Thriller Trailer Analysis'

The Purge

 

The two shot of James and Mary shows them looking in the same direction with no facial expression in their faces, this shows that they are both protagonist as they are not fighting against others in this shot. The lighting of the shot is dull and dark which reflects on the current mood of the film, also this is because before this shot an event occurs when James turns the lights off so they are not seen. A gun is used as a prop under James’ arm showing that they are fighting or preparing for an attack. This gives the audience an idea of what is about to happen as after this still shot you see the antagonists of the film outside their house. Mise en scene used shows that the event occurring was unexpected, both James’ and Mary's clothing is simple suggesting that they were not prepared to be approached by participators of the purge. No diegetic sound is included in this part of the film as the audience only hears the shouting from the outside of the house and the main focus is the discussion between Mary and James. This attracts more attention as it uses non-diegetic sound creating a more realistic atmosphere.

In this shot the rule of thirds is used as the two main focuses are the ‘bloody stranger’ and the light. The blood on the stranger shows his involvement of a fight and that he only just escaped. The ‘bloody stranger’ looks down blankly at the floor showing distress and some confusion in his facial expression, the light is used as a prop to highlight his face so that the main focus of the shot is the expression on his face. The additional mise en scene surrounding the ‘bloody stranger’ has no relation to his character as it is a doll and children’s drawings showing that he is not supposed to be where he is at this moment. His layered clothing and dirty jeans and his body language is significant as it shows how recessive he is to others in the film as he is described as a ‘tramp’ from the villains.

 

The shot is a mid shot as James slowly creeps towards the trespassers of his house with a gun in one hand and a torch in the other which is significant to the event happening as it shows that he is prepared to take action if he is approached. The only lighting in the shot is the torch creating suspense and makes James the main focus. James is taking the role of the hero as he has taken the heroic job of searching the house and holds the gun firmly in his hand.

 

This is a high angle shot as the two villains are showing that they are more dominant than James and his family in the house, it is also a point of view shot as James is looking through the peep hole of their door. The mise en scene of the masks hides their identity and their casual clothing indicates that they are local people. The shot uses the golden rule as their faces are centralized making them the main focus of the shot and the villain holds a sword confidently in his hand as they are determined to get the ‘bloody stranger’ out of the house or they will take action. The lighting in the shot emphasizes on the main focus which is the masks.

The shot is a close up and the golden rule is used focusing on James’ facial expression and the window of the steel door. The steel door has significance as it shows that James is protecting and guarding his family which adds to his heroic character. The lighting used is from the outside of the house showing that James’ attention is wanted as the villains prepare to enter the house.

 

 

Odd Thomas

 

A mid shot and over the shoulder implies that the main focus is ‘Odd’, the mise en scene used of props is a baseball bat and is focussed on as it is centralised, the bat is significant as it suggests that am event is about to occur.  The lighting in this shot is minimal which creates suspense and more awareness to what is happening at this specific time, the lighting is stereotypical of a thriller film as it is more frequent to use dimmed lighting than bright and bold as it connotes danger and tension. The setting of the clip is a narrow corridor which implies that the setting is abandoned and is a stereotypical convention in a thriller genre.

 

The close up shot of files gives the impression that ‘Odd’ is searching for personal information of someone specific showing that he is participating in some sort of detective work. This shows a contrast on his appearance from the beginning of the trailer as he is originally seen as an average café chef, but then his true colours are revealed as it shows him to be someone who enjoys fights and action. This is typical of a thriller film as it shows that the protagonists personality is two sided but both are heroic. The golden rule is used as in the shot the main focus is the names from the files that are centralised in the shot.

The camerawork used is an over the shoulder shot; it shows ‘odd’ and a hallway with a beam coming towards him. The editing used shows that an unrealistic event happens in the film, also the pace changes to fast as the light comes towards the camera which creates more tension and shows that the beam has importance to future events and it makes it more memorising for future reference in the film or the next event that happens afterwards. The lighting from the outside shining through planks of wood in the windows implies that the setting is abandoned or not used which is stereotypical of a thriller film.

The two shot of ‘Odd’ and the antagonist of the film shows anger in the villains facial expression and panic in ‘Odds’, this shows that they oppose against in each other and their intentions are different.  The villain’s facial expression emphasises to the audience how much he disapproves of ‘Odd’ and it shows that he clearly is a villain and suggests that a fight between them will happen next. The makeup used on the villain makes him look more unrealistic and different to normal human nature, this typically makes him less approachable as he doesn’t look realistic.