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Trailer Analysis 3

- Natasha
Child's Play (1988) - Official Trailer (HD)

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Mise en Scene

 

The mise en scene in this trailer directly communicates the film's tone, the main characters and their environment, using features such as lighting, setting, location, character and costume in order to do this. The creative portrayal of the world in which the movie is set contributes to the life-like effect of the trailer.

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The lighting in this trailer portrays a very cool toned image, with the artificial lighting which is used being

white and not yellow toned light, and the natural lighting creating the white light which cools the colours in

the environment.

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The appropriate light exposure was used in order to make most aspects of the scenes clearly visible; however

due to the lack of bright lighting the whole trailer appears to be relatively dim, with the darker tone relating

to the horror genre and creating a more dismal appearance. An example of the use of dim lighting in this

trailer is shown through 0:44.

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The idea darker lighting insinuating danger presents the idea that in the trailer where the horror genre is

most obviously portrayed dimmer lighting is used. This is presented mostly where the antagonist is shown to

have become animate at 0:40 and 1:12.

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Specific lighting techniques are also utilised in order to create a dramatic and threatening tone. For example,

at 1:38 a silhouette is used and at 1:12 the subject appears mostly through shadow. This perhaps indicates

danger due to the fear of the unknown.

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Lists of all the different locations which appear in the trailer are shown below:

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The characters in the trailer and their actors are shown below in addition to the characters' costumes, a key contributor to the realism of the trailer. It conveys the characters in a way to portray their vulnerability or personality:

Sound
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The use of music in this trailer was kept minimal, with the use of instruments such as strings in order to convey a suspenseful

Throughout the trailer, the rhythm of the backing track is particularly relevant when creating the tone of the piece.

At the opening of the trailer, the rhythmic scheme is regular, increasing the sense of security which the audience is lulled into. The calmness portrayed is strategic due to the sense of security making the dramatic, scary and unsettling parts of the trailer which follow even more daunting, with the juxtaposition of tones exaggerating the extremity of the negative.

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Later in the trailer, the rhythm of the backing track becomes inconsistent, implying a sense of insecurity and uneasiness as the audience are unaware of what will happen. This is reinforced by the use of a demonic doll, as the audience would not expect this.

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Pace was not heavily used in portraying the tone of the trailer. In many trailers, sound is highly used, with much of the most fast paced sections of the trailer being accompanied by sounds with high pitches and high frequencies are used in order to create an image of speed and frantic behaviour, with the sounds being rather unpleasant showing the discomfort of the situation which the characters are in. For example, from 0:58 to 1:09 the pace of the backing track is actually quite slow, however the fast pace editing and the high pitch prevents the tone from being one of relaxation. In addition, the slow pace allows areas of negative space where there is no sound used behind the diegetic sound, this adds suspense and creates an eerie environment.

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The pitch of the music from the turning point in the trailer remains the same pitch, conveying a high, eerie and intimidating tone; this means that low pitch sounds were not heavily utilised in this trailer. This contradicts discovered horror trailer conventions as researched previously, where low pitched sounds are typically used throughout the trailer in order to imply that something bad has just happened but is now over, creating a secure tone to the trailer (often short lived), but also creating a sense of worry and passing it to the viewer.

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Sound effects are also used in this trailer in order to convey the narrative of actions in a more obvious way, such as the sound of the door smashing open at 1:48, implying the negative effects as the breaking sound makes it appear more harmful and forceful than it may have been with little noise. A similar effect is portrayed at 0:56 with the glass smashing, 1:38 with tires screeching and 1:52 with the explosion being highlighted, making the impact and action seem more dramatic and dangerous. The exaggeration of the door creaking at 0:42 is a typical convention of sound effects in horror. It implies that there is another presence in the vicinity, in addition to implying that that person is trying to sneak around quietly, inferring that they plan to do harm. A similar effect is portrayed at 0:43 with the patting of small footsteps, while also portraying the juxtaposition of infantile innocence and life endangering threat. The exaggeration of the sound of the camera’s shutter closing at 1:04 furthers the narrative of the trailer as it clearly presents the characters who are dealing with the equipment to be that of sophistication, business and technologically savvy. The diegetic sound effects which help to portray the narrative of the movie are shown at 0:16 with wrapping paper, 0:33 with the light switch, 0:51 with footsteps, 0:55 with wood falling together, 1:38 with tires screeching and 1:52 with the explosion.

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A transcript of the dialogue is shown here:

  • Everyone has a birthday they always remember.

  • Can we open my presents now Mommy?

  • A good guy! I knew it!

  • Hi, I’m Chucky.

  • He’s something isn’t he?

  • This is Andy’s.

  • Time for bed Andy!

  • Goodnight baby.

  • Goodnight Aunt Maggie.

  • Goodnight Chucky.

  • Everyone knows, most accidents happen at home.

  • How did that happen?

  • This is no accident.

  • Andy!

  • I’m Detective Mike Norris, homicide.

  • Andy!

  • Miss Peterson’s dead, she fell from the kitchen window.

  • Someone’s moved in with the Barclay family, and so has terror.

  • Mommy, I know who was on the counter...

  • Andy!

  • Chucky.

  • Nobody believes you about Chucky.

  • He came alive in my hand I...

  • Oh, for god’s sake!

  • Why won’t you believe me?!

  • Because I’m sane Mrs Barclay, sane and rational!

  • No one believes the truth, or lives to tell it.

  • There’s nothing nice about murder, and there’s nothing innocent about Child’s Play.

The pitch of the music from the turning point in the trailer remains the same pitch, conveying a high, eerie and intimidating tone; this means that low pitch sounds were not heavily utilised in this trailer. This contradicts discovered horror trailer conventions as researched previously, where low pitched sounds are typically used throughout the trailer in order to imply that something bad has just happened but is now over, creating a secure tone to the trailer (often short lived), but also creating a sense of worry and passing it to the viewer.

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The lack of music or any sound can convey an uneasy atmosphere, the use of this technique is not presented completely in this particular trailer, however the extreme quieting of the backing music is shown at 0:54 and 1:17. This effect shows severity upon the following actions, with lack of music allowing composure and mental preparation to be evident, this could relate to the following trailer being related to horror and intended to scare the viewer, therefore mimicking their possible actions as the beginning of their viewing.

Door smashing    Glass smashing    Tires screeching     Door creaking    Small footsteps

 

 

 

 

 Camera    Wrapping paper    Footsteps    Wood falling    Tires screeching    Explosion

Compared to the 2 minute and 9 second length of the film trailer in its entirety, the fact that collectively 1 minute and 10 seconds of dialogue was used contradicts other horror movie trailers that have been researched. This suggests that the trailer relied heavily on the narrative and dialogue in order to clearly portray the plot, focusing less on the editing, mise en scene, camera work, instrumentals and sound effects, possibly due to the nature of the movie being slightly older, therefore post-production technology may have been more limited.

Character narration was heavily used in this trailer, which is important to mention due to the use of voice over adding aspects of suspense and gives more insight into the original ideas behind the plot, such as the use of the juxtaposition of good and bad with the statement that ‘there’s nothing nice about murder, and there’s nothing innocent about Child’s Play’. The voice over was non-diegetic as the narrator was never shown. A full transcript of the dialogue is shown below:

Everyone has a birthday they always remember.

This is Andy’s.

Everyone knows, most accidents happen at home.

This is no accident.

Someone’s moved in with the Barclay family, and so has terror.

No one believes the truth, or lives to tell it.

There’s nothing nice about murder, and there’s nothing innocent about Child’s Play.

Shots, Camera Angles, Camera Movement and Composition

 

The trailer for 'Child’s Play' uses many techniques regarding camera angles and movement, in addition to the type of shot used and their composition in order to create an effective horror movie trailer, portraying a theme of beware and imminent danger throughout the trailer..

 

The trailer utilises variations of close-ups in order to present clear emotion, which because of the genre highly focuses on fear and worry as presented in 0:25 with a medium close-up, 0:53 with another medium close-up, 0:54 and 1:11. The close-ups are used in highly tense situations, which combined with the pace of the editing can effectively portray an image of imminent danger. The use of extreme close-ups however is used in order to convey fast pace actions, such as looking closely at something, this is shown at 1:23, 1:26, 1:34 and 1:41. In addition, the use of extreme close-ups presents a somewhat eerie theme, with the genre of horror influencing this and giving the trailer a more sinister undertone.

 

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​The majority of the trailer was filmed on a handheld camera, with the idea of imperfection and movement implying the unpolished, imperfect atmosphere which the setting of the trailer has. In addition, when referencing demons in the trailer the use of handheld camera may imply the perspective of the doll observing the characters. Examples of the hand healed camera usage are shown at 1:20, 1:39 and 1:36.

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In addition, the use of zoom is used to add suspense and tension, especially when making the transition from a medium close-up to a close-up. It presents an oncoming feeling of dread and fear and clearly conveys the emotions of the characters in a short space of time. This is shown at 0:09, 0:36 and 1:03.

 

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Point of view shots are  used at 0:43, 0:45, 0:48, 0:54, 1:00, 1:03, 1:07, 1:14 and 1:36 in order to add suspense, as these are relatively slow paced parts of the trailer, building up to a scare.

 

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Establishing shots are shown at 0:09, 0:13, 0:58, 1:07, 1:36, 1:43 and 1:50 in order to aid the narrative of the trailer. They are used to establish the scenery in addition to portraying clearly the environment.

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A list of the different techniques used in regard to shots, shot composition, camera angles and camera movement are shown below.

0:09 - Zoom, pan, bird’s eye view, establishing shot

0:13 – Tilt, establishing shot

0:17 – Pan

0:21 – Medium close-up

0:22 – Two shot, doll in central frame, medium close-up

0:24 – Medium close-up

0:25 – Close-up

0:26 – Action match, two shot

0:30 – Two shot, medium close-up

0:33 – Mid shot, pan

0:34 – Pan, two shota0:26 – Zoom, close-up

0:41 – Close-up

0:42 – Close-up

0:43 – Point of view shot

0:45 – Point of view shot

0:47 – Deep depth of field, medium close-up

0:48 – Point of view shot

0:49 – Close-up, handheld camera

0:51 – Insert shot, handheld camera

0:53 – Medium close-up

0:54 – Close-up, point of view shot, pan

0:56 – Medium long shot, insert shot

0:57 – Action match, long shot, tilt

0:58 – Long shot, establishing shot

1:00 – Point of view shot

1:01 – Medium close-up

1:03 – Tilt

1:03 – Zoom, pan, point of view shot

1:06 – Group shot

1:07 – Point of view shot, establishing shot

1:08 – Long shot, eye-line level

1:09 – Close-up

1:11 – Medium close-up

1:11 – Close-up

1:12 – Close-up

1:14 – Point of view shot, high angle

1:15 – Group shot, medium long shot

1:18 – Two shot, antagonist in foreground, deep depth of field

1:20 – Over the shoulder shot

1:21 – Close-up

1:22 – Mid shot

1:23 – Extreme close-up, action match

1:24 – Close-up

1:24 – Mid shot

1:25 – Medium close-up

1:26 – Over the shoulder shot, shallow depth of field

1:28 – Extreme close-up

1:29 – Two shot

1:32 – Mid shot

1:34 – Extreme close-up

1:36 – Point of view shot, establishing shot

1:37 – Close-up, shallow depth of field, off centre frame

1:37 – Insert shot

1:38 – Action match, long shot

1:39 – Action match, long shot

1:40 – 360 degree rotation

1:41 – Action match, long shot

1:41 – Extreme close-up, deep depth of field

1:43 – Establishing shot

1:44 – Establishing shot

1:47 – Extreme close-up

1:47 – Extreme close-up

1:47 – Close-up

1:48 – Extreme close-up

1:50 – Long shot, establishing shot

1:52 – Long shot

1:52 – Long shot

1:53 – Long shot

Editing
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In this film trailer, editing is used as the narrative, meaning that it is fundamental in presenting the plot of the trailer, in addition to presenting a theme or atmosphere in the trailer, which is tailored specifically to the horror genre.

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The trailer utilises pace heavily in its editing, with a total of 72 transitions being used in a trailer which is 2 minute and 9 seconds long, averaging at around half a cut per second. This slow pace differs from other film trailers which usually consist of a relatively fast pace. However, due to the extremely slow pace the areas which do consist of face paced editing seem more frantic, allowing the build up of tension to become more impacting; this causes the audience to become nervous and anxious at what is going to happen next. They are waiting to be surprised or scared by what the next quick-cut shot will be. Throughout the whole trailer the low pace is noticeable, where a cut can last up to 6 seconds. An example of fast pace editing is seen at 0:58 to 1:09. In addition, it can be argued that within the genre slow paced editing can be used in order to create a false sense of security or that the slower pace is used in order to present a daunting and stalking effect, almost as if the footage was a point of view shot from the supernatural being in the house, which may have been stalking its pray (the main characters shown). In addition, it may have provided a contrast to the high pace, allowing the return to the fast and frantic-like editing to present more panic and suspense in the trailer.

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​The trailer uses mainly cuts in its editing, however the utilisation of fades are also included in the editing. Cross fades in this trailer are used to present a smoother and calmer environment amongst the fast pace editing, in addition to showing that time has passed. These transitions can be found at 0:13, 0:17 and 0:45. It is notable that these transitions are located at the start of the trailer, before the discovery of the antagonist’s evil nature is presented, reinforcing the editing causing a calmer environment and imposing a sense of security. Whilst cross fades are used, fades to black are also utilised possibly implying that a period of time has passed, but also may support the trailer's relation to darkness. Fades to black can be found at 0:28, 0:39 and 0:58.

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​​The titles are presented with no background, over the footage of a destroyed toy shot. The text fades in from the black, remains for 4 seconds and then the whole screen fades to black. The fade provides a sinister effect, relating the events in the trailer in addition to its genre. The fade to black is daunting as the screen draws the viewer into darkness, creating an unsettling tone as it draws the viewer into the unknown. â€‹Visual effects and animation are used in the trailer when introducing the name of the movie and other information about it such as its release date. It is important to recognise that the visual effects and animations used here present the genre of the trailer effectively, with the fading of the text promoting tension in their eerie style. 

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​The closest font which I could find is called ‘Diamanti Condensed EF Heavy’. The use of typography in this trailer, with the almost sharpened looking, knife-like ‘y’ creates an eerie effect, effectively portrays the genre of the film. The title is clear and defined; its rigid nature implies destabilisation as it is presented as a parallel, and conveys the genre of the trailer effectively. The use of the colour red is typical of the horror genre, conveying the iconography of it due to the relation to blood. There is a drop shadow on the text, making it further stand out against the background image.

The normal font

The titles from the trailer

My version edited in Photoshop

0:47 – Cut

0:48 – Cut

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0:51 – Cut

0:53 – Cut

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0:56 – Cut

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0:58 – Fade to black

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1:00 – Cut

1:01 – Cut

1:03 – Cut

1:06 – Cut

1:07 – Cut

1:08 – Cut

1:09 – Cut

1:11 – Cut

A list of the transitions and visual effects used:

0:09 – Fade

0:13 – Cross fade

0:17 – Cross fade

0:21 – Cut

0:22 – Cut

0:24 – Cut

0:25 – Cut

0:26 – Close-up

0:28 – Fade to black

0:30 – Cut

0:33 – Cut

0:34 – Cut

0:36 – Cut

0:39 – Fade to black

0:41 – Cut

0:42 – Cut

0:43 – Cut

0:45 – Cross fade

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1:11 – Cut

1:12 – Cut

1:14 – Cut

1:15 – Cut

1:18 – Cut

1:20 – Cut

1:21 – Cut

1:22 – Cut

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1:24 – Cut

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1:25 – Cut

1:26 – Cut

1:28 – Cut

1:29 – Cut

1:32 – Cut

1:34 – Cut

1:36 – Cut

1:37 – Cut

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1:40 – Cut

1:41 – Cut

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1:43 – Cut

1:44 - Cut

1:47 - Cut

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1:48 – Cut

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1:52 – Cut

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