Analysation- Sorority Row- Trailer

This is the new 2009 American Horror film that has just been realised in cinemas, and it many ways could relate to our own trailer. Plus from the first impression and glimpses of it in recent adverts when watching television at home this could be the inspiration for my film as i am too doing a psychological thriller murder with an emphasis on a academic background. Due to this film being centered around an american sorority (- defined as a society for female students in a university of college typically for social purposes.) and mine being centered around a bad day at school with bullying from a popular pupil, my story board will be posted at a later date. 

The trailer i think really has the viewer jumping of their seats, and was so shocked in some parts, this is a prefect example of a horror film with an educational background. And for the first time that i have seen the theatrical trailer starts on a positive note and then things start to go wrong. Due to this having a major resemblance to mine i will therefore analyse everything in depth including:

-Teaser Trailer.

-Theatrical Trailer.

-Poster.

-Teaser Poster.

-Website.

-And after browsing Youtube i have also found the first 5 minutes of the film.

Opening of the trailer.

The first thing the viewer is presented with is green screen which most american films have as they need to be approved by the "Motion picture of America association." Although i have noticed that there wasn't any company logo that is normally in trailers such as Touchstone pictures or Warner-brothers etc. However after researching i have found out that it is distributed by to different companies Summit Entertainment (US) and E1 Entertainment (UK). I think that that legally had to do this due to broadcasting rights and copyright acts.

00:05-00:20

After the "green professional screen" there is a black transition approximatley lasting three seconds. Then 4 quick shots are displayed which automatically creates the atmosphere for the film, these being;

An Establishing shot of the sororities logo/ emblem (in the greek alphabet.) 

Long shot, as we are able to see  their full body sitting on the balcony however this may also be a mid shot due to the insignificant character partying at the front. From this shot we straight away are introduced with the partying theme and collegiate life. Also a sense of rebellion is also added as the 2 female characters waving are not sitting on it right but instead sitting on leaning over to the roof.

Looking up shot. This shot carries over the partying theme with people drinking which i assume to be alcohol, looking like an ordinary 'greek life' party, with traditional drinking games. Showing the audience that everything is fun.

Point of view shot.

playing volleyball..just generally having a fun time and sports such as this generally being associated with american university.

All of the above shots seem to be colorful with the theme of fun and happiness reoccurring, after these shots are displayed for approximately 3 seconds, meaning that it is seen by the viewer but not taken in, resulting in the viewer getting a conceived idea of what the film is initially about. Then there is a black transition and the first thing the viewer sees afterwards is the logo of the voice, with a teacher/leader orating to a group of young female students 

As we can see the location of this shot i believe is the chapter house (sorority headquarters.) It is illustrated to be a very archaic and traditional sorority with a rather long lineage as the viewer can point out with the black and white photos in the background and the ornate wooden desk displayed as the main focus point of the shot, giving the character behind it some significance.

This shot quickly transforms into a close up of each of the protagonists examples are shown below, by using the close up shot the viewer is able to relate with the progtagonists emotions/opinions at the present time within the film. Noticeably all the girls seem to be looking at each other and smiling emphasizing the relationship as friends. 

The music is carried on throughout this scene and then the 'partying' them is reintroduced, with the spilling of drinks and the opening of the door, looks like the audience is allowed in, sharing apart of the characters lifestyle. The music quickly transforms and lyrics are established the partying theme still running throughout. Then, what could be also used as transitions the producing/distributing logo is flashed up, quite odd as this is mostly done at the beginning of ending of most trailers.

 After this a panning shot/ establishing shot of the chapter house is played giving us a sense of it's location etc, plus with the large amount of students walking outside it, it i become aware that this may have been done to show it's (the particular sorority) popularity within it's college. Below is the clip of a character opening the door, which is from someone's point of view which i believe is effective and really works in terms of creating a atmosphere. If possible i would like to use this in my teaser trailer. By using this shot the viewer is able to identify their lifestyle etc.

00:20-00:40

The partying theme is still there, although the dilemma pops up about a male "player" tricking one of the protagonists. All the 'sisters' soon become involved in the matter and then the so called 'lesson' begins. After the convosation amoung the sisters the audience is then presented with a transition, using the out of signal effect which is pictured below. Although there isnt much to be evaluated within this scene, it's still important as it contains most of the story line. As i have realised within most trailers the story line/big dilemma often happens within at least the first 25 seconds in order to get the viewer gripped and left wanting to see more!  The other shots that will be evaluated have also been placed below.

The point of view shot looking at the laptop also were another scene is taking place, within this scene the laptop kind of acts as a tool in which can be used to switch over to the next scene. Although i know to use this in my teaser trailer will be extremely difficult, i still like the convention that they have used and think it is very sleek and smart.

After watching a large amount of teaser trailers i have noticed that they often have a narrator and/or title slides, i was thinking that i would have a narrator in mine, but i would have to have them speaking in third person. However as teaser trailers are often realised long before trailers and contain only a small amount of the filming, by using title slides i could still make it effective, and profounding without giving to much of the story away.

I decided to analyse this title slide as i thought that it would be, a good way to have as it is used to transfer over to the next scene by having the road as the background. i have also noticed that within this part of the trailer the music has changed and so have the characters, on the whole becoming more deceitful, demonic and sinister.

00:40-01:20

Before deconstructing this scene, the story-line is vital as i will be discussing it in terms of my evaluation. Basically one of the girls is pretending to be dead, and the boy who thinks it's he's thought stabs her in frustration, suddenly the truths comes out that it was in fact and prank and that they have to cover this murder and her body up quick! Firstly when entering the scene the music changes. All is not happy anymore. The viewer can hear the lyrics which go 'you did a bad bad thing' highlighting the extent that the girls are willing to carry on this prank, but who is doing the bad thing? the girls for committing the prank of the boy for letting her have some sort of fit?

This particular shot worked well as it established the scenery and is s shortcut as it saves the audience having to watch the can drive all the way in etc so by having a shot like this in my trailer i would be saving time, henceforth able to put more stuff in it.

These two shots can relate to my film, as they seem to be designed to look like a P.O.V shot. As my film will be about a misogynist who stalks, torments and then attempts to kill his last victim (a bully from school) i will need some "stalkerish shots". I would like to have them in the same style as this when the protagonist is under covert observation. By having this it gets the audience more involved as it is more dark.

When the murder scene is leading up the characters seem to be whispering to one another, holding private conversations, this conveys the amount of deceitfulness of them!

After the victim has been accidently killed they decided to bury her body and the tool used to kill her, there was one transition that was used which i really liked and thought that it went well with the codes and conventions of the film. I also noticed that when the character was being killed the next 5 seconds of the trailer appeared to be in slow motion, giving off a more dramatic effect. 

Within this transition three different things are going on, that are all related. The fog lights of the car the characters are in, the dead body being dragged away, the mine in which she will be buried. This was most likely used as another device to save time, plus it could make an excellent picture for a magazine article, theatrical poster. By using the fade transition effect, it give a sense of confusion and 'twistedness'

This shot i think is really effective on the audience, requiring little effort. The arm scraping along the floor shoes that she is not in control. The person dragging the body remains out of the picture, this to me symbolizes that they do not want to be revealed or associated with the murder.

The silhouette of the characters shows that they do not want to be identified and the could of smoke/ mist behind them only reinforces this. However some special effects must have been used in order to create the mysterious effect of the smoke.

i have come to realise that these types of shots on the left are in a few trailers and can be used as good transitions, or endings, by having the camera angle like this it makes the audience feel like they are down the bottom of the well. plus are able to see some items such as the tool in detail.

01:20-02:29 (the ending.) including murder scenes.

After 01:20 there is a white crossover, after watching the trailer over and over again to get the significance of this i have found out that it is meant to be a cut forward in time...to graduation. Then a really freaky nose comes up, next the graduation is presented.

After that horrifying scene, everything seems to be normal, graduation the principle of college life, more closely a character can be seen holding a bottle of wine indicating that they are having a good time. By having that shot of al the students it shows how diverse the film is.

The phones soon become an important element within this trailer, in ways of communication. I have took this idea and incorporated my own ideas into it, so in my teaser trailer i will have the antagonist tormenting his last victim from a telephone box leaving her missed calls etc before he attempts to kill her, the concept of the phone will be the only means of communication between the protagonist and the antagonist. By using the phones more characters become involved and share the same emotions, creating empathy among the characters.

In terms of the music it seems to get more edgy, and fast possibly representing a heart beat or limited time. Also higher pitches are used.

Murder scenes.

This is the 2nd murder scene in the film, well the first in terms of it not being an accident. I know its hard to see but the picture of the girl on the sofa actually has an effect the killer seems to be looking through some sort of mesh although it hasn't showed itself when I print screened it, but this is another stalker picture that would be good to have, although after the character lays down she sees the hooded figure above her which absolutely scared me, i though it was really sharp and quick something that a murder scene needs to contain. firstly by having the covert stalker pictures this makes the audience want to scream at the TV look get up....RUN! and the hooded figure accompanied by some scary music really builds up the suspense and results in a great impact. To add to this impact flashing white and black lights were added.

The hooded figure is now keeps popping up in the trailer...his identify unknown. When one of the sisters turns around and he is just standing there, he/she did not move...i was thinking how did they get there? i noticed that in the trailer there was a slight pause when this happened (long shot). Also in shot 2 the mid shot, the hooded figure slithers up in the camera view, this creates a really sneaky, sly and terrifying feeling...even i was looking behind me when watching this!. And lastly the shot number 3 also a mid close up, i found this part really dramatic as he is walking through a normal university social function ready to kill, the sisters knowing that he is coming, this was really powerful and assimilated into the atmosphere!

Another shot that i took my inspiration from was this one. The protagonist (the female) knows something is behind her but really does not want to turn around and the harsh light effect used on the other character abolishes his features so we as the audience do not know who he is.

it though that this also was a really impressive shot. the 'you're next' obviously written in what appears to be blood. In some way i can see it applying to the audience!

In this long shot part of the trailer, some comedy is added into it by the leader of the sorority, in some cases this could appeal to a wider audience if people like comedy horrors, plus it generally lightens the audiences mood up after watching this. As if i were to watch this trailer without any comedy i generally would be depressed and think it was just a killing film with an average story-line, but by adding comedy it brings it to a whole other level.

I decided that i would analyse the slogan last together.

In the trailer the 'sisters for life' bit flashed up, which ok is a normal saying that some people use...but when it flashed up death, its a whole other impact, to add something so strong and prominent is really catchy and to say death gives it a more darker and eviler look on things... carrying it to a next level! Meaning that if your in this... your in it for good!

Lastly i also noticed that you actually never see anyone dead in the trailer you see the act that may lead to death, but never the characters face or body, as you as a producer would want to save the best scenes for the films...or do some of the characters escape?

liked:

* the idea of a sorority which is social group of students and the fact that they are playing with this idea can relate to audience, and the film could easily attract 16-18 year olds which are typically students!

* interestingly it starts of on a positive side using the themes of partying.

* girly colloquial music and the end.

* comedy lightens the mood up----opens target audience.