Analysis of teaser trailer - Shaquile

FILM: THE WOMAN IN BLACK

YEAR OF RELEASE: FEBRUARY 2012

DIRECTOR: JAMES WATKINS

PRODUCTION/FINANCE COMPANIES

Momentum pictures are one of the world’s most prominent independent film distributors in the UK, owned by Paramount Pictures
stars: Daniel Radcliffe, Janet Mcteer and Ciaran Hinds
Horror subgenre: ghost horror
synopsis: a young lawyer travels to a remote village where he discovers the vengeful ghost of a scorned woman is terrorising the locals.

The trailer commences with an establishing shot of what appears to be an old Victorian house. This shot is important as it reveals one of the main settings in the horror film. Old Victorian houses are common conventions in many ghost horror films; they have many negative connotations which evoke fear and gloom and thus makes this setting is appropriate for horror. The House is bombarded with Ivy; in many pagan religions Ivy represents the idea of eternal life whilst in the Christian faith it represents new promise. This adds to the dramatic irony, as the audience know that this is a horror film and one of the main conventions of a horror film is death.

This Medium Long shot shows us the setting from inside the Old Victorian house. The props in the shot consists of candles, an

Old chair, artwork on wall, ornaments, all of which are antique and vintage which suggests upper class. For example, the old gold candles have connotations of wealth and protection.  Additionally, the way in which the main protagonist is dressed suggests that this is a period film, he is wearing a black three-piece suit and this was a common outfit for upper classed men in the Victorian age. Wearing the colour black is seen as fashionable and sensual, likewise decorating a house with dark décor as seen in this image was seen as trendy.

Also the lighting in the trailer is low-key. This is a common feature in most horror films and is appropriate as it helps to create a mysterious/ gloomy atmosphere and helps to create a sense of fear.

Font: a sans serif font is used in this teaser trailer which is ironic as the film is a period drama and this font is associated with being modern as it has no flick ups. The colour of the font is white, which is effective as it stands out from the black background. White has connotations of faith, purity and cleanliness however; it can also suggest safety, which is ironic as horror films contradict this. The white may also imply vulnerability and innocence in relation to the protagonist whereas the black background, which has many negative connotations such as death, evil and mystery, may represent the nature of the antagonist.

This Extreme close up reveals the protagonist’s eye and nose, whilst the remainder of his face is secluded with low-key lighting. This is an effective background for the text as it helps the text to stand out. The shot is also mysterious as the audience are unaware of what the protagonists is looking at, which helps to create anxiety and suspense.

18 seconds- 20 sec – this two-second tilting shot slowly directs the audience towards the unusual object that the protagonist is looking at. Then there is a fast paced cut into a point of view shot of the unusual object. This shot shows a split second of the antagonist’s face, which is effective as a climax after the suspense.

To emphasise this climax non-diegetic sound is used, a loud crashing sound plays then a fast paced cut, which diverts us to the protagonist’s reaction shot. The non-verbal communication on the protagonists face suggests a feeling of reverence and fear. This shot is effective as the protagonists reaction will also influence the reaction of the audience who have also been subjected to fear.

There is then a slow paced fade, which reveals the last shot, a medium close up of the protagonist being touched on the back by an unknown hand. It can be implied that this is the hand of the antagonist because of the composition of the shot. The director has effectively used the rule of thirds to highlight the protagonist’s vulnerability. He is facing towards the right hand side of the shot, with his eyes closed and his head facing downwards; unaware of what lies behind him.  The narrow field of vision also makes this shot more effective, the background is out of focus, which ensures the audience witness the protagonist and the unknown hand.

The trailer ends with the name of the film, the sans serif font is consistent throughout the trailer. The size of the ‘woman’ and ‘black’ is bigger than the other text, which helps it to stand out. It suggests that these words have a significant importance to the horror film.  

The trailer ends with the release date, this is a common convention used in many horror films. There is not a specific release date and this is also common as many trailers are release a significant time before the film.

Ultimately, the editing is montage. Not much information is revealed about the film as its purpose it to tease the audience and encourage them to go and see the film