A trailer is used in order to capture the audience’s
attention, and create a ‘want-to-see’ vibe, without revealing too much of the
plot. The Crazies is a trailer which successfully displays an outline of the
films plot, though it leaves the audience wanting to see more. This trailer
uses various mechanisms in order to create these effects, the first of which
being the introduction of the main characters.
To start the trailer we see a montage of shots to display
the setting; a quiet tranquil village, full of
families, children and friendly
neighbours, the first of whom we seeing are the two police officers, watching a
game of baseball. These initial shots set off the equilibrium of the piece, so
the audience feels comfortable and happy with the current setting. This
equilibrium, however, is soon disturbed by the introduction of a man
threatening to potentially kill him, or others. After stopping all
controversy
and shooting this ‘crazy’ man, the audience immediately becomes associated with
the main police officer, , which alerts the viewer that he is in fact the
protagonist. The influence of the ‘crazy’ man then refers back to the title
‘The Crazies’.
The title itself is positioned at the end of the trailer, so
it is the last piece of information the audience sees. This allows them to
associate all of the previous actions with the title itself, which could be
classed as summarising the actions. In the case of some horror trailers, we see
a final shocking clip just after the title is displayed to re enforce the
shocks that could potentially be entwined into the film. This is the case
within ‘The Crazies’ trailer.
In order for a trailer to be successful it is necessary to
include both images and sound, since without this combination, there is no real
fear created. This is particularly the case within this trailer. To begin the
piece, when we see the first equilibrium, there is a subtle piano playing in
the background, though as the pace and action increases, so does the intensity
of the music, for example through the use of distorted low keys noises,
flicking between the emphasis of guns, screaming and one of the most
influential sounds, silence. Towards the end of the trailer, the track ‘Mad
world’ fades into the piece. This allows the audience to relate the story the
plot is giving to the song itself. Although there is a constant use of backing
music and sounds to enhance the tension, there is no evidence of a voice over,
however, the visuals play a part within this. Shots are used in order to
present the same information that a voice over would. The text ‘your
neighbours, your friends, your family, are changing’ is clearly displayed on
black slides, in order to add a sense of mystery and fear to the audience,
which raises many questions. This combination of both music and sound create a
successful representation of horror and suspense within the trailer.
The audience are aware that this is a horror by the use of
low key lighting and sounds, along with the build of suspense through the
music, and the continuous pace throughout the editing, which captures the
audience’s attention. Overall I feel that this trailer is does not represent a
typical ‘jumpy’ horror, but also entails a story line as well.
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