Emma Matthew

A Nightmare on Elm Street trailer starts of with establishing shots showing that this trailer is a typical horror. The abandoned area gives you a sense of isolation which makes the scene very eerie. The darkness of the location creates tension and mist create a sense of unease.

The trailer then shows the audience the same man running in a burning building then the building explodes this shows that he is most likely the antagonist. The trailer could have many different interpretation, the narrative could be circular or he could come back and haunt the people who killed him, this draws in the audience to want to know more. This is common in horror films because they leave a mystery within the trailer.

The titles that appear throughout the trailer are in a red typography because it symbolizes blood a common convention is horror trailers because it adds tension to the trailer. This also gives the trailer an eerie feel because it means a lot of blood is going to be spilled within the film. The name of the film is commonly shown at the end of the trailer so this trailer follows the common conventions. The non-diegetic music begins to get quieter which means the titles are building up to something dramatic. The slogan increases the horror as it links to what has been said throughout the trailer and it makes it more realistic for the audience because it is targeted towards them.

Children are a very common convention used within may horror films. Children have a look of innocence which makes it easier to manipulate the audience. The constant shots of children shows that within the film innocent blood might be spilled which gives the audience a sense of sympathy and helps the audience connect with the characters.
The non-diegetic music playing through out is also young children singing which gives a more eerie feel to the trailer.

The claws show the audience the weapon going to be used to kill the people within the film. Showing the audience the weapon gives it more of a personal feel and it makes the audience scared for the characters within the film. This is common amongst horror trailers.

This is the first time we are shown the antagonist after the beginning when he is natural looking. By looking at him the audience can tell he is not alive so we know he has been hunting his victims down in a super natural manner. The trailer talks about sleeping and dreams which gives the audience the idea that he comes back in the selected few dreams.

Evil dead starts of with an establishing shot to show the surrounds of the main location and how isolated and abandoned it is. This creates tension because the shot almost looks like its being seen through someone else's eyes. This is similar to A Nightmare on Elm Street and a common convention to start with an establishing shot to give an eerie feel for the audience but also so the audience get the feeling of isolation so they know no one can come and save them.

The first title of the trailer makes the audience feel like the trailer is talking to them which makes it more realistic and it jumps out at you. The simplicity of the typography shows that they want you to concentrate on the meaning of the words more that the style of how they're arranged. The second title is short and at this point the non-diegetic music speaks for the words, making it the tension build up to make the audience jump. This is not like A Nightmare on Elm Street so it does not follow the typical conventions of a horror trailer.

At the start of the trailer you see the main antagonist who is covered in cover and very skittish which leads the audience to believer that she has been through a great ordeal. The dark lighting and the hair covering her face shows that she is very dark inside and that she will be lead to do dark acts later on in the trailer. Near the end we are shown that she is covered in blood meaning that people have already been killed leading the audience to believe she is the main antagonist. Her surrounds give the audience away common conventions within a horror trailer, fog because its hard to see through so it builds tension but also woods because its very isolated. They showed the main antagonist at the start because it is also a common convention within horror trailers and it links to A Nightmare on Elm Street.

Within this horror trailer there are a lot of close up shots which is a familiar convention in horror trailers because the facial expressions of peoples horror makes the audience fear for the characters but also makes them horrified of the antagonist.

A Nightmare on Elm Street also follows this convention to show the horror on peoples faces but also the close ups are on the weapon whereas in Evil Dead the antagonist is the weapon.

The name of the film is commonly shown at the end of the trailer so this trailer follows the common conventions of a horror trailer. A Nightmare on Elm Street could be given as more evidence because it also follows this convention. The setting of the film effects the typography of the title, it appears as though vines are coming out of the sides to cover and destroy the title. This adds tension as it seems as if the forest is coming for the audience. The non-diegetic music builds up to the title with a serious of flashing images which then goes into silence and a girls voice is heard saying, were going to get you. This creates a lot more tension for the audience because they are wondering what is coming next. It adds to the effect of the forest coming for the audience.

The audience is mainly introduced to the protagonist near the start of the trailer. This is similar to A Nightmare on Elm Street and Evil Dead because their antagonist is shown near to the beginning of the trailer. This related to Rick Altmans theory where the semantic elements help the audience to figure out the genre. Adam Sandler the protagonist acts as the semantic element as he is commonly associated with comedies.

The trailer goes onto show the protagonist with a number of different women this suggests to the audience that romance will play a part in the film. In these scenes there is a voice over from the protagonist which is not seen in A Nightmare on Elm Street or Evil Dead. The voice over gives more insight into the film which is common in comedy trailers.

In the next scene of the trailer it relates to Propps Narrative theory which is similar in Evil Dead. It shows the audience that the protagonist (hero) must overcome some obstacles so that he can get to win the heart of the women (princess). The women's blue dress is very revealing and it shows she is an object of desire which relates to Laura Mulveys theory of The Male Gaze.

When the audience is shown the second female character a lot of the film plot is given away. At first she subverts The Male Gaze theory but then when persuaded into being the helper (Propps theory) she then subdues a make over and adheres to The Male Gaze theory. Which then means she turns into the princess (Propps theory) which is common within comedies.

Unlike A Nightmare on Elm Street, the comedy trailer has very lighthearted typography to show the audience that the film is most likely a comedy. The trailer has very informal friendly words which you is not seen within a horror film. The non-diegetic music is very up-beat and lively which is a common convention is comedy trailers. Whereas A Nightmare on Elm Street is very jumpy and dramatic.

Towards the end of the trailer the titles inform the audience of who is in the film. This is done to attract a specific target audience and help to promote the film by using famous names. The name of the film is shown at the end of the trailer which is a common conventions within all trailer which links A Nightmare on Elm Street and Evil Dead together.

The audience is introduced to the protagonist near the start of the trailer. This is similar to A Nightmare on Elm Street, Evil Dead and Just Go With It because their antagonist/protagonist is shown near to the beginning of the trailer. The start of the trailer also gives away that its a romantic comedy because the protagonist is a celebrity know for her parts in rom-coms (Rick Altmans theory). A common convention in rom-coms is also giving away the true theme which is done in 27 Dresses by showing the protagonist in a wedding dress shop. In this case the women is the protagonist which is not a common convention within film trailer especially horror.

In the next scene it shows us that there might be a romance going on between the protagonists hero. This also relates to Propps Narrative theory similar to Evil Dead and Just Go With It. The protagonist must overcome some obstacles to win the heart of the one they love. In this case the women is the protagonist so she must overcome her obstacle to figure out that she was in love with him from the start which is a common convention within romantic comedies. It gives away the complete plot because the audience knows she will end up with him.

After meeting the man she (protagonist) is meant to be with, the audience is introduced to the man that she wants to be with. This is a common plot within romantic comedies, the protagonist wants to be with the wrong person. Later on in the trailer he meets her sister and falls in love this is common in rom-coms that there is always a lover triangle but a fourth party not in the loop. This is a similar plot to Just Go With It.

Throughout the audience is introduced to the helper (Propps theory) who is usually the best friend of the protagonist. She is seen throughout giving smart advice but never listened to this is common within romantic comedies, which links to Just Go With It.

The titles in-between each shot are very informal which is common in romantic comedies. The pink typography tells the audience that its of the romantic genre because pink is the common associated colour with romance. The audience can tell its also a comedy because of the informal but comedic words used. The titles follow Rick Altmans theory because they act as semantic elements which the audience can link to a type of genre. The words at the end are big and bold showing that there is more to the story than the titles tell, which draws the audience into wanting to know more. The blue happy, calming background also relates to the non-diegtic music playing in the background which is also calming and flows throughout the trailer.

Towards the end of the trailer the name of the film is shown which is a common conventions within all trailer which links A Nightmare on Elm Street, Evil Dead and Just Go With It. To promote the film even further and target a specific audience one of the titles has put in another romantic comedies name to tell the audience if you enjoyed that film you are likely to enjoy this one. The names next to the actors faces is also shown to the audience so that they can link the celebrities to other films that they have enjoyed. The non-diegetic music in the background is an ordinary pop song which is up-beat and light hearted, there is a voice over on top on the music to tell the audience further information which is common in romantic comedies and links to Just Go With It.

Wes Craven

Films: Last House on The Left, Nightmare on Elm Street and Scream. He has a masters degree in Philosophy which feeds his interest in questioning reality which you can see through his films. The Nightmare on Elm Street is a great example where the reality world and dream world cross paths and you cannot tell which one is real. Iconic murderous villains is something else he likes to incorporate in his films, for example, Freddie Kruger in The Nightmare on Elm Street and the Ghostface in Scream.

I like the way the trailer uses lighting and the fear of the unknown. This is what I would like to incorporate in my trailer to get the eerie effect that Apparition pulls off.

I like the way that Evil Dead uses the woods to create the feeling of the unknown but also as if someone is out there chasing them yet you cannot see them because its all part of the mystery. I would like to incorporate this in our horror trailer because it makes the audience want to know what is the cause of them running.