Research and Planning: Trailer Analysis Two

Prom Night Trailer (2008)
The second trailer I am going to analyze is Prom Night which is a certificate 15 and is classed as a horror/thriller. The film was directed by Nelson McCormick; I have decided to analyze this trailer as it has effective horror elements and it will help me understand the language used in horror films.

Genre
The genre of this film is shown in the plot of the trailer as a mysterious man who is obsessed in one of his students got arrested then escaped from jail. He then goes after the female student called Donna on her prom night but he will kill anyone who gets in his way including her friends. The jump cuts throughout the film makes the audience jumpy, as when we least expect it the killer appears and takes another victim. I think Carol Clover's ' the Final Girl will be terrorized throughout the film' theory applies to this film. The final girl theory is when a series of victims are killed one by one by the killer which increases the terror for the audience and then it comes down to a climax where the killer goes after the last surviving female in this case it is Donna who either gets away or kills the killer. In this trailer we are unable to see the ending as this would ruin the film for the audience so this way we want to know what happens in the film as the suspense is increased throughout.

Representation
I think this trailer stereotypes teenagers as  they seem to be not concerned about anything apart from the way they look and everything superficial in the beginning of the prom. I think the police force are badly represented in the trailer as  there seems to be one detective trying to catch the killer, the seem to be understaffed and incapable of catching the killer in the beginning thus making them seem unprofessional and unorganized. I think Laura Mulvey's male gaze theory only fits in slightly here as it doesn't seem to be a prominent feature throughout, I think the male gaze only is shown at points such as when Donna is walking down the stairs in her dress and her boyfriend is admiring her however this is seen as normal.

Narrative
From the trailer we can see that the killer was the students teacher in the past but he got put in jail when he became obsessed with one of his female students (Donna). He then seems to have escaped prison and comes after her at the prom but he is killing who ever gets in his way, including her friends. I think an appropriate narrative theory for this trailer is Levi Strauss & Roland Barthes 'Binary Opposites' which are between the young female student Donna and older male teacher who is both a stalker and a killer. There are many binary opposites between these two characters but the main one is that Donna is innocent and good whereas the killer is guilty and bad.

Audience
I think the audience for this film are young adults/ older teenagers as it doesn't have too much of a complex plot, and the characters all seem to be young therefore they will relate to the characters more than an adult audience will. I think this film is more aimed at a specific gender of females as it is about prom night and a girl who has been stalked therefore I think it would be enjoyed more by females than males as in the beginning of the trailer it shows a lot of content about the girls getting ready and dressed up for prom and could be said that is is 'girly' it is only in the second half that the action/ killings begin. As this film is a thriller/horror I think the audience do have to stay quite active as the man obviously has a past history with the female student Donna and there is a reason he is killing people and a reason he is trying to get to her. I think the audience would have to be at least fifteen years old as there seem to be some intense jumpy/graphic scenes when the killings happen or the victims are found.

Media Language

Mise en Scene:
- The trailer begins with the main female character  in the hairdressers this is a usual girly innocent activity which helps to lure the audience into a false sense of security as everything seems normal in the first half of the trailer.
-The girls are all in prom gowns which makes them seem vulnerable
-The party begins in the limo where all the students are on their way to prom, they all look like they are enjoying themselves through their facial expressions which show them to be happy and their body language which shows them to be relaxed and at ease.
-The main setting where the prom is being held is at a hotel which seems a safe place as it is full of people and isn't usually a place where murders take place.
-Every time their is a murder or about to be a murder the low key lighting appears, this hints that something sinister or scary is to appear.
-The villain/stalker is also in a suit which helps him blend in with the people at prom which makes people less suspecting of him but he also wears a cap which acts a a disguise from the students however  this points him out to the audience of being creepy.
- The detective is in a suit which is a professional attire which makes him seem efficient.

Sound:
-The non diegetic sound of music creates a happy atmosphere in the first half of the trailer but as soon as the room goes dark the diegetic sound of screams begins and so does the incidental music which sounds like a heartbeat this highlights the fact that people are about to be killed and there heartbeat is about to stop.
-The sound is synchronous when the stalker is heavy breathing and the diegetic sound of footsteps is used, this makes the action seem in the same room as the audience sat.

Cinematography:
-In the beginning of the trailer the use of long shots and medium close ups are used to help establish the scene to the audience and introduce the characters.
-I think the close up of the main girl and her boyfriend happily dancing is important as it shows they are relaxed and comfortable so when the lights go out we begin to see a different reaction from characters.
-There are then straight cuts which show medium close ups of the victims before they are killed it is as if they are prey being watched before they are killed.
-The extreme close up shot shows the eye of the girl (Lisa) who is looking through a hole at the killer, it builds anticipation and we know see is about to die.
-The point of view shot we recieve from the main character of the girl who is being stalked is effective as we see the killer/stalkers feet appear as she does and the audience will put themselves in her shoes and may also feel panicked.
-The camera tilts to feet at the top of a flight of stairs which builds suspense as the audience are curious to know who it is at the top of the stairs as it could be the killer or someone who will help.

Editing:
-The trailer begins with a montage of happy memories from the high school students this lures the audience into a false pretense and makes the film seem a genre such as comedy or romance however when the light goes out the horror genre is shown.
-In the trailer there are jump cuts between the characters which makes it seem like all the events are happening at the same time and the highlights the reaction to the events happening from each characters perspective.
-The editing is fast pace but picks up even more speed towards the end of the trailer which shows its reaching a climax in the film, this editing is full of straight cuts which helps quicken the editing.