ORPHAN

Trailer analysis

This is the first shot the audience see in the trailer

and is therefore their first introduction to the film.
The use of the colour white suggest something
pure and innocent however the subtle hints of
black and over shadowing suggest the common
themes of pure and evil within the horror genre
and sub genres. Although the house is big and
white, the surrounding trees appear as though
they are hiding something there, in which the
audience later find out it Esther. There is a voice
over of a female speaking I am ready to adopt at
the same time the diegetic sound of the tire tracks
in the snow can be heard again adding to the
innocence that that time of year brings.

Following this the sounds of laughter and chatter

from young children can be heard. Here the
audience are introduced to a character whose
costume tells the viewer that she is of a holy
background, this again reinforces the ideas and
themes of innocence that surround the area.
Adopting an older child is not an easy decision is
the diegetic sound in this sequence, this is
accompanied by a slow paced calm soundtrack.
The editing is slow also, this leads the audience
into a false sense of security as they believe that
everything is happy and pure at this point. This is
so the tension builds as they know something has
to go wrong.

The audience are first introduced to Esther in this

shot, she is in a room by herself and she is painting.
The fact that she is by herself highlights that she
may be a bit of an outcast. She is dressed in a very
formal and traditional way, and this makes her look
innocent, the angelic way she speaks also
reinforces that factor. The fact that a lot of bright
colours are used towards the start of the trailer
makes it unclear what genre this film really is as
bright colours are not a typical convention to the
horror genre. The picture that Esther has also
painted does not give any clues away as to the
genre.

Esther tells the couple that she is different as she

doesnt care for parties. There is lots of natural
lighting in this shot, this may suggest that the
adoptive couple are of a good nature. However in
the shots with Esther there is more of a shadow
cast upon her and the shots seem darker. Just after
this the female character tells Esther Its okay to
be different there is then a slow motion shot of
Esther as a sound bridge is used to transition to the
next sequence. The slow motion shot enables the
audience to get a good look at Esther, this may be
so they can clearly distinguish the changes in her
character further on in the trailer.

Although the outside is now clearly pitch black,

the two lamps give off a lot of light. This is the
start of the changes in the colours the audience
see as from here on out the lighting become
much more low lit and dull in colour. The size of
the file that belongs to Esther may suggest there
are complications to her adoption and that it
may not be her first one. The pace of the editing
at this point in the trailer is almost slow motion,
this subtly highlights that this is the before and
what to come is the change, it signifies this
change.

In this shot Esther is being introduced to the rest

of the family. The lighting is very minimal making
the entire shot look very dark and dull. There is
large amounts of shadowing and very little
natural light signifying the dark twists that are to
come in the trailer and film. The editing is very
fast from leaving the orphanage to meeting the
family and there are very quick cuts. The dialogue
is spoken in hushed tones, this will make the
audience feel uneasy as they will not know as to
why they are whispering almost in their own
home.

The audience next see Esther starting at the new

school. After being made fun of Esthers face
changes from the smile she was wearing when
she walked in the room to an almost sinister look
and glaring at the little girl who made fun of her.
The editing slows again here to slow motion as
the audience can focus in on her facial expression
as this is the only thing that will give then intel
into what Esther is thinking as she doesnt ever
speak what she feels. Non- diegetic sound is used
over the top of this shot which sounds as if
something is zooming in, this may be suggesting
Esther is going to target the little girl for what
she said.

The audience are then first aware that there is

something wrong with Esther here and this is
when they realise it is a psychological Horror subgenre. The lighting is very dull and there is no
natural light coming into the room at all whereas
before there was a small amount. The editing
pick up speed and shots of Esther in what
appears to be a possessive state are alternated
with shots of the parents and what can be
assumed a psychologist. The sequences of Esther
alone in the bathroom are used to make the
audience feel uncomfortable and on edge and
then to build suspense they arent told what is
wrong with Esther.

Throughout watching the trailer, I believe that the audience is made aware of the genre and sub genre the nearer the
middle section of the trailer. This is when Esther is seen to become violent or possessed in the toilet stall. the action is
then cut to a strap reading I think there is something wrong with Esther. It is written in black and white, colours
associated with purity and evil these of which are common themes in the horror genre of film making and their sub
genres. Whilst also setting up an enigma, this strap then forces the audience into questioning the childs mental state
and how she became that way.
Upon arriving at this conclusion, I went back and re-analysed the start of the film trailer, and noticed how the
audience are automatically made aware of the fact that this child has been in an orphanage, as this is the opening
sequence seen. This is what then made me realise that this was a psychological horror film as one of the main
conventions you see in these types of horror are a troubled, disturbed individual (also the use of a child). I linked to the
fact that Esther must not have had a very good up-bringing, this may be due to the fact that she grew up in an
orphanage and had no family surrounding her, she may have had to fight for the attention she desired or may not have
felt as loved.
Other codes and conventions that we see throughout the whole of the film trailer are that the typical settings that we
see in psychological horror films are used. For example, two different types of schools are used, a big house in what
appears to be an isolated woodland area and a hospital. A further typical convention that can be clearly seen is the
types of characters that are featured. The main victims are, a female mother figure, other children and a father figure
and the audience are also introduced to a disturbed individual/child as the antagonist. We also hear the typical sound
effects/ music such as contrapuntal music that is used to build tension towards the end of the trailer, screams and
further high pitched sounds. There are also some general conventions used as there are no deaths shown on screen
and the antagonist is made to seem through her appearance and also the way she is presented through her actions, as
normal. Through the use of these conventions, the correct audience will be attracted to the film as these will produce
the correct audience pleasure for them, in order to enjoy the film.