Trailer Analysis - Virgin Suicides

Camera

•  The trailer begins with a series of scenic wide shots, setting the picturesque location for the film
• The first close up shot of a young girl, who we assume to be the protagonist, is coloured a deep blue, juxtaposing the shots surrounding it giving a sudden feeling of uneasiness, especially as she is shown sleeping, portraying her as vulnerable
• Throughout the trailer there is a clear divide in the shots between the female and male characters, with little cross over, hinting at how the boys are putting the girls up on a pedestal
• The shots right at the end show several close ups of the girls followed by a wide landscape shot, all back in the bright yellow colours and scenic locations of the beginning of the trailer, providing a cyclic narrative and adding more ambiguity as to what happens to the girls after they disappear

Mise en Scene

• The trailer begins with a wide establishing shot of a large house in summer with a lens flare across it creating the peaceful feeling of a comfortable middle class family
• The colours in the trailer are used evidently, as said above, to depict the mood. Browns are used within the safety of the home and school, pastels such as yellows and pinks are seen out in the fields, however the occasional crosscuts to shots in a deep blue represent to underlying danger.
• The girls are dressed in white, highlighting how the boys see them, as angels to be worshiped
• After the climax the shots largely become a lot more darkly lit and far more low key than previously
• The body language of the girls all dancing, or lying peacefully is shown in juxtaposition to the audio, a news briefing saying how they have gone missing, creating a feeling of confusion in the viewer

Editing

• The ident is shown before the trailer begins, breaking the convention of a more modern trailer
• There is a slow editing speed with fades placed between each shot, giving the trailer a slow pace
• The shots are colour graded to unusual colours such as blues and yellows, giving a surreal, dream like feel
• The inter titles are in a swirled childlike hand drawn font, giving a youthfulness to the film and making it seen innocent, nothing more than your stereotypical teen romance film
• The inter titles begin to tell a story of their own between the shots adding another layer to the trailer

Sound

• The non diegetic music begins simple, it seems harmless of the surface but with undertones that something may not be quite right
• This is occasional moments of diegetic speeches, every time to highlight the relationship between the males and females in the trailer
• This continues being the only audio until just before half way through (1:12) when the trailer takes a sudden turn
• We hear a thunder clap, making use of pathetic fallacy to highlight the sudden mood change
• The non diegetic music cuts out and is replaced by a far more orchestral, dramatic piece
• Synchronous to the inter titles displaying the actor's names beginning the music changes once more, becoming faster with added drums, giving the feeling of time running out
• A flash is edited onto the shots synchronous to a non diegetic crash followed by a voiceover news briefing explaining the situation
• The trailer ends with a single voice leaving a very ambiguous message making the viewer want to watch the full film to find out what is meant by it.

EB