Analysis

Horror Trailer SE7EN
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SE7EN is a horror film which stars, Brad Pitt, Morgan Freeman, Gwyneth Paltrow, R. Lee Ermey and Kevin Spacey. I have not seen this film so my interpretations of the trailer was based on my own findings.

This horror trailer starts with low deep bass sound which is still audiable when the dialogue begins. This isn't a sound you the would normally associate with horror films as this peice of music is a low sound if you was thinking of music for horror films you would think of a high pitched sound. The first person we see in the film is a character played by Brad Pitt it then goes on to show another major film star Morgan Freeman. This is basically selling the film and showing that its a film with big films stars in.

The lighting in this trailer is quite dark and dingy and this is how we get our first in sight that it's a horror film. We are shown Pitt in a dark room were the tint of the camera is a deep red colour. This gives off the impression of blood and we associate it with horror. It is working within the conventions. There is a lot of flash frames in this trailer, giving you a deeper insight to the film itself as it's showing clips which are in the film. By doing it in flash frame it is making the audience want to see more.

Mysterious imagery is used in this trailer, when flash frames, camera angles were you can't see someones face and dramatic sound is used. This makes the audience wonder what is going to happen next. By doing this the audience will feel curious and want to go and watch the film. By having a track throughout the trailer it gives an eerie impression subtly. However dialogue is used over the tracks and the tracks are used as background sound.

Showing Morgan Freeman in a lot of scenes through out the trailer shows that he is probably the main or second to main character in the film. Showing him in different scenarios shows he will be involved in the film doing a lot of stuff and i get the impression he is a detective. Showing him from a low angled camera gives off a sense of importance and superiority.

As the trailer goes along we are shown different characters in the film and this is introducing them to the audience. The characters in this film are movie stars we all know. By casting well known film stars it could sell the film. Some people may be big fans of the actors in this and may go and see the film just for this purpose only. When we see the character played by Brad Pitt kiss the character played by Gwyneth Paltrow we see that there is a romance within the film. This is a typical convention of all films and gives off the Cinerella narrative for part of the film.

The trailer is shot in dark and dim lighting showing that is a dark film. This shows the horror genre even though it is only lighting. When we see the yellow tape for a crime scene we get a bit more insight to the characters and because of this i believe Pitt's character is a member of the American Police. We also see him kicking open a door, the door is red and the camera is shooting the inside instead of behind Pitt. Because the door is red it stands out giving it more identity then it would if it was black. The red contrasts with the lightening of the film and it makes the door stand out more. As the shot is filmed behind the door instead of behind Pitt we get a feel of what it would be like at that moment in time but we don't put ourselves in Pitt's position as it is not shot from his perspective.

The trailer also has a voice over describing the plot of the film this covers both the dialogue of the film and the non digetic sound. This gives an audience a reality of outside the film and gives them an idea of what the plot of the film is.

Towards the end of the trailer we get an idea on why the film is called SE7EN, this is when Freeman introduces the seven sins. We get the idea that Freeman has discovered this and that the cause of these sins is what caused the crime which we saw earlier on. While he is listing these sins we see the actions of what they have caused. After these shots the camera movements are fast paced and the non digetic music gets faster these shows some action within the film and shows that it is getting intense. When the audience is shown the media publicity shots that the police department are recieving we see how important these crimes are and it makes the plot seem much more exciting and important.

As the trailer gets toward the end we get to see a shot of the antagonist. However he is shown in all black and he is not shown fully. This is showing the mysteriousness of the film and we want to find out he is. When all the seven sins are listed at the end is gives a meaning to the film and we are more likely to remember the sins. We are shown all the characters towards the end and by doing this we are more likely to think of what the effect of the crime has had on them. The voice over begins again at the end and this time he lists the characters real names. This begins to sell the film again because all these names are household names and the majority of the audience will be well aware of these people.