Setting
Focused analysis; The Orphan trailer
Focused analysis of The Orphan trailer:
Location: The movie was filmed in Toronto, Canada the original setting was supposed to be in Fall but while filming a record amount of snow fell, changing the setting. The snow gave the story line an edge to it as the purity and angelic style of the snow contradicts the dark and deadly story.
Throughout the trailer the colours are bright due to the snow there are a few dark scenes at night which are typical of horror films, where the disequilbrium are most commonly present. The house that the film was filmed in is large and spacey, if it was a cosy little cottage the effect wouldn't be the same you can loose yourself in such a large house.
Each location of the setting, the orphanage and the school are brightly decorated with white making them look bright and airy which contradicts again with the story.
The setting changes as soon as the audience connect the fact that Esther is not a normal child as she kicks and screams in a toilet cubicle that is lit to look very cold.
After this scene the trailers pace increases with snapshots of a variety of places, there are ways the crew try to darken some scenes such as the play area choosing one thats very dark, contrasting with the snow. To the point of 1:38 where the pace slows down creating tension in the audience.
Characters: There are a few protagonists in this film, Esther, Kate and then the rest of her family which are not prominent but are important.
Esther comes across as an innocent girl, dressed in pretty clothes the audience empathise, 'isn't she pretty/cute' however some may say the first shot of her creates an eeriness to her as she's not socialising with the other girls but instead several floors above them in a room all on her own. She's well spoken and neatly dressed throughout the trailer always wearing ribbons but always dressed differently to the other children, she's odd. Through out the trailer her dark side becomes apparent.
Kate is portrayed as a loving woman adopting a child, this theme is carried through out the trailer which emphasizes that this is a normal family not deserving anything bad to happen to them. This idea of innocence is carried onto the other characters such as the little girl Max and the boy Daniel.
Sound/ Music; Non diagetic music playing behind the diagetic speech is peaceful and soothing music the family are finally starting to piece their lives together however there's always calm before the storm. The music stops once a class mate takes the mick out of Esthers outfit, instead of different music picking up the non diagetic sounds turn to a type of wind hollowing sound to then a deep toned heartbeat in a slow rhythm. These two then mix together to have a stronger background noise as the pace of the editing speeds up. The pace slows down once again building before building up once more this is so tension is built in the hearts of the audience.
The diagetic sound creates a link between the mum and Esther they both have common ground of being different. The clip when the class mate takes a dig at Esthers outfit is the key point when the action starts to build. Esthers scream is key to the audience to demonstrate that she is not normal, the narrative style of the Nun starts the audiences question into why Esther is different what type of trouble has found her? Kate's enquiry into the little girls past makes you question how much don't you know about the girl that has been adopted. Through out the trailer it is clear that the mum knows something is wrong while the dad is still oblivious to what is staring him in the face we can tell this by the line: "There must be some explanation."
Focused Analysis
Horror films are typically dark with selected lighting used, the darkness represents the unknown where danger lurks striking fear into the hearts of the characters and the audience. Tension can be created with the use of streams of light from the distance gradually making its way toward the screen. Quick flashes of light are used, innocence can be portrayed by softly lighting a characters face.
What a character is wearing can help identify which genre you are watching. For example if most of the characters were male and in army gear, you would say you were watching an army/war film. In horror films the main costume design doesn't vary much from say a comedy, however throughout the film the costumes may become torn, covered in blood or dirt trying to escape from a murderer, identifying the film as a horror. On the other hand the murderer can be dressed in obvious attire related to horror such as dark clothing, a mask/large hood or cap to hide their identity.
Props can give a genre away relatively easily however you have to be careful not to break the verisimilitude by having an object that doesn't fit with the genre. Props in horror films are typically weapons such as knives and guns, used by the perpetrator but also used as protection by the characters.What a character is wearing can help identify which genre you are watching. For example if most of the characters were male and in army gear, you would say you were watching an army/war film. In horror films the main costume design doesn't vary much from say a comedy, however throughout the film the costumes may become torn, covered in blood or dirt trying to escape from a murderer, identifying the film as a horror. On the other hand the murderer can be dressed in obvious attire related to horror such as dark clothing, a mask/large hood or cap to hide their identity.
The position of objects and characters in a frame can portray different meanings, for instance if you had a character peering round a door in the distance in the left hand corner and the rest of the frame is of the room they are peering into connotes the meaning of anxiousness hoping the room is safe to enter. However if we had that same character standing in the middle of the room their legs shoulder width apart and arms on their hips suggests they are comfortable in their surroundings.
Horror films are typically set in an isolated area with little escape routes such as roads. For example 'The Shining' was set in a large hotel (which makes the characters feel inadequete in comparison) in the middle of no where, we know this via the opening sequence of a long car journey with far long shots and establishing shots. Any location connotes the sense of helplessness, which engross the audience. Many locations even some in towns or cities they have a sense of abandoness to them such as 'Silent Hill'. Other settings horror movies are sometimes filmed at are woodland areas the trees obstructing the path during chase scene adds suspense.
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