Insidious Trailer Analysis

Insidious Trailer Analysis

Screenshots

The first shot is of a medium shot of a male character, diegetic dialogue from presumably another character asks "Are you ready?", he replies with "Yes". Then the shot then cuts to a close up of a pendulum and it begins ticking. The diegetic sound of the pendulum is heard throughout a lot of the trailer which creates a sinister and eerie feel as if it is counting down. The pendulum could represent the time running out for the family and their child.

The next shot shows the audience that the film has been made from the makers of 'Paranormal Activity' and 'Saw', which are two very popular horror films. This could intrigue and interest the viewer. The ticking pendulum continues followed by a non-diegetic crackling noise. The font is capitalized and emboldened in the colour white which stands out on the black background. The background colour also includes hints of red which could represent blood, horror and danger, fitting in perfectly with the genre.

A medium shot shows a couple with their baby showing a happy family environment. The lighting is high key and looks like a normal family life scene. However the continued diegetic ticking sound of the pendulum in the background gives the trailer a tense feel as if there is a countdown for something sinister to happen. The family life scene aligns the audience with the characters and shows that they are the victims. The jump cuts before and after this shot also add to the countdown effect.

This shot shows the child character in a dark attic which gives the trailer a mysterious feel. The shot contrasts the previous screen shot as it has high key lighting and a happier mood. This shot also builds tension as the lighting has suddenly become darker giving the audience a warning.

This medium shot of a shadow behind the window looks like the outline of a person peering into the house. This gives the trailer a sinister and supernatural feel, as if the shadow isn't human.

This screen shot shows an over the shoulder shot of the female character looking at the baby monitor, the sound effects include whispering and shouting through the baby monitor which tells us she is not alone which gives the trailer a creepy and edgy feel. The over the shoulder shot positions the audience in the characters shoes showing her fear.

This is a long shot of a dark and spooky looking hallway, the audience will be looking straight to the bottom of the hallway intriguing them and keeping their focus on the grandfather clock. This is followed by the diegetic pendulum sound starting again and the diegetic dialogue from the paranormal investigator "Its not the house that's haunted, it's your son". This shot is followed by a series of very fast paced cuts showing close ups of the fear in different character's faces. The trailer appears to have ended but then a close up of a demon's face jumps up on screen which is there to give the audience one final scare.