Insidious 2 textual analysis

1. INSIDIOUS TEXTUAL
ANALYSIS

2. PURPOSE OF FILM TRAILERS
A trailer is a form of advertising in which the purpose is to promote a new film to potential
audiences and aims to encourage people to buy the film or see it at the cinema.
The genre of a film is often represented in a trailer through the elements of mise-en-
scene and cinematography techniques. For example, the editing in a horror film is likely to
be fast paced and include camera shots such as extreme close ups, yet these elements are
not likely to be found in a film from the romantic genre.
Similarly, the choice of actors in a trailer can also represent the target audience of a film
giving them something to relate to.
The actors themselves can emphasise the genre if they are known for a particular genre of
film. For example, actor Jim Carey is known for playing a role in comedies.
Trailers will often have a unique selling point (USP) to help it appear different from others
of the same genre. This helps to attract audiences because a new release will appear
different from previous trailers audiences may have seen before.

3. INSIDIOUS 2 TRAILER
HTTPS://WWW.YOUTUBE.COM/WATCH?V=FBBI4NEEBAK
Insidious Chapter 2 (2013) is a film from the horror/thriller genre and
is directed by James Wan and stars Patrick Wilson, Rose Byrne and
Barbara Hershey
Insidious 2 acts as a prequel to the first film and tells the back story
of the character Josh and his encounters with supernatural forces
Insidious 2 is produced by FilmDistrict and Stage 6 films who are
known for producing several other films that fall into the horror genre
such as ‘Don’t be afraid of the dark’ and the remake of the 1980’s
horror classic ‘The Evil Dead’ and also including the first film of the
Insidious franchise

4. NARRATIVE
• Within the opening of the trailer we are made familiar with
the characters within the film and we gain a sense of
equilibrium as we see them all interacting as a family
• The trailer also uses a calm non-diegetic soundtrack to add
to this peaceful sense of equilibrium indicating to the
audience that nothing is wrong however this is then
counteracted by the screen fading to black and saying the
words ‘it began two years ago’
• The use of the word ‘it’ adds to the action code and creates
tension as audiences will be on the edge of their seats
wanting to know what ‘it’ is that is disrupting this family’s
peaceful life
• We also later in the trailer hear josh say ‘there’s nothing to
worry about we’ve got our son back’ this is then followed by
eerie music within the soundscape which indicates to the
audience that this is about to be disrupted as eerie
soundtracks and noises are conventions of the horror genre

5.  Within the trailer gender stereotypes are conformed to in the sense
that the male protagonist is shown to be comforting the female who
is shown as being emotional and being the victim of these events
Todorov’s narrative structure can be applied to the trailer as the
opening scenes are calm and balanced where the family is shown.
However when the eerie music is first heard, disruption occurs as the
trailer soon becomes fast paced and the change in the lighting adds
to the negative atmosphere. The disruption increases as the trailer
progresses and the audience does not see the new equilibrium as this
will make them curious to know what happens.

6. CINEMATOGRAPHY
Within the opening of this film cinematography has been used as an
indicator of the horror genre in the sense that it uses lots of close ups and
mid close-ups. This is used in order to focus on the characters reaction to
the narrative events. These camera angles are being used in order to create a
tense, panicked atmosphere within the scene. This film opening also relies
heavily on the over the shoulder shot. This is used to make the audience feel
included in the scene and experience similar emotions to the characters in
the scene are. Finally this scene also uses an eye line match in order to
create fear within the audience. This is done through the use of crime scene
photographs in which we see the murder victims injuries this creates a
feeling of uneasiness in the audience because due to the eye line match we
are forced to only focus on these which might then make us feel more
fearful of the character who has killed this person or even to watch the film
itself.

7. CINEMATOGRAPHY – CLOSE UPS
Within this trailer close-ups are used in order to show how the
audience is reacting to the tense or uncomfortable situations that
they have been put in for example within the trailer we see close up
shots of Renai’s face as she is experiencing these things and we are
made to relate to the terror she is feeling .

8. CINEMATOGRAPHY- WIDE SHOTS
Within this trailer wide shots are used in order to create a sense of
equilibrium and balance before the horrific events in the climax of the
film take place. Within these wide shots we are able to see that the
action of this film takes place around a family as we see them
together within the opening clips of the trailer.

9. EDITING
The editing within this film opening may have been used to relate it
to the genre of this media text as it is fast paced editing and jump
cuts to reflect the tense and interrogative mood of the scene. This is
demonstrated through the use of shot- reverse shot and eyeline
match. Finally this piece also uses parallel editing to an extent that
there are two different types of action happening within the scene for
example there is the murdered woman laying in the chair and this is
then paralleled with the couple speaking about what has just
happened. This can be linked to the genre of horror as it represents
the chaos of the situation and also that the characters are
demonstrating fear.

10. EDITING
Furthermore within this trailer we can see that the most exciting clips
of the film are placed evenly throughout the trailer so that the
audience are kept interested throughout the trailer and will therefore
feel more incline to go and watch it. However the editing does speed
up towards the end so that the trailer is able to ‘save the best for last’
of the film, the audience is also more likely to remember these scenes
as they will be fresh in their memory due to them being the last
things they see.

11. SOUND
Within the trailer for insidious the use of diegetic and non - diegetic
sound can be indicative of the genre of this media text. For example
with the use of diegetic sound within the scene we can hear
characters saying things such as “leave our family alone' and “it’s still
happening’. This would indicate genre as it is discussing the haunting
and paranormal events that are taking place as ghosts or other-
wordly beings can be one of the k conventions of the horror genre.
Non- diegetic sound is used to represent genre in this case as there
is a eerie soundtrack playing in the background later in the trailer
which makes the scene feel more tense and scary.

12. NON-DIEGETIC SOUND
The trailer also uses a calm non-diegetic soundtrack to add to this
peaceful sense of equilibrium indicating to the audience that nothing
is wrong however this is then counteracted by the screen fading to
black and saying the words ‘it began two years ago’
The use of the word ‘it’ adds to the action code and creates tension
as audiences will be on the edge of their seats wanting to know what
‘it’ is that is disrupting this family’s peaceful life
We also later in the trailer hear josh say ‘there’s nothing to worry
about we’ve got our son back’ this is then followed by eerie music
within the soundscape which indicates to the audience that this is
about to be disrupted as eerie soundtracks and noises are
conventions of the horror genre

13. MISE-EN-SCENE
Within the opening of the trailer audiences can observe that natural lighting
is used in order to create a sense of equilibrium so that we suspect that this
the family’s idea of normal. We also see the characters within the film and
we gain a sense of equilibrium as we see them all interacting as a family .
However later on this is subverted because we see that The lighting used is
also very dark and this connotes the idea of the unknown as the audience
and characters in the film are unable to see what's could be coming.
Similarly, the dark lighting is suitable for the horror genre as it adds to the
gloomy, negative atmosphere.

14. MISE-EN-SCENE / SETTING
Within this trailer the setting subverts horror genre conventions as it does not really take place in the
conventional isolated setting but is more modern and takes place in a suburban neighbourhood.
However later on within the trailer we see these conventions conformed to within the scenes taking
place in ‘the further’ where it is shown with minimal lighting in order to create an eerie atmosphere
and make it more mysterious and uncomfortable for the audience to watch.
the Mise en scene within the trailer of insidious can be linked to genre in the aspect of lighting. For
example within this clip a poorly lit scene is used to convey the genre we see heavy uses of the
colours black and red. these colours both carry the connotations of danger and death. This lighting is
appropriate in the sense that someone within the scene has just been murdered. The costuming and
makeup within this scene may also be linked with the horror genre in the aspect that these characters
are all shown to be wearing black clothing which would reflect the sombre mood of the scene that has
just happened. Also the props within the scene might be indicators of genre as for example there is
only candle light and light coming from torches. This might reflect that the genre of this film is horror
because the lack of lighting makes the scene seem eerie and tense for the audience watching it

15. MODE OF ADDRESS
This trailer also indicates that is a horror film
through the release date that is displayed within the
trailer ‘Friday the 13th’ is the title of a classic horror
film that the producers of this trailer hope that the
target audiences will have the knowledge of this film
and see this a date that is linked with this genre.
Many people will also know that this particular date
is ‘unlucky’ therefore they will assume that there is
something sinister about this film and this may
encourage them to want to see it
The trailer talks to the target audience by using their
website and twitter account as a synergistic
technique.
This form of advertising is relevant to the target
audience as it can help people to raise awareness of
the film through social networking. Also, with twitter
if people start talking about the film, this all helps
the promotion and raising awareness of the film.

16. BARTHES’ ENIGMA THEORY
The purpose of a trailer is to create mystery surrounding the films
release and this theory can be applied to the Woman in Black trailer
as mystery is created throughout.
The use of the word ‘it’ adds to the action code and creates tension
as audiences will be on the edge of their seats wanting to know what
‘it’ is that is disrupting this family’s peaceful life
We also see the words ‘the terrifying secret’ which creates suspense
as the audience will want to know what this secret is and what it is
that makes it so terrifying and this will make audiences want to see
the film so they can find out what this secret is.

17. INFLUENCES
• from this trailer we have decided to take influence from the suburban
setting of the house and decided this is one of the settings that we wish to
use in our production
•We have also decided to use close up camera shots in order to show the
reaction of the characters to the various situations they are in so that the
audience feels like they are a part of the action and feel the same emotions
as them
•We have also decided that we are going to be using fast paced editing in
order to create a jumpy tense atmosphere within the narrative of our film
and also so that the audience is left on ‘edge of their seat’
•We also plan on using non-diegetic sounds such as soundtracks in order to
create this tense atmosphere which is one of the conventions of the horror
genre.