Textual Analysis: Annabelle

I have decided to analyse a film trailer to further my research into genre codes and conventions, also this will help me identity the structure of horror genre film trailers.

This scene shows the husband, who is expected to be the protagonist and the woman who is heavily pregnant, however the male characters facial expressions is shocked which tells the audience something is wrong, also the man’s clothes are covered in blood which shows violence has occurred which gets the audience excited yet frightened as they may believe that the characters’ lives are in danger. There is limited natural lighting from the moon which creates low key lighting and creates a dark and eerie atmosphere. Also the costumes used in this scene show that the characters are wearing pyjamas which gives the audience a sense that the characters aren’t ready for what is to come as they have been sleeping therefore there are not fully alert which can actually make them seem vulnerable.

 

This part of the horror trailer shows a mysterious woman who appears from the bedroom; however the audience would be confused to how she had gotten into the room. Also the makeup on the woman makes her face look dark and intimidating to the audience; also the fact that she is wearing a white gown makes the audience more terrified as the woman herself appears to be a threat but the colour white symbolises innocence and purity which is not the case.

This part of the trailer, the audience sees a fast paced sequence of shots, which empathises the point that there is violence and it is relating to the tension and confusion of the moment. In this part we see the mysterious woman holding a knife which appears to have blood stains on. This shows that the woman is acting violently towards the couple we first see and presume to be the protagonists and victims. The mans facial expressions shows he is acting on the defence to protect his pregnant wife which tells us that he is a caring person. Also the setting we see is in a normal and average town house which scares the audience as this relates to there own lives.

After the violent scene, we see that the woman has been defeated as she lies dead on the ground, however because she is sat upright, we still get a sense of fear as she still seems alive. Also the fact she is holding the doll tells the audience that the prop she is holding is a key part of the film, as the camera zooms in on her. Furthermore the dead body is in a nursery which doesnt seem at all right as the audience would associate a nursery with children and innocence whereas in the trailer we see blood stains on the wall where violence has took place. Lastly the lighting that has been used is natural which is from the moonlight, the lighting shines directly onto the body making this the dominant part of the shot. Also the sound used in this part becomes quiter which makes the audience focus on the shot more and lets them concentrate on what comes next.

This part of the trailer zooms into the dolls face, which shows the doll is a key part of the films plot. Also the blood which falls into the dolls eye tells the audience that this doll is going to cause violent related accidents later in the film. Plus in this shot there is very little non-diegtic sound as the audience is focused on what is happening in the shot.