(Psycho: Trailer Analysis) (horror)
Psycho: Trailer Analysis
Audience
This trailer is for the film Psycho which was released in 1960, this film was given the age rating of 15 because it included strong material like violence, strong language and nudity. This film will appeal to mostly a male and female audience that like old fashioned horror movies which are in black and white like this one. This will also appeal to people that like the actors who star in the film, for example Anthony Perkins and Janet Leigh who have been in film like The Lonely Man and The Naked Spur. This will help incise the audience because if they liked the other films that they have acted in it will widen the general target audience because the actors will of been well known from past movies. The director will also bring in an audience because of his other films that he has either worked on or directed, for example the film The Man Who Knew Too Much and The Lodger which were very popular films during the early nineteen hundreds. This will also target audiences to this film because if they like films the director has either directed or worked on it may make them want to watch his film.
This trailer is for the film Psycho which was released in 1960, this film was given the age rating of 15 because it included strong material like violence, strong language and nudity. This film will appeal to mostly a male and female audience that like old fashioned horror movies which are in black and white like this one. This will also appeal to people that like the actors who star in the film, for example Anthony Perkins and Janet Leigh who have been in film like The Lonely Man and The Naked Spur. This will help incise the audience because if they liked the other films that they have acted in it will widen the general target audience because the actors will of been well known from past movies. The director will also bring in an audience because of his other films that he has either worked on or directed, for example the film The Man Who Knew Too Much and The Lodger which were very popular films during the early nineteen hundreds. This will also target audiences to this film because if they like films the director has either directed or worked on it may make them want to watch his film.
Voice overs
During the trailer there are some voice overs especially at the start were it lets the audience about a simple motel that has suddenly turned into a crime scene. This is effective to the audience because it sets the story of the film, this also makes the audience wonder what crime has been done at the motel to have to have lots of people talking about it.
Key points
Some key points which will need to be taken when watching the trailer would be the fact that the film is set within two key location which are the town and motel. This is effective for the audience because it allows them to understand the key locations of the film as well where the film is going to be mostly set. Another key point is that the women who visits the motel is currently trying to escape the cops because she stole around $40,000 from her employer who is trying to also find her, this is effective for the audience because it allows them to get an understanding of why she is running away from her employer, leading her to stop at the motel. Another key point is that the person who is running a remote motel in the middle of nowhere, the man running the motel has some metal health issues as well he is under domination of his mother. This is effective for the audience because it tells them that the man is unstable and is controlled by his mother who is controlling. One last key point is that the mans mother has been dead for a while which is why she is just a skeleton, this means that the man has pretended to be his own mother by dressing up as her and walking around the house which is located on top of a hill next to the motel. This is effective for the audience because it tells them that the man is totally deranged because he is pretending to be his own mum.
Some key points which will need to be taken when watching the trailer would be the fact that the film is set within two key location which are the town and motel. This is effective for the audience because it allows them to understand the key locations of the film as well where the film is going to be mostly set. Another key point is that the women who visits the motel is currently trying to escape the cops because she stole around $40,000 from her employer who is trying to also find her, this is effective for the audience because it allows them to get an understanding of why she is running away from her employer, leading her to stop at the motel. Another key point is that the person who is running a remote motel in the middle of nowhere, the man running the motel has some metal health issues as well he is under domination of his mother. This is effective for the audience because it tells them that the man is unstable and is controlled by his mother who is controlling. One last key point is that the mans mother has been dead for a while which is why she is just a skeleton, this means that the man has pretended to be his own mother by dressing up as her and walking around the house which is located on top of a hill next to the motel. This is effective for the audience because it tells them that the man is totally deranged because he is pretending to be his own mum.
Dramatic camera shots and angles
The dramatic shots and angles in this trailer are very effective and well used because it helps to draw the audience into the film and to make them forget about every day life helping them become emerged in the film. During the trailer they used a medium shot of a female character driving in a car, this is effective for the audience because it allows the audience to see what the character is partially wearing, this camera shot also makes the audience wonder where she is going. The trailer also uses a close up of some money in a bag which is effective because it links to the story line, which is that the character stole $40,000 from her employer which forced her to run away leading her to this motel. This is effective for the audience because it shows them that this stolen money has an important role in the story of the film. Lastly a close up of a knife was used in the trailer which suggests that someone is getting killed in the film, as the close up of the knife is only about a second long which is quick, then you see the knife moving downwards which makes it look like someone is getting stabbed. This is effective for the audience because it makes them wonder who in the film is getting killed as well who is doing the killing.
The dramatic shots and angles in this trailer are very effective and well used because it helps to draw the audience into the film and to make them forget about every day life helping them become emerged in the film. During the trailer they used a medium shot of a female character driving in a car, this is effective for the audience because it allows the audience to see what the character is partially wearing, this camera shot also makes the audience wonder where she is going. The trailer also uses a close up of some money in a bag which is effective because it links to the story line, which is that the character stole $40,000 from her employer which forced her to run away leading her to this motel. This is effective for the audience because it shows them that this stolen money has an important role in the story of the film. Lastly a close up of a knife was used in the trailer which suggests that someone is getting killed in the film, as the close up of the knife is only about a second long which is quick, then you see the knife moving downwards which makes it look like someone is getting stabbed. This is effective for the audience because it makes them wonder who in the film is getting killed as well who is doing the killing.
Music to create atmosphere
The dramatic music used in the trailer is effective because it helps to create tension which builds the audiences expectations that something is going to happen to one of the characters in the film. The dramatic music steadily increases the more the trailer goes on which suggests that the story is unraveling and that something is going to happen, which creates tension and makes the overall atmosphere of the trailer more dramatic. The atmosphere also changes at the end of the trailer were the music stops and you hear some old lady speaking which makes the atmosphere turn creepy and strange because you are unable to see the old lady which makes the audience wonder who it is and where is she. The iconic music playing at the start of the trailer is effective because it builds tension with the audience, this also tells the audience that something is going to happen which is going to further escalate the story.
Film titles
The film title is effective because it is easy to see and read because the writing is bold and white which is effective because the background is black which helps the audience to read the title of the film. This title is also effective because it has red splatters across the title which is effective because it makes the title look like it has blood splatted across it, this is effective for the audience because it suggests to them that there is going to be death and murder in this film.
Trailer climax
The climax of the trailer is effective because it shows the audience one of the main characters in the film who is sitting down talking to another character which makes the audience feel that the character is talking to them. The climax is also effective because you see the deranged character looking through a hole in a wall which suggests that he is trying to spy on someone who is on the other side of the wall. This makes the audience feel scared for the person who he is looking at because they don't know what he is planning for him or her. The last clip you see at the end of the trailer is a man sitting down looking into the camera giving a smile which is effective because it makes you wonder what the character is thinking in his head.
The climax of the trailer is effective because it shows the audience one of the main characters in the film who is sitting down talking to another character which makes the audience feel that the character is talking to them. The climax is also effective because you see the deranged character looking through a hole in a wall which suggests that he is trying to spy on someone who is on the other side of the wall. This makes the audience feel scared for the person who he is looking at because they don't know what he is planning for him or her. The last clip you see at the end of the trailer is a man sitting down looking into the camera giving a smile which is effective because it makes you wonder what the character is thinking in his head.
Mise-en-scene
The film is set in two main areas which is the small town and the motel which are the main areas that this film is set in. The motel is located of a road in the middle of nowhere which means that the area is very remote meaning that it is going to be difficult to get any help if something goes wrong in the area. The area around the motel is surrounded with marsh land which contains both large amounts of grass and water which makes it difficult to travel off road because your vehicle could get stuck and sink in the marsh land, like what's seen in the trailer. The clothes warn in this trailer are very old fashioned due to the fact that that this film came out in 1960 which meant clothes revolved around bright dresses, bright sweaters, trousers, shirts and plain suits. This is effective for the audience because it allows you to know what people wore during this time period. Some props used in this trailer are effective because it represents different parts and sections of the film, as well it gives you the audience an idea about what is going to happen in the film. For example the knife used in the trailer represents danger, violence and death which are negative representations, this is effective for the audience because it gives them an idea that this film is going to include murder and death because of the knife which can be seen in the trailer. Another prop used which is important for the trailer is the money which can be seen in the trailer, this helps to give the audience an idea that the money has something to do with the story line.
Editing
The use of the editing throughout the trailer is effective because it shows that a film from this time cares about what they want the film to look like because they want it to be popular within the film industry. The fast paced editing at the start of the trailer is effective because it creates excitement and makes the trailer intense due to the fact that it speeds up at the start, the cuts used at the start are also effective because it makes the audience wonder what has happened during those cuts.
The use of the editing throughout the trailer is effective because it shows that a film from this time cares about what they want the film to look like because they want it to be popular within the film industry. The fast paced editing at the start of the trailer is effective because it creates excitement and makes the trailer intense due to the fact that it speeds up at the start, the cuts used at the start are also effective because it makes the audience wonder what has happened during those cuts.
Sound
The sound during the trailer was very good and effective because it matched with parts of the scenes, for example the eerie music which continues throughout the trailer until the part when the camera zones into the killer who is standing next to a small lake or pond. This sound is effective for the audience because it helps to build tension to the part where the music starts to get serious and even more dramatic, this suggests to the audience that something is going to happen which is going to set the story of the film. The use of the loud noise at the end of the trailer when the person pops up is effective because it makes the audiences slightly jump because it is unexpected and because you see this strange person sitting down looking at the camera smiling, this is effective for the audience because it makes them wonder what the person sitting down is doing.
Genre indicators
Genre indicators
This trailer is a good genre indicator because the trailer gives the audience a lot of information about the film. For example during the trailer you are able to see that this film is based on a hotel owner who's mum has died and he can't get over it because of his mental health issues which he is faced with, this leads to him turning his motel in to a trap for guests who visit and stay. This also leads to him making secrete parts to his motel so he can spy on his next victims leading him to killing some of the people staying at the motel, he also starts to dress up as his mother. This suggests that the film is going to be horror because it includes a story line which involves a young male who has a interest in taxidermy and a difficult relationship with his mother leading him to become deranged and turn into a psychotic killer.
Unique selling point
The unique selling point in this trailer for the film Psycho is that it includes the actor Anthony Perkins who has been in popular films like On the Beach and the rest of the Psycho franchise. Another unique selling point is the actor Janet Leigh who has been in films called The Fog and Bye Bye Birdie which are some of the most popular films she has stared in. The last unique selling point of this film is that the director is Alfred Hitchcock who has directed popular films called Vertigo, Rear Window and The Birds, which means that people who liked theses films may want to watch this one.
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