Findings from Thriller Film Trailers

• Music begins slow, creating a calm atmosphere. A scary and gloomy atmosphere is then created with the music becoming faster and faster also with the introduction of high pitched stingers which are seen in the creep film trailer below.
• The music helps build the plot as it reaches its climax with the most scary aspect of the trailer.
• As seen in the trailers analysed below, the victim is always a woman as they are represented as weak and vulnerable.
• We see a mix of emotions in each trailer as the characters at first seem calm and as the trailer goes on this emotion turns into worry, desperation and crying.
• In most thriller trailers an enigma is created as the unknown is never shown but always appears somehow in the trailer, which could just be its hand of part of its body as seen in the creep trailer.
• Some of the narrative is given away so people want to go and watch the film, but not enough as to give away the whole plot.
• Isolated settings such as train stations have been used with the contribution of dark colours.
• A weapon such as a knife is also shown which is seen as threatening and initimidating to the audience.

Techniques used in thriller trailers

• FREYTAG’S PYRAMID (plot structure)- rising action (layers of mystery building), hits climax (turning point/highest intensity), then falling action (pieces of the puzzle fall into place() – after conflict has been resolved.
• Used in Hollywood film trailers. – striking feature
• Quiet opening leads to a punch in music, following action.
• Action cools down, with quiet sound and credits at the end.

In order for our film trailer to achieve the highest possible mark, we have based the plot around Freytag's Pyramid for it to follow a good structure.