'Shutter Island' Official Trailer- Analysis of Lighting
At the start of the trailer we see a long short of a boat emerging from a cloud of white mist which is very bright. The colour white and the brightness connotes that the boat is heavenly and signals that the people aboard are a symbol of help to their destination. This is followed by a long shot of the island which is dimly lit from behind representing somewhat of a beacon that the federal marshals on the boat have been sent to find. The island is also surrounded by a mixture of black, blue and grey clouds which adds to the ominous feeling that surrounds the setting and the feeling of an oncoming storm. These colours are a contrast from the ones presented in the first shot which hints that the boat is heading towards darkness and destruction.
At 37 seconds in, a red light flashes to indicate a restricted area but this colour also connotates the presence of evil and danger to the audience. 2 seconds later we see a one second long shot of a man sat on a chair at a desk with a single bright spotlight on him as well as dark blue lighting coming in through high windows. The spotlight indicates that the man is isolated and alone while the dark blue light reinforces the feeling of an oncoming storm that heightens gloomy mood of the trailer.
At 48 seconds the audience can see a mid shot of a tattoo on a man’s back which is dimly lit by an orange light suggesting the presence of candles or fire as the only source of light. The positioning of the lighting is important as it casts the shadow of the prison bars onto the man’s tattoo of Jesus’ face, a symbol which is a deliberate contrast to the setting. In the next shot we can see the man assumedly from the last shot but the minimalistic orange lighting casts hard shadows on him making him very suspicious to the viewer.
A few frames later we see a very desolate room. The room is lit by both a single light hanging from the ceiling as well as a light coming in from a window covered in mesh. The lighting from the window therefore casts shadows on to the facing wall giving the viewer the impression that it is a prison cell. In the shot after this we see the same room but this time from a high angle where we are above the light. This creates hard shadows on the characters and thus hints to the audience that the whole character is not being portrayed which increases the sense of mystery.
At 1:03 we see two characters atop a cliff looking out to sea. The colour choices of dark blue and gray reinforce the feeling of cold and damp plus it gives the audience the feeling that life from the island is far away as the dark blue sky blends into the sea.
As the trailer progresses we see a close up of the man sat at the desk that appeared previously, thus increasing the audience’s interest in the significance of this character. The spotlight remains and he is sat directly under whilst 3 other characters are stood at the edge of the light. This gives the impression that the man under the spotlight is exposed whereas the 3 other character are still secretive as it appears they are hiding from complete exposure. Furthermore, because they are dimly lit, the main attention is away from the 3 other character and focused on the man at the desk.
At 1:06, the camera is behind the 2 characters that have been established as federal marshals and the back of them is highlighted by very high-key lighting. The bright light reflects off their white clothing making them seem very heavenly and good. They walk towards a gate which has a patch of light in front of it that seems to originate from behind the bars. This appears as if both characters are walking towards heavenly gates that could offer the answer they have been looking for. In the next shot we see the same set up but from a different angle. Natural lighting can be seen coming in through skylights in the ceiling and this eventually turns out to be the only lighting as all artificial lighting cuts out. This leaves only 3 patches of bright light on the floor and this concentrated bright lighting suddenly turns the once well-lit characters into dim and obscured figures as they are stood at the edge of the light. This sudden change in lighting furthers the air of mystery that so far surrounds the characters and helps to highlight the rain hitting the ground which contributes to the ominous mood of the events and setting.
The subject of light has now become the main focus at 1:35 when we see someone light a match and the audience gets a feeling that this is the only source of light. This feeling hints to the viewer that the story has turned against the main characters and now this single match and its light represent hope to both the characters and the viewer that the story will end in their favour. After this we see 2 more shots where fire is the main source of light. Fire is a connotation of hell and the devil so whenever it appears the audience gets a sense of doom and dread as well as signaling to the audience that fire plays a significant role in elements of this story.
Overall the hard shadows cast by low key lighting manages to keep the ominous atmosphere, which is key in the thriller genre, and the audience never gets to see the characters properly- always hinting at a twist involving the characters in the end. In addition, the colour choices of dark blue and grey help contribute to this mood and they are used effortlessly to help establish the setting and the tone from the very start.
'The Sixth Sense' Official Trailer- Analysis of Sound
At the opening of the trailer the diegetic sounds are a flare being lit and a police siren. This signals to the audience straight away that something bad has happened and therefore almost instantly outlines the horror/thriller genre of the film being advertised.
The diegetic sound moves on to dialogue where the premise of the film is outlined when the boy states that the dead woman from the accident is ‘standing next to his window.’ This line is the initial hook and is highlighted by the introduction of slow ominous diegetic music as soon as he has finished this line, giving the audience a sense of mystery and fear- a typical convention of the horror genre.
The diegetic music continues into the next frames but becomes non diegetic when the openings of the shots are met with the sound of an old style camera flash. This sound effect is paired with the editing which starts the shot with a flash giving a supernatural sense due to the very bright light. Furthermore, it is a sound bridge which seamlessly links the shots together and quickens the pace of the action, thus drawing the audience into the action that is unfolding.
In one scene the diegetic sound is the creaking and slamming of a door which is a classic horror/ thriller film convention. This consolidates the genre that the audience should have now guessed through the use of these classic horror/thriller trade marks. In addition, the use of this sound effect has given the audience a sense of being trapped and locked away which draws them in as they wonder how the plot is going to evolve.
After this, the sound of a heartbeat becomes the diegetic sound and the music once again takes a non diegetic role in the trailer. The heartbeat starts to beat faster along with the editing of the shots which quickens the pace and adds to the tension that eventually comes to a climax when the boy reveals he sees dead people ‘All the time’. The heartbeat also influences and mirrors the pulse of the audience who are experiencing this nightmare along with the characters. The build up of tension through sound has stopped to reveal the main problem that arises out of this story and the use of this climax has hooked the viewer even more.
The continuous music now takes the place of the diegetic sound but only for a few seconds as the dialogue then resumes. The stop and start of the music draws the audience into the action as if we too are searching for dead people in the ordinary setting. The music becomes diegetic again after the dialogue stops and then quickens to coincide with one of the characters nearly being hit by a car. The quickening of pace makes the viewer feel that they are involved in this action and makes them feel that they can stop any impending doom. This feeling and the tension are broken when the music once again takes a back seat to the diegetic sound of a blaring car horn which signals the vulnerability of the character even though they were not harmed.
The music continues its fast pace and can be heard alongside the pounding of a door as the trailer is building in suspense. Arranging these sounds side by side gives the whole sound a rhythmic feel and heavy beat which can’t help but capture and keep the audience’s attention.
Finally, there is a gunshot and the music ceases and the trailer fades to black as we hear a woman call ‘Look out!’. This sound which has connotations of death and murder and the combined edit of a fade to black leave the viewer wondering what has happened- a question that can only be answered by viewing the film.
The trailer resumes and it is silent apart from the diegetic dialogue where the boy asks the other character to ‘Please make them leave’ to which the other character replies ‘I’m working on it’. By placing this dialogue here in the trailer, it intensifies the mystery surrounding the previous shots and sounds and is the final hook for the audience. The once slow music becomes the final diegetic sound and reaches its climax with heavy and fast paced beats as the name of the film is shown.
'Devil' Official Trailer Analysis (0-30 secs)
As soon as the production logos appear, the diegetic sound of ominous music instantly starts. The camera is very high up and moves across water as it lifts up and reveals an establishing shot. However, the setting is upside down and the text is layered on top. By having the setting the wrong way round it instantly makes the audience feel disorientated and the juxtaposition of the text against an upturned setting involves them in what is happening because they have to try and establish where the film is set and how this shot reflects what is going to take place. The graphics read ‘On any ordinary day’ which hints to the audience straight away that this isn’t going to be an average day and they once again become more involved because they wonder why this is.
Next, follows a 1 second bird’s eye view shot which shows another element of the setting. This is put here because it start to quicken the pace of the trailer as it almost immediately moves on to the next shot- a mid shot of a woman entering a building and then dialogue becomes the diegetic sound when the security guard calls her back. The camera follows the lady which makes her seem like a significant character as her movements are being tracked. The editing fades to black and then cuts to the next shot. This editing technique is used because it doesn’t show the audience the whole picture and it still flows even though it has cut out the passage of time.
In a mid shot, the woman from the previous frame walks back to the security guard and becomes the diegetic sound when she asks the security guard if she ‘really look[s] like such a threat’ after he asks her to sign in. This is ironic as the mood of the trailer as well as the title suggests conventions of the horror genre meaning someone in the film will become a ‘threat’ at some stage.
The shot then reverts back to the text layered upon the upside down setting which continues the disorientation and suspense of the audience. The camera is high up and amongst buildings, giving the audience the feeling that they can see over everything- a feeling that will probably change over the course of the trailer.
The text also helps the trailer to flow as it’s split up into different parts so the viewer must watch a large portion of the trailer to see what it finally reads. This piece of text reads ‘our lives are filled’ and then a one second mid shot follows where camera quickly sweeps past a crowd of people and then cuts to another shot where the camera goes past a building to reveal the next piece of text which says ‘with chance encounters’. This text reveals to the audience that the action that will unfold is not planned which suggests it may be more erratic because anything could happen. The camera movement helps to keeps the disorientated feeling the text has so far established as well as quickening the pace which starts to reflect the speed of the audience’s pulse.
The editing now cuts to a one second long shot of a man in a hooded jumper and jeans. The editing then fades to black and cuts to show another one second mid shot of an older woman, fades to black again and then cuts to a quick shot of the back of the security guard we have previously seen. The order of these quick shots combined with the editing suggests that they are involved in the ‘chance encounter’ that was previously mentioned because the camera has focused on them especially after the previous text has shown.
'Devil' Official Trailer Analysis (30-45 secs)
At 30 seconds in, we see a mid shot of 2 characters we have previously seen waiting for an elevator but the camera acts as the elevator doors so the audience can see their facial expressions as the elevator door behind them opens up. This in effect, makes the camera part of the setting so the audience feels that they are there and have a sense of continuity. The diegetic sound is now the ‘ping’ of the elevator and the non diegetic is the music from the start which has continued throughout. This shot fades to black and another shot appears containing text in the same manner and setting of the previous 3. The text reads ‘and random events’. This only enforces the point that the previous wording makes especially as the camera slowly zooms into the graphics. By now, with all the text combined, the audience is prepared for the action because the text as well as the non diegetic music provides somewhat of a warning that a haphazard event is going to happen soon.
The next shot is a mid shot of most of the characters we have previously seen standing in an elevator. The doors begin to close as a man’s voice takes over the music as the diegetic sound when he asks ‘Can you hold that?’ The man is behind the camera but we see a hand reach out to stop the doors from closing. This gives the audience the feeling that this man is mysterious as he is not exposed on camera like the rest of the characters as well as the fact that his clothing is much more casual signaling he doesn’t belong in the building.
The noise of the doors and the dialogue provide the diegetic sound here and the non diegetic music remains the same. The man walks past the camera, enters the elevator and thanks the man inside the lift for his help. When the man from inside the elevators replies by saying ‘Don’t mention it’, the music starts to swell and reach a new level of intensity which signifies to the audience that it is this man who is significant by suggesting he may be the villain of the story.
