Emma Collins. Year 13 COWA.

The trailer starts with a wide shot, this helps to introduce the setting and the characters. It is also filmed handheld which gives authentic feel to the film. The date and time stamp in the bottom right corner of the frame also gives the suggestion that this is a found footage film, thus hinting at the horror genre. As this is a family video the audience immediately will feel a connection with the people introduced.

The lighting is High-key which counter-acts the horror genre, as it is often conventional to use Low-key lighting. The children’s toys props are used to convey innocence to the viewer, and also make the audience wonder if the children will be involved in the story, feeling sympathy for them as they see them as innocent due to the brightly coloured clothing and brightly coloured toys.

We then see a close up shot of one of the children, the camera almost makes her look menacing, as she is looking down but directly into the camera. This could make the audience feel uncomfortable, and could suggest the common theme in horrors of a ‘creepy’ child. The shot is still using a handheld camera, and still in the style of a home video. However we can tell this style of shot is coming to an end by the blur in the image. This could put the audience on edge as they may be unsure about what they will see next.

The lighting is still high-key, and there is no clear sign of the horror genre yet. The pink top still connotes innocence of the young girl, and the audience would still feel sympathy.This high angled, wide shot helps show us the whole room. This makes the audience feel as if they are the outsider looking in. The blue tint to the shot suggests that this is a night vision camera, this sticks to the convention that horror is set at night. The props In the room show the audience that this is a child’s bedroom. This makes the ominous scene seem more shocking as the audience will feel dread and worry for the infant.

The lighting is very low-key and creates shadows. This helps set the ominous atmosphere of the scene. This keeps the audience on edge, and

Still image analys is of a horror trailer. Paranormal Activity 3(Supernatural Horror)

Emma Collins. Year 13 COWA.

makes them react when the women is pulled to the ground.

People who are fans of the films, will also recognise this scene from the previous film.This low angled shot doesn’t allow the audience to see the characters in the shot. This makes the audience feel almost left out, and uneasy as they will not know what is going on. This is a common theme used in horror, it is used to keep the audience on edge and unknowing to the story.

The lighting is High-key which is unusual for a horror as it presents the idea of being safe, however this could be a clip from the beginning of the film before all the action happens.However as they are burning a photo and there are props such as a cross and candles suggest to the audience that a kind of Christian ritual is happening e.g. an exorcism ( A conventional theme in supernatural horrors)This shot seems to follow on from one of the previous shots earlier on in the trailer. It keeps the high angled shot with the same position from before. Using two shots from the same scene in a trailer could confuse the audience as they will want to know what is going on with the story.

The lighting is still Low-key, however the lighting from the doors has gone creating a chiaroscuro effect. This puts the audience on edge as it’s a horror convention of something emerging from the darkness to frighten the audience. The props are the same from the scene which was shown earlier on in the trailer. This keeps with continuity.

Emma Collins. Year 13 COWA.

This scene is back to the old handheld home video. We can tell this by the recognisable time stamp and date. The shot is a mid-shot, however due to the light we cannot see this.

This scene is used to create suspense; the extreme Low-key lighting creating chiaroscuro keeps the audience on edge and makes them think something will jump out on them. The torchlight is also a conventional prop in horror films; this used makes the audience think that it may shine on something to scare them. The red camera recording light helps to create realism and authenticity. The way the little girl is shining the light under her face created the iconic chiaroscuro monstrous face of a villain which is used in older horror films, such as Hammers Dracula for example.

This scene follows on from the image above. It is using the same mid-shot.

The lighting is still very low-key however some natural light is used coming from outside the door. This allows the audience to see the figure and be shocked by its reveal. It also creates suspense for the story as the audience will want to know what happens to the girls.

The use of the regular family home setting, such as the bathroom makes the audience feel sympathy for the family as these events are happening in their home. Something everyone could put themselves in their position and relate to.