Film Trailer: Don't Be Afraid of the Dark!

·         I think this is an effective film trailer. It is different from all of the other trailers that I have watched and this makes it unique and effective, it means it is memorable. The first 49 seconds of the trailer is a plain black screen, with a simple voice over. The creates suspense as the audience are waiting for something to happen, something to make them jump and the longer it is just the black screen, the more suspense is created. It gets the audience on the edge of their seat, and this is good, it shows they are engaged with what’s happening.

·         The voice over is the part that makes the trailer have that uncertainty at the beginning. The words are spoken in a whisper, and the fact that you don’t know where the voice is coming from builds on the mystery of the trailer.

·         Having the title of ‘Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark’, along with already knowing that the genre is horror, instantly makes the audience feel scared. Many people are scared of the dark because it creates that atmosphere of uncertainty, you cant see very clearly so you don’t know what is there, or what is going to happen, so the audience are just waiting for that thing which makes them jump. 

·         The darkness is interrupted with a loud bang and the word ‘Don’t’ appears on the screen. This is used to shock the audience and I think it is effective. I think an effective technique used in this trailer is the action happening behind the words of the title. It gives a ‘looking through a key hole’ effect, from the perspective of someone else, but you don’t know who or what that someone else is.

·         The transitions are fast pace and fade through black quickly into the next shot. This is a common technique used in most horror trailers and one that I am planning to use in my trailer.