Piranha Trailer analyisis and Film report.

Title: Piranha

Directed by: Alexandre Aja

Year: 2010

Paradigmatic conventions:

Setting: the lake at spring break

Character: Group of teenagers

Villain:  ‘Piranha’

Props: teeth

Evokes fear:  Being stuck in a place that you can’t escape, surround by things that want to harm you.

Plot synopsis:  Spring break has just begun as an earth quake results into the floor of the lake breaking, and with it releasing deadly piranha’s that were known to be extinct for other two million years. The piranha is loose, but so are the teens, how long will it take for one of them to killed off?

Narrative time line:

Period of equilibrium

1.)    Calm setting

2.)    splitting of the floor of the lake

3.)    Entering the lake

4.)    Exploring the lake

5.)    Discovering unknown life form.

Moment of Disequilibrium

        Reveal of the Piranha 47”

Period of Disequilibrium

1.)    Scuba diver eaten alive

2.)    Realisation of what type of Piranha they have discovered.

3.)    Woman being bitten in the water

4.)    All the teenagers begin to be attacked in the water

5.)    Boat being spiralled into the sea by the Piranha.

Conflict: Piranha

Complication x3: Outnumbered, Don’t know how to get rid of them, They hunt in packs.

Crisis: Spring break has just started and they are having trouble getting the teenagers out of the water.

The Strangers Trailer analysis and Film Reveiw

Title: The Strangers

Directed by: Bryan Bertino

Year: 2008

Paradigmatic conventions:

Setting: House

Character: Just engaged couple

Villain:  ‘The Strangers’

Props: Axe

Evokes fear:  An invasion of our sanctuary, something endangering our happiness.

Plot synopsis:  A couple having a nice romantic meal in the comfort of their own home, about to become fiancé to one another. When a loud noise occurs, slowly things begin to go downhill as outsiders begin to intrude into their happiness, and kill every sense of joy they once had.

Narrative time line:

Period of equilibrium

1.)    Rose petals all over the house

2.)    Lighting Candles

3.)    Bathing

4.)    Proposal

5.)    Hugging

Moment of Disequilibrium

        Sharp noise à Swing (1 min)

Period of Disequilibrium

1.)    Axe through the door

2.)    The man being stalked with an axe

3.)    Rammed by a car

4.)    Running in the woods

5.)    Face to face confrontation.

“why are you doing this?”

               “Because you were home”

95 camera shots

35 close ups = 1/3 shots.

Structure time line:

AntiChrist - Film Review

 

Title: Antichrist

Directed by: Lars Van Trier

Year: 2009

Studio: Centre National de la cinematographie

Paradigmatic conventions:

Setting: Apartment/ woods (Eden)

Character: Middle aged couple (former parents)

Villain:  Herself

Props: Psychological - The research of Genocide sends her insane.


Evokes fear: Psychological insanity; Reoccurring dreams; Satan and Nature; Women wooven between branches; noises; uncertainty; demonic/unseen and Darkness.

Plot synopsis: Woman writes a thesis about Genocide (women killed by men because they feel they are evil) i.e. witches. By doing so she takes the role herself, i.e. planning her own son’s death. As she goes into her madness she attempts to kill her own husband forcing him to kill her in attempt to save himself.

Gothika Trailer Analysis

This trailer works effectively as a horror movie trailer as it doesn't reveal too much of the plot yet wets our appetite and suspicion leading to us wanting to watch the film. It introduces us to the Paradigms of characters, setting and villain in this trailer yet does not give away the story. It allows us to see the journey in which the main character embarks on through insanity by jump cutting (fading to black) through different scenes, representing time passing. The dark colours of the scenes again go with the image of a horror movie, and enforce the audience’s primal fear of the dark. The writing on top of the scene's being played which describes the main character is white so that it shows up more but also so that it contrasts with the red word at the end, signifying her change from sanity to madness. It could also represent blood which could link to the killing of her husband that she is accused of. The trailer is also effective as it shocks the audience by flashing the image of the dead girl on the screen unexpectedly. That alongside the eerie music sets the mood and instantly positions the audience on the edge of their seats. The pace of the music changes through the trailer, going from a slow eerie piece to a fast tempo piece, showing the progression of her madness but also the pace of her and the audience's heart beat. This trailer also ends with a black out of image when asked "are you scared" and the reply is "no", the black out of the image and dim of the music makes the next speech "you should be" more eerie and has the ability to send shivers down the audience's spine.