The ring trailer
analysis (2002)
Narrative
After watching the trailer, it is noted that
it does not appear to be in the same order as the film chronologically. This is
due to how a lot of elements of the trailer are mixed, giving you some key
features of the film but in a distorted manner, which is conventional in the
terms of a psychological horror film. When scenes are mixed and chopped up in a
trailer, it is more likely to confuse the audience so that they are left
unaware of the correct narrative and wanting to fill in the gaps of what isn’t
shown to them. Psychological horror films often have quite a complicated back
story, or a twist that you do not expect so by making the narrative confusing
to the viewer, you are still leaving a lot to imagination. If this is presented
successfully like it is in this particular trailer, it will only touch upon
their curiosity and leave them with a lot that they still want to find out.
This is something that I would quite like to replicate when it comes to my own
horror movie trailer
After the age certificate has been presented
the trailer starts off with a woman discussing the idea about a tape that can kill you if you watch it. This remark is there to introduce the focal point of the trailer as it foreshadows what is to come later on in the plot. A lot of other horror film trailers do this themselves, add a catchphrase or quote that will help us to build up the plot of the story and what danger awaits the protagonists.
Genre
A lot of elements of the trailer give away that it is a supernatural horror, a conventional horror movie trailer will have lots of fast paced camera shots which are there to create a level of tension. The ring trailer seems to have a lot of this and since the narrative isn't in a chronological order, it is very unsettling to watch. Mise en scene also gives a lot about the genre away as the girl that climbs out of the well is dressed in a very tattered old white dress and her black hair is covering her entire face. We can't see much of her skin but from what is visible it is obvious that she is corpse like, with the skin of her arms rotting. Gore is very conventional in a horror trailer as it is exactly what the target audience is looking for, it gives the trailer a grotesque scare factor which will be unsettling for the audience to watch. Another prominent feature of the trailer is how there is a crackling TV screen cut
A lot of elements of the trailer give away that it is a supernatural horror, a conventional horror movie trailer will have lots of fast paced camera shots which are there to create a level of tension. The ring trailer seems to have a lot of this and since the narrative isn't in a chronological order, it is very unsettling to watch. Mise en scene also gives a lot about the genre away as the girl that climbs out of the well is dressed in a very tattered old white dress and her black hair is covering her entire face. We can't see much of her skin but from what is visible it is obvious that she is corpse like, with the skin of her arms rotting. Gore is very conventional in a horror trailer as it is exactly what the target audience is looking for, it gives the trailer a grotesque scare factor which will be unsettling for the audience to watch. Another prominent feature of the trailer is how there is a crackling TV screen cut
between a lot of the scenes in the trailer. The connotations of a TV with no signal are that the location is somewhere desolate and far away from the rest of society and that there is no way of contacting anyone. This is a conventional technique used in a lot of horror movie trailers as it hints at the futility of the protagonists.Unlike a lot of horror films, "The ring" is rated as PG 13, which is quite a young audience considering some of the themes this movie touches upon. Horror films appeal to the younger audience as they have a scare factor to them and quick paced action which captures the attention of younger people. When I make my own trailer I am thinking of not directly showing any violence in the trailer but instead hinting at it so I can appeal to my target age group.
In the trailer there are not many obvious stereotypes but it does seem to play on the innocence of children. Towards the start of the trailer we see a boy sat in front of the TV screen, watching the evil being creeping out of the well. A lot of horror trailers use the innocence of young children to contrast the evil that is being portrayed in the movie and it helps to create an uneasy atmosphere, the child cannot defend themselves in the same way that an adult can so it makes the audience tense. If a
creature will not even take pity on a small defenceless child then this just proves the extent of their ruthlessness and how not even the innocent, good hearted characters are spared from the villain.
As well as the representation of children being a symbol of innocence, there is also a young mother looking after the child which follows on with the stereotype that mothers have a more paternal instinct and are more likely to look after children than a man. She is the first one to leap in to save the child, with no signs of a male partner around.
As well as the representation of children being a symbol of innocence, there is also a young mother looking after the child which follows on with the stereotype that mothers have a more paternal instinct and are more likely to look after children than a man. She is the first one to leap in to save the child, with no signs of a male partner around.
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