2. SOUND:
The sound effects at the start and throughout are very
sinister, it also sounds like fog horns which is signals
danger and is very creepy. The sound of the waves
crashing against the boat sounds very unnerving and
gives the impression that where they are going is an
unsettling place. As soon as the dialogue ‘for the
criminally insane is spoken the soundtrack then becomes
a lot more tense and dramatic and it drowns out the
other sounds, which is done because up until this point
the audience are unaware of what the detective what be
dealing with (then tense soundtrack wanrs them that it
will be danger). There is a lot of weather sound effects
(such as rain and lightening) which reflects that
something bad is going to happen (pathetic fallacy), the
weather reflects the mood.
3. The trailer starts with an establishing shot of a boat sailing through some
thick mist, which eventually begins to clear This immediately establishes the
psychological genre, as this genre typically uses fog as it symbolises the
unknown- not knowing what is hidden behind the fog which plays on your
mind. We then have an establishing shot of ‘shutter island’, which sets the
scene. The island looks very deserted and alone, surrounded by just sea and
dark sky's. It makes you feel very isolated and which further adds to the
psychological genre. We are then shown a low angle establishing shot of the
guards opening the gates into the mental hospital. The lines in the bars
connotate feeling trapped. These shots are fairly long and slow, and simply
set the scene and the genre.
There is sound put over the majority of this trailer of the characters talking,
their conversation introduces you to the characters and gives a snese of the
basic plot of the story.
4. We are then shown multiple montage shots of things such as
handcuffs, hands writing on the wall and people being dragged
away and grave stones. We also see a shot of a dark, empty
tunnel, with rain dripping into it; this is a very creepy image. The
pace picks up which starts to build tension, suspense and fear.
All of the lighting is very dark and sinister, and you immediate
get the sense that there is something not right about this place.
Almost every transition is a fade to black and I think this works
well because it shows the darkness of the film and creates
suspense between shots.
5. Unique selling point and target audience:
The unique selling point of this film is that its set in the past this is because it gives the
audience an insight into the past and the techniques that were used to ‘cure’ mental
problems back then, this will draw in the audience as most films at the moment are
modern or futuristic genre. Also the fact that its directed by Martin Scorsese and that
it stars Leonardo Dicaprio, will be a big selling point within the first 10 seconds of the
trailer, the audience are introduced to the A-list actor Leonardo Dicaprio, which
immediately targets a female audience of around 15-35 as he is very attractive,
popular and famous. After the words, "its a mental hospital" "for the criminally
insane" are said, a backing music that is quite solemn begins, creating an unsettling
atmosphere, which suggests that it is a mystery/psychological Thriller. This would
relate to a wide audience as it is popular with all ages, both male and female, which
contrasts to an action, which would mainly target a male audience. The Federal
Marshals (Leonardo and Mark Ruffalo) would attract both a male and female
audience: they are young and attractive and also can be seen as the 'hero' type that
males would aspire to be. Emily Mortimer, a famous actress is also introduced in the
Trailer, which would attract an audience as she is well known. Furthermore, as she is
an English actress unlike the other two stars, this could attract more of an audience as
it widens interest (English people are going to want to watch an English actress in a
Hollywood film). The Thriller is also set in 1954, which is suggested in the trailer. As a
result, this will attract an older audience also as they could relate to that time - there
are flashbacks of concentration camps, etc. Therefore, the Thriller can be seen as
interesting as well as entertaining to watch as it shows shocking images, which
emotionally attach an audience because it relates to real life issues.
6. The clips then gradually slow down, and we are introduced to our
protagonist; Teddy Daniel. we see close ups of the characters in order to sell
the film to the audience. He dresses fairly smart, and like a typical detective
(trench coat and tie). The film as sort of crime/detective genre feel to it,
however with aspects of a psychological horror. We are then shown some
very fast paced shots of things such as barbed wire, windows looking out into
a stormy night and paper being thrown in the air. Theyre all quite mysterious
images, which plays on the psychological side of the film. We then move
closer into the actual hospital, and move past images of some of the mental
patients (they are very disturbing looking which will capture the audiences
attention)- this are slow paced to draw attention to them.
7. The first title we see says ‘A martin Scorsese
picture’. This will capture the audiences
attention as Martin Scorsese is a very respected
film director- therefore the audience will be
intrigued by the film. The next title we see says
‘leonardo dicaprio’- who is the main character in
the film. This is a USP of the film as Dicaprio is a
very well known actor- for films such as Titanic.
8. We see a lot of wired gates in next few scenes. This highlights how the
hospital is some sort of trap for the protagonist. The diagonal lines on the
wire connotate that something isnt quite right, which is typical of this
psychological thriller genre. One scene shows a birdseye view of one of the
small cell rooms with the detectives and doctors in, this angle makes it look as
if they are being watched and makes them look very inferior and small. The
next shot is a low angle shot in the same room. This also gives a sense of
being watched. A lot of the scene is in darkness as well which connotates that
something could be hiding in that darkness (possibly the protagonist is being
kept in the dark, maybe a secret?).
9. As the trailer goes on we see the gradual
breakdown in our protagonist as he acts more and
more fearful and changes clothing (mental patient
uniform)- which hints towards the storyline. The
clips at the point become very fast paced, showing
his mental breakdown and leading to the climax.
One scene show him running up a spiral staircase-this
is quite disorientating which links to the
psychological genre. We see images of fire and
crashing waves which represent danger. We are left
with the final statement of ‘you will never leave this
island’ which is a bold statement that audiences will
be intrigued by and want to find out more!
