Analysis Of A Film Trailer: The Cabin In The Woods

Trailer Analysis

The Cabin In The Woods

13 April 2012

Drew Goddard

URLlink: http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x54c94w_the-cabin-in-the-woods-2012-official-trailer-hd_shortfilms

Length: 2.25

Genre & sub genre: Thriller/Mystery

Target Audience

The certificate for the movie is 15. Therefore, I believe the movie is aimed at 15 -25 year old young male and female adults.

Narrative/plot

Five friends decide to go on a vacation to a secluded forest cabin not expecting anything sinister to happen to them. However, as the horrors start one by one the characters fall victim to backwoods zombies.

This is all controlled by two scientists which manipulate their surroundings, but there is more to the reason they do this than anyone even imagines.

Number of Characters:

Overall, there are 5 main characters including 2 females and 3 males. They are all young adults which want to have some fun which adheres to the stereotype of young people. I believe they are quite stereotypical as at the start they are really pumped and excited however when things start to happen they get scared.

The first character is Jules. She is portrayed as the ‘dumb blonde’ of the group of friends. She is very outgoing and a little promiscuous which relates to the conventional blonde character. Furthermore, she is quite the damsel in distress type of character.

The next character is Curt. He is portrayed as the conventional ‘jock’; he is very built and enjoys female attention. He also fits in the heroic male character as throughout the film he is seen as grave and powerful and tries his best to keep his friends safe.

The next character is Dana. Dana is the quiet girl next door. She is portrayed as very calm and quite nerdy. She seems to be quite uncomfortable with the ideas of getting drunk and having fun therefore causing her to be quite responsible and mature.

The next character is Marty. Marty is essentially the ‘pot head’ of the group, as he seems to always be high. He also plays the clown of the group as he introduces a very chilled out and fun atmosphere.

The last character is Holden. Holden acts as a token character in this film. He is also quite reserved and well-read which may subvert the conventional token character. He is portrayed in a positive light which makes him likeable by the audience.

Shots (type & number)

The first shot pans over the van and is a long shot which shows one of the characters packing stuff into the vehicle. This establishes the current location of the characters and what they are doing. Due to the camera being behind the van it gives the audience an impression that someone is watching which foreshadows later events in the film.

This is another long shot which is quite stereotypical for the horror genre. It shows how the characters are travelling to the cabin. The shot causes the characters to look very vulnerable compared to the scale of the forest.

This is a close up shot of a man pulling a leaver. This is significant as it connotes that someone is watching the characters and this decision may change the whole outcome of their adventure.

Transition/editing

This shot reverse shot allows the audience to see the interactions between the characters when they try and think of a plan due to the horrible circumstances they have been put in. Also due to the first shot of the male blond being positioned alone signifies that he is the leader of the groups and in the next shot we see his ‘followers’.

Pace: editing

At the beginning the pace is quite slow as it shows how the characters get to the cabin, however when they get comfortable - start to party and pour drinks, the pace starts to increase. Near the end the pace is fast and builds up to a crescendo the sequence of faster shots includes mostly medium shots and close ups of the characters running or being dragged and other characters that we are yet unfamiliar of.

This creates tension and suspense causing the audience to be more intrigued in the film.

Mise-en-scene   

This abandoned petrol station is conventional for the horror genre as it causes the audience to feel quite creeped out. Also due to the characters spotting it on their way it connotes that they are in the middle of nowhere. This further emphasises the fact that they are isolated which is a repeating motive throughout the trailer.

The weapon is also quite a conventional prop due to the harm that it can do to the victim.






Conventions   

Group of young innocent adults

People are always watching and controlling

Weapons

Abandoned cabin

Forest

Death







Music & sound effects

As the characters explore the house there is a piece of non-digetic creepy score playing in the background which may connote that the cabin is a dangerous place. Also there are many hyper real sound effects being used.
For example as the bird flies the noise it makes is quite loud and as it hits the invisible field it is also quite loud.
Furthermore as he gets closer to the field there is a sound of a beating heart in the background which adds to the tension. Furthermore the connotations of a beating heart are that the characters may be scared are therefore their heart may be braiding at different rates.
Moreover, This causes the magnetic field to seem more powerful. Near the middle of the trailer there is a piece of upbeat rock type non-digetic music.
This causes the film to be taken a little less seriously as some critics do consider it to be a hybrid (horror/comedy). Also there is the stereotypical screaming of the mostly female characters which is a conventions of the horror genre.                                          

Special Effects/CGI

In this part of the trailer the characters face starts to split into shadows to give the impression that he is hallucinating. This type of special effect causes the audience to be more interested into why he is experiencing these hallucinations and what may they lead too. Also it causes it to be a distorted view which may relate to the thriller getting more intriguing.

Production Company/institutional identity

Mutant Enemy Productions

Credits/Intertitles

The intertitles use direct address as most of them start with ‘You’. Therefore it is engaging with the viewer and making them feel on edge.

This adds to the realism. Also all the letters are in capitals and a serif font with a white smoke escaping around them.

This results in the titles looking more creepy and standing out to the audience.

Furthermore, the background is the magnetic field that can be also seen in the trailer.

Dialogue

‘That’s the whole point, get off the grid right?’ -  This connotes that the location is so undiscoverable and buried deep in a forest that it cannot be found on a modern GPS. Therefore, it puts the characters at a massive disadvantage and in danger as it is very hard to find them if they are in need of help.

This is said by the character Marty at the point when they are going into the forest.

This helps to emphasise and create the picture of how far they are going into the forest.

‘I can get you there, getting back is your concern’ - This further emphasises the first point that if the characters get there they may not come back alive.  This is another example of the characters isolation which is a motif throughout the trailer.

Conclusion

Overall, I believe that the trailer adheres to the horror genre and does cause the audience a fright. The use of different types of shots and sounds adds to the creepy atmosphere of the trailer itself and causes the audience to be more interested.