The Possession of Michael King Trailer review

By Gethin Price

Genre• The genre of this film is horror. This can be seen by many of the extreme close us of his eyes being

extremely dark and blood shot. These are often followed by a softer tone of voice making you anxious of what is always going to happen next.

• This is also becoming even further apparent where is begins to go into a darker mind set towards targeting the audience with The main actor Michael King being tied up in his basement, it shows a close up on his hands struggling to escape, representing a showing of no escape from the darkness which signals fear within the viewer signally the film is a horror

• These are a few images which help signify the horror element of the film:

Narrative

• The story of the film is that a father called Michael King and his daughter live in a house and the father Michael king is fond in finding out more about the supernatural and demonic images. He puts himself under a possession to the devils and dark spirits of the world, from here he becomes captured by there spirits and is unable to escape, as said what would happen by the one character he talks to about these demons, he says ‘he will know you are listening… and he will never let you go’ Fear element is created as this is said during the initial possession of Michael King.

• It goes through to show him suffering after this has been completed and shows images within his head of what he is going through and how it is effecting him.

• It leaves you with a cliff hanger of what is going to happen at the end of the film with the trailer, this is where the father is speaking to his daughter and he asks who is the monster in her dreams? She replies with ‘Its you daddy’ This creates a final show of tension and anything could happen next.

Unique selling point

• The unique selling point is that it is a personally recorded film like the Blair witch project, so it has a huge effect on the viewer as it creates a larger sense of realism when watching because you feel that it could be found footage from the house. It also has a reasonably well known actor named Shane Johnson who has also featured in Saving Private Ryan. • The trailer last for 2 minutes and four seconds and has 69 shots and that

is including interties and the main title/credits. It is this length and around this many shots as that is the same as most conventional horror movie trailers being in the time length of around 1.40 and 2.20 minutes long and in-between 60 – 80 shots of what a normal horror trailer holds.

Camera angles and shotsWithin the first scene you get a wide, long shot of Michael King with his daughter. In this scene it then shows him going to tickle her and it comes up with this second close up shot of Michael King with a loud scream.

Camera angles/shots

• Establishing shot of the house which it is going to be set in, where the movie is going to be held in.

This is a wide, long shot shot at a tilted angle looking down on Michael King During the possession of his body.

Camera Angles/Shots

The extreme close up image of Michael King Tied up by his arms show he has no escape for what is about to happen to him.

The Medium shot of Michael Kings body during the possession is key and also the diegetic dialogue used during this point is important to the situation. ‘He will never let you go.’

Camera angles/shots

A Extreme long shot within Michael Kings house shows him suffering on the floor and as he says not able to sleep.

This close up of Michael screaming of what he is describing as happening within his head at every beating moment. The use of CGI’s is also used here to create the static effect

• This medium shot of Michael King on the bed shows how his condition is gradually getting worse and the possession which has been put over him is getting the best of his health and wellbeing.

An Extreme long shot of his main room in his house again. Michael King is centre off attention, tilted shot.

A long, tilted shot again is used to display Michael King, He is shown in pain, screaming for mercy.

The use of a satanic star engraved within the chest of Michael King shows that he is being possessed by the devil and that he has been captured and there is no escape

• The final scene shows a different relationship between father and daughter as the daughter is being shown almost afraid of her father. She also says ‘The monster is you daddy.’ A Over the shoulder shot of Michael King and his daughter is used to display the conversation which is taking place.

• The final shot which is shown within the trailer is an extreme close up of Michael Kings expressionless face.

Relationship between characters

• You can see from the trailer that Michael King the main actor has a daughter and that they have a rather close relationship and this is shown off at the start with them hugging and her telling Michael King of the monster which she is scared of and she is showing the caring father figure to comfort here by saying ‘a tickle monster’ trying to calm her down and make sure she will be ok, as the movie trailer shows by the end she is extremely afraid of her father and portraying him as the monster which shows a contrast of how the possession of him is developed and changed him from this loving father figure to a demonic figure to her.

Mise-en-scene

• The house which they are staying in is very modern and the trailer looks like it is based within the years of 2013/2012 – this is obvious with the technology which can be seen with cameras around the house and the television set which is noticeable througha few shots within the house, the house looks like it is a regular American themed house with wooden panels creating a sense of normality with the family and that makes you feel welcome to being in the place but as a few shots show this can be changed, an example of this is him ripping a sheet back which is covered in blood and makes you change your mind about the environment he is in.

Music

• The music of the Trailer is changed quite rapidly depending on the extremity of the scene. At the start of the scene it is a slow soft sound whereas a quick change of scene and a large drum is played to show the change of speed and horror in the scene, it sounds like a heavy heart beat. In the middle it has a soft but also eerie feel to it as it slowly starts to build up and up, a use of static is used every time the scene becomes more graphic, towards the end it is very up beat and the instruments become louder and more apparent per each change of shot.

Pace

• The pace of the trailer is not a continuum of pace. With the opening credits and the first scene it has a slow start then a quick flash to a disturbing scene, this seems to be apparent within the trailer.• As you reach the middle you find the slower parts are begging to

disappear and when they are slow it is an iconic image which helps us understand what is happening within the plot of the film more• Whereas at the end of the plot it slows down completely to create an

anxious end to the trailer and that things can only get worse from here as it shows a close up image of his face and he is completely discoloured and his eyes are non-human anymore.

Dialogue

• There isn’t much dialogue between characters but the main speaking is done between the daughter and father, The begging and end is very important for the trailer as the first scene has the daughter coming to her father saying ‘I had a scary dream… about a monster’ and his fathers response was as playfully as you could get to a child but also as it can be seen later in the film it could also be shown as mocking of what he becomes where he says ‘Tickle monster’ in return to this. In the ending of the trailer it shows the father speaking to his daughter and he asks who is the monster in her dreams? She replies with ‘Its you daddy’ This creates a final show of tension and anything could happen next. This shows how both interlink with each other and keep the viewers full attention.

• Michael King is questioning about demons and dark spirits and he asks ‘Is there any prove that they are real?.. Because I've never seen one before’ The actor replied with ‘you haven’t been allowed too. This created an excellent feeling on the viewer as it shows the fear of the unknown and what is about to happen further on within the movie and the trailer. He goes on to say ‘he will know you are listening… and he will never let you go’

• ‘We need to get you some serious help, ok?’ Friend showing care over his worsening condition. • ‘Get out of my head’ Distress and no escape as shown by the first image of him tied up. • No Voice over was used.

Special effects

• Throughout this entire film it is mainly done by CGI’s. This can be seen from the first shot in the room with the grey and white effect and shaking and static vision of the room quickly which is only just quickly shown but this is also repeated further on within the trailer where it shows him under distress and creates a creepy, eerie vibe to a scene when it is first shown or shown last. Scenes which this can be seen in is:

• Ant crawling across the camera• Static shaking and blurred images of Michael King• Blood and the effect of his eyes enhancing to a different colour. • These main effects are used to create an horror element to the film. Throughout

with the use of CGI, the CGI’s create an extreme view into what horror is yet to come within the film and shows the best parts and how the disgusting is often best portrayed with CGI’s rather than being made by hand.

Credits and intertitles

• During the start of the film it shows produces who are interlinked with the creation of the film such as ‘Anchor Bay Entertainment’ and ‘Gold Circle’. • ‘When anyone invokes the devil with intentional ceremonies… The

Devil comes and is seen.’ Eliphas Levi, Occultist, 1896. • ‘The most powerful evil… is the evil within’• ‘A horrific and frightening journey into hellish madness’ – Twitchfilms• The Possession Of Michael King

Code of enigma…

• There are many questions about this trailer which I believe have come up such as…• Why is he trying to evoke evil into his system?• What happens to his daughter when he is becoming this ‘monster’?• What happens to him at the end of the film?• These can all be found by watching the film…

Film Trailers

• Film trailers are excellent promotional devices as they interact with you and you can gain an emotional bond with the viewer as they may be able to relate to someone within the film and share emotions with what they are seeing by past experiences. • Compared to posters they are extremely effective as it shows

important rolls within the film and characters and more of a story line which draws in the viewer more effectively than a still image.