Paranormal activity pp
- 2. BACKGROUND INFO/NARRATIVE • Paranormal activity was released in 2007 and is strongly based on the horror genre. • The director Oren Peli turned out to be a very successful director of horror movies as he went on to direct Insidious ( 2010 ) which was also very popular. • The distributer of the film was Paramount who are one of the so called ‘Big 5’ distributers in the USA. The Paramount logo also features in the trailer and acts as advertising in a way as people will remember paramount to be associated with the film. • Blumhouse productions produced Paranormal Activity and have also been very successful over previous years and have been involved in sinister (2012) and more recently Mockingbird (2013). • The film only cost $11,000 dollars to produce and received $107 million total gross therefore proving the film was a success. Narrative “Soon after moving into a suburban tract home, Katie (Katie Featherston) and Micah (Micah Sloat) become increasingly disturbed by what appears to be a supernatural presence. Hoping to capture evidence of it on film, they set up video cameras in the house but are not prepared for the terrifying events”.
- 3. CAMERA SHOTS Camera Shots • The majority of the camera shots from the trailer are point of view shots as the characters are filming their house using a handheld camera. This allows the audience to connect with the characters as the majority is filmed from their perspective therefore the audience experience events at the same stage as the characters. • The use of camera movement is very effective throughout the trailer as it is often shaking, this represents that the characters are filming the incidents themselves as it doesn’t look professional to the audiences perspective. This is also a convention with the horror genres as thee is a selection of films that use a point of view perspective throughout the film. This effect also makes the film feel more realistic to the audience as you can see everything that the character can so the jump scares become less predictable and have a bigger impact on the viewer.
- 4. • In the trailer there is an original feature which is unconventional to other horror films and that is the camera shots that are filmed from the audience perspective that are watching the film. The shots are mainly over the shoulder shots as it gives the viewer the opinion that they are sitting in the audience watching the film. • However in certain places the trailer is very effective in showing the audiences reactions throughout the trailer, this is done with a mixture of close up and medium close up shots. These shots occur during the trailer at certain jump scares or tense moments therefore the audience will look shocked and enticed in the film therefore the potential customers will be interested after seeing the audiences reactions and how interested they are in the film.
- 5. EDITING• The cuts throughout the film are very fast paced and occasionally throughout the trailer a white noise transition is used between shots, again this is another convention associated with horror films however it is very effective as it confuses the audience as they don’t know what happens, this encourages people to watch the full film after viewing the trailer as they want to find out what happened when the camera becomes faded. • This method of using the fading technique reminds the audience that the characters are filming from there perspective and that they are not professionals as this acts as a so called mistake as in films that are not filmed form a POV perspective this doesn’t happen. • Like all trailers it uses a montage method. This involves short snippets of the film that are put together in order make the trailer interesting and appeal more to the audience. At the beginning the shots are much slower and much more calm therefore acting as the equilibrium where all is seen as normal and the audience learn about the setting, characters and the narrative. • Finally there is also a use of transitions in the trailer. Some of the transitions contain information about the film used to interest the audience, an example of this in the film is the transitions that say ‘ Experience it for yourself’ . This connotes that because the film is mainly shot with POV shots, it leaves an effect on the audience and they can feel like they are faced with the situation themselves.
- 6. SOUND • During the trailer there is a minimal amount of sound used and there is no background music in the trailer which makes the clips feel calmer however this is the complete opposite as when one of the characters screams for example this is much clearer and louder to the audience therefore it creates a more effective jump scare. • However during the trailer there is conventional screaming and loud bangs which is created using the diegetic sound method. This often occurs in horror films as once again it is a technique used to maximize jump scares. These sounds like slams are associated with violence which is why the sounds are only played during a frightening scene. • Once these sounds occur the shot changes to the audience where they are often captured on the camera looking scares which we can tell by there facial expressions. This proves that the sounds are intended to relate to fear and are used to add tension to the film. • Finally there is a white noise sound when there is an interference with the camera which again reminds the audience that the characters are filming the events themselves and also creates a sense of confusion between the audience and the characters as the audience don’t know what happens which will intrigue them and make them want to watch more.
- 7. MISE EN SCENE Setting • The setting is very clear from the trailer to be an ordinary family household in an urban area. The house looks like it belongs to a middle class family and it just looks like a regular house, this may be because the producers want the audience to relate to it. The house is owned by a young couple in the film trailer which is represented by how modern the house is, this means that it is easy for the audience to get a general idea about the characters even before they are seen in the film. • However older features do occur in the trailer like the chandelier which is associated with much older houses however this is a conventional feature in horror films. Lighting • Throughout the trailer low key lighting is used to create a gloomy atmosphere in the trailer which is associated with horror films like ‘The Purge’. The low key lighting also makes the audience more scared and it is effective in this film as visibility is dark and because its from the characters POV it makes jump scares more sudden and effective. However in some cases high key lighting is used to focus in on certain objects, the lighting is made to look like a torch and as the lighting gets brighter the audience focus in on it more which is intended. • Finally a juxtaposition is used between white and black colours, as black connotes evil in the film and white promotes a calmer atmosphere therefore this may represent the contrast between good ( the family ) and bad ( supernatural ).
- 8. PROPS • The props used also connotes that the family living in the house is modern as there are laptops and cameras around the house which signifies that they are technologically advanced which is a representation towards younger people. • The camera that the characters use to film the paranormal activity is noticeably the main prop and although the audience rarely see it the audience are often reminded that the characters are filming as the camera is repeatedly shaking which connotes that the person behind the camera are unprofessional in this area therefore is still recognized as a prop.
- 9. PERFORMANCE • The actors and actresses that appear in the film are unknown which may be considered as a negative as people believe that the film wont be as successful however in my opinion this is better for the story that the actors / actresses are unknown as it means that the audience can relate to it more and it is more realistic as the viewers wont have to picture famous people throughout the film. • The fact that the characters are based in an ordinary house once again make sit more relatable to the audience mainly because the audience will be able to connect with the characters.
- 10. TODOROV’S THEORY • Equilibrium – The equilibrium is the opening scene where the characters and setting is established. So in the Paranormal Activity trailer the equilibrium occurs at the beginning when the male character introduces the audience to what he and his girlfriend are doing in there house and why they are doing the paranormal investigation however at this time the mans tone of voice is sarcastic suggesting that he doesn't’t believe in the ‘Paranormal Activity’ that his girlfriend claims is happening. • Disruption – A disruption is when a problem occurs which disrupts the equilibrium. In this case it is when the couple are woken up at night by a noise and when they go down to investigate with the camera they can clearly see that the chandelier is moving, this makes the male character question his beliefs whether the paranormal exist or not therefore is disrupting the equilibrium. • Recognition of disruption – The recognition of disruption is when something happens to tell the audience or characters there is a problem. Based on the trailer I would say that this is the longest section in the film as the audience and characters are made aware of problems throughout the middle of the story but it starts to become noticeable when the characters are sleeping and the quilts begin to move and then the door slams shut as this proves to the characters and the audience that something paranormal is occurring as there is no other explanation of the door slamming that fast by itself. • Attempt to repair – the attempt to repair is when the characters try to fix the problem/ disruption. This is only a small section in the trailer however the attempt to repair is when the characters in the film go to see an expert who tells them that the paranormal activity is going to follow them wherever they go which tells the audience and the characters that the attempt to repair has failed as they haven’t had any explanation as to why it is happening. • New Equilibrium – This is when the problem is solved and basically is how the narrative ends, however in trailers this is barely seen as the producers want the ending to be a secret and build up suspense from the trailer in order for people to go and see it. And the paranormal activity trailer is no different and there is not a resolution at the end.
- 11. PROPP’S THEORY • The hero / heroes in the film is the couple as they are trying to prove and get rid of any paranormal activity in there house therefore the audience is supposed to want there protagonists to succeed in there mission. • The Villain in this film trailer is an invisible force as it is the ‘Paranormal Activity’. This is perceived as the antagonist as it continues to hurt of effect the lives of the heroes therefore is seen as a villain. Propp’s theory also suggests that there is a struggle between the hero and the villain in the story and this is clearly visible throughout the trailer. • The princess in the film is different between the hero and the villain. The hero wants to get rid of the ‘Paranormal Activity’ and live a normal life however the villain wants to harm the family which can be supported by its previous actions. • Finally the couple (heroes) act as the Dispatcher and helper themselves … • They are the dispatchers as they decided to investigate the paranormal themselves therefore they sent themselves on the mission and they also act as the helper as they try to help each other throughout in order to get to the bottom of there problems with the villain.
- 12. TARGET AUDIENCE The purpose of the trailer is to try and intrigue the audience so that they buy the film therefore increasing sales. Socio Economic scale • I think that people in groups B-D would watch this trailer. This is because people in group A are focused on work therefore would have little time to watch movies and people in group E are pensioners and unemployed. These are unlikely to watch the film because pensioners are not associated with watching horror films and the unemployed won’t want to spend there money on films and other luxury items. Therefore people In groups B-D are less focused on work but still have a solid income in order to pay to watch films such as Paranormal activity. ITV sales • The ITV sales categories that Paranormal Activity would appeal to is ‘Men aged between 16-34’ , ‘Women aged between 16- 34’ and adults. This is because these age categories like jump scares and horror films and although the film is given the age rating 18+ many people under the age of 18 still watch the films therefore people from the age 16-18 will be a big section of the films target audience.
- 13. Lifestyles • Egoists is one of the main lifestyle groups that would watch the film based on the trailer. This is because Egoists are people that want the most pleasure out of life, therefore they want to have a good time, so the trailer would appeal to them because in the trailer the audience is shown reacting to scenes in the trailer and Egoists would enjoy this as they would want to experience the thrill. • The other main 2 lifestyle groups are Trendies and Groupies as these groups contain modern people. Therefore they would be up to date with there films, Also these groups try to fit in with friends and peers so they might watch scary horror films to fit into the groups and receive admiration from friends.