Youre Next- Trailer Analysis

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MGlWzO_Lus

The source of danger within this film comes from a masked

person. This is something that as a group we want to do as
well. The reasons being because we think it will be create an
unsettling feeling for the audience as they will not know what is
behind the mask. A horror is defined as an intense feeling of
fear, shock, or disgust. By having someone in a mask, we feel
that the audience will experience this intense feeling of fear.
Also, the audience are able to picture what the person looks
like behind the mask, which intrigues them to the film.
We thought the masks used in this film were very unique as
they are animal masks. This is ironic, as people dont consider
animals to be dangerous, this therefore creates a sinister feel
to them.

Like most horror trailers, this trailer has a

three act structure to it, and throughout this
powerpoint I will analyse each act.

FIRST ACT

(LOOK BACK AT PREVIOUS SLIDES FOR THE IMAGES)

The opening shot (image 1) of the trailer is a close up of someones hand putting a CD in a CD
player. There are no other sounds other than the synchronous diegetic sound of the CD being
put in. It is a peculiar shot to start with as the audience learn nothing about the setting,
characters or narrative of the film. However, this is what makes it effective as it builds up feelings
of the unknown and mystery.
When the CD is put in, the non-diegetic track begins to play. The sound is calming and peaceful,
portraying Todrovs idea of the equilibrium and that everything is normal.
The next shot we see (image 2) the production company Lionsgate. Lions Gate Entertainment
Corporation is a Canadian-American entertainment company. This is shown at the start of the
trailer so that audience viewers will see a familiar company and perhaps know some of there
other films they have produced or distributed and therefore be more inclined to want to see this
film.
Shot number 3 is then shown. It is an establishing aerial shot which allows the audience to get
the idea of the setting and location. It conforms to the horror genre as it looks as if the car is
driving to the middle of nowhere, creating a perception of isolation and coldness. Shot 4 is
followed shortly after with the audience seeing only the back of the car but not whos in it or
knowing where its going and why. This raises many questions within them which makes them
feel anticipation and excitement to know what the trailer is going to reveal. This is typically
something the horror genre does as it wants the audience always engaged.

Text then appears on the screen saying The Perfect Weekend. However, it seems quite odd
as it doesnt say It was The Perfect Weekend, almost as if it was planned to be a really good
weekend, however something went wrong and for what ever reason it was disrupted. This
already makes the audience feel anxious, which is lots of horrors want to achieve. The genre
is therefore slowly starting to be introduced. Moreover the text itself is almost enrobed in
darkness, stressing the idea that soon there will be a disruption to the equilibrium (Todrov).
There is a voiceover and a sound bridge of a woman saying I just want you all to know, how
much it means to us that youre all here. This makes the audience perceive that the purpose
of all the people being together is for a special occasion. Furthermore, by following the car at
the start of the trailer, it suggests that the characters made a long journey to get there. It
creates quite a calm and tranquil opening to the trailer. We then see the lady who is saying the
dialogue (image 6). She is dressed very formal with her hair pinned tightly back and wearing a
smart blazor. This therefore emphasises the idea that it is an important occasion. However,
another perception could be that this lady is just an uptight, stern and upper class woman.
We then see various shots (images 7 and 8) of other different characters. They all appear to
look very happy that they are there. In image 8, a man is shown who says a piece of dialogue
Thanks to Mum and Dad. This gives the explanation that they are a family. This is combined
with the framing and composition of the man being placed in front of a fire. This suggests that
this is a warm and loving house, and the parents havent seen their grown up children in a
while. Although the genre is not straight away introduced, this just makes the audience feel
anxious and apprehensive as they are just waiting for the moment for when it is.

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Text is once again shown (image 9), however this time saying The Perfect Family. Due to the
repetition of the word perfect on both bits of text the audience has been shown, it adds a sense
of obscurity, as the audience wonder whether what their about to witness will in fact be the
opposite of perfect. The text is combined with non-diegetic music, the words in the track are
Just a Perfect Day. This builds up emotions of distress within the audience as they are almost
waiting for the point where it all stops being perfect and something bad happens. The words in
the song then carry on to shot 10, where we see the big family all sitting round a table appearing
to really be enjoying each others company. They are all dressed like any other ordinary person,
this enables the audience to be able to relate to the characters and develop an on-screen
relationship with them all. This loving warm feeling is stressed through the next shot- shot 11.
Fires in a house are typically associated with ideas of comfort and relaxation.
A voiceover and sound bridge is then used with what looks like the father, saying a prayer with
words such as kind words and loving deeds. This allows the audience to acknowledge their
love for not only one another but for the world in which they live in and God. It represents all the
characters as friendly warm hearted people.
We then see various shots of happy couples (image 12) within the large family looking very in
love. Themes of family and love are therefore really being emphasised and Todrovs idea of
films starting with an equilibrium is also really being brought to attention.

By everything we have seen so far, the trailer is sure not to give to much of the narrative away.
This draws the audience in and allows it to conform to the conventions of a horror genre, as
horrors like to keep their audience on the edge of their seats full of anticipation.

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All of a sudden the non-diegetic track stops playing. This communicates to the audience that the
disruption to the equilibrium is about to take place (Todrov). It also creates an isolated theme as the
audience feel alone without the comfort of the music. This allows the trailer to conform to the horror
genre.
A shot is shown of a woman in the family (shot 13), however as an audience we are seeing her from
behind a window. This makes us feel as if it is a point of view shot and we are in the eyes of someone
else watching her. This develops a frightful feeling and the audience are in the dark as to who this
person might be. In the same shot (shot 13) the audience are eventually visually shown a reflection in
the window of what appears to look like an animal face/mask. This creates a fearful atmosphere within
the audience.
Combined with shot 14 with the text reading Everything will change a new non-diegetic track begins to
play and this time it is a more sinister one. The horror genre is now starting to show through as the
audience are feeling tense and nervous as they know that something has gone wrong and someone is
out there watching them for what ever reason.
Image 15 is then shown to the audience viewers where there is a male family member who is alone in
the house appearing to look quite apprehensive and confused. The shot is shallow focus as the family
picture behind him is fuzzy and unclear. This makes the audience feel a sense of terror as its as if to
say the happy family is no longer going to be there anymore and they are all in danger.
After the male saying what is that? almost as if he is speaking what every audience member is
currently thinking, something is thrown through the window to smash it. Before this happens, the nondiegetic music stops playing for a bit hinting that he shouldnt be alone as danger lies ahead. The fact
that something then forces the window to smash makes the audience jump, which is typically
something lots of horrors make their audience do.

SECOND ACT

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In this next section there are many black outs (shown in shot 18) to create a disorientated and disjointed
feel. This conforms to the horror genre as it creates a fearful feeling within the audience as they are
unknown as to what is going on. Moreover it strengthens the feeling of entrapment being created as the
audience feel that they have no where to turn.
How do we know it is the second act of the trailer? A change in track in the trailer is usually used as a clue
to convey the transition of an act. This is demonstrated in this trailer, as a new non-diegetic track starts
which sounds incredibly suspenseful and (WORD FOR BROKEN UP MUSIC). It is also uncomfortably
quiet which raises the levels of anticipation in the audience as to what they are next going to be shown. Thi
s creates an alarming and chilling feeling for the viewers as there is uncertainty regarding the safety of the
family.
In shot 17, a mans reaction is shown as a result as to whats going on. The audience feel as if they can rel
ate to his expression as just like him, they are unsure as to what is currently happening. This also demonstr
ates the change in the acts as usually in the first act Todrovs idea of an equilibrium is shown, where all is c
alm and normal, however in the genre of a horror, this is typically disrupted in the second act of the trailer.
Todrovs third stage, recognition of disruption is also being demonstrated currently. This is shown by the fa
ster pace of the trailer; the duration of the shots are lot quicker.
Shot 19 shows one the family member who saw something smashed through the window earlier on, falling t
o the floor. Diegetic synchronous sounds then come to place as we hear and see the rest of the family
screaming in shock as to what they are witnessing. It is unclear to the audience as to why the man is falling
to the floor, it looks as if he has been shot with a weapon of some sort. Considering the fact a horror is
usually described as an overwhelming feeling caused by something shocking or terrifying, this visual
m
oving image of the man falling to the floor is creating this exact feeling and is therefore conforming to the co
des and conventions a horror typically incorporates. The lighting is incredibly dark in this shot as well, em
phasizing a cold and terrifying atmosphere.
Shot 20 shows the reactions of the rest of the family members after seeing a loved ones there fall to the flo
or dead. As expected they are all incredibly frightened and scared. This makes the characters incredibly
relatable for the audience members as the feelings they are expressing are also how the audience are
feeling.
A canted close-up camera shot then shows an arrow being shot directly through a family photo. This shows
how their family is being destroyed by the horrendous danger in the house.

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Shots 22 to 25 expresses the characters trying to remain as safe as they possibly can
considering the terrifying situation they are in. An aspect which makes it more fearful f
or the audience members is that the start of the trailer was a normal family meal, which a
lot of audience members would be able to relate to, however it gets unexpectedly
di
srupted by something very dangerous, which makes the viewers think that could potentia
lly be them one day. This therefore builds an emotion of anxiety.
Shot 22 is very effective as it is in slow motion. The man in the couple is seen pulling his
love to safety, however the slow-motion makes it more tense and dramatic. The fact that
both the audience members and the characters in the film are yet to find out where the
danger is actually coming from, makes it seem even more of a threat.
Whilst seeing shot 23 of two women crawling under the table to get away, there is a
voiceover of woman saying in desperation and fright oh my god! This allows the
tr
ailer to conform to what most horror genre trailers are typically like as themes of
te
rror and entrapment are involved. The moving images are still all being individually sep
arated by fade to blacks. This builds up a sinister and isolated perception within the audi
ence.
A voiceover and sound bridge is used over shots 24 and 25 with a man saying Get away
from the window' This suggests that they know that what ever is there is outside the h
ouse and they have to remain unseen otherwise they could be in severe danger.
Feelings of panic are stressed throughout the section, as the characters dont even have
the time to consider what could possibly be after them and what their motive might be, a
s they know they need to come together as a family and protect one another from
h
arm.

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 Shot 26 shows a high angle shot of the bottom of a door. The lighting used is incredibly
dark, almost so that it's hard to make out what the moving image being shown is. This
creates a very eerie feel as it makes the audience feel isolated from safety and trapped b
y what ever is currently outside. The fact that the only small source of light being shown is
from underneath the door makes the audience feel nervous as to what is outside. There is
also a slight shadow beneath the door suggesting that someone is outside. This is
something that most horrors tend to involve (the anticipation of someone villainous
g
etting nearer) because it builds up feelings of apprehension and worry.
There is then a close up shot of the man holding the door handle about to open it
(shot 26). It creates panic as just as well as the character himself, us an audience dont
know what is on the other side of the door. The duration of the shot is very quick to
create anticipation.
The two shot of both women kneeling on the floor in shot 27 is combined with the
synchronous diegetic dialogue of one of the women saying What is happening? Her
voice sounds incredibly desperate and upset. This makes the audience sympathise with
her as a character as they would hate to be in her position. The fact that they are sitting on
the floor represents them as very weak and vulnerable.
The non-diegetic music remains to be unsettling and creepy sounding making the
audience feel on the edge of their seats which is what most horrors tend to provoke.
In shot 29 a woman is shown shutting the curtains in a drastic manor highlighting her
t
error and fear to what is outside. It is almost as if the walls of the house is the only thing pr
otecting them from the danger that is outside. The shut of the curtains then goes to a bl
ack background and the non-diegetic music goes silent creating a large sense of solitude
and evoking a feeling of detachment from safety.

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 In shot 30, a synchronous diegetic sound comes to place of a door creaking, as if to

suggest the danger is getting closer and closer. The duration of the shot is quick and the
clarity is unclear. All these factors help to make the audience feel apprehensive that
something bad is looming.
Sounds are then effectively including in the upcoming of Shot 31. We hear a non-diegetic
sound of what appears to sound like a beating heart. This evokes a threatening feel for th
e audience as it stresses the idea of anticipating that something very dangerous is soon
approaching. On top of this is the diegetic dialogue of the man being visually shown in s
hot 31, where he says Why would anybody do this?. Its almost as if he asking us the q
uestion and is sharing the same confusion as us all about who would be so cruel minded
as to randomly create such a horrendous unneeded scene. His hair appears to be
incredibly sweaty looking which expresses her levels of panic and despair. The dark
lighting surrounding him suggests that no one is there to save him.
This shot is then followed by Shot 32 where the womans face is shown to be looking out
of the window to bravely see what is there. The camera shot is as if it is a point of view
shot. This creates a very creepy and uneasy feeling for the current viewers as its as if
there looking at the woman through the eyes of whoever is causing the danger. This
conforms to the conventions of a horror genre, as usually the viewers see lots of reactions
from the innocent victims before they actually the face of the person causing these
reactions.
In shot 33 we hear synchronous dialogue of a male family member saying Theyve been
watching us for days This creates fear in the audience as we know that the family have
been completely unaware that the danger was just waiting for the right time to strike.
Many fades to black are currently being used act to distort the action and create
uncertainty.

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In Shot 34, we see a door being slightly opened however behind it is nothing but
darkness. This creates a sense of feel and fright as still, so far into the trailer, the
source of danger is not being visually presented to the audience. There is a
crescendo in the non-diegetic music building up the suspense being created.
This is followed by shot 35 where we see a characters feet entering the room and
we hear synchrounous sounds of what appears to be the footsteps of a man,
judging on the shoes being worn. Other than that sound it seems to be quite, on the
verge of silence, this is so the audience can really focus that the person is actually i
nside the house now. It makes them feel alarmed and anxious as they could possib
ly be seeing who the person is soon. The trailer is almost teasing as the audience a
s it is 1:15 into the trailer and the villainous person is still yet to be revealed.
There is a long shot in shot 36 of the outside of their house they are in. This
emphasizes the theme of isolation. It is clearly shown that some lights are on
inside the house to almost create a sense of comfort for both the characters and the
audience watching. However, as shown in shot 37 the lights suddenly switch off a
nd it is only darkness within the house. The fact we are watching from the
o
utside makes us feel as we are completely helpless.
As the lights go off, the non-diegetic music makes an eerie loud sound making the
audience members feel worried.

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Shot 38 is then shown. The words Youre Next is written on the mirrors. This is also the name of
the film. It appears as if the words have been written in blood. This creates a feeling of disgust w
ithin the audience. It also stresses the themes of the unknown as it has not been made clear who
has wrote the message. It conforms the genre of a horror as it makes the audience feel very
fearful which is what lots of horrors tend to make their audience feel. There is also a voiceover of
one of the male family members saying This wasnt a random attack. This is very creepy as
there is a big question over what the motive behind these evil people are. All seems quite silent
other than the dialogue being said.
However, then a person from outside smashes the window open with their arm (shot 39). The
synchronous sound of this appears to have been amplified as it is so loud. This therefore would
usually make an audience jump which is what lots of horrors do to their audience. The fact that t
he woman is on the other side of the wall and is so close to being punched creates an incredibly
frightful experience for both the character and the audience members watching. Once again, after
previously seeing the feet of the person, the audience are now just seeing an arm, this evokes th
e unknown as we have no clue as to what the person looks like. It is almost quite fragmented as
we see different shots of the woman falling to the ground in shock and agony.
In shot 40 we see the woman falling to the ground and in front of her many sharp knifes also
falling. These props used connote ideas of violence and harm. These ideas are themes many
horrors incorporate. It makes the audience feel distressed and concerned as to where the knifes
appeared from.
In shot 41, the face of the person is finally revealed. However, they are wearing a mask which
makes them look very sinister and threatening. The mask used is an animal mask. This is ironic
as animals are usually associated with kindness and innocence. However, this just makes it all
the more scary as the person inside must be incredibly evil.

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In shot 42 the woman is presented as very vulnerable and weak looking. This is shown clearly
through her being positioned on the floor and also the use of the high angle camera shot. It
enables the audience to really sympathise with her character and see her suffering both mentall
y and physically. Shot 43 is then closely followed with the masked person using a large weapon
to try and kill the woman. This frightens the audience as they are uncertain as to whether he
will hit her accurately and kill her. It really demonstrates the conventions of the horror genre; f
ear and violence.
In shot 44 there is a close up of an alarm clock. This suggests that time is really running out and
soon the whole family will be dead as there is no help around for them. The only help and
p
rotection they have is that of each other.
Contrapuntal ironic music then starts to play with the words Its such a perfect day

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 A montage of different violent shots are then shown. Shot 46 is an example of this. It is a
close up of someone holding a knife. This weapon has connotations of aggression and
violence. The fact that the montage is getting quicker and the durations of the shots are also
getting quicker.
Shot 47 then shows the effects the violence is having on the family as the woman is shown t
o be completely distraught from whats going on. The lighting around her is dark to convey
her emotional breakdown.
Text then comes up on the screen, as shown in shot 48, 49 and 50. The fact that altogether i
t says The Animals will hunt you makes it seem as if its talking to the audience itself. This
puts fear upon them as they feel included in the danger.

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 The montage continues to play. The fact that in shot 51, the masked person is shown from a
low angle, makes him look powerful and threatening. The shots shows the dysfunction of the
family and all the pain and suffering simply one masked man has inflicted on them all.

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