I will be analyzing two trailers in detail following the factors:
- Cinematography (Camera distance/movement)
- Mise-En-Scene (Colour, costume, props, lighting, location)
- Sound (Diegetic, Non Diegetic)
- Editing (pace, fade, straight cuts, flash cuts)
- Performance (dialogue tone, facial expression, body language)
Gothica (2010)
At the start of the trailer the camera has a "pan" effect to different sides to make the scene look a bit more 'intense'. At 0:09 there is an extreme closeup of a characters face, her eye in particular which merges into a company logo "Dark Castle Entertainment", which is a smooth transition. The shot right after the logo is a shot of a woman walking from in front of the camera whilst the camera is following the character which makes the background move. This makes the audience feel more involved in the trailer, making them feel as if they are in that video walking behind the character. In the video, there are a lot of close up shots scattered around the video to feel more personal towards the protagonist and understand her facial expressions In my opinion, the most prominent close up shot is at 1:44 which shows the protagonist crying, the lighting of the face is well lit in order to see that. Besides having various "pans" throughout the trailer, there are a lot of half second shots to create suspense and make the audience question the plot. Questioning the plot increases the chances of having this film bought and consumed by the audience.
The photograph above is a scene at 0:23 which is a likely a wide angle shot which is poorly lit, the main light is coming from a single source which is the lamp on a desk illuminating the characters face and the room around it. During this shot, the rain is falling heavily outside of the window giving some motion to the shot. The colour palette of this scene is dull giving this scene a mysterious and depressing mood making the audience question things. Additionally this scene gives the audience clues about the plot, there are a lot of 'strange' drawings on the wall, some of them even repeat in certain parts of the room.
The colours of the trailer are extremely depressing because there are a lot of blacks and blues which connote to various things. For example, black is a mysterious colour, it usually used to create a depressing mood and make the viewers feel slightly frightened. Blue is also a 'sad' colour and relates well with the theme of the trailer and the plot. These are the main colours that are seen throughout the trailer. At the start of the trailer, the protagonist wore serious and professional clothing for business or a simple black jumper, the colours of the costume at the beginning of the trailer is grey and blue which is quite fitting. Additionally, during the second part, when the protagonist ends up in a mental hospital she is seen wearing a uniform which is also blue matching the theme and the overall colour palette of the film. Moreover, the lighting of the film is mostly seen in the shots and it is white rather than 'yellow'. White light makes the skin look a lot 'colder' which is why it is constantly used except in some cases such as the cinematography shot at 0:23.
For example, a shot at 1:11 features a close up over the shoulder shot (as seen in the image on the left). The lighting is clearly white illuminating only one side of the face. The white cold light reminds the viewers of hospitals or serious settings which are not pleasant to be around. If this scene would have yellow lighting, the mood would be completely different.
The soundtrack does not start until 0:10 because the characters are having a serious conversation. It makes the scene look a lot more dramatic with no sound effects making the viewers more focused making it less likely for them not to pay attention. Moreover, once the soundtrack starts (during the logo scene) it isn't as generic as other soundtracks as it doesn't use "BRAAAM" sound effects or any other mainstream techniques to enhance a 'thrilling' emotion. After 0:10 the music has a mysterious sound which is overlapping with narrative and text on the screen, generally keeping the same tone and repetition until 0:29, the music keeps on going but it doesn't have a 'bass' effect to it because once again, its a scene that requires more attention on the characters interacting. The music stops when the trailer shows a car crash and another mysterious character at 0:38 mostly focusing on sound effects such as thunder and rain. Another type of music (a more thrilling rather than mysterious) starts to accelerate from 1:07 gradually, from quiet to loud. After that, there is no more music, but instead thrilling sound effects which is fitting with the action and the pace of the trailer.
The editing of this trailer is also simple, at the start of the video, there are a lot of "fade to black" effects from 0:00 until 0:06. Right after 0:06, there is a straight cut which is a moment where the protagonist makes a statement to another character in the story. Another simple effect is the smooth transition from an extreme closeup of the eye to the company logo. During 0:16, the transition of themes change from "fade to black" to "fade to white" whilst they are in slow motion showcasing the protagonist moving and featuring text over the scene at the same time. The "fade to black" and "fade to white" effects vary until 0:32 which shows a lot of fast cut shots in a small period of time. This is the part of the trailer that supposed gets 'interesting' and 'thrilling'. When a new character is introduced to the plot 0:40, the editing moves back to "fade to black" effects which are most commonly used in this video. When the new character 'scares' the protagonist during 0:52, the transition is fast but right after the 'scare' the "fade to black" effect takes lasts for a longer period of time to stimulate a sleeping state of the protagonist and change of topic/ location. The black screen lasts for 4 seconds. After that, the trailer features a mixture of fast cuts, "fade to white" and "fade to black" and shows text on screen to give the audience more information about the film.
The protagonist is mostly frightened, judging by her facial expressions at the beginning of the trailer. For example, at 0:08 the character's nose is slightly red indicating that she might have cried, the face is poorly lit making us feel more uncertain about the character. The fact that she is leaning in makes her appear more focused and eager to find out answers to her questions which makes the situation a lot more intense and dramatic. There isn't any scenes where the character is seen smiling throughout the trailer making it appear depressive and it fits well with the theme the producers are going for. However, the facial expressions at the beginning of the trailer are not as extreme as they are during the end of the video. For example, during 1:44 the acting and the expressions of the face are extremely clear to see as the lens is focused mostly on her most prominent features such as eyes. The body language is shaky when she tries to speak showing clear signs of stress. Additionally, her eyes are undouptedly watery because they have very bright highlights and there is a tear dripping down her left cheek. The camera shot is extremely close to her face which makes it hard to determine her posture or exact location in the scene.
Donnie Darko (2001)
I've used https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/donnie_darko/ to analyse the trailer because the school system blocks trailers on YouTube.
The first scene has an interesting camera angle, the camera is being turned 90° making the characters rotate clock wise. After the first scene ends at 0:04, the location changes and the camera is completely still (likely placed on a tripod) whilst the speed of the shot is increased because the people in this particular scene are walking faster, this fastened scene lasts from 0:04 to 0:07. After that, the the camera is more focused on showing the characters, starting with the teacher and a "pan shot" of the students including the main character Donnie Darko. The length of the shorts decrease right after the pan shot at 0:10, showing a fast, yet violent shot of a character and an axe, which then transitioned onto a statue and some 'graffiti' text on the ground. At 0:16 a text appears on a black blank screen "New Market" which is an American film production and distribution company followed by two additional text on the screen of "Pandora" and "Flower Films". During 0:18, the camera shows people exercising outside from the point of view of a person that is riding in the car and filming the surroundings because the camera is slightly shaky, the camera is located in the middle of the road and the background is moving like it would when you are located inside of a vehicle, during this shot there is another 'harsh' "Pan" effect moving to the right showing a person riding on a bike. At 0:22 the camera is located above the subjects showing the trampoline, the shot is a slow motion of children jumping. At 0:25, there is a medium close up shot of two characters (including the main character) walking, the background is moving with them. Similarly to the first trailer analysed, at 1:14, there is an "over the shoulder" shot of a character in the film including the main character that is communications to the other person. These types of shots (shot reverse shot) is commonly used in films for dialogue, it gets the point across more clearly to the viewers.
The colours of this trailer are also mostly desaturated, dark and and depressing featuring a lot of blacks, browns and greys. However, at the beginning of the trailer, the colours were slightly more vibrant especially in the shots where neighbors were showcased, for example the grass was extremely vibrant to suggest that the day was nice and warm. Throughout the trailer, the lighting was rather sharp, especially lighting that illuminates edges of the protagonist, this might be due to the style a producer is going for or it makes the characters a lot more noticeable and eye catching. Additionally, during 'dangerous' parts of the trailer such as 1:33 when the main character pulls out a kitchen knife or during the burning house, the colours and shades are red which connotes to blood, death, passion and lust, these words match well with the protagonist as he got a significant other and has a violent, strange behavior. Not to mention, the text on screen is blue, also fitting with the trailer overall as it is depressing and mysterious.
At the beginning of the trailer, the video shows a fast forward shot of people entering and leaving a building, which is an interesting effect. The building happens to be a school where Donnie Darko is studying at (0:10) as it shows a teacher and the character in a school classroom. A second later (0:11) it shows a fast clip of a strange and dark building of the character performing a violent action with an axe which then transfers back to the school location showcasing a dog statue with the same kind of weapon. This type of transition gives clues to the audience about the story of the film. The scene changes again at 0:20 which is a bright neighborhood which only transitions to another scene at 0:36 which seems to be a house. Right after that transition, there is another location which seems to be a stage due to red curtains behind a character standing with a microphone and transitions back and forth (stage and home environment) until 0:46 which is the home environment. The main character mostly stays at a home environment until 1:40. Moreover, The scene changes again at 1:41 which is a natural open environment showcasing a lot of vegetation and the view of mountains. In summary, this trailer features a lot of shoot locations which might intrigue some viewers into watching the film as it might be one of the strong points of the overall story telling.
In addition to locations, sound also plays a big role in this trailer. The trailer consists mostly of sound effects, barely any music. For example, at the beginning there is a sound effect that closely resembles a machine sound or an electrical wire room. This particular sound makes the viewers feel as if something is mysterious because the dialogue is overlapping the sound effect giving off this mood. The sound effect changes tone varying in pitch until 0:11 which is when a slight 'jump-scare' appears. Accompanied with the 'jump scare', there is a harsh and sound sound effect, after the 'jump scare' the initial sound effect continues for a few seconds. Finally, the music starts during the text on screen at 0:16. The text on screen changes simultaneously to the tempo. The music is 'dramatic' and slightly traditional because it has an instrument resembling a violin. Moreover, the music isn't loud because the dialogue is mostly overlapping it making the viewers more focused on the conversation rather than the music itself. On the other hand, the music ads a sense of action to the scenes, even though they seem quite ordinary (such as people walking in a nice neighborhood). The music goes silent in 0:25 and goes back to a thrilling sound effect which resembles a microphone that is turned on but isn't used. During 0:25 the characters interact more seriously, which is why the music is not necessary. Gradually, the sound effect transitions back into music in a span of five seconds. This time, the rhythm of the music is being a lot more repetitive and lasts longer than previously. Every time the characters stop speaking, the music is louder. At 1;26 the music stops again leading back to 'thrilling' sound effects focusing more on the narrative voice and the visuals which in this case, is fire. After that, the trailer consists of windy sound effects.
There is also, a further point to be considered. Which is editing. It plays a big role in this low budget trailer showcasing few special effects to help with the 'abstract' story of the main character. Initially, the scene starts off from a 'fade to white' effect but it's more consistent with 'fade to black' and straight 'cuts' from 0:01 to 0:09. At 0:10 it shows a quick action scene which transitions using a fast, fade to white effect. At 0:17 the text on screen shows up which are organizations, they are shown as if it is a slideshow and then it transitions back to the video with a straight cut at 0:20. After that, the trailer proceeds to mostly show 'fade to black' transitions. However, at 0:50 there is a special 'ripple' effect when the character is looking at himself in the mirror. This shot is important because it tells the audience that they can see the hallucinations from the point of view of the protagonist making them question whether the things in the trailer are real or not. Right after this scene, there are more scenes (text on the screen) to tell the context of the trailer in more detail following my more 'fade to black' and 'fade to white' transitions. Eventually the pacing of the shots are getting faster because it's a lot more thrilling as there is a lot more information to 'take in' in a shorter period of time. Right after that, the trailer is mostly fade to black.
Donnie Darko, the main character is mostly seen in the trailer interacting with various different characters. Even at the beginning of the trailer, the video gives the viewers some clues about Donnie's personality. For example, at 0:10 his expression seems dead, he is emotionless and seems quite disconnected compared to the other students that clearly pay attention to the teacher. Other students are looking in the opposite direction compared to the protagonist, who seems to be staring into the distance with his eyes half shut. This lack of motivation in school gives us some insights about him as a person and what he might me thinking about as the next scene shows a violent act.
Girl: He has emotional problems.
Donnie: Oh! I have those too! What kind of emotional problems does your dad have?
In the following scene, Donnie talks to his therapist. The dialogue is:
Donnie: I've made a new friend
Therapist: Real or imaginary?
Donnie replies with "imaginary" to the therapist reveling to the audience that he isn't an average young adult as he seems to be from the outside. The trailer clearly pin-points that he has a mental illness such as Schizophrenia and he is clearly aware of that - showing his lack of emotions towards the therapist.
His emotions begin to look a lot more disturbing at 0:59. because this is the part of the trailer showing his 'darker' side including hallucinations and his tendencies to crimes such as argon. The facial expression seen on the right hand side is disturbing because his head is tilted but his eyes stare right into the camera. It isn't a 'normal' or friendly facial expression a person would make. This interaction with the audience (by looking into the camera lens) is a lot more disturbing because the audience feel more involved personally, with the main character.
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