Intended Target audience

The target audience of split is young teens from 13 until grown adults 25. This is
because the people within this age like to feel the tension also the suspense that builds
up throughout the movie. The people within this age also like to solve mysteries for
example why they kidnapped the girl. This means if the movie has a lot of enigma the
people within this age group are going to watch the movie fully and not quit after a
few minutes.