Film Title: Paranormal Activity (2009) Trailer Length: 1:45 Director: Oren Peli Release Date: 25th November 2009 Certificate: 15 Genre: Horror / Thriller Production company: Blumhouse Productions Distribution Company: Paramount Budget: $15,000 Opening Weekend: $77,873 Gross: $107,917,283
This is a very unconventional trailer in that it does not show any production companies at the start, only a small Paramount logo in the bottom right corner at the very end. It also focuses on the audience’s reaction to the film, rather than the actual narrative and characters of the film, subverting common conventions of a film trailer. Close up’s are regularly used to show the live audience’s reaction to the film, but preventing the audience from seeing what they are reacting to, creating enigma and possibly encouraging viewers to watch the film to see why live audience members showed such a reaction, to find out almost what they are missing out on. The close up’s throughout the trailer, for example a close up on one man gasping in shock, not only shows her emotion of fear, but also the lighting in this shot, and throughout a lot of the trailer, is low key lighting, conventional of a horror trailer. In particular, the camera has used a night – mode effect, highlighting the darkness of the location, increasing connotations of the unknown and eeriness, tow horror codes.
Throughout the film, hand held shots are used. This is to give the feeling of unsteadiness and instability, two common feelings portrayed by the horror genre to generate fear and vulnerability. It also adds an element of realism to the trailer, audiences feel they are literally submerged into the film, as though real life. This increases fear generated amongst the audience as the supernatural activities will be a lot more terrifying if audience felt they were there themselves. It also greater engages audiences and they may begin to feel they personally know the characters as though they are experiencing the paranormal activities with them in real life, supporting uses and gratifications of personal identity whereby audiences watch the film as they feel a personal connection with characters, created by this sense of realism from the hand held camera. From the establishing shot it is apparent that this trailer does not follow conventions of a typical trailer. While most trailers feature text and/ or footage from the film, the various hand-held shots at candid angles suggest that the footage shown is not from the film. As the text explains, the footage is of a separate event; a screening of ‘Paranormal Activity’ which is a completely new concept in terms of film trailers. The apple logo in the bottom right-hand corner of the frame shows that the footage for the trailer was editing on ‘iMovie’, this reveals the trailer to be a low – budget (to which it is at just $15 000) to use cheap editing software such as thus one, suggesting the film is not apart of the Big 6. However, on the other hand, using this software may have been intentional as it adds to the realism created by the film and therefore makes it all more believable; a very effective technique.
Usually in trailers, and specifically horror trailers, music throughout the trailer is key. Horror films rely on music to build suspense, conventionally increasing in pace and volume until silence before a scary scene. However, there is music constant throughout this trailer, therefore subverting the conventions of both trailers and trailers of the horror genre. However, this may have been intentional in order to again add to the sense of realism, showing almost a documentation of the supernatural, rather than showing a linear narrative, highlighted through the absence of music in order for diegetic sounds and dialogue to be heard. Due to its lack of soundtrack, this trailer relies heavily on the use of sound to build suspense and fear amongst the audience. For example, diegetic bangs are heard at the end of the trailer, gradually increasing in pace and volume, before a ghostly figure brushes past the screen. Therefore although it is unconventional in its lack of music, it is conventional in still producing the emotions of fear and suspense, through the use of sound. Many of the transitions towards the end of the trailer are fuzzy, as though loosing connection. Once again this adds to the element of realism, but also suggests to the audience something is broken / not quite right, foreshadowing future disruption to the narrative.
During the trailer, reviews are shown, ‘genuinely horrifying – Film Threat’, this further reinforces the low budget of the film as the film is having to rely on reviews to attract audiences due to its lack of funds to draw audiences in through a- list actors. It is also conventional for film trailers to show their reviews in film trailers, particularly at the end.
This trailer is one of the first of it’s kind, and proved to be an extremely effective marketing technique, as films are now made in a time where trailers are criticised for all being too similar, as the framework that they follow has become more and more specific. The fact that this trailer pushes boundaries and offers viewers a different experience of a trailer is very effective, however it is almost too unconventional to base our trailer on.