Analysis of 'Buried'

I found the concept of this film very intriguing and I thought it would be a great experience analysing it since I haven't even seen the film itself.



We are introduced to the trailer with the production company 'Lionsgate' around the name are dark grey clouds suggesting this is a horror film, also the production company 'Lionsgate' is associated with making horror type films (e.g. SawII, Midnight Meat Train, Man-Thing,Isolation,See No Evil). There is a cut to another shot of 'Lionsgate' but this time the screen is frizzy suggesting the film has something to do with a loss of connection. Which we later on find this is true as he can't get hold of anybody. A voice over of a girl's voice mail appears over the last shot taking the loss of connection to a further extent. Fade to black and then a shot of the central protagonist everything in the frame is black apart from his face which is lite in green. The colour green is usually associated with night vision, and the darkness around him suggests he is alone. As he breathes heavily the camera pans towards the right and then into a close up to show he's nervous, confused and also to show the cuts on his head. He holds the phone to his ear whilst the voice over continues on. The sound disappears and suddenly we hear an impact sound right after the answer machine 'beeps'.

A cut to a shot of him holding a lighter crawling around in darkness in dirty clothing shows the vulnerability showing this is a horror genre. The lighter shows how small his chances are of surviving as it is only a little flame. A cut of his phone links back to the begging and shows us there’s probably no hope in contacting anybody for him, this further shows the film is a horror. We are positioned with a close up of him in bad condition as he is still bleeding and now is heavily sweating, showing the tension and his desperate need of help as he talks to himself trying to think of a solution to get out of wherever he is. A cut to a watch shows audience he only has a limited amount of time to get out before he dies. Another cut to shot of him holding a lighter up and tilting his head up, the sound is darkened and quickened. This is a build up of tension for the audience.

A cut to black and then a cut to him laying down with low key lighting and tight framing its at an unusual level disorientating audience again suggesting this is a horror. Another impact sound is used followed by sinister music. Close ups of character shows how afraid he is which positions the audience with the film being a horror again. Canted framing is used several times through most of the trailer again pointing towards the fact this is a horror genre. The pace of the editing starts to pick up as soon as the impact sound comes into place which builds the tension, editing becomes even more faster and then suddenly audience only hear him scream. All non diegetic sound has stopped this could possibly show again he is alone as only his voice is heard with silence behind it.

Horror genre analysis - Shutter Island

I found this film particularly intriguing, as I haven't seen it yet and looks spectacular. Most importantly it shows the horror conventions very clearly in this teaser.




Amplified sound of a match being lit, an extreme close up of a flame as it dissolves to production company logo the picture of the company logo is in black & white signifying the film is set in the past. A dissolve instantly Medium close up of A-list star standing there in shock. The low lighting implies this is a Horror/Thriller. Camera then dollying in to him, suddenly an impact sound takes place and a cut to an establishing shot of an island. The shoot looks very spooky and has side lighting which suggests something could be wrong with island. A cut to another establishing shot of the building with guards standing next to big black gates half open. Camera then zooms In whilst gates continue to open which makes audience feel like their being dragged into this horrific atmosphere. There are dialogue clips over the images, the tone of his (Leonardo) voice is sinister which continues through out most of the teaser trailer linking it to the horror genre.

An Ariel/establishing shot of the building itself takes place showing audience the level of security which and the isolation of the institute all of this adds a feeling of unease to the audience. Impact sound leading to a cut to a shot of an arm with blood on the hand this shot is only there for a quarter of a second. Fade to black and then a cut straight back to the arm and then a fade to black again. Over the shoulder shot focusing on the A-list star and then a cut to a shot of papers in a puddle which creates mystery. Cut to a shot of a deranged looking man in a type of prison cell which shows the audience something is wrong. The man also looks very scary showing this Is a horror/thriller. The biggest impact sound of appears in this next shot of a chain hanging from the ceiling. Rapid editing takes place which adds intensity as the text appears on screen in white with a black background. The non-digetic sound slows down along side the editing. Close up of A-list star (Leonardo) who looks very suspicious but has a speck of fear inside him too.

M.C.U of a strange and mental looking old woman – This puts fear into the audience as she is very, very scary. Jump cut into a Close – up on her. Cut to Black gates closing with two men on each side of the gate closing them , lighting is very dim. The darkness in this shot sets the audiences mood. In-between shots there are texts of famous films made by the director. There is then long shot of two people at the edge of a cliff, with sea at the bottom. This shot drags in the audience into feeling lost and trapped as it looks incredibly isolated. After a shot of more text there is a cut to A-list star in a white uniform, he looks disturbed and pail. This could mean the film has something to do with mental people. Cut to the hall way he's walking through (point of view shot), It looks very dark and gloomy. Impact sound and then a Cut to an arm violently reaching out of a cell cage trying to grab a person. A cut to child (girl) for a quarter of a second and then a cut to an old odd looking man. The fact that a child is put in this teaser trailer reflects the genre as children are known to be in horror genre type films.

The audience are usually effected by this. Close-up of A-list star glazing at something/someone in shock. Cut to more text of films made by director (Martin Scorsese) and then a cut to a birds eye view shot of a dead body laying in a pool of blood in a room whilst papers float around the air. This creates mystery and builds the tension. Texts appear on screen. Suddenly editing becomes rapid again showing off horror conventions again. There is a medium shot/tracking shot of a man running as if he was trying to escape from somewhere. The lighting on his back looks like a torch, this implies that maybe somebody is chasing him. This sets fear into the audiences mind and creates adrenaline for a quarter of a second . Cuts back to a text and then straight to a Birds eye view of a character acting paranoid the camera then twists/contra zoom. Cut to a silhouette of a child or a doll inside water floating. Leading straight to a cut of a pale but terrifying child holding a woman's hand. The lighting makes it seem like their both in flames as there is an explosion behind them, shot only lasts for a quarter of a second.

This again shows horror conventions as children are revealed. Text continues to appear and then a cut to high angle shot of character clinging onto the side of a cliff, as the ocean is in the background this shows someone trying to escape which keeps the audiences guessing or wondering, or even confused. As Camera lowers which show the desperate facial expression on A-list stars face. Rapid Editing continues, numerous images appear as editing quickens along side the non-digetic horrific sharp sound,which keeps the tension and the adrenaline in the atmosphere. Showing conventions of horror genre yet again. Impact sound comes in at the same time voice-over of main character screams 'Let me see you're damn face', editing speeds up even more whilst images flicker of disturbing scary faces. As all those things are happening at the same time this causes the tension and keeps the audiences on the edge of their seat which is another convention of the horror genre. Text continues to appear in-between images.

“OF FEAR”

Is part of the sentence in the text. The word 'Fear' is usually put into tag lines of horror films or inside a horror trailer. So this shows again it is a horror film. Rapid editing continues through loads of different spooky images. And then a sudden cut to a close-up of A-list star with a lit match in his hand with smoke coming from the spark. He looks terrified and disturbed. The match may signify that he is running out of time as he has limited light in the darkness. Everything in the frame is faded to black apart from the flame from the match which enlarges, with A-list stars name on it in grey. The fact that the font is in white and black or grey shows audiences this is a dark film, which also again leads back to it being a horror convention. Everything goes quite and settles down, we hear A-list star whisper 'Oh My God,' straight away a cut to a medium shot of main character with a big terrifying man who is initially behind him and then grabs him. As this takes place the editing had speed up again along side an impact sound. This has an even bigger effect on audience as they were taken by surprise which is what horror film directors do to satisfy audiences. This again is part of a horror genre conventions. Title appears along with credits after it.

Horror Sub genres

There are many sub genres in horror and this research will help me decied what type of horror I will create.

Sub-genres of Horror:
Comedy-Horror

Comedy-Horror combines comedy with traditional horror movie themes and characters. Because of the subject matter, Comedy-Horror films can cross over into the Black Comedy sub-genre. Comedy-Horror films aim to scare the audience, but also provide comical outlets that let the audience laugh at their fear.

Examples: Beetlejuice, Zombieland, Shaun of the Dead.

Teen-Horror

Teen-Horror is a sub-genre that revolves completely around a teenager or a group of teenagers. Typically, these movies have a large cast and a clear hero or heroine. Teen-Horror films often play upon traditional teenage issues, such as dating and prom, and turn them into suspenseful and thrilling situations.

Examples: I Know What You Did Last Summer, Scream, Texas Chainsaw Massacre.

Monster-Horror

A Monster film is sub-genre of Horror that centers on a struggle between human beings and a monster(s). Often, the monster in the film has been created in an “experiment gone wrong.” The monster usually serves as a villain, and the film portrays a hero or heroine that ultimately saves the world from the monster. Although these movies commonly fall into the Horror genre, Monster films have a long tradition within Science-Fiction and Fantasy film as well.

Examples: Aliens, Godzilla, Creature from the Black Lagoon.

Slasher

Slasher film is a sub-genre of Horror film that revolves around a psychopathic killer. This killer stalks and murders his victims in extremely violent and memorable ways. Though it centers on a specific killer, the violence is what sets Slasher films apart from other horror films. A Slasher film will devote more screen time to portray murder and mayhem than a traditional Horror film.

Examples: Halloween, My Bloody Valentine, Black Christmas.

Supernatural-Horror

Supernatural-Horror film is a sub-genre that includes ghosts, demons, or other depictions of supernatural occurrences. Often, Supernatural-Horror films combine elements of religion into the plot. Common themes in Supernatural-Horror films include the afterlife, the devil, and demonic possession. Unlike Religious Thrillers, Supernatural-Horror films are not limited to specific religious elements and can contain more vivid and gruesome violence.

Examples: The Exorcist, The Ring, The Omen.

Zombie-Horror

Zombie film is a sub-genre of Horror film that portrays mindless human beings who are raised from the dead. These films often include a Zombie invasion, and center around Zombies feasting on human flesh. The plot of a Zombie film then revolves around the struggle between the living, and the living-dead. Zombie film not only falls into the Horror genre, but Sci-Fi, Thriller, and Comedy as well.

Examples: Night of the Living Dead, Shaun of the Dead, 28 Days Later.

Paranormal Activity 2

I've decided to analyse the horror genre teaser trailer, however this is not a analysis of a teaser trailer. I chose 'Paranormal Activity 2' to analyse because it was appropriate for genre I'm doing.

First shot of static. This effect goes on and off for a few seconds, having hardly any sound apart from static whilst this is happening shows us straight away that this is a horror film. A shot of an open door in black and white seems to make the audience uneasy. Amplified sound of someone walking upstairs with a black screen. The black screen remains for a good few seconds which brings confusion. Suddenly we hear an impact sound which is there to make the audience jump as body hurdles at the audience, low angel shot of ceiling with hand held camera work disorientates audience. Camera goes back to shot of the door the body hurdled from, static starts to appear again as camera very slowly zooms in which unsettles the audience. Ambient wind noise takes place, this has an effect on the audience as it sets the spooky mood for the audience. Text is directed to the audience, it targets them. Camera continues to slowly zoom in and suddenly it cuts to static and then to 2 different shots of audience terrified in the cinema, the picture quality is night vision when cutting to the audience, this gives more of a spook to audience. Cut back to shot of door, camera continues to slowly zoom into open door with just darkness inside the room camera faces, this continues to unsettle audience. Cut back to static and suddenly Impact sound again comes in, a woman appears in an ECU as this is in black and white it seems to disrupt and disturb audience to a further extent. Different shots of audiences in cinema screaming and jumping makes you want to do the same. Cut back to static, cutting to a blank screen and then to a high angel shot of a baby’s room everything is quite & still in the room including the dog laying on the floor with text of time in the bottom corner making audience unsettled as it’s almost watching cctv. Cut to static and back to a shot of a garden, and then of the kitchen. Lots of naturalistic sounds appear in the garden but pots start to clack together in the kitchen. Voyeur this is building tension and also making audience feel like their almost spying on people. Cut back to babies room we start to hear that sound effect of someone walking up the stairs, chair starts to rock forth and back, dog then becomes unsettled and turns head towards camera which keeps confusion as dog continues to look at chair behind him. Static shot and then cut straight to tag line ' nothing can prepare you'. Static shot and then a cut back to the babies room. Dog has stood up looking towards the open door, baby has awaken looking at the dog. This unsettles the audience even though its pure silence, as the dogs body language puts fear into audience by looking scared himself. He starts to growl and then barks, this completely unsettles the audience as they now know some things definitely not right. Static cut to black background with white text. Static cut to down stairs dinning room/front door entrance. Static cut straight back to baby's room with a thunder lightening sound effect and a person dressed in black at the entrance, we notice that the dog is nowhere to be seen. This scares the audience as the impact sound shocks them and a person dressed in black appears out of nowhere. People don't really watch trailers in night vision so it's unsettling to watch it in this colour too. Static cut to black and then a '2' lights up but flickering on and off. Then the title appears 'Paranormal Activity'. When the production logo's come up on the screen, they start juddering which make the audience feel very uneasy.

The following video :

Comparison between Teaser trailer and trailer for 'Kung Fu Panda 2'

Similarities
• They both give an idea of what will happen.
• Mixture of cuts and fades to black.
• Tag lines , often the same.
• Production company logos.
• websites



Differences
• A teaser gives away almost nothing as its usually 1 minute or less.
• A normal trailer gives away almost everything as its about 2 or more minutes long.
• The teaser might focus on the main character,were as the trailer might introduce other characters.
• In the teaser they give you a vague release date, but a trailer would give you more of a specific date.
• Pace of the editing is generally quickened in a teaser, were as its not so much faster in a normal trailer.

Kung Fu Panda 2 normal trailer

Kung Fu Panda 2 teaser