Trailer Analysis 3 - Final Destination

The film I’ve decided to analyse is the horror film ‘Final Destination’ released in the year 2000. The first shot of the trailer tells a lot to the audience, as it shows the protagonist viewing the large aeroplane through the glass window. Both the protagonist and aeroplane are facing one another, which gives the sense of a stand off between the two, almost as if the two are going to be in conflict. We immediately realise from this scene that the aeroplane is significant in relation the events which occur in the movie.

Camera angles and shots are significant in creating a tense atmosphere. The audience is shown the camera zooming into the protagonist’s hands as he clutches onto his seat, which is able to emphasise to the viewer of that there is a possibility of danger for him.

By watching the trailer, it also able to implicitly convey to the reader what target audience the movie is intended for. The majority of the characters in the trailer are shown to be teenagers aged 18 or over.

Music is used from the onset of the trailer to create a scary atmosphere. The music is tense, and the tempo increases at certain points where the tension is at its highest, and this is also accompanied by the use of quick shot transitions in sync with the music to create a fast paced atmosphere. The advantage of having fast paced shot transitions is that it is able to mimic the viewer’s reaction the trailer, and could also reflect the pace of their heartbeat as what they are seeing is scary.

The trailer is unconventional to traditional horror trailers, as there is a moment of anti climax due to a comical moment in the trailer. When the character says ‘I knew I should of hit on Tammy in the pool that time’ it switches from the previous scary atmosphere, suddenly to a moment of humour and laughter. This is very unconventional for a horror film, as most horror films do not incorporate comical elements within the film, as horror films are generally known to scare people, however this film ventures beyond the norm in an attempt to be different.

The trailer uses techniques such as pathetic fallacy to enhance the feelings and emotions of the characters. This is a powerful effect, and the director uses lightening to reflect the readers emotions. When there is lightening, there generally means there is a storm in the midst; and the storm is able to denote a sense of danger, which perfectly mirrors the situation of the characters in the film.