EsSaY

The two trailers to be analysed are “scream” (1996) and “The Ring” (2002). Both of these films conform to horror conventions but one is more of a slasher film and “The Ring” is more of a psychological panic.
Both trailers aim to persuade audiences to go watch the film. They usually do this by leaving the audience wanting more.

“The Ring” (2002) is a remake of the Japanese film ringu (1998), which worked extremely well. The narrative was unique and interesting, therefore Hollywood producers decided on a remake, using American actors and a better known language, English. This was a great decision as it worked so well with audiences. There was a follow up called “The Ring” 2. The original ringu won 6 awards, and “The Ring” itself won 7 awards. “Scream” is a well established film because it had its follow ups “scream” 2 and 3. Films such as “The Ring” and “scream” give audience a sense of satisfaction and many types of pleasures of which they may not receive from other genre films. Horror films allow a sense of emotional pleasure, because they encourage the audience to feel like the characters, so sense of fear arises within the viewers. Visceral pleasure is also gained form this as the audience may sometimes feel as if they are on a “rollercoaster ride”. They are able to feel the emotions of the protagonist so when they are secure the audience feels happy but as they are chased and killed, the audience feels the quick pacing heartbeat and the fear of the characters.

The first shot in the “scream” trailer is of the phone. This is a crucial prop within these films as they usually give a sense of someone there but allows no visual appearance of this character keeping them a mystery for the audiences to solve. The camera itself is ignored by the female within the shot therefore giving a feel of voyeurism by the audience, they are watching here in her home when they shouldn’t be, alongside the stalker, who is calling her. This allows interaction with the audience persuading them more to like the film and the narrative. “The Ring” first scene however is of the inside of a VCR. This allows the audience to understand that the focal point of the film is the film they watch within it. We then move on to watching the film, with the characters in the film. Although this may sound confusing this again allows interaction with the audience as they feel part of the main characters lives.

“The Ring” trailer starts off with a voice over of a female describing the video they watch that kills people. The music kicks in when she talks about the phone call which says “you will die in 7 days”. The music is from piano, but has low notes and high notes together creating confusion and anticipation within the audience. When the main protagonist (who is a female) decides she wants to try and avoid her death, the music gets stronger yet more discordant as it changes to stringed instruments. The music builds up and a choir joins in making the last few scenes more dramatic than they seem. The music has a great impact on its audiences because it draws them into the film. The music then fades out with a “scream” at the end of the trailer. “Scream” trailer has no music for the first 30 seconds. This is so the audience pays close attention to the conversation between the character and the stalker. The dramatic sound from the window breaking alerts the audience of the narrative behind the film.

Both films focus on people watching things they shouldn’t. In “The Ring” it’s the death video and in “Scream” its scary movies. The stalker in “scream” has become this way because of his love of scary movies and tries to re-act them in reality. This shows the characters going against the 3 vital rules of the 2 wise monkeys. “See no evil, hear no evil and speak no evil.” Most horror films do follow the act of a sin, whether this may be pre-marital sex, alcohol and drugs or anything which may not be right. Horror movies show audiences they must never do anything against what they were taught since childhood. This could be talking to strangers or going out in the dark etc. However films like these may also create a sense of an un-existing moral panic. The trailer for “scream” includes titles which say “do not pick up the phone” and “do not open the door”. This creates fear in the littlest most basic things in life, but because of these trailers and because of the impact of this, the audience wants more and go to watch the film.

The trailers both work well in attracting its audiences because it involves them within the plot and makes them feel part of the film.