Krampus- Trailer Analysis

 Starts off with non-diegetic Christmas music playing in the background, connoting a happy cheerful holiday with the family. The close up of the cooking of gingerbread men, connote  loving and festive atmosphere in the house. Bringing the idea that Christmas is a time for joy and spending time with your family into full play here.

 The close up of the grandma kissing the little boy on the head shows the genuine love and connection the family have for one another. It's the last moment in the trailer were you see this, even when they're having dinner there are arguments and fights taking place. Here in this shot there is the last moment of true happiness for these characters before Krampus comes to visit them, and their lives are put into jeopardy.

The establishing shot in a high angle and the low key lighting sets up the horrific events to come for the family. Already establishing a a sense of foreshadowing, as it connotes that danger is ready to take hold for the family, that they might not survive this experience.

The stereotypical setting for the family living room sets up the trailer for the happy and lighthearted start that it begins with, full of love and care. However, it's rather ironic as they don't get to experience the family holiday that is supposed to be Christmas. That fire place lit with a warming fire setting a cozy and comforting atmosphere lighting up the room and adding a sense of magic to the shot. However, this disturbed later on when Krampus makes his way down the chimney and blows out the fire leaving the room cold and dark, again creating the sense of anticipation and danger of what Krampus is going to do that family.

 The Inter-title, quoting the lyrics from another Christmas song "Santa Clause is coming to town" is rather clever. The idea that Krampus can see you when your sleeping connotes that this family are always in watch from him, they have no way of escape and they're never safe, he is always after them. The sans serif font connotes the seriousness of this comment and how terrible their situation is. It connotes to the audience how much danger the family are in and builds that tension and anticipation of if they're going to get out alive.The fact that the font is white also contradicts the comment, but fits into the colours of Christmas. White connoting innocence and purity, possibly reflecting on the innocence of the young boy when he ripped up his letter to Santa Clause as he gave up on Christmas. Highlighting how naive the boy was to the terror he is about to cause himself and his family.

The mid shot of the the gingerbread man pined to the fridge with a knife, is really the point where you can see that the whole family are in true danger. This is one of the gingerbread men that the grandma and little boy made together earlier in the trailer, when the film was light hearted and happy. Now it's pinned with knifes, possibly connoting it's dead and foreshadowing one of the family members deaths, like it acts as a warning and a threat from Krampus to the family that they won't survive. You also have the fact that the gingerbread man in not actually alive and so has no power or strength against Krampus,and therefore completely submissive to Krampus control. This connoting that the family are going to be completely submissive under Krampus control, and that they won't have any way of escaping or fighting back against him to protect themselves.

 The weapon iconography connotes that the family are brave and willing to fight back to save themselves and their family. However, the whole premise of this trailer it would seem is "at what price?". The little boy gave up on Christmas at the price of putting everyone he loves in danger. The family are trying to protect themselves and fight back against Krampus and his helpers but at what price? Will they lose one of their family members?

The close up of the monster with the high key lighting on its face puts emphasis on its sharp teeth making it seem more frighting then it actually is. The mise en scene with the red bow around its neck, keeps the theme of Christmas however, turned it on it's head for  a more creepy twist to the the trailer.

The low key lighting with the little boy on the floor with his hand covering his mouth paired with the the silence builds the dramatic tension. Leaving the audience waiting to see if the child is going to die or live through this experience. It then follows with the amplified sound of the music box falling on the floor making it prominent and frighting because of the silence that came before it.

The music box and the sound effect of it falling to the floor being amplified makes the toy that is usually associated with children and fun into something dangerous and terrifying. A symbol of lost hope and possible death. It's spinning it on the head of traditional Christmas and turning it into dread and terror.

finally the mid shot of the clown really draws on a popular fear amoungst people. The fact that it is considered on of Santa's "Helpers" in this trailer really highlights the twisted nature of this Santa. The fact that it's in the house of the victims too make it seem even more dangerous, as it has intruded with their privacy and safety that is meant to be felt in a house.

Research- Psychological thriller film trailers

The Gift

Starts with slow paced suspenseful music that builds up a creepy atmosphere, and connotes that something bad is going to happen. Paired with a mid shot of the couple kissing and the diegetic sound of the man telling his wife that he is "very happy" before they kiss . The slow paced music paired with the happy light hearted embrace connotes that something bad is about to happen and its right around the corner creating almost a sense of dramatic irony that we a the audience can pick up on. Which is stereotypical of the psychological thriller genre, the fact that the characters in the film will not be aware that something bad will happen to them whereas we as the audience can tell.

The cross cutting back and forth between the bow on the present and the life of the couple and them going about their everyday life, again create the dramatic irony and builds up the suspense of what that present or that bow could be, making this gift significance almost like its the start of something big. It also cleverly highlights the title of the film but without actually textually putting it in yet.

The mid shot of the women in the shower and then the amplified diegetic sound of the door bell going off paired with the music becoming more faced paced and the pitch louder and deeper, connoting she could be in danger. When in the shower you're vulnerable and usually alone, therefore making you an easy target to get to.  This is actually rather stereotypical for a thriller as, a lot of death or dangerous scenes happen in a shower, as again the victim is less likely to be protected or armed with anything to strike back.

The long shot of the creepy "friend" who's leaving all the presents suddenly showing up at the window of the house waving at the women when she is all alone. Paired with the sudden silence of the music for barely a second as he appears, connotes that the women is in jeopardy. This is rather stereotypical of the genre as the women being the victim as they're stereotypically more gentle and easily frightened, they're also more trusting and friendly letting others into their home consequently bring in the danger closely to them without even realising it.


Fonts that show up in the trailer are featured on a black background and are sans serif coloured white, making them really show up on the black background. They have a slit through the bottom of the words for example in one of the shots it says "WILL BECOME YOUR PRESENT" and the will and become have an ongoing slit through it, almost like someone has cut the words with a knife, though its a clean cut with no jagged edges. You also have the fact that it's written in all capital letters, this connotes that their is a seriousness about them words as well as an urgency for them to be read and understood, possibly suggesting to the audience that this is an important message to remember when you watch the full length film. Though the size of the font is rather large which is rather counter-typical for the target audience of around 18-25 year old; as they will be able to read rather well, it does flick away rather fast as by the end of the trailer the pace is rather fast to create the anticipation of what is going to happen with the characters. However, a younger audience such as 18-25 year old will stereotypical enjoy a fast paced film that has a lot of action and story line to it, because it keeps them on the edge of their seat and makes their adrenaline pump through their bodies creating a thrill, just like the genre implies it will do.

The high angle mid shot of the blood on the floor and the sound bridge that carries through the end of the trailer as the events of what happens to the women victim play out create a weary and perilous atmosphere. That creates a dramatic ending to the trailer and leaves the audience wanting to know what happens with the characters and if the women survives being in hospital, all this suspense and tension between the characters is a rather persuasive technique to make the audience wanna pay and watch the whole movie just to see how it all plays out.

The silence of the lambs


At the beginning of the film trailer there is close ups of a mans face that are very fast paced and the non diegetic sound increasing in pitch and and being very low making it rather haunting feel to, and you can connote that the man that is being flashed on screen is the antagonist of the film.

the voice over of the a man saying "the killer is on the lose" and the mid shot of the women being released from her cell connotes that she is in danger and that possibly that she could be the victim of this film and the killer. It creates a sense of suspense of who the killer is and if the women is in danger and will survive the possible attack that will happen to her.

Another voice over of the man explaining how the killer kills his victims "he shoots them, skins them and thumps them" whilst the camera zooms into news articles put up on the wall of the attacks and murders the killer has done, with the non diegetic sound effect of almost like clashing metal which becomes louder the closer the camera gets to the news articles.

the cross cutting between the agent that is trying to cut down the killer and the close up shots of the medical equipment cutting open human flesh, connotes that the killer likes to cut open his victims almost like jack the ripper, again you have the harsh and fast paced non diegetic music behind each shot, connoting how dangerous he is.

The fast paced editing that takes place between the shots once the rather "insane" agent helps the women catch the killer comes into the trailer, connoting the danger he puts her in and how quickly all the murders happen, how fast the murderer is from getting away and how helpless they each are.

You also have the amplified sound of a man screaming with the high angle mid shot of him kneeling of the floor, connoting he is in pain, or that eh can not get away, this again connoting something bad is about to happen to him. The amplified scream adds to the anticipation and suspense that builds up in the trailer and makes the audiences adrenaline pumping, wondering if they will get out alive and catch the killer before the killer catches them.

The CGI of the green glasses and the hands trying to move their way through the darkened space with the very fast cuts to the close up of the creepy agents face, of him smiling and looking directly at us connotes that actually he might be the one that is dangerous or possibly that he is just as dangerous as the killer himself. It makes him seem like a psychopath that fells no guilt as he seems happy with himself with the cheeky grin and excited by the thrill of the chase.

Then you have the editing effect where part of the title of the film "silence" almost fades onto the the screen, in a red font almost looking like it's on fire. with the sharp non diegetic music behind it, and the black background making the text seem more bold and stand out more. cutting to the extreme close up of the mans face and the diegetic sound of him saying to the camera "thank you carie, thank you" with his small smile and his direct eye contact with us making it seem like he is almost saying it to us, building that adrenaline and creepy feel to it.

Finally you have the main cast names with some star power in them with actors and actresses like Jodie foster, with white sans serif font, making it look rather serious and dramatic and to add to that dramatic tone you have the non diegetic sound effects of almost like a drum beating every time a name appears on screen, at the end you even have the non diegetic sound of either a screech of a scream, making it rather tense and suggest how in peril the agents are against that man.

psycho


Black and white with the high pitched  non diegetic screeching sound, and the fast paced editing between shots of someone in the shower. creates a sense of danger and vulnerability wondering why they're in the shower in the first place what has happened to them, it's taking when you're most vulnerable eg. naked in a shower and making it creepy building up the suspense and anticipation.

the voice over of an old man who says "here we have an old hotel that has now in fact become the scene of an crime" you can connote they're referring to the person lying in the shower someone must have murdered them there. Again you have the high pitched sinister non diegetic music in the background to build up the suspense.

everybody goes about their everyday lives, with the voice over of a younger man saying "i think we're all in our own private traps" still with the rather high pitched fast paced music that creates a sense of dread that something is going to happen to them characters and their lives will never be the same again. The non diegetic soundtrack becomes fast paced and having a lower pitched then form the beginning, this creates suspense.

Again you have the shower scene with a high angle of a women dancing in the shower curtain closed. You can then see with every beat of the music a figure moving closer through the shower curtain, you can connote that she is the victim found dead in the shower or that she is great jeopardy.

you have a close up of the hand with the bloody knife falling down in a swift motion. with the fast paced loud music again. which you can assume is going down to kill someone, and just before that you have it cut to a close up of a mans hands covered in what you can assume to blood.  after he rushed in to the bathroom must have realised she was in danger only to be too late.

Then you have a close up of a mans eye peeping through a hole in a wall and the words "Psycho" appears on screen, in a white serif font, making it seem like it's creepy and almost ghost like, with what it's looking like some one just stuck them on a the screen as they're arranged weirdly, and not straight some letters are higher then the other, making it seem like it's all done in a rush. Then it has the red slash through the it wish could represent a slash of blood, or it could connote danger and peril.

The butterfly effect


Starts with non diegetic sound effect that sounds almost like a door slamming closed, it creates tension and builds up anticipation ans adrenaline to the audience because as the non diegetic sound effect is played, the screen quickly flashes to a white screen and then cuts back to black screen with the text "some people want to forget the past" in a serif font that is what to stand out against the black background is is rather small i would say around size 12 font, but right in the centre of the screen to attract the audiences attention and eye. Then you have the last part of the text almost rotate into each other and it replaces it with "some people just want to change it" Just like they did with the message on the screen.

There is a non diegetic voice over, of a middle aged or old man with a very deep voice that says "there are moments in life we choose not to remember" making it seem very dramatic and the audience can connote that something bad is going to happen to the guy on the screen. It almost implicitly put across that forgetting things isn't as easy as it might seem.

You have the amplified laugh of the mans girlfriend partnered with a high angle mid shot of them lying in bed him on top of her and the diegetic sound of him telling her "we will be together forever". with the voice over still happening in the background which you can connote that their happy relationship is going to shatter and something bad is going to happen to them. Then you have the non diegetic sound of the girls scream and the almost explosion sound effect as she walks back into the road, connoting she got hit by a car and died. This creates tension and suspense of what the man is going to do without her.


The the CGI of the room almost collapsing into itself where ever he moves his eyes, and then the POV shot of the guy looking through his girlfriends journals and the diegtic sound of him telling his friend "he might be able to get her back" You then cut to a mid shot of him sitting down and diegetic sound of hi crying out in pain and holding his head, connoting something is going wrong with him. This then leaves the audience with the question; what is wrong with him?

You then have the special effects of the room spinning around him and the black and white footage connoting that he has travelled back into his dead girlfriends past.

You have the fading from the shots of them two together in the film to a dark red skull image into a black smoky background with text on the screen once again in the white small serif font, which could represent how whimsical the film really is.