Film Magazine Analysis

Film magazine analysis1 from Ambergoonesekera

Film Trailer Analysis: 30 days of night

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The genre of my horror film is supernatural although it does contain elements of the Vampiric genre because the storyline features elements referring to the legend of the Highgate Vampire. Therefore I have chosen to analyse the trailer of a modern day vampire film “30 days of night” an American horror released in 2007 directed by David Slade. The narrative is set in an Alaskan town which experiences darkness for a period of one month every year this begins when the sunsets on its first polar night. Due to the long period of darkness Vampire’s use this to their advantage and take over the small isolated town, strange occurrences begin when a stranger enters town he destroys the town’s communication and transport and is sent to the local jail by the Sherriff he bitterly warns the towns people that “death is coming”. Shortly after the town is cut off from the outside world due to the destruction of telecommunication devices and electrical outlets due to an unknown creature, the convent of vampires. The town becomes chaotic and all of the town’s people take shelter in a boarded up house with a hidden attic, the towns people continue to fight the vampires for their survival before the 30 days are up.

The trailer opens with a black fade to a woman standing over a kitchen sink there is an eerie silence in the window behind her we can see it is dark outside and snow is falling giving the audience the first glimpse of the location. The lighting and the colours used within the frame are dark and cold foreshadowing the events which are about to occur the silence could also represent ‘the calm before the storm’ a phrased used to describe the atmosphere that when things are peaceful chaos is not far away. The scene cuts from the woman to a man he is sitting in the living room on the edge of the sofa he appears anxious as his face is buried in his hands there is use of profile lighting as half of his body is disguised by the shadows. The scene cuts back to the woman casually leaning on the kitchen counter until something shatters through the kitchen window disturbing the silent atmosphere of the house. The audience cannot make out what has come through the window as the scene cuts back to the man who appears alarmed as he gets up. The woman violently screams as she is torn through the glass window at a great speed by the unknown creature. The creatures appearances is kept allusive at the beginning of the trailer to alarm audiences and keep them gripped to find out what the mysterious being is. The scene then cuts to the woman being hurtled through the snow under a house, the man chases after her in terror. He reaches out to her under the shadow’s screaming her name, there is shot of them as they grip each other’s hands as he tries to pull her out from under the shadows. Half of her face and body is visible in the light until she disappears into the dark abyss, the camera shows a shot from her point of view as the man is left lying in the snow with his hands still outstretched for her mortified he calls her name he becomes more and more blurred until the scene cuts to black reflecting she is dead the echoes of his voice become more and more faint until silence reins again. This opening scene of the trailer establishes where the narrative is set it begins with a sense of normality of a husband and a wife at home, living peacefully when their world erupts into chaos within seconds due to a violent being capturing the woman. The identity of the creature remains elusive intriguing the audience. Furthermore we see the characters within the narrative have little power over what is happening as they try to face this unknown evil the woman is pulled further into the shadows.

The Columbia logo then appears to show it is “a Sony pictures entertainment company” production however the logo appears in a grey black and white washed out form to reflect the film is from the horror genre.

Haunting music plays as the subtitles appear they are in a white uppercase display font against a black background with grey clouds mirroring what the sky would appear like in Alaska. The subtitles read “They have lived in the shadows”, yet again the identities of the creatures are not revealed to audience continuing the sense of mystery. More over the fact ‘They’ have ‘lived in the shadows’ reflects that the creatures are dark, evil, inhumane and unknown as they have not revealed themselves to man before. The scene then cuts to a man and a woman standing over the roof of a house their backs are facing us so we cannot see their faces, continuing to hide the identity of the evil from the audience. Furthermore the fact they are dressed in all black emphasises the importance of the dark to these creatures, they are also overlooking the town showing that perhaps they are planning to take over it. With each title there is a noise of a drum beating, the beating sounds like a heartbeat. Another subtitle appears over the same black background reading “They are the last of their kind” this tells the audience that they are not human but another type of species altogether rare, animalistic and monster like. We are then shown a cloaked figure leaning over a woman washed up on a shore with ship wreckage behind them, showing that their prey are humans. The next subtitle reads “But above the arctic circle” the scene then shows deserted icy slopes of snow, and an overhead shot of the small town in the dark establishing where the narrative is set and reflecting how the area is covered in darkness and extremely isolated demonstrating to the audience that it is the perfect setting for these creatures to inhabit. The following subtitle reads “Where night lasts for 30 days” again this establishes to the audience that the narrative takes place in a place where the sun doesn’t rise for a month giving a clue to the audience that “They” are vampires. As it is commonly known through legends and myths that Vampire’s cannot go out into the sunlight as they will die as they burn. This hints to the audience that the film is from the Vampiric sub-genre.

The following scene begins with the drums beating louder as an old man blunders his way through the snow alone with only a lantern for light, the music changes to the sound of the piercing screech of violins similar to a person’s screams. Dark figures surround the old man and encircle him there are sounds of snarls as his hood is pulled off him and everything fades to black this piece of the trailer has been edited so that there is an extremely fast paced shot were we see a short sharp glimpse of teeth sharp like an animals, again hinting that perhaps this a film from the Vampiric genre as sharp pointy fanged teeth are associated with Vampires. The following subtitle then reads “Their time has come again” revealing to the audience that this is the prime time for the vampires to hunt down their prey, the music becomes extremely violin music because extremely sharp and off key as after the build-up of the revelation of what has come to the small isolated Alaskan town and has attacked the woman within the very first films of the trailer so viciously. We see a man who is clearly not human he has scars slashed across his face his eyes are not human they are beady and narrowed like snake looking for its prey the audience may have hints that he is a vampire as he meets the character conventions and iconography associated with vampires such as pale skin and eyes full of bloodlust.

The following scene we are presented with a Land Rover roaming through the artic landscape of Alaska, the lighting is extremely dark repeating the use of the weather and the dark conditions as pathetic fallacy to emphasise that something evil and dark is going to occur. We then see a character sitting behind the wheel looking uneasy as we hear the person over the radio announce ‘We need you at the station’, another shot of his car rolling through the side of his car is branded ‘Sherriff’ we also see him reply “copy that” this  establishes to the audience who his character is. There is repetition of mysterious and eerie music there is also a hissing sound similar to a noise an animal would make in defence before they attack their prey again repeating the idea that these creatures are inhuman and out to attack the people of Alaska.

We then see a male laying down on a bench stuck within the towns prison cell he looks through the bars we can see this man is rough through the his costume and his physical appearance of a beard reflects that he is unkempt. We then see the Sherriff enter we see him through a point of view shot through the prisoners perspective, the prisoner warns “Bar the windows try to hide they’re coming” again the mysterious creatures identity is hidden as they are referred to as they, at this present moment in time the creatures are still anonymous to the audience. The audience are then introduced to another character the woman she looks at the prisoner inquisitively, the prisoner stares back at her defiantly as he makes the prophecy we see his teeth are rotten and decayed reflecting that he doesn’t care for much but he cares about these creatures that are coming, the lighting is extremely dark and grey there is no use of bright colours within the frame white grey and black are dominate reoccurring colours throughout the trailer. We can hear a bell ticking as the man announces the coming of ‘they’ this sound could reflect that alarm bells are now ringing for the characters as disaster is about to strike.

The Sherriff asks “They?” “Who are they?” a question the audience have been asking themselves and anticipating the answer as the trailer has built up. We then see a shot of a third character a young boy behind him peering through the blinds we can see the glimpse of a pale face and the sound of heavy breathing, showing that the prisoners prophecy is true and that ‘They’ have really come. The camera then cuts back to the prisoner’s face looking on in terror. The lights begin to flicker we also hear the sound of electric sparks discharging as the towns power is being shut down we see scenes of the town and the diners lights being shut down this shows the audience that modern technology cannot save them as all power and communication devices are down, the audience will be able to relate to the importance of technological devices as we are dependent on them  in our daily lives to communicate with one another many of us struggle to go without our mobile phones or social networking, this helps make the storyline relevant to the modern context it is set in. Overall it emphasises the sense of isolation and helplessness in the battle against the unknown source of evil.

A high pitch sound echoes again reflecting the idea of the alarm being rung that ‘They’ are coming. The subtitles then appear in a display font a new colour is introduced the colour red this has connotations of being linked to blood, the devil, and danger the subtitle reads “Based on a ground breaking graphic novel” this is relevant to audience members who are fans of the novel of 30 days of night novel. The camera then cuts and is shaky as we see a dark figure stumble through the snow the shakiness of the camera could reflect the mental and physical state of the figure as unstable as we see an overhead shot of someone watching her she yells ‘Somebody’ as she walks through the town alone the scene cuts to shot of the empty streets to people looking in hiding and people staring through their letter boxes showing that they are all in hiding. The next subtitle reads ‘From the producer Sam Raimi best known for his work in cult horror and comedy films he is the producer of ‘Drag me to hell’ so fans of the film and the supernatural genre may also be a valid audience for this film.

The next scene we hear a character ushering “I saw their teeth” we then see an image of a vampires jaw dripping with blood their eyes are still not shown so their identity is still partially hidden. The boy whispers that the unknown creatures attacking this town are ‘Vampires’ revealing to the audience who ‘They’ are as the trailer reaches its climax. The woman tells him that ‘Vampires don’t exist Jake’ in disbelief reflecting that in this current era people no longer believe in mythical creatures such as Vampires. However the scene is edited so the audience preview a quick flash of the mythical vampire face her whole face is revealed for the first time however she appears so quickly that audience will be reeling to see more.

The scene then cuts to inhumane fingernails dripping with blood the nails are sharp jagged and claw like an animals as though their purpose is to attack. The following subtitle reads ‘This Fall’ telling the audience when the film is going to be released. Gothic piano music begins to play linking signalling to the audience that this film is from the vampiric genre. The next scene we can see blood dripping on the surface, we then see the prisoner looking out from behind bars giving the audience an insight to what is happening in the town it’s ironic how the prisoner the person who is an outsider to the people in town is telling them what is happening, he says “That cold aint the weather, that’s death approaching” as soon as he utters the word death he fades to black and the next scene shows blood dripping down the snowy landscape reflecting that a massacre of the towns people is fast approaching. We then see a male vampire stalking through the town the colours used are predominately black and white, we then see telephone pole being torn down as it blazes with fire reflecting the anarchy and destruction that the vampires have brought with them. We see the cuts of fast rapid black making images unclear also reflecting the future for the characters are unclear. We see bodies being dragged through the snow unwillingly as by the creatures. The next subitile reads ‘How can they be stopped’ a question the audience would be asking themselves now they understand what the identity of the creatures have been revealed as vampires and their intent has been made known.

We see images of people hiding underground as a character cries “We can last a month” we see an image of an elderly man ready to defend himself with use of a shot gun. Another powerful image is used of a man standing behind a line of fire the first use to colour within the trailer apart from the red subtitles reflecting that perhaps there is hope.

The gothic piano music continues to pick up pace, the next subtitle reads ‘When daylight never comes’, this gives the audience further contextual information of the dilemmas the people are facing they will not see daylight for a month thirty as mentioned by a character previously and its common myth and convention used within the vampiric genre that vampires cannot survive within sunlight and that they are ultimately creatures of the night. We then see images of the town on fire this has connotations of hell and evil as their small Alaskan town has become a kind of hell on earth, there are also images of chains being pulled this could relate to the fact that they trapped and restrained from leaving their hiding. We then see an low angle shot looking up at a vampire launch herself of a building with monstrous cries we see people prepare to kill the vampires as we see images of a person picking up an axe. A powerful image of a vampire howling face dripping with blood in agony shows that these creatures can be killed another image of a body being thrown through the fire further shows that the towns people can kill these creatures with their strong will. We are also shown an image of a female hiding within the snow still. The scene cuts to the vampires face turned away from the audience facing the town hell bent and filled with flames, the final image shows a woman screaming in terror as a vampire launching into her neck, this is an important piece of vampire iconography as when attacked victims are often bitten in the neck.

The final subtitle the name of the film appears ’30 days of night’ in bold red writing which appears as though it has been etched in blood, the subtitles signal it is a Columbia pictures and ghost house pictures production the names of the producers are then displayed followed by the official website.

Film Trailer Analysis: The Woman In Black

The film trailer begins with the production companies logo ‘Momentum pictures’ and ‘Hammer’ The logo is in black and white and covered by a mist and shadows reflecting that the production is from the horror genre. The first scene is idyllic is a sunset as a old fashioned railway train steams ahead reflecting the Victorian era the film is set in. The music is gentle piano playing however it has an eerie tone. Daniel Radcliffe is dressed in a classic black suit reflecting the film is from the gothic genre. The audience first glimpse of eel marsh house conforms to horror conventions the house seems isolated abandoned and neglected as the outside of the house seems worn and surrounding by dense forestry. When Daniel Radcliffe informs the man that he is trying to sell eel marsh house the man replies “he won’t find a local buyer” hinting that there is an unpleasant history to the house. This gives the audience some minimal background information without revealing the plot as to why no one wishes to live there. The series of following shots put further emphasis on how isolated the house is as there are no surrounding houses only the water, the setting is extremely dark and grey foreshadowing that what lurks ahead at eel marsh is dark. There is also a shot of a cross another convention of horror films religious imagery is often used to ward off evil. The man further informs Radcliffe “the sooner the house is sold, the sooner that people can move on” reflecting that whatever has occurred at this house has left a considerable mark amongst the local community. A medium long shot of Daniel Radcliffe walking up the path of eel marsh house shows that he is perhaps the first to enter this house in a long time as the outside of the house is neglected and surrounded by overgrown shrubbery the tall iron gates have also fallen aside.

When Radcliffe enters the house the music becomes more intense resonating that entering this house is a pivotal moment and that something sinister is ahead. He spins a child’s toy a prop used within horrors although it seems innocent the object is often linked to evil. Through the toy there appears a pale face reflecting that a spirit occupies eel marsh house. This then cuts to a woman pouring him a glass of whisky she begs him “please don’t go back to that house” warning the audience that the house is evil. Daniel Radcliffe is shown within eel marsh house again the music has quickened in pace like a beat of a heart showing his anxiety in the foreground the audience can make out the woman in black however her full face is not revealed.

A voice over whispers “she’s there” showing that Radcliffe is unaware of the danger he is putting himself in. The following shot is of a crow sweeping down onto a desk, black crows are linked to being a bad omen. Indicating that there is a bad omen on eel marsh.

A series of shots of the villagers are used horrified as a house is on fire a woman is screaming terrorized hinting to the audience that perhaps there is link between eel marsh house and the villagers. Daniel Radcliffe says “He can’t leave yet” showing that there is something drawing him towards eel marsh house.

The title ‘The most chilling ghost story of our time appears’ this links to the context of the film as it is an adaptation of a book, the woman in black is a gothic novel/ ghost story written by British author Susan Hill.

The following shot shows a young girl stepping on the head of a china doll, behaviour which is unusual and foreshadows the girls own death. The three girls look expressionless as they walk towards the window, inferring to the audience that perhaps they are trying to commit suicide through jumping from the window.

The villagers seem angry as a man argues “You should have gone when we told you to” showing that Radcliffes deviant behaviour to go against the wishes of the people within the village has had unpleasant consequences for them.

Daniel Radcliffe is standing in the rain by eel marsh house, rains and storms are conventions of horror as they act as a pathetic fallacy which reflect the stormy plots. Following this we see a child rise from what appears to be a grave as it is marked by a cross this links back to the storyline of how the woman in black haunts the towns people because she is grieving for her son. Moreover in my trailer overview I noticed that religious imagery and the use of children as an evil force were a common convention of supernatural horrors.

A townswoman warns Radcliffe “you said you had a son go home to him” indicating that perhaps the woman in blacks next target would be his son. Radcliffe then tears down wall paper in the eel marsh house revealing a message scrawled in blood ‘you could have saved him’.

The shots then become more rapid a shot of the woman in black’s son popping up in front of Daniel Radcliffe is shown he is covered in mud and screams in his face this is an effective stab as it is likely to make the audience jump sharing the awe and terror of the character In his morbid discoveries.

There is a whisper of a woman a voice over which has been placed of the trailer stating ‘Never Forgive’ emphasising the message of the storyline that the woman In black is bitter with a grudge over her childs life therefore she is willing to take over children’s lives in revenge for her son.

A close up of Daniel Radcliffe is used and his name appears a sub-title this is significant as he is most famous for his role as Harry Potter his role as Arthur Kipps is extremely different this shows  his talent in a new light moreover fans of his work may take an interest in this role as some elements of Harry Potter are dark fantasy.

The following shots become more rapid as we see Arthur Kipps move further away from eel marsh house. The following sub-titles read ‘Fear’ ‘Her’ ‘curse’ emphasising the woman in black is evil and someone to be cautious of as she carries this curse. We then see images of Arthur struggling in a fire, fire can be linked to hell showing that the woman in black has a demonic spirit.

The title of the film then appears, followed by a stab of the woman in black appearing at the window were Arthur places his hand leaving audiences with that final image of the woman in black. A subtitle with the release date and film website is left to give the audience time to plan their visit to see the film the website is a way of the audience to obtain more information before the film is released.

Film Trailer analysis : Paranormal Activity 4

The trailer begins with the certified approval green screen saying that the piece of media is suitable for appropriate audiences by the motion pictures association of America.

The first screen begins with footage from a surveillance camera outside of a house we can tell this is CCTV footage from the blue and green night vision style tint. Furthermore we can also see the time the footage is being shot in the lower left hand corner, a subtitle appears reading ‘Carlsbad , CA October 2006’ this establishes the location and the time the footage is being shot. Furthermore fans and followers of the paranormal activity series will be able to identify that this footage is from the first of the paranormal activities.

The scene then transfers to inside the house we can tell it’s a family home through the mise en scene elements such as the family pictures hanging along the stairwell and the child’s buggy in the hall way. We here a concerned voice call ‘Katie?’ reflecting that they are distressed and perhaps need help from ‘Katie’. The camera then breaks up and the next scene show’s a camera shot from another part of the house, we see a child’s bedroom again we see something launched towards the camera and a female standing there almost as though she is in a trance. Suddenly she has a child in her arms he is crying out; through the CCTV footage we see her exit the house. The following subtitle reads ‘Katie and Hunter’s appearance remained unknown’ this subtitle will intrigue and frighten the audience as use of fear of the unknown leaving the audience asking how?, And why? This has occurred. We can see what has happened is not right the music heightens as the child’s cries become more distressed.

The next subtitle appears against a black background reading ‘Until now’ the font is in a Type writer font indicating that this is official footage and it is documentation of the events. The next scene is webcam footage of a teenage girl talking to her friend online. She says ‘this tracks done and I’m going to go and make a snack downstairs’ her friend seems as he calls ‘No No No take me with you’ The next scene we see her taking food from the fridge uncertain her friend asks ‘are you alright?’ we then begin to her sirens in the background, the sirens are an indication to the audience of an alarm that trouble is about to occur. We see the girl flustered as she walks across she tells her friend ‘There is something going on across the street’ she shows her friend the house which the disturbance has occurred, but it is too dark to see clearly this adds a sense of realism for the audience as it shot from her webcam and shows what she can see so the audience are seeing it directly through the characters perspective. She tells her friend in a hushed breathe ‘That’s the new neighbour’s house’ this helps the audience to understand the basic plot, that there is something wrong with the new neighbour. Her friend replies ‘What the hell?’ showing how the characters are shocked by these disturbances going on in their neighbourhood. The next subtitle reads ‘This October’ this establishes to the audience when the film is going to be released.

The doorbell rings and the child enters the house the girl informs that ‘it’s the new kid from across the street’ the child from the house which experienced problems, we see it as a point of view shot of someone looking over the balcony. The following clips are montage of everyone within the household’s reaction to this new child. Through the characters dialogue the audience learn some important facts and characteristics about the child, the boy asks ‘His names Robbie?’ establishing after researching the character of Robbie I researched the directors vision of who Robbie is meant to be all of the trailers and the first half of the movie led us to believe that Robbie was an older version of the kidnapped Hunter, it was actually Alex's brother, Wyatt. Directors explain this is because “We have a very specific idea of what he is and how he fits into the larger picture, but we really felt like in 'Paranormal' tradition, it's better to just give the tiniest amount of information at a time and leave Robbie this mysterious character." Joost's co-director offered up a more complete answer. "Robbie is a messenger," Schulman said. "He's sort of a messenger for the coven”. We see Robbie befriending the main characters younger brother through a point of view shot of Alex as she documents the strange events. She informs her friend ‘yeah, his mum went into hospital’ again adding further background information for the audience. The next shot is another point of view shot of Alex talking to her mum about Robbie she asks ‘So he’s just going to say here?’ reflecting her concerns about him. We see the mother’s reaction as she shakes her head replying ‘Is there anything we can do?’ showing that she herself is not over joyed by his stay but doesn’t necessarily see him as a threat as Alex does. We then see a shot of Robbie sitting with Alex’s brother clutching a teddy bear. Alex’s friend replies ‘He has no relatives?’ shocked that he has to stay with their family leading to the audience to question how come this family of a mother and a son are so isolated? Fans of the paranormal activity films may ask could they possibly be Katie and Hunter? Alex replies ‘I don’t know I’ve never met his mum’ this adds to the sense of mystery, the footage is edited so the piece of footage cuts of as reflecting that the footage isn’t professional and is Alex’s own personal home footage, this is significant to the audience as it makes the footage more frightening as they imagine that perhaps they could find themselves in a similar situation.

The next scene we see Alex on webcam again talking to her friend, Again a use of Alarms is used to alert the audience that something isn’t quite right. We hear a beeping noise the alarm sounds ‘Front door open’, we know something isn’t right as Alex calls out ‘Mum?’, we follow Alex as she tracks down the cause of the disturbance through her webcam device. There is a use of sound effects of a door creaking open there is also non-diegetic sound of a low thudding beat similar to the sound of a person’s heart beating rapidly reflecting that Alex’s anxiety levels are raising. We see Alex through her webcam the lighting is minimal lighting the underneath of her face alone, giving her a ghostly look furthermore the fact that the background scenery isn’t visible adds further to sense of the unknown what is causing the disturbance in the house. The audience may also link that these disturbance are caused by Robbie they began at his house and they have reoccurred at this house too.

The next scene we see a large chandelier swinging frantically because of a unknown force, this is an icon used in supernatural films as a sign of a spirit/poltergeist making their presence fully known. We here Alex whisper in awe ‘What the…’ however before she can finish her sentence the chandelier collapses in front of her making the audience jump, Alex screams in terror, she points the camera upwards to see what has caused the chandelier to break and standing at the stairwell is Robbie, this is a pivotal moment in the trailer as the audience realises that Alex’s suspicions are right he stands looking down at her resentfully his hands through the railings, showing that perhaps there is a not only a physical barrier between the characters but an emotional barrier as Alex has never trusted Robbie.

The next scene fades from black showing the transition of events to the next day the following scenes show everyone’s reactions within the families household we see Alex’s mum cleaning up the remains of the chandelier from the night before she alerts her ‘Mum I don’t think it was an accident!’ her mum replies ‘What are you talking about?’ showing her disbelief this is a common feature used in supernatural films often the character who see’s the supernatural being isn’t believed by fellow characters are often labelled as delusional or crazy. She films her friend’s reaction he comments ‘it’s really weird’ an edit again is used to cut to another scene.

We see ‘Hunter’ scrawled across the wall in child’s handwriting again repeating the link between the child who disappeared in Paranormal Activity Two, Hunter and Robbie the boy who has caused mysterious goings on we here Alex whisper ‘Hunter’ clarifying what the writing reads to the audience and emphasising that she is investigating the strange occurrences covertly. The next scene reads ‘The activity’ this relates to the title of the films ‘Paranormal activity’, The next scene shows Alex’s friend demonstrating how the Xbox Kinect can create tracking dots, the scene is filmed in night vision again following the plot that Alex is trying to track down what is happening in the house what is causing the paranormal activity, night vision is used to show that they are tracking what is happening at night time as this is mainly where the occurrences happen, this overall builds on the idea that Alex and her Friend are investigating and documenting the paranormal activity happening in her home. The next subtitle read’s ‘Is closer than you think’ this relates to the unexpected twist in the film although the trailer leads us to believe that Robbie is Hunter this is not true.

The next scenes go through a series of CCTV shots throughout the house, we can tell its CCTV footage through the type of Camera used and the time that is displayed in the left hand corner we see no activity until we are presented with Alex’s room we see Robbie enter her room whilst she’s asleep. This shot then transfers to Alex watching the same clip on her laptop we can see it’s her own footage through the laptop screen and the display menu. She looks in horror at the evidence as she utters to herself ‘Oh my god what’s he doing?’ her worst fears have been brought to life there really is something wrong with Robbie. She films continues to document the disturbance she see’s Robbie standing in front of the kinect at  3am she asks him ‘Robbie can you tell me who you were talking to?’ he whispers back ‘Nobody’  however we see something move in the background a paranormal force perhaps Alex screams and the footage is cut off again.

The next morning we see her investigate the happenings with her friend as they scrutinize the laptop screen as they look for symbols and meanings from the footage. She asks her friend ‘Look at that, what is that?’ he replies ‘Looks like a triangle with a circle in the middle of it’ they then search the internet to find a connection between the symbol that they have seen. They bring up a webpage labelled ‘Ancient symbols’ she finds the symbol it and points at it questioning 'what does it mean' the characters are attempting to make links between the events and the symbols they see occurring. In the next scene we see Alex's brother covered in these myserious symbols he robbie reveals that he doesnt like him Alexs boyfriend questions why robbie warns him 'you'll find out hinting that something sinister is about to occur.
In the next scence Wyatt refuses to tell his sister what is happening telling her he doesnt want her to get hurt, again reinforcing the idea that questions shouldnt be asked as something sinister is lying beneath the surface.
Following this we see footage from the cameras Alex has set up in her bedroom the audience witness a paranormal force whip her duvet from her bed. Giving context to the previous discussion that perhaps Alex is the target of this force. Alex then looks typically possessed as her body rises slowly from the bed caused by the invisible force the fact that the paranormal force cannot be seen gives the audience a a greater sense of fear as they cannot rationally explain what is happening and therefore react to the situation. In the darkness we then see a blurred dark figure hinting that Robbie is out to get Alex, children being presented as demonic and evil is a typical piece of icongraphy from the supernatural genre.
We then see several scenes featuring Alex being tormented we see her arguring with her parents that 'shes not crazy' that she can see that beneath the surface something isnt right within the house. We see her being pulled and running begging for help from her parents the cuts between each scene become incresingly rapid reflecting her fear the music also becomes intensified. We then see a dark unknown figure Alex screams as she is pulled off her bed in a violent motion. The film title paranormal activity four appears alongside the release date 'see it everywhere  October 19'

Film Trailer Overview

The six film trailer’s I have decided to analyse are from the Supernatural genre I hope to gain inspiration for my own film trailer by discovering their common conventions.

All of the film trailer’s narratives are depicted and revealed to the audience in a similar way. The trailer’s all seem to follow a conventional series of events. For example the majority of the trailers I have analysed seem to begin in idyllic circumstances and the characters within the trailer seem happy although evil isn’t far away. For example Sinister begins by showing a news report informing the audience that a murder has been carried out within a family home, however the trailer moves forward to 9 months later when a new family move in, the audience are aware that they are under an illusion as the father character explains he has a ‘good feeling about this’ when discussing with his wife the move into their new home they both laugh and seem happy as they settle down for bed although trouble is lurking. This is very similar to ‘Amityville Horror’ where the trailer begins with a sense of normality it lulls the audience into a false sense of security at first they wouldn’t be able to distinguish that it is in fact a horror film. However it is soon revealed that the idyllic scenario of a family finding a ‘beautiful’ home in area where they wouldn’t normally be able to afford housing is too good to be true. As we discover a family murder has taken place within the house when they ask ‘What’s the catch?’, the characters seem to be under a false pretence as the father toasts ‘To a perfect house and to a perfect family’ both Sinister and Amityville horror the families believe they are gaining a fresh start in a family home for their dreams to shattered by the paranormal activity which occurs. Furthermore ‘The woman in black’ also follows this convention as lawyer Artthur Kipps is on route on Eel Marsh house he has been sent there to try and redeem himself at work and make amends within his job. At first the scenery seems pleasant as eel marsh appears on the exterior to be a quaint Victorian style house however its appearance can be deceiving as it’s the house belonging to the ‘woman in black’, although all appears well within the first sequences of the trailer there is a foreshadowing that dark and sinister events are going to occur as a local man warns Kipps that ‘the sooner the house is sold the sooner people can move on’ hinting that the house has a dark history to it. Moreover ‘Insidious’ begins with a man in what appears to be physiatrists chair a montage of his memories  reveals a series of his happier memories with his family showing typically upper class suburban homes, and events with the family, however these harmonious scenes are broken when a child is climbing a ladder in an attack and he falls and the following scenes show the child in hospital stuck in coma most parents worst nightmare. ‘The Rite’ also uses an deceptive setting at first we view beautiful and peaceful scenes from the Vatican the audience would normally associate this imagery with peace and God, they would not expect evil to be lurking.                  

(Beautiful countryside scenery from the start of the women in black as Arthur Kipps makes his journey to eel marsh)

(Beautiful scenery from the Vatican in rome)

 

                                                                           

 

I have also noticed that the trailer’s often give the audience basic background information to their audience within at the beginning of their trailer, for example I have identified in ‘Sinister’ news reports are used to show, the house is revealed as well as images of the family a news report is used within the background, claiming ‘new details found today in the grizzly murders of a local family earlier this week’, similarly in the trailer for ‘Amityville Horror’ when it is  revealed that a murder had occurred within the house, ‘several people a family’ had been murdered this gives the audience basic background information to the audience and hints at perhaps why there may be a potential haunting within the house. ‘The Rite’ also establishes the narrative by revealing background information and facts to the audience the first title reads ‘In 2007 the Vatican’s chief exorcist revealed an initiative to install an exorcist in every diocese worldwide’ ‘Three days later the Vatican denied the story’ this is informing the audience that the film is based around a conspiracy theory surrounding exorcisms and the church, they also use the main characters voice to reveal that he is a sceptic ‘The interesting thing about sceptics were always looking for proof the question is what on earth would we do if we found it?’ the fact that the main character is a sceptic reveals that the film is very much based on truth as the following title informs the audience the events that occur within the film are ‘Inspired by a true story’. We see the sceptic searching for answers within the Vatican the audience is told other facts such as ‘Last year there was over half a million reports of demonic possession’. The audience also view other evidence of priests in a seminar learning information about demonic possessions. ‘Insidious’ also informs its audience by giving them access to the main character’s memories showing where things began to go horrifically wrong for him the fall of the child is acts as a metaphor for when his perfect household was shattered and became his worst nightmare. ‘Paranormal Activity’ gives the audience as background to their narrative too as they use footage from 2006 of Hunter being abducted the audience are then forwarded to 2011 the way in which the film trailer is shot is through a documented format, we see the girl record through her webcam the police arriving at her neighbours house. Each of the trailer’s use news’s reports, basic background information and insights from the characters to give the audience some information to show the narrative, moreover the use of documentation and news reports and the subtitle used within ‘The Rite’ ‘Inspired by a true story’ makes the events that occur within the trailer more realistic for the audience and makes the audience relate and empathise with the characters as they are not just people they represent real peoples stories making the characters reflect on whether they could find themselves in a similar overall this induces a greater sense of fear into the audience.

(Screenshot from Amityville horror showing a news paper clipping)
 

 

(Screenshot from the Rite giving background facts)

 

The events that follow usually indicate that there is more than meets the eye in these idyllic scenarios we often see character’s searching for answers to mysterious occurrences our discoveries they have made and trying to gather meanings through symbols. For example in Sinister the Father of the family is crime reporter, he coincidently finds footage belonging to the previous family, he finds there are a series of murders and each one has been recorded, after finding the shocking evidence he decides to watch each of the tapes and finds that the common link between them is a symbol he speaks to a colleague and finds that the symbol is linked to a pagan called Ragual who consumes the souls of human children. Similarly to this in paranormal activity 4 the main character Alex makes the discovery that something isn’t right with the child from across the street who is staying at her family’s home. She sets up cameras all around her home to record the child’s activity and discovers what he has been up to, more strange occurrences happen when she he draws symbols all over his body she researches the meaning of the symbols to try to find a meaning and link to what is happening. Moreover within The Amityville Horror we see the mother of the household searching for answers as to what happened with regards to the family that were previously murdered in their new house when he husbands behaviour begins to change she searches through old news paper clippings and speaks to the local priest to ask his advice and to find out more information about the family who lived there before her why hadn’t they been able to get help. Moreover the time of 3:15am seems to be the time when paranormal activity is most dominates within the house. Additionally within The Rite we see the sceptic search for answers as he searches for evidence as to whether exorcisms are real and how many take places by who and why?

(Screenshot of the main character making the discovery of the tapes)

(Alex reviews footage of Robbie walking into her bedroom whilst she is asleep)

 

 

 

Other common conventions featured within the trailer is more than often children are linked to the evil entity, perhaps because they are possessed and more than often children are the only people who can see the evil spirits that often take on a harmless form as their imaginary friend such as in ‘Sinister’ it is revealed that the demon Ragual  ‘conusmes the human souls of children’ within the trailer we see the young daughter within the family get affected by the symptoms of the demon she claims to be painting a picture of Stephanie a girl who used to live in the house. At the end of the trailer we see a group of possessed children victims of the demon watching images of the demon. In Paranormal Activity Four the strange occurrences happening seem to be due to the child who is staying at their home Robbie, when Alex hears the alarm system go if within the family home she goes to investigate what is causing it when she goes to see a chandelier begins to swing and suddenly another crashes to her feet she looks up and Robbie is there. Robbie is a mysterious character within the trailers he has no other family to stay with so he is forced to stay with Alex and her family details about Robbie are very vague overall Robbie represents the fear of the unknown. Within the Woman in black like in Sinister Children are her main victims because of the loss of her own son. We see images of three daughters of the villagers commit suicide we are even exposed to the horrific image of the woman in black’s dead son he drowned in eel marsh. Within the Amytiville Horror trailer we also see the daughter witness the ghost of the girl who died in their home she talks to her however her mother is oblivious and cannot see her she regards Jodie as her daughter’s imaginary friend. In Insidious the character is the son is the shape and form the evil spirit has taken on their son appears to be possessed after he falls ill strange occurrences happen within the house the mother hears a demonic voice over the baby monitor furthermore when experts investigate the paranormal experiences that are occurring within the family home are because their son is haunted.

 

(Sinister possessed children)

(Woman in blacks son)

 

 

Another convention I have identified within the trailers is the use of jumpy moments/scenes as the trailer builds up the images the audience view tend to become more graphic and the end of the trailers often feature a stab before revealing the title of the film, the main tagline and the release date. An example within the Sinister Trailer Is when the father goes up the families loft to see a series of children sitting and watching images of the demon a stab is used where the demons face pops up towards the father, in addition to this there are graphic scenes of the daughter being possessed by the demon, she appears to unfold herself from a box as she screams in terror. Similarly to this in the trailer for paranormal activity four we see the main character Alex being elevated into the air by an unknown additionally at the end of the trailer a stab is used where we see her being dragged off her bed by an unknown entity. Towards the end of the trailer the face of evil is often revealed this convention has also been followed in the woman in black as the trailer picks up pace using shorter sharper cuts between each scene the images become more graphic and more horrifying for example we are Arthur Kipps comes across the coffin of the woman in black, after the film title is revealed there is a stab where the main character Arthur Kipps puts his hand up against a foggy window uncertainly when the screaming face of the woman in black appears similar to the stab used in Sinister where we see the face of the demon. In the Amityville horror we see the events climax as the mother and the children of the family climb to the roof so they can escape from the possessed father, we also are exposed to images of the dead family throughout the trailer. The trailer for Insidious uses the fast pace cuts towards the end of the film so it builds tension up to the point of revelation that the child is haunted not the house. In the Rite we also see a build up of more graphic images as the woman’s symptoms of possession gets worse, instead of The Rite ending in a stab it ends with the sceptic and the priest having a discussion leaving the audience with the thought “you can only defeat it when you believe in it”  to create a question and an emphasis of mystery in the audiences mind.                                 

 

(Screenshot from sinister when the demonic face pops up the final stab before the film title)

 

(Possessed woman from The Rite)

 

 

Overall the trailers start with idyllic and harmonious images lulling the audience into a false sense of security. Using regular scenery of families happy together also makes the audience identify and empathise with the characters as they are presented as ordinary people, inducing a greater sense of fear into the audience as the normality presented within the first few scenes is destroyed as sinister events soon using contrasting everyday life imagery within the first scenes of the trailer creates greater fear in the audience as they imagine themselves experiencing the events that the characters experience because they understand and empathise with the characters. The use of background information and newspaper articles are significant within the opening of the trailer as they inform the audience with basic information without giving away too much of the narrative, it helps give the events that occur within the trailer have a greater sense of purpose. The use of symbols and signs help to indicate to the characters and the audience an explanation or a meaning as to why these events are happening if the audience see these signs and symbols they can make their own judgements as to the cryptic meaning behind the supernatural occurrences. The use of children being in contact with the entity causing havoc in the characters lives is a common convention used throughout the trailers I have analysed it is an important feature as children are identified as vulnerable therefore they are more susceptible and naive to the danger they are in furthermore children are often seen as pure and innocent the very opposite to the evil that terrorises them this creates a sense of eeriness with the association between evil spirits and children. Finally towards the climax of the trailer the images we see tend to be cut so they hit the audience in a fast paced sequence, because of this some of the images the audience view are not clear they therefore emphasise a sense of mystery often the face of the evil that is causing the supernatural horrors that the characters experience is revealed to the audience in stab this is effective as throughout the trailer there is a build up of events to reveal what the supernatural being is however there is still as sense of mystery as the audience ask how will the characters defeat it? How does it harm the characters? Why is it harming the characters?

At the end of the film the film title and tagline is revealed as well as the release date so it is fresh within the audiences mind. The film title is displayed in the same font which is used for the poster and the tagline used remains the same this helps to create a symbiotic link between both the poster and the trailer as a promotional package for the horror film affirming the message of the film into the audience’s minds.

Throughout all the trailers dark and grey colours are predominate with shadowy lighting, this creates a sense of mystery as not all is revealed the audience anticipate to find what is lurking in the shadows. Moreover common music/sound effects used are heavy breathing and ticking beats resembling a heartbeat this is to emphasise the fear that the characters have as they anxiously wait for the being to reveal themselves.

Film Poster analysis: Sinister

                                                         (screen shot from sinister)

This is the official film poster for ‘Sinister’ a supernatural horror directed by Scott Derickson the storyline follows a crime journalist as he finds a box of home videos which damages his and his families lives for the worst as he unveils how the family who previously lived in his home had died and why, the revelation causes him and his family to become in danger with the supernatural entity. The film uses both ‘found footage’ and traditional cinematography. I have chosen to analyse this poster as I believe it has features in common with the film I want to create such as the narrative in regards to the found footage and evidence acting as proof for the supernatural my narrative also surrounds characters searching for the truth and uncovering a supernatural entity. The poster is appealing as the image is bold making a big statement about the film that it is horrific overall encouraging the audience to watch ‘Sinister’.

The posters fulfil the general layout conventions with the image being the largest and most predominate item on the page, and the title of the film being the largest item. However the image is slightly unconventional as the face of the character featured on the poster is hidden moreover the tagline is the smallest piece of text on the poster conventionally the tagline would be the second largest and most important piece of text however the designers of this film poster may have decided to keep it small so the audience search out the answer to what the graphic imagery used within the poster is about creating a greater sense of mystery.

The setting of this poster seems to be white room within a house, white it can represent an absence of colour reflecting the mood of the poster as soulless. The location of the poster is unknown but if the audience have seen the film trailer of ‘Sinister’ they would know the primary location in which the narrative is set is within a house where a family were mysteriously murdered. The use of a setting with white walls and white floors also conjures a clinical image the setting of the image could be perhaps some kind of mental institute this is a common setting for horrors as they are usually dark places and often the victims within horrors are labelled as crazy. This setting helps build up the audiences expectations of the narrative as it’s unveiled that the majority of the film is based on the disturbances occurring within the house.

The character within the frame is dressed in white pyjamas this could indicate that they are at home or perhaps they are in a mental institute as white pyjamas are often a form of uniform given to patients so that they easily identifiable. Furthermore the fact the character is dragging blood against the wall in their pyjamas creates an image that they are sleep walking and not truly engaging in what they are doing linking to the idea that they are possessed. Their face is turned away and facing the wall creating a wonder in the audience as to what is this faceless evil moreover the fact that the audience cannot see the person’s face but can see the monster like face painted in blood across the walls can indicate that they are no longer human and have been taken over by this evil entity.

Furthermore the use of the image painted in blood across the wall of the skull like face is relevant as the film trailer unveils that there is a clear correlation between the face and the supernatural occurrences which are experienced by the family.

The title of the film is ‘Sinister’, it is defined as threatening or foreshadowing evil or tragic developments giving the overall impression that narrative will surround a harmful or evil event. The title of the film is typical of the genre it is effective as it defines what the film is about. The font is in a serif style font this very typical of all the supernatural horror posters I have analysed. The title is the largest most predominate piece of text on the poster it stands out this is emphasised through the bold shadowing effect used; the use of grey could indicate the dark shadowy nature of the film. The layout is typical as the title is placed in the centre just above the main image.

The tagline used is ‘Once you see him, nothing can save you.’ The tagline relates to the narrative of the film suggesting that once you see the supernatural being he will pursue you. The tagline helps to anchor the concept of the main image as the girl has witnessed the supernatural spirit and is now being pursued by this; the idea is demonstrated to the audience through her drawing the spirit/demons face in blood acting as a metaphor that he is the face of evil that has caused the bloodshed. The same typography has been used for the tagline as in the title of the film to maintain the overall consistency of the film poster. The placement of the tagline is slightly unconventional although its placement under the film title is conventional it is smallest item of text on the poster perhaps this has been used to reinforce a sense of mystery as the audience search the poster for an explanation to why the girl is drawing across the walls in blood.

Other text featured in the includes ‘From the producer of Paranormal Activity and Insidious’ which suggest that Sinister will be a film which fans of Paranormal Activity and Insidious will enjoy as it is too part of the supernatural sub-genre this may lure in fans. Institutional information is displayed at the bottom of the poster in extra small font so not to take away from the main image within the poster. Instead of a specific release date the poster simply states that Sinister is ‘Coming Soon’ this leaves audiences in suspense curious to find out when it is going to be released there is also a link to the official film website which can relieve the audiences curiosity ‘Haveyouseenhim.com’ which reveals the synopsis with production notes, cast and filmmakers details to added I expect this information has not yet been added to keep the film a mystery, there is also an interactive motion poster which is the copy of the orginal poster format I have analysed except the audience can view the girl drawing the face in blood this can be shared via facebook and twitter, the website also contains iconic screen shots in motion from the movie, there is also the film trailer which can be shared via facebook and twitter. Further advertising the film.

The overall colour scheme consists of the red, white and grey. The white suggests a clinical type of feel to the poster perhaps suggesting the location of a mental institute. Grey has suggestions of darkness, uncertainty and acts a as a foreshadowing that dark events are close grey is often associated with grey clouds or grey weather which is usually a indicator that a storm is about to occur this is relevant to the film title and narrative of ‘Sinister’ as the meaning of the title forshadows that dark and evil events are going to happen. Furthermore Red can represent blood, passion and gore a common colour used within horror film posters. Red and grey are conventionally colours within the horror genre however white isn’t as conventional and is usually reserved for use as text which contrasts with black backgrounds.

Overall I think the poster for ‘Sinister’ is effective as it demonstrates the genre and the sub-genre effectively informing the audience that film narrative revolves around a evil supernatural activity however it does not give away too much of the film narrative. The tag line will intrigue the audience without revealing the full synopsis of the film.

Film poster analysis: The Devil Inside

(Film poster)

 

 

(Screen shot from offical website)

 

 

(Screen shot of App available)

 

This is the film poster for ‘The Devil Inside’ released in 2012 a documentary style horror based on a young woman documenting her encounters of exorcisms on her trip to Rome to discover whether the murders her mother committed were down to demonic possession directed by William Bell Brent it belongs to the supernatural genre, it is the official film poster. I have chosen to analyse this poster so I can gain some inspiration for the key elements needed to make a successful film poster for the supernatural genre.

The poster fulfils the general layout conventions for a film poster the image is the most predominate item followed by the film title, furthermore the poster features a tagline and a release date additionally there is a link to promotional website ‘devilinsidemovie.com’.

The main image featured within the poster is of a demonic nun, I think this is an effective image as first of all the image is extremely striking Nuns are normally associated with religion, God, purity and love. However these expectations are diminished in this poster as the Nun is presented as demonic this image will be disturbing to the audience and therefore will intrigue them. The nun relates to common conventions of supernatural horrors, religious imagery is a common convention of supernatural horrors as exorcisms are often sought after to rid people of evil spirits, more over the nun’s glazed over white eyes are a common feature of possessed people creating expectations for the audience that the film will involve demonic possessions and exorcisms. Overall the nun looks inhumane and evil as her face is expressionless and her eyes are soulless.  Although this is the only image used within the poster this is extremely effective as it is striking and unconventional. Over the image a scratched etched effect has been used this could relate to the scratching of the victims of the exorcisms as the demon tries to cling onto its victims.

The film title is ‘Devil Inside’ religious imagery is used with the name of the Devil, which within Christianity Is described as the chief of evil spirits Satan.  Furthermore the name of the film suggests of a theme of demonic possession as the ‘devil’ is ‘inside’ revealing that the films narrative revolves around exorcisms which are used within Christianity as a way of ridding a person of the evil spirits that possess them. The title of the film is in a serif style font this mirrors the text used within the bible, and official documents, the ‘Devil Inside’ is the largest piece of text on the page as it’s the most important piece of text used on within the poster. The text is unusual as a backwards ‘D’ is used this could be a symbol that something is wrong. The title is in white, used to contrast against the black background of the nun, white is often is linked to peace and purity the opposite of the Devil however white could also symbolize the absence of colour.

There are two taglines used the first is ‘Inspired by true events’ this tagline is used to further the audience interests the fact that ‘The Devil Inside’ is based on true events is more intriguing and bewildering, as the audience wonder whether they could encounter the same situation themselves and creates a greater sense of realism. Moreover the tag line is also linked to the style of filming as the devil inside is filmed in a documentary style. The same style of font is used for the tagline as in the header for consistency and to keep the text used interlinked, however this tagline is in red to differentiate that it is not the main tagline but a piece of information. The use of the colour red is significant as red can symbolize the devil, blood, passion and hell.

The second tag line used is ‘No soul is safe’ again suggesting that even pure and holy souls such as the nun who is featured on within the poster is not safe from the Devil  alarming the audience from this evil. It also relates to the films narrative as it reinforces the concept that the film is surrounds the idea of demonic possession and exorcisms. However the tagline used is not a complete revelation to the audience as it leaves a sense of mystery and wonder as to what it is that ‘No soul is safe’ from. The tagline is in the same colour and font as the film title which reflects that it is the most important tagline featured furthermore the tagline is placed just under the title the main piece of text within the whole poster.

Other text used in the poster includes the release date ‘In theatres January 6^th’ this is important for the audience to plan when they are going to go watch the film, moreover cinemas have introduced pre-booking systems for popular films so fans can get their tickets for the date of release. In addition to this the official film website is listed at the bottom of the poster devilinsidemovie.com this is another important promotional piece of information as the website features the official trailer and allows you to share with friends via social networking sites Facebook and Twitter. There is also a small summary About the film, furthermore you can view a gallery of horrific movie stills which you can also share, there is a link to the apple shop where you can purchase the devil inside app furthermore you can sign up to updates.

Overall I think this is an effective film poster as it clearly demonstrates the genre of the film and informs the audience of the general narrative and genre of the  film without giving too much away, however if the audience do seek further information they can visit the film website and watch the trailer. Also I think the main image used for the poster is really powerful and disturbing it will definitely attract members of the audience who are seeking the adrenaline rush and the scare.

Film Poster Analysis: The woman in black.

The film that is being promoted in this poster is ‘The woman in black’ directed by James Watkins, the story centres around a Lawyer Arthur Kipps, played by Daniel Radcliffe, he is struggling at work as he is still grieving for his deceased wife who died whilst given childbirth to their son Joseph. His employer gives him the opportunity to redeem himself in his career his employee sends him to a isolated village to sort out the estate which belonging to a deceased woman the villagers attempt to make him leave the town however their efforts fail as he refuses to. However to his horror he discovers that the house is haunted by the ‘woman in black’ a woman who kills the children of the village because of the grief she has because her own child’s death. The woman in black belongs to the gothic/supernatural genre it is similar to the type of film I want to create as my film will have elements from the gothic/supernatural genre too. I have choose this poster as I think it is appealing as it shows the various scenes from the film this poster has been used to advertise the DVD and the audience will be able to identify the different images from various iconic scenes from the film, making the poster appealing to eye. I think the poster is mysterious and haunting as the images used around the frame of the main image of Daniel Radcliffe link into the tagline of ‘What did they see?’ This film poster maintains common layout conventions such as the main title of the film is the second most predominate item on the page except from the main image the text is easy to read, The font of the text used is in an old fashioned serriff font reflecting the time era that the film is set in and also that the genre of the film is gothic, furthermore the main image maintains conventions of featuring the main character as the main image however the poster also breaks conventions as it features smaller snapshots from the film around the frame this is because this poster was the official poster not a teaser poster which in comparison did not feature the main character Daniel Radcliffe. This poster also breaks conventions in its layout as it is common for horror films to use unknown or low key actors so the film is more realistic however the woman in black’s main character Arthur Kipps is played by worldwide known actor Daniel Radcliffe famously known for his roles as Harry Potter. I believe that the producers and directors of the woman in black have chosen to use Daniel Radcliffe as this horror film was originally released as a 12A however although this film is targeted at a pre-teen and upward audience as they received 120 complaints to the BBFC. Moreover the poster features the main actors name across the top of the poster this breaks the convention of actors remaining anonymous, however I believe the poster has been advertised this way as the producers may aim the film at a similar target audience to the Harry Potter films moreover the Harry Potter films are from the Fantasy genre and contain elements from the gothic genre. The main image featured in the poster of the woman in black show’s Daniel Radcliffe peering through a window, throughout around the edges of the window different snapshots of the film appear, the first is of a child’s doll which has been abandoned this reflects the deaths of all the children the woman in black has captured, the second is the woman in blacks house eel marsh establishing the setting of the film to the audience, the third is threatening writing on the wall reading ‘you could have saved him’ this reflects that the woman in black is attempting to communicate with Arthur Kipps and her presence is threatening and bitter, the fourth shows two young girls who lives were taken by the woman in black showing that her victims are innocent, the use of children within horror is a significant piece of iconography as children are often seen as innocent it is therefore twisted and unexpected that they would be associated with evil entities it is also thought upon that children are more vulnerable to supernatural the next image is an action shot of Arthur Kipps running showing that perhaps he is fearful of the woman in black, the next shot is of the woman in black and her son their eyes have scrawled out suggesting that perhaps they have no souls and are supernatural beings, the final image is of Daniel Radcliffe as it shows him holding a lantern he looks bewildered showing his reaction to the woman in black. All of the images are in black and white except for the colour focus on Daniel Radcliffe’s eye I think this is an effective piece of editing as it relates to the tagline of ‘What did they see?’ through the images around the frame the audience see through the eyes of Arthur Kipp and his memories he has collected from eel marsh house. I think this image is effective however it may be too much of a revelation for those members of the audience who have not seen the film yet they will not identify the scenes the images come from however they will still understand what the images symbolize and this may give away too much of the plot and not leave enough sense of mystery for the audience. However the poster does not feature any images of the Woman in Black so therefore it still maintains a element of mystery as the force of the happenings is not revealed leaving the audience questioning ‘What did they see?’.