Before the film’s trailer has even begun, there is an
establishing shot presenting a large house at night. For the horror genre, this
is a stereotypical setting as there is something that gives off an uneasy vibe
about larger houses and the danger that could be waiting within. In addition to
this, the Mise en scene choices of having the shot taken at night means that it
is creating an emphasis on this vibe in order for it to draw in more of their
target audience (people who enjoy the genre) as they will feel drawn to the
aspects of the horror genre that they acknowledge.
The old-fashioned polaroid camera plays a large part in the
film, hence why it is featured throughout the trailer, repetitively and is the
title of the film itself. Referring to the camera, it is evidently shown that
the trailer itself is linking back to the key conventions of a horror genre,
with it being a key icon to the film. In most horrors, you will usually find
that they will feature an old, mysterious object that usually causes trouble,
it is therefore more appealing to the target audience, as something so simplistic
like a camera can have a dramatic impact on people’s lives.
When considering the linear narrative that is presented to
the audience in the trailer, it displays two girls in an attic, who are messing
around with the belongings up there. It suggests that the narrative is going to
follow Todorov’s theory of equilibriums, and this shot is shown before it
happens. The location itself is a typical place as it displays a variety of
antiques, which therefore is creating an atmosphere of curiosity for the viewer
as they will have to guess what is going to be the cause of the unknown to
occur and the bad to happen throughout the film. Within the shot, the girl
throws a ping pong ball, which is a form of diegetic sound because it isn’t
added in and occurs within the shot. The ball itself bouncing is a key element
to the trailer, as it creates an eerie atmosphere and leads into the discovery of
the camera itself. In contrast to stereotypical trailers, the polaroid trailer’s
producers have chosen a different approach instead of having a typical clock
ticking to add the tension into the scene, they have adapted it and made it
more original by opting for a ping pong ball instead, which could see be viewed
as a modern adaptation to the horror genre.
This trailer features an element of Dyer’s Star Theory. One
of the characters featured in this film, has previously been in a Netflix
season: Riverdale. By including her within this film, it is branching out to a
variety of people: people who watch the horror genre; people who enjoy
Riverdale and people who watch seasons and films on Netflix itself. When having
a larger variety of people aware of the film, it means that it is likely to be
more successful as in today’s society there is overall a larger social media
presence, that will allow people to talk and discuss their views and opinions
on a variety of different platforms. From this, they can then draw in even more
people, and get a large amount of people invested into the film.
One of the girls, who is presented multiple times throughout
the trailer, says within it “Is anybody there?” Not only is this a typical
feature to horror as it is tempting what bad is yet to come, but it presents
the girl to be putting herself in a vulnerable position. It shows that she has
doubts and insecurities about the situation and is evidently feeling uneasy
about being up in the attic with her friend, when abnormal things begin to
happen. This is where the disequilibrium really takes place, as prior to this,
the ping pong ball comes bouncing back to them from the dark on the other side
of the room, theoretically presenting the idea that someone is over there in
order for them to be able to throw it back. Additionally, within this scene,
there is added in music (non-diegetic music) which is creating a further layer
of tension as it goes alongside the visuals and is making the audience second
guess what is going to happen.
There is the usage of CGI in the trailer, shown within the
scene in which the polaroid photo begins to put itself back together, almost as
if it had never been burnt in the first place. It is a good technique to use as
it adds to the overall atmosphere created. It makes the viewer feel sympathy
for the people who have had their photo taken by the haunted camera, because eventually
they are most likely going to die and most likely by that specific point in the
film, you’re likely to have created a bond and a link to the characters. As
followed from this, there are shots that show a variety of emotions displayed
by the characters, ranging from upset to extreme trauma.
The producers of the film, Dimension, have their credit on
the trailer shown for a large amount of time. The likely reasoning behind this
is that they want to be acknowledged for the works and efforts that they have
put into the film, but it can also link back to the idea of social media
platforms and dyers star theory. If they are claiming this film as theirs and
putting a name on it, then it gives the audience someone to praise and credit
if they decide that they like the film and not only that, but if they have
their name featured in the advertisement, it means that people who are fans of
their prior work to this current and recent film are going to want to watch
their new works to see the new advancement and to see the overall quality of
the horror film that they have produced. The producers have also created The
Ring and The Grudge, which depending on personal preference can be viewed as
iconic horror genre films. After you find out that the producers have produced
The ring it is easily interpreted that they have reused the idea of a tape
killing people, and just changed the object to now be an old fashioned camera.
