NAME OF FILM: Oculus
YEAR RELEASED: 2014
GENRE OF TRAILER: Horror
MARKS AFTER VIEWING: 10/10
YEAR RELEASED: 2014
GENRE OF TRAILER: Horror
MARKS AFTER VIEWING: 10/10
What
happened in the trailer?
The trailer begins with a scene of the main character, Kaylie Russell, greeting a mysterious and creepy mirror whilst small figures covered in sheets emerge behind her. We are then introduced to the narrative and we learn a little about the family and their past trauma. 30 seconds into the trailer, Kaylie tells her brother Tim that she plans to destroy the mirror and so the primary narrative is establishes very quickly. We are then shown highlights of the film’s mysterious and confusing events without giving away too much of the narrative.
The trailer begins with a scene of the main character, Kaylie Russell, greeting a mysterious and creepy mirror whilst small figures covered in sheets emerge behind her. We are then introduced to the narrative and we learn a little about the family and their past trauma. 30 seconds into the trailer, Kaylie tells her brother Tim that she plans to destroy the mirror and so the primary narrative is establishes very quickly. We are then shown highlights of the film’s mysterious and confusing events without giving away too much of the narrative.
Which positive, clever or interesting aspects do you think
you could include in your own trailer? What generic features are fulfilled
well?
My favourite aspect of this trailer is the mystery that it creates. The trailer is confusing in terms of the story’s narrative and creates tension and suspense as a result of this. I think the filmmakers were extremely clever with this film and trailer because the mirror shows you what it wants you to see, and so the characters are unsure of what is reality, what is the past and what isn’t real.
I also really like the cinematography in this trailer. There are numerous close ups that are all relevant and fit with the flow of the trailer, and they help the audience to connect with the characters and really see their facial expressions up close and personal. Another part of the cinematography I like are the shots of the mirror because the way the shot is filmed makes the mirror seem very important and superior to anything else in the room, and we feel the chills and mystery that surrounds it.
One other aspect I like about this trailer that I think I could use for my own trailer is the editing. The perfect amount of collision cutting has been used and the trailer flows perfectly from beginning to end with quicker montage sequences in exactly the right place and it plays with your mood perfectly. The trailer begins with a minor jump scare to make sure that the audience are paying attention but then calms down to establish the narrative, though still doesn’t become boring which is a problem many horror films encounter. The pace then picks up once we are aware of the basic narrative. As more events start to unfold, the pace increases and by the last part of the trailer the audience is most likely on the edge of their seats with suspense. The trailer ends with a very chilling scene in which Kaylie and Tim are standing very close to the mirror, the lights flicker off and a terrifying figure emerges from the mirror. This scene lasts about 1 second which makes it much more tense and shocking to the audience.
This trailer also fits many other horror conventions including the mise-en-scene of low key lighting and an enclosed creepy location, as well as the seemingly strong female character Kaylie.
My favourite aspect of this trailer is the mystery that it creates. The trailer is confusing in terms of the story’s narrative and creates tension and suspense as a result of this. I think the filmmakers were extremely clever with this film and trailer because the mirror shows you what it wants you to see, and so the characters are unsure of what is reality, what is the past and what isn’t real.
I also really like the cinematography in this trailer. There are numerous close ups that are all relevant and fit with the flow of the trailer, and they help the audience to connect with the characters and really see their facial expressions up close and personal. Another part of the cinematography I like are the shots of the mirror because the way the shot is filmed makes the mirror seem very important and superior to anything else in the room, and we feel the chills and mystery that surrounds it.
One other aspect I like about this trailer that I think I could use for my own trailer is the editing. The perfect amount of collision cutting has been used and the trailer flows perfectly from beginning to end with quicker montage sequences in exactly the right place and it plays with your mood perfectly. The trailer begins with a minor jump scare to make sure that the audience are paying attention but then calms down to establish the narrative, though still doesn’t become boring which is a problem many horror films encounter. The pace then picks up once we are aware of the basic narrative. As more events start to unfold, the pace increases and by the last part of the trailer the audience is most likely on the edge of their seats with suspense. The trailer ends with a very chilling scene in which Kaylie and Tim are standing very close to the mirror, the lights flicker off and a terrifying figure emerges from the mirror. This scene lasts about 1 second which makes it much more tense and shocking to the audience.
This trailer also fits many other horror conventions including the mise-en-scene of low key lighting and an enclosed creepy location, as well as the seemingly strong female character Kaylie.
Which aspects of the trailer did you think were unsuccessful
and would put off its target audience? How is it disappointing?
Though this trailer has many good aspects, there are a few aspects which could be seen unsuccessful by other viewers. For example, some people may think that a 2 and a half minute long trailer is too long and bores the audience but I think that the 2 and a half minutes was filled with exciting and tense events that you don’t even notice how long it is. Something else that could be seen as unsuccessful is the overuse of sound effects. Towards the end, the events become more chilling and mysterious and so sound effects that are also chilling have been added to these scenes to add to the tension and suspense. I think this works fantastically and is very unsettling to watch in a positive way but some people may think this is too much.
Though this trailer has many good aspects, there are a few aspects which could be seen unsuccessful by other viewers. For example, some people may think that a 2 and a half minute long trailer is too long and bores the audience but I think that the 2 and a half minutes was filled with exciting and tense events that you don’t even notice how long it is. Something else that could be seen as unsuccessful is the overuse of sound effects. Towards the end, the events become more chilling and mysterious and so sound effects that are also chilling have been added to these scenes to add to the tension and suspense. I think this works fantastically and is very unsettling to watch in a positive way but some people may think this is too much.
Why did this trailer receive the mark you gave it?
I gave this trailer a 10/10 because there is nothing about this trailer that I can personally call an unsuccessful aspect and I think that this is in no way disappointing, it really lives up to the expectations of a horror film trailer in my opinion as it is distressing to watch and you connect with the characters as a result of this.
I gave this trailer a 10/10 because there is nothing about this trailer that I can personally call an unsuccessful aspect and I think that this is in no way disappointing, it really lives up to the expectations of a horror film trailer in my opinion as it is distressing to watch and you connect with the characters as a result of this.
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