Chloe King

Editing is used in horror film trailers to create tension and suspense, as well as provide a few scares. This is frequently done alongside the sound in a trailer, and visual implications of violence although little is actually shown.

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The dotted line above represents a timeline of the trailer. We can split this into three main sections: The Start – Shots are long and there are fewer transitions here

to set a slow, smooth pace and make the viewer feel comfortable.

The Middle – Where the shots become much shorter and transitions increase in number (not every individual shot is shown as some were shorter than a second long, so each colour represents the time between each transition instead). This section is very dramatic and often shows scenes implying*violence.

The End – There are a few long shots to build up tension followed by some shorter ones, representing the final scare before the trailer ends.

*Implying – There is little contact in the violent scenes actually shown, but the antagonist is usually seen as they are about to strike.

Transitions are also used to set the pace of the trailer, often in conjunction with the shot length. For example, there will be slow fades for the whole of the start (and possibly towards the end) of the trailer when the shots are long and the tone is relaxed. However, when things become more dramatic the transitions become cuts to black or the next shot, sometimes at the same timeas the sting. In the shotshown here, it fades inthen cuts to black as thecharacter screams, atechnique which is oftenseen as it leaves thecharacter’s futureunknown.

Every trailer will start by introducing the production teams, sometimes stylised to fit in with the theme of the film. This allows the viewer to associate the film with the company, which may be successful and have produced other popular films of the same or different genres.

Eyeline matches are often used in tense scenes to build up a sense of anticipation, such as when the viewer notices signs of the protagonist or that something is not right. In the example below, the character is seen examining something which is revealed to be an old photograph of her grandmother. The character’s reflection is also shown over the face to imply that they are connected more than meets the eye, especially as they had not met properly.

Narration in the form of captions is commonly used in horror films as there is rarely a vocal narrator in the film itself. These are often cryptic and styled to fit in with the film’s theme. In the example here, the text is worn and old which reflects the fact that the setting is an old house. The ‘legend’ in question is Leatherface which fans of the franchise would recognise as the text appears while a chainsaw sound is heard.

Distortion of images is done to either the antagonist or the victim’s as they are being attacked (see example). These images will normally only appear briefly, sometimes for a few frames, and can be distorted in form (the character’s bodies misshapen) or in colour as seen here with a negative filter effect. It makes the images appear haunting, and the events which are occurring unnatural and scary.

Here the transition between clips is much longer and thus adds to the tension even further. You first see the character hiding in a coffin before the screen cuts to black. It remains this way for a prolonged period of time before cutting back to the character being attacked through the lid of the coffin. The editing is done to fit in with the scene (the screen going black as the lid closes) so to the viewer it is like seeing first-hand what this character is experiencing, making you feel even more anxious about the outcome

The title of the film will show at the end, stylised in the same way it does on the posters and done to fit in with the theme. Below, the title fades in on a blood-splattered background, appearing to be seeping through the background like fluid through a cloth-like material. This is promptly followed by the same style of text as the narration stating the date of release, or in this case that it is ‘coming soon’. It also draws attention to the fact that the film will be in 3D to make the viewer even more likely to watch it in cinemas for the full effect.