Dead Mans Shoes Trailer Analysis

Dead Mans Shoes can be classified as a psychological trailer, yet it contains a

range of elements of a slasher film however it challenges the semantic code
through the way in which the film is viewed. It can be viewed from the point of
view of the killer as opposed to the normal convention of seeing it through the
point of view of the victims. This, as a result is as a way to try and justify the
actions the killer takes throughout the narrative. The story shows what a brother
will do to avenge his younger brother who has been abused by a group of thugs.
The trailer starts off by showing the logo of Optimum Releasing, this is a typical
convention within trailer as the logo of the distribution company is almost always
shown first. This is quickly followed by non-diegetic folky music which gives a
sense of the location of the narrative, as it represents a rural isolated area; this
does not comply with the conventional atmosphere of horror films. The lethargic
folk music could imply that this is the equilibrium of the narrative (Todorov) as it
conveys undisturbed peacefulness. The birds eye view serves as the
establishing shot which then dissolves into scenery, showing Richard, the main
character, and his brother Anthony walking along a road, and this introduces the
audience into the narrative. Using his rucksack and the khaki green jacket we
can presume that he was a soldier, but the jeans suggest that he must have left
the army. Through the long road, the mise en scene suggest that Richard and
Anthony are on the same journey, but their paths are literally and metaphorically
different; as Anthony walks a few steps behind Richard we can presume that he
is not going to complete his journey as the dark clouds in the distance suggest
the dark time that is going to come upon Richard and Anthony.
Furthermore, in the next scene we can see Richard and Anthony in a dip within a
forest with many shadows and little light, which may further convey a dark
disaster that may come upon them. The forest is a conventional location for
slasher film and the audience are automatically informed that one of them,
presumably Anthony is going to die, as he seems to be left behind in the forest.
We are informed that Richard and Anthony are brothers from the caption a
brothers love used between the forest scene and an old footage of a home
video in which we can see those two together, and this evokes the love Richard
has for Anthony and allows the audience to empathize with the character and
therefore try and justify his later actions. The voice over, which is a normal
convention found in most trailers, informs us about the greater evil that is going
to take place, as Richard comments ominously about evil, sin, retribution, which
will make the audience take a guess about the plot of the film, and this is linked
to Barthes hermeneutic code, as the relationship between the two brothers,
which is not fully explained combined with the voiced over quote will keep the
audience guessing, arresting the enigma until full closer is obtained in the final
sciences where everything will be revealed.
We then move to a scene where we can see Richard behind the wall of what
appears to be a cave, this location juxtaposed with what Richard is holding a
multi-tool set while is scratching his neck, mimicking slitting a throat could
reflect Richards evil side. This can also suggest to the audience that the
business he needs to sort back in town could be him murdering someone.
Nevertheless, the wall behind him could suggest that this is an abnormal
situation and as evoked by the cracked wall behind him, we can see that his
state of mind is damaged. Behind Anthony there is not much besides trees and
plants which connotates life, however in the left corner we can see two bars
which suggest that Anthony has been restrained from life. When the
VENGEANCE caption appears, it automatically conveys the slasher horror nature
of the film, as even the typography, not to mention the word itself, and the
screeching noise which can be heard while the caption is displayed, are normal
conventions of the slasher genre. Along with this caption also comes the
disruption of the equilibrium in Todorovs narrative theory. Through using the
classic black and white shots the trailer emphasizes flashbacks back of past
events. To build up the pace quick flash transition are used to build up the
tension. Richard is the paradox of the narrative as he is both the protagonist and
the antagonist within the trailer, because he is killing people but at the same
time the audience is given the power to justify his actions. It is unclear to the
audience what is right or wrong as the montage editing cuts from Anthony being
bullied to a scene of the bullies laughing, evoking their cold bully nature. Then
the quick red flash conveys that Richard is there to kill them. This montage
editing is done to make the lines between right and wrong more difficult to see.
The pace starts to build up in the second half of the trailer and Richard is seen
with an axe, almost mocking the bullies who are seen with a gun. Richards
attitude towards a gun possibly being pointed at him, shows not only how insane
he has become, but also that he has no fear towards the bullies, making him
almost a figure of invincibility. The captions found within the trailer are the seal
of approval which act to promote low budget films, by making it look like it is a
film the audience must watch as it is appreciated by film magazines and
festivals. The typography is written in a flame style, which has connotations of
hell, giving the trailer a sense of horror, implying Richards cruelty and cold
blood. The gore, although it can slightly be seen does no inform the audience
regarding the gore they will be see in the movie, which might not sell the film so
good. The pace is increases along with a non-diegetic choir to make the effect of
the music more haunting and to evoke the Gothic atmosphere.