Shot By Shot Analysis

The first scene on this trailer is

the standard age rating green
screen. This informs viewers of
what age rating the film trailer
has been classed as and is a
requirement for all films in the
UK.

The next scene in the trailer opens by

fading from black into a long shot of a
dark house at night. This suggests to the
audience already that something is
about to happy as suspense is being
built from the beginning of the trailer
and this is a convention most horror film
trailers use, especially the setting of the
house at night time as the dark has a lot
of connotations to do with evil and horror
films. The slow music used in the
background of this scene is also used to
be unsettling for the audience and create
A sequence of quick cuts then
switches between multiple scenes of
what appears to be childrens
drawings. The use of the quick cuts as
the background music begins to get
faster again builds a lot more
suspense and keeps the audience
ready for that jump scene that horror
film trailers usually use as one of the
typical conventions followed. This is an
effective way of drawing the
audiences attention into the trailer.

The scene then quick cuts

back to the original long shot
view of the house, as the
background music is a police
report of a murder happening.
This is a quick shot and only
last around 2 3 seconds with
the quick cuts still flicking
between images at this point
to build even more suspense
for the audience.
The trailer is set in a chronological order as
it presents the ideas of the film to the
audience. This means that the first part of
the trailer was set in the past, the film then
progresses onto the present and then into
what happens in the future for the people
living in the house. This is a convention
most film trailers use which allows a story
to be told to the audience without actually
revealing the whole plot instead using
snippets of scenes from the film it is able to
act as a teaser and engage the audience
into watching the film when it is released.
A zoom shot is then used to give the
audience a view of entering the house.
The same shot as before now appears
in the daytime this connotes the house
has some importance to the plot of the
film and will have further relevance
later on in the trailer.

In the next clip in the trailer a shot

reverse shot is used to show the
start of the films plot to unfold
with a mysterious box in the attic
of the house previously shown at
beginning
theshown
trailer.toThe
The the
films
origin is of
then
the
low-key
used
audience
to lighting
give them
anhere
insight of the type
suggests
audience
that this
of film
sinistertoisthe
going
to be when
it is
relatesBy
tomentioning
something some of the
released.
evil/supernatural
as itthis
relates
to out to
producers
similar work,
reaches
plotgenre
of theaudience
film.
the the
horror
and entices them
more to watch the film as they would have
seen these films mentions previously and
enjoyed them, therefore making it more
likely that they would actually want to watch
this new film. This is also an effective way of
giving the audience an insight into what the
film will be about without spoiling the plot by
revealing everything in the film in the trailer,
instead using the producers previous work

The clip then cuts to a shot revealing the

facial expressions of one of the main
characters in the film. This is important
and it connotes to the audience that
there is an element of fear involved with
the characters of the film as the mans
facial expressions clearly present this as
well as low-key lighting used again here
to connote darkness and evil. The use of
the fast paced music in the background
of this scene is also building up tension
as the trailer reaches a climax where the
main plot of the film is slowly being
The quick cuts between the camera
and the main character watching the
videos found in the attic is another
effective way that the film trailer builds
suspense in revealing the plot. The use
of the close up shot on the camera with
the bright light connotes the unknown
and distorts the audiences view
because of the bright light, also the use
of the bright white colour also has
connotations of the supernatural as this
is now revealed to be included in the
plot and the colour white is typically

The climax of the trailer begins with the

diegetic sounds of screaming people in the
background of this scene. The shot of a car
on fire shows elements of horror and
torture with quick cuts jumping from close
up shots of chains and locks on the car
doors, back to the main view of the car
being on fire. This part of the trailer is used
to make the audience jump and is
expected in most horror film trailers after
enough suspense has been built up. The
use of the fire and the colour orange also
has connotations of hell and evil which is
again associated with the theme of the

The trailer then cuts to a dark

image of a swimming pools
reflection. With this a strange
figure appears in the centre,
which appears to be a face. This
scene only lasts around 3 seconds
but is enough to shock the
audience which is what it was
intended to do through the use of
the low-key lighting here and the
colour black connoting the
unknown and also death.
The same image of the unknown
face is then used through a graphic
match to carry over to the next
seen where the shot slowly zooms
in on the face, the main character
unaware of what is happening
around him. This creates more
tension for the audience and the
use of the orange and black colours
in the image again gives the
audience connotations of evil and
hell, one of the many conventions

A high angle shot is then used to present the

female child, again one of the main
characters in the plot. The high angle shot is
used to connote that she is inferior and
possibly at danger to the audience as this
creates sympathy for her during the trailer.
This is a common stereotype used in horror
films that children and females are victims
and are usually presented to be weaker and
inferior to the male characters in the films.
The low key lighting here also suggests that
something terrible is going to happen to the
girl as she has been centred in the shot, as
to appear like a target for whatever is
A close up shot of the film roll from
the beginning of the film on fire
again has connotations of the colour
orange and the fire itself
representing hell and the origin of
the evil spirits in the film itself. The
slow motion shot of this clip also
helps to build a final bit of tension
before the trailer ends.

Another high angle shot is used when

presenting the children characters of the
film to the audience. This is to again
suggest that they are inferior to the other
characters in the film because they are
children and also shows how they are most
at risk from horror plots such as demonic
possession. Here the high angle shot is also
used to focus on the image of a girls face
with no eyes which continuously appears in
the background of scenes with the main
characters, suggesting that they are in
danger and connotes to the audience that
The film title is not displayed
until almost the end of the
trailer; this is normal for most
film trailers as it does not give
anything away about the film
until the end of the trailer.

The trailer for sinister ends with a finish

scare scene. This is a long shot of the attic
of the haunted house where demonic
children are now sitting staring into the
camera with a direct mode of address. The
mis-en scene here suggests to audience
more about the film as the children have
makeup, which makes them, look dead and
demonic as well as old clothing suggesting