Woman in

BlackTrailer Analysis

The introductory shot highlighted to

the left is extremely common of a
trailer and is one of the key
conventions. The generic shots
signaling the production companies
a trailer necessity as it allows the
audience to understand what type
of film it may be due to the
company it is made by. For
example we can see that The
Woman in Black is a high-budget
film from the CBS films shot,
meaning as the audience we may
expect more special effects or a
better quality from the film. Also the
layout of the production information
is interesting, as the writing is
submerged in darkness, another
aspect of the horror genre. So
within the first shot it is clear the
genre and that it is a trailer which
will be played.

The establishing shot as the opening of the film footage serves to evidence a creepy and unsettling
atmosphere. The small detailing of the horse and carriage in the distance creates mystery as the
audience wonder who they are and if they are central to the plot. The slow pace of editing creates
further curiosity and links further to the horror genre through the initial confusion. The horse and
carriage also parallels to the next few shots, as the child like connotations with this object link to the
creepy twisted child toys which follow this long shot.

The slow editing pace between all these close-ups is linked

to the non-diegetic ding noises heard which reminds the
audience of a childrens nursery rhyme lacking to the idea
of loss purity. It is this non-diegetic sound which is central
to most trailers as it is a simple way of highlighting the
genre of the film without having to obviously list it.

The children's toys addressed in the last section are

shown here, the jump cut highlight these toys in an
untouched and strange way. The close ups in
particular, heighten intrigue as the audience are
uncertain why they are there or how they are
moving. This is a typical convention of a trailer,
leaving the audience asking questions so they want
to watch the film when released, a method where
close ups are used to show detail, yet not give away
too much of the plot. Also using children as a central
theme of the trailer is conventional of the horror
genre, as it suggests a lack of purity. Meaning the
trailer does a good job in highlighting the genre of
the film, while not exposing the plot entirely.

A voiceover emerges highlighting the beginning of act two,

asynchronous voiceovers are key conventions of a trailer as it
is an easy way to explain the plot line, while creating mystery
as the audience do not know who is usually speaking. The
voice heard is a child's voice yet again linking to innocence
and purity as he speaks in a riddle creating an uneasy tone
and causing the pace to speed up, which is again common of
act two. An ominous silence also looms over these clips when
the child is not speaking. This creates a sense of isolation
and a further chilling atmosphere which conforms to the
horror genre. The montage style of editing used in these clips
is again conventional to a trailer and in particular act two, as it
reveals many different clips of the film to the audience, while
not revealing whole scenes or plot holes.

The montage is the followed by a POV

establishing shot of a long meandering road
leading, for what seems like miles, to an
unknown destination. Which therefore creates
tension and unease as the audience know
they will be lead to the creepy location
through the POV shot. This also serves to set
the scene is Act two, reminding the audience
where all the dangerous actions take place.
This is a key convention of a trailer, as it must
be clear to the audience where the film is set,
yet also the low saturation of the shots and
dark tones used throughout is conventional of
the horror genre in particular. The trailer uses
dark tones to instantly highlight to the
audience which genre the film is, which is one
of the trailers key purpose.

Fade to blacks are interjected inbetween each shot after the montage
sequence. This serves to build tensions
as only tiny segments of the dramatic
clip are revealed to the audience, yet
the can still here all the diegetic
sound . `this then leaves the audience
literally in the dark about what is
happening in the scene as the cannot
see it fully due to the fade to blacks,

Towards the end of the trailer jump cuts

become the only transition used to
effectively create a jumpy atmosphere for
the audience, typical of a horror. This is
where all previous non-diegetic and
diegetic sounds are overlayed meaning a
sense of chaos and panic is created to
build up tension, which also indicates the
beginning of act three. This contradicts to
the mid shots shown of the characters
where only an ominous silence is heard,
highlighting the danger surrounding them
through the non-diegetic sound.

The typography uses a serif font to heighten the

Victorian era which the film is set in. This is key to a
horror as it is usually an old, creepy atmosphere which
is the most frightening. This is also key to the
conventions of a trailer as for one it highlights the era
and two it tells the audience who stars in the film and
when it will be released. This draws the audience in as
they may be enticed t watch the film after seeing big
hollywood names such as Daniel Radcliffe. The setting
of the typography is also significant, being on a window
with mysterious figures flying past and the curtains
blowing in the wind conforms to the horror genre as
suspense and tension is built as to whether something
else will pop on the screen. The bottom shot to the left
also helps for marketing purposes as the website is
presented, meaning intrigued audience members can
continue the journey by going on the website. The fade
to black before the very final shot slows down the trailer
before the end, which is convention of act three as the
pace usually takes a dramatic decrease, a way of
creating more tension.