Insidious Trailer Analysis 2

The trailer started off the same as most do, with the first clip showing the movie production company, the caution information – age of audience, and website information along the bottom. The background is green, the same in every other film trailer we have watched.

After this is shown, we get a clip presenting the production company’s name, FilmDistrict, and it then goes on to show the film trailer.

The first few seconds show the name of the movie over and over, it then goes into the first actual movie clip. It is set in a room with low key lighting, paired with odd music, giving an overall creepy vibe. The first spoken dialogue we hear is “are you ready?”, personally I really like this as although it is initially meant for the character, it could also be asked to the audience, as if asking if they’re ready for the film.

It then shows a clip of a metronome and has an emphasis on the beat, the film clips then straight cut exactly in time with the sound. It is now that the clips actually present the family in high key lighting, there is laughter and a sense of happiness around them; but the odd beat is still in the background.

Throughout the whole trailer, it constantly flips between the footage from the film and the film name – Insidious

The mood then darkens, it shows the mother worried and the young child that is ill; it is now that we get our second bit of dialogue - the mother talking about her child. After this, all music stops and it shows her walking into the boy’s bedroom where something is moving on its own. The fact there is no music builds tension upon the moving object, making it scary and putting the audience on edge.

The next few scenes really represent the paranormal side of the movie. Fast cuts between clips allow for the audience to see how many scary activities go on in the house, talking over the baby monitor and weird shadows of people who are not there.

Everything then quietens. The picture contrast gets lighter and dialogue is spoken more. It shows three new characters entering the house of the family, these characters are going to help the family, and the high key lighting used in the picture helps to represent how they are good and not bad.

Once again, pace gets faster and clips get paired with a dark, beat based music. This again builds the tension and puts scare into the audience. After a few seconds, everything stops after something scary is revealed - a red devil type figure behind the father - the trailer becomes perfectly quiet.

The quietness brings an eerie feel to the movie, and readies
the audience for something big to happen, and it does. The “bombshell” moment of the film is revealed by the voice over and once again the fast pace music starts with quick straight cuts between clips.

Just before the movie trailer ends, everything goes quiet and we are left with one big, last scare for the audience.  

The last clip shown is the one showing the casting directors and information such as that, just like the beginning screen slide, this tends to happen in most movie trailers.

Insidious Trailer: