The Purge: (2013)
At the start of the trailer there is a very symbolic soundtrack which contains the instrument piano. At the beginning this soundtrack contrasts with a traditional horror trailer as its mellow and calming. This is juxtaposed with the sudden noise of a un-tuned radio or TV which comes on suddenly with the titles of unemployment, this works really well because the clips on the trailer look like CCTV clips of crime and people being physically attacked. It also makes the audience wonder what's going on and eager to watch the rest of the trailer because of the sudden change in the soundtrack, jumping from a mellow sound to a fast paced siren, and alarm sound. Throughout the whole trailer the same droning siren soundtrack is played which puts you on edge and is symbolic of something bad. Right at the end of the trailer a choir starts to play, this is when they are in the most amount of danger, its also symbolic to the American society as it is a deeply religious country and contrasts with the whole idea of the trailer.(MP)
Sinister: (2012)
Throughout the beginning of the trailer there is a slight eerie soundtrack which creates suspense for the audience, at suddens points there is a TV cracking sound as shots of the sinister logo and the dead children clues come on to the screen, this helps the audiences attention to whats on screen. Under the dialogue there is a slow drone soundtrack, to represent there is something not right with the new house, even if the family are happy there. Then suddenly he spots an unusual box in the attic and the soundtrack becomes silent, this tells the audience that the box shouldn't be there and it has come as a surprise to him. The ticking of the old projector makes the clips more realistic and adds suspense to the clip as you expect something to happen. In the first clip that he watches, as soon as the family are hung it makes an unsettling screeching noise which unsettles the audience. In all the clips that he's watching, before the family dies there is a short, loud clip representing how they died, the soundtrack then stops to emphasize the importance of the deaths and also to keep the audience in suspense. There is a high pitched ring as the man who is behind it all is revealed for the first time to the audience. The soundtrack throughout the whole trailer is repetitive, however in the various clips that are meant to scare the audience the soundtrack changes to make the moment tense. (MP)
Woman In Black (2012)
The soundtrack begins with the sound of a train horn and then the soundtrack eases into a mysterious, mellow sound, however you can still hear the sound of the train in the background. When the character enters the house the soundtrack becomes silent and all the audience can hear is the creaking of the door, this automatically indicates to the audience that something in the house or the house itself is unsafe. As the camera pans around the house the soundtrack is almost silent but is making small humming noises which make the audience watching the trailer feel uneasy. As the character starts spinning the toy the soundtrack again becomes silent and the audience can only hear the non dietetic sound of the spinning which again makes the audience uncomfortable. As he looking into the spinning wheel the soundtrack suddenly picks up making the audience jump. As images flash into the screen the soundtrack picks up and the trailer itself becomes more fast passed. The trailer ends with silence and then a load scream. The use of silence is very effective throughout this trailer and would be brilliant inspiration for our own trailer. (LM)
The Conjuring (2013)
At the start of the trailer there is an upbeat song playing, this shows that the family are excited about moving into a new house. The song is a summery song called, 'time of the season', it is asyncronised as the image on the screen doesnt match the soundtrack. When playing the hand clap game with the children the soundtrack then stops on the line 'let me try with pleasure hands' linking with the fact she is walking in with her arms out and searching for her children. The lock of the wardrobe then opens and the of the wardrobe creak open after. There is then a quick sound, which sounds like you are taking a cloth of something revealing it like they are revealing the wardrobe, this makes it tense as you know something is going to happen after. As she is walking towards the wardrobe asking them to 'clap' there is a low drone, this is eerie and it helps to build the tension as she is walking towards the wardrobe. The women then hears the children's giggles and realises that the giggle is coming from behind her and not infront, in the wardrobe where she heard the clap, at this point the drone is still on going. It then shoots to a shot of the front of the house where crickets are tweeting, wind chimes and clinking together, as it shoots to the women in the bedroom theres a girls giggle and two quick claps, there is a dark drone on going. As she checks on the children there is smashing glass of photo frames which is really loud over the drone in order to make the audience jump. There is then a non-diegetic high pitched pierce. The eerie soundtrack then begins to play, with heartbeats and then a deep drone. The squeaky door then makes it tense, theres a clap again, the woman then follows the sound of the clap. There is then a swoosh and light bulb cracking which builds more tension. The door then slams, the light bulb smashes and the woman begins to bang on the door shouting the children's names, this shows us that she is in trouble. There is then a sound of her getting a match out of box and striking it, at this point she is heavy breathing, with no other added sounds, this emphasises her breathing making the scene more tense. It is silent until the clap behind her as this makes it more tense because of the silence before hand. Then there is a scream on top of a dark drone, which represents the feeling of the woman. There is then a freaky music box sound as the title appears this represents as a child's toy, this is because of the children as some of the main characters in the film. (TS)