Paranormal Activity Trailer Analysis.

Paranormal Activity Trailer Analysis:

Within the first second of the trailer we come across an end of a tape which then shows to be knocked off when an image I shown, originally it is facing a bedroom door but when it is knocked the audience views the ceiling fan and are able to hear a deep and manly breath from behind the camera. The tape then ends again but more of a damaged a ripped tape noise comes across, we then come to the understand after watching the whole trailer the  end of tapes clips and noises/sounds are used to transition between scenes. I believe this was done to make the trailer different to other and more mysterious but also to also involve the film where ever they can to try and see it to the audience more. The next clip is shown in night vision, so the scene is set for the audience watching. But is of an audience we can only assume is watching the film themselves who are seen to be jumping in fear of what they are viewing on screen. A tape transition occurs and then a black background with the white text of “Last Year You Demanded It” it then sharply cuts to a face approaching the camera lens to form an extreme close up in the video camera that was knocked over at the beginning. This then changes back to the audience we viewed earlier who are now covering their faces but from a different angle from before. Another tape transition, a black background with the later appearance of the same style white text from before (creates continuity) saying “But That Was Just The Beginning”. Tape transition appears, the next clip is in colour and daylight (looks friendly and happy environment which is a dramatic change to what was earlier shown) we first see the outside of a baby’s room the capital letters of ‘Hunter’ on the front of the door as you enter (so we instantly know they is a little boy within the family) the hand held camera then moves into the room so more is visible to the eye and so we as the audience can feel more a connection with the characters as we know more about them (a hand-held creates a more personal and relaxed environment of viewing but also a sense of realism). You can then hear a baby mobile playing in the seen to emphasis the age of the child and the innocents of them. We are then able to hear a male voice from behind the camera “This is your room”. So as the audience we now understand why they are filming (it is for the little boy for when he grows up, a personal home documentary). There is then a close up on the letter upon the door as the male leaves the room with the camera still on. We can only assume the male voice is the father to the young baby boy. This is then flowed by another tape transition where we then come across a close up of a female’s side profile who is holding a piece of paper. She then turns to face the camera straight, so we are able to view who she is and as she exclaims “Hunter” we know she could be the baby’s mother. As the name is exclaimed a baby turns and laugh as a response so we are instantly able to know who Hunter is (put a name to a face). After another tape transition we view the male originally behind the camera holding the baby over this head still with a towel over his shoulder to show how young the baby is but also how he cares as well as showing how much attention the baby receives as a new born (important). From this, the audience are able to understand he will likely be the protagonist in the film as everything has been about him so far and we only know his name so far. The scenery in which Hunter and his dad are in the impression given across is happy and loving due to the bright and sunny garden, which the occurrence of the baby laughing.

 

The tape transition between this scene and the next is extended to show the change in time between them. We then hear a young female voice “Who is that?” with the sound of the baby mobile playing the back ground (this adds a creepy tone to the moment but also show that the baby is the importance of this film and everything links back to him). With the questioned asked by the girl we view a young girl holding an old picture of a young girl in her school uniform, a female  voice from behind the camera then replies “It’s your aunt Katie” so we now know the mother has a sister and the young girl who asked the question is an older sister to Hunter. The old picture then becomes a close up on screen; this implies that this will hold relevance within the full-length film. The picture then fades into the same picture except all the edges have been damaged and burnt around the edges. Also the scenery has changed from a living area to the mother lying on a bed. This emphasises a change in time has occurred. She continues to say “Weird, I thought we lost it inn the fire” this then implies that something isn’t right and this picture will pay a large relevance to this film. Another transition occurs and we then view an image of the whole family (dad, mum, sister, baby and the foreign nanny), after this we view another transition but instead of it being like a tape ending it come across more like the tape is damaged and appears on the screen longer.

 

We then come across a high angle shot of the living room that has been completely wrecked and ruined; we have a clear understanding of where we are in the house as the stairs in visible in the bottom left corner. With this film being filmed above allows us to feel as if the guy is more superior to who ever done it. We then hear “Somebody broke in…” from behind the camera so we have an understanding of what actually happened (sets the scene and moment for the audience). The next clip is of baby Hunters room but instead of his stuff being chucked around it has all been piled in the middle of the room, this implies there in something important about the baby rooms due to it  being defaced and vandalized differently to the rest of the room.

 

We then view a close up on the bed/mattress  we saw the woman laying on earlier on in the trailer, there is a high angle shot and zoom to emphasis the damaged caused “…and trashed the house”. This time the bed was violently damaged with rips and stab marks all over it, this high the strength and danger this individual in creating. When then over hear “Christie thought it was a ghost” although as ghost is said the speech become damaged and effective as if whatever it was that caused this was over hearing a effecting the system to hide what they were. A transition occurs again and we viewed a shadowed image close up of the mum and dad looking distressed and worried, this is due to their facial expressions and also body language. This will help to set the tension with the audience and with it all being filmed on a handheld home camera allows us to view everything from the characters perspective which will create a sense of realism and makes it more believable therefore more worrying. After this mood has been set he imaging returns back to light. This technique informs that everything is better at the moment but what the audience viewed before will still be playing on their minds and they’ll believe and wait for something dangerous to occur.

 

The daylight image is then the young girl in shot with the foreign nanny looking terrified in the corner, despite the daylight. In the background you can there hear the dominate voice of the father saying “I know you guys are freaked out, okay. And I’m going take care of you guys” automatically a non-diegetic noise appears in the background which informs the audience that something in going to occur further along, it also allows the audience to maintain the fear and distress they felt earlier and the beginning of the trailer as well as the break in (can tell something isn’t right). We then come across and the tape transition so we know time has passed, we the n view the dad fitting CCTV cameras in the corners on the rooms. We shall no view almost everything through these cameras, and it also makes the audience feel superior because they are watching over the characters in the film and can witness any occurrence but also see things before they do. This leave a sense of powerful but unknown as well as we don’t know what it going to happen still. The transition appears again, until we view CCTV blue night vision of the baby’s room, everything is silence except the breathing and movement of Hunter and the dog within the room (expecting noises). It then cuts to the view of the pool outside. The time and date appears in the bottom right hand corner of the screen so we have an understanding of where the room is to everything else as well as what time it is. The pools lights turn off and we’re able to focus on the outdoor noises of animals and crickets calling (makes everything come across as normal). It then quickly cuts to the kitchen and living. Although nothing unusual was happening, as the audience you still felt as if something was there because of it being at night and view through night vision it just automatically appears scarier. When then view the dog sniffing around the basement door within a few seconds of viewing him in the baby’s room. The dog seems to be interested with something, this allows us to prepare ourselves for something to occur and something is happening within the house. The camera is then placed at fast forward so we can seem the time change in the bottom corner, until it continues to play at normal pace we are able to hear the dog defensively growling at something and due to us not being able to see anything makes the audience worry more as the felt when the cameras were first put up they would be able to view everything and have an advantage. It quickly cuts to the baby’s room, where we view him standing up in his cot facing the camera; he then starts to looks around as if something has grabbed his attention. But we still cant see anything, this technique create tension with the audience because the film makers are aware the audience like to know what’s going on and hate to be ‘left in the dark’. It is clear the night light is on for the baby but it randomly begins to flicker and the door is wide open. If the light hadn’t of started to flash we as the audience would of assumed that the dog was the reason for the door being so widely open but after the light being effected we has an undecided mind set of what it was and then as the audience we being to question and guess to ourselves what is going to happen and what is it. We then flask back to the kitchen area we viewed earlier on expect this time the basement door has opened and the dog is no longer visible. We hear the door creaking open (sense of unknown and commonly used in horror for tension).

The tape end transition appears again, with the appearance of dawning music approaching the scene. A complete black background the fade in of white text ‘This October’ informs the audience when you can view the film in full but the fade out of text a dawning music has the ability to inform them the trailer is still to continue. As the audience we then come across a voice of a teenage boy “So what do you make of this whole ghost situation?” the next clip is of the teenage girl in the family pool looking happy and excited during the during with her reply being “I think it’s awesome!” the tape end transition reappears to show there has been a change in time and also the possible of a change in thought with the characters. When then come across the foreign nanny in the kitchen late at night (the time of the cctv camera tells us this). She is seen to be shaking candles around to almost get the ‘spirits away’ as it is her belief back home to help protect a family. Suddenly the tape cuts again and the teenage girl reappears on our screen but this time it is a close up on her face which come across as worried and is followed up with “this is the freakiest thing to ever happen to me last night”. During this speech the young girl turns her hand-held camera onto the playback computer screen of the house cameras for us to see the girl standing just on the outside of the house with the front door open and it suddenly just swings shot being able to hear the noise of the front door slamming shut. The girls finishes the film with “this is the door closing by itself” but you can tell there is now a sudden panic and fear to her voice compared to the cocky and up beat voice she had in the pool earlier on in the trailer. To end this  moment the tape transition is used again to keep the audience informed it is hand-held for a more personal touch but to also so a change in time and scene.

 

A black background reappears on the screen with the fade in of the continuously white text ‘“The most anticipated horror event of the year”- Steve Barton, Dreadcentral.’ This is so the producers of the film hopefully gain more interest because the audience are informed of the film and know someone well known has viewed it and given positive feedback. The camera then become affected and moves around, and due to all the stranger moments happening during the film we can only assume it is the ‘thing’ they are all becoming to fear. Suddenly the trailer cuts to the nursery, we are away of the room placement due to the props within but the cctv camera we view from has the name of each room in the bottom right corner (NRSRY-6, STRWY-5, KTCHN-3, POOL-2). We view the baby asleep in his cot but the dog barking at the bathroom door, loud and aggressively as if he was trying to warn of whatever was there and was trying to protect the baby. The camera angle changes, so we view the dog and the baby from another position which creates a closer filming frame to view the moment. Soon after we no longer hear the dog just barking but a creaking noise appear, with this the dog backs down in fear of whatever is causing the happenings and suddenly the baby is lifted by his cot just into mid-air with nothing around him. This moment informs the audience that there is actually something within the house and the family aren’t scared of nothing. And the fact that you can’t see what is causing all this distress makes things more terrifying because it all comes across as a mystery and possibly makes it more realistic when watching and having everything filmed and shot through hand-held home cameras as well as cctv camera also helps to create the realistic effect.

 

After this revealing screen occurs the end of tape effect is used again which then flows into a black out, so the change in scene and time has occurred again without us knowing what is really going on or why the ‘thing’ is there. The trailer cuts straight back to the hand-held camera with it facing the mum whilst the front light shines strongly on her face to allows us to see the fear and panic upon her face. The low shot also informs us that she is soaked but we unaware of why. With the camera still facing her we are able to work out that she is running through the house, it then turns back round so we are able to see what she can (see all open door ways and the staircase). Her panting starts to become deeper and heavier with the running and panic. As the audience we then view a long shot of Hunter crawling along the road outside their house. She exclaims “HUNTER”, he turns his head to acknowledge he heard her; the hand-held camera then zooms in onto his face to show something isn’t right with him, but what? The view is dark and blurry which tells the audience that there is all occurring earlier late evening or earlier hours of the next morning. The blur could possibly be the ‘thing’ affecting it, we can only guess at this moment in time. The tape end transition is used again and cuts straight back to the next scene which is then all viewed in night vision mode. The next thing we see is a hand in the bottom left corner without any background noise to focus ourselves onto. Then we hear the daughter’s voice come across confused when she yells “Dad?” Suddenly the camera cuts out with the tape end transition, the daughter then appears in the left hand side of the hand-held but this time she is seen screaming, again the tape end transition appears and we then come across a view from the top of the staircase with the night vision still on. All we hear is the screams coming from all characters from all angles of the house with the sudden exclaim of “GET OUT!”. Once again the tape end transition occurs (it has appeared several time in this last moment, to stop the moments being ruined for the audience and it creates more of a mystery for them as they don’t know what is happening and can only see the family scared at certain moments. This is a way to bring them into the cinema to then watch the film to find out everything). From nowhere a new figure of a woman we have not seen during the whole incidence has appeared within the nursery bathroom, who is she? Where did she come from? Where did the dog go? How did she get in? we don’t know, and that’s what the directors want us to question.

 

The tape end transition makes us then view the chandelier swinging violently above the hand-held camera, straight cut to the mum exclaiming at the top of her voice from the top of the stairs protecting the young baby’s room “GET OUT OF MY HOUSE!” Tape end transition occurs again, still with the night vision we view the trailer clip upside down due to the hand-held camera being knocked over, but the audience are still able to make out that it is Hunter standing in the middle of the screen. This time for a scene change the camera just cuts to black, showing something stopped it filming. The filming is then back to up right where we see the mum standing over the baby’s nursery door and then suddenly being knocked off her feet and dragged viscously by her legs out of the room. The trailer moves straight to a Black out screen and the number ‘2’ appears on screen with the following of ‘Paranormal’… ‘Activity’ flickering onto the screen as if it was being affected. We then hear a deep and well-spoken voice of a man appear “paranormal Activity 2, Rated R. opens Thursday night October 21^st at midnight”. Then all sound is cut and the black screen is left to play on.