Trailer Analysis - Paranormal Activity

The Trailer that I decided to analyse is ‘Paranormal activity’, the American horror movie which was released in 2007. This movie differs from conventional horror films as it is presented as footage found from a video camera filmed by a couple investigating a supernatural presence in their house. This style of filming can be compared to the likes of ‘The Blair Witch Project’ as it shot from a first person perspective. There are several advantages by filming in such a way, for example it gives the audience an insight to what the protagonist is experiencing, making it more of an entertaining and scary experience for the audience as it makes the events which occur in the film more believable as it doesn’t seem like a rehearsed, big budget production.

The trailer firstly starts off with showing real members of the public entering one of the first screenings of ‘Paranormal Activity’, by showing real members of the public watching a real screening, it adds to the realism of the movie, as the director chose to shoot the film in a first person perspective to try and make the film seem as real as possible. Throughout the trailer we’re able to see the audience’s reaction throughout. The director chose to incorporate this feature within the trailer as It reflects how the person viewing the trailer will react to the film. Various shots of the audiences’ reaction show them jumping in fear and covering their eyes. This is a powerful technique used by the director, as it increases the tension and emphasises the fear factor contained within the film, making the viewer of the trailer feel intrigued and want to see more. Also, by showing the audience enter the screening of this film, it implicitly implies what age group the film would appeal to as the majority of the audience are young, generally aged from 18-25.

The choice of music used throughout this trailer is effectively used as it creates a sense of tension and a scary atmosphere. Sounds alternate from fast paced and loud sounds to sudden short periods of complete quiet. The alternation between these two help increase the tension, as a sudden changes in volume can be used powerfully especially in the horror genre to make the audience feel a sense of shock, causing them to jump, overall increasing the fear factor of the trailer, resulting in people wanting to see more. The use of editing is used effectively throughout to create a horror feeling. Quick transitions between shots create a fast paced feeling. The fast paced feeling can reflect the viewers reactions, as they are going through a rollercoaster of emotions whilst watching the trailer, at first they are at ease showing viewing a normal couple making a home video, then there’s a sudden change of atmosphere and music and editing create a scary atmosphere. Comments by critics are also incorporated within the trailer such as ‘Paranormal activity is one of the scariest movies of all time – Bloody Disgusting’. Comments such as these have a powerful effect on the audience as it increases ambiguity, intriguing the audience, thus reeling them in so they are left wanting to see more.