Textual Analysis of a Film Trailer

The Movie trailer that I will be analysing is Insidious which lasts for 1.51 seconds. I will be looking at the camera angles that were used, Editing, Sound and Mise-en-Scene.

The trailer starts with a shot of the working title of the film, which has low key lighting with the name of the title written in black font and the background with red. The background looks like clouds but just in red. This could connote evil and horror.

It then has an editing of dissolving into a shot of the title of the film. This has a black background with the writing in white. At this point there is non-diegetic sound. The sound sounds like either a heart beat or footsteps. This already builds up tension for the audience.



The first main shot is of a man sitting in a chair. This is a medium close up shit. This would tell the audience that this may be the main character of this film. The costume of this man is that he is wearing an ordinary shirt with a t-shirt inside.

 It then shows this, (below)

This may draw audiences attention especially those who have watched the films Paranormal Activity and Saw. Again the background is black which may be connoting evil and horror.







There is then a tracking shot of a house which may mean this is the house of the family. At this point the non-diegetic sound of the beat is still going on.

Then there are quick shots showing a normal family during their everyday life. During these shots diegetic sound is used.

The shots then go onto showing shots of unusual things taking place.

A low angle sot is then used to shows the mother stopping toy chair which seems to be swinging by its self.

The camera then tilts up to show the mothers face.


At this point there is non-diegetic sound which builds up tension and at the same time the shot below is being shown which is of a shadow of a woman wearing a veil.

There is then a worms eye view showing the upper floor of the house. This will obviously mean that there is something happening up stairs.

It then goes onto showing the room of their son. There is a crabbing shot used to show the whole room where there is a weirdly formed body shape of someone standing in the corner of the room. When that figure comes into the shot, non-diegetic sound is used which builds up tension.

There is then an extreme close up of the a door handle which is trying to be opened and the handle keeps going up and down. Diegetic sound is being used here of the sound of the handle trying to be opened which is also an hard sound effect and at the shame time the characters are shouting in this shot.





There is then a two shot, which shows what has happened at this moment, which looks like the room that their son was lying in had been turned upside down and on the bed sheet there is a hand print of a hand which is blood stained.






There is then another extreme close up of a women’s eye which shows here looking up around the ceiling on the house.


Quick shots are used showing un usual things happening and between each shot the title of the film appears. This again builds tension for the audience.


There is then a tracking (dollying) shot of a corridor which uses low key lighting. Again non-diegetic sound is being used.

At the very end of the trailer it goes completely quite then this appears (below) which scares the audience. It seems to be of a woman running towards the camera and looking straight towards the lenses. The lady looks pale with white hair.



LYSETTE BAAFI