- Dominant colours; Black, grey, brown, gloomy/darker prime colours, connotes the dark sinister theme of the horror genre.- Trailer opens with an old flickering film footage, childs laughter connotes innocence juxtaposes the conventions of the horror genre.
- Montage of shots showing the house.
- Family photos appear on screen denotes happiness & innocence compared to the darker themes later in the trailer.
- Different shots showing past horror stories.
- Rapid editing, increases tension throughout.
- Rich, sumptuous, grand old style American house, high quality furniture, oaken floors etc.
- Increasing POV shots, make it up close & personal, narrows the viewers vision and limits what they can see and increases the tension.
- Iconic features; grandfather clock, creaky floorboards, slamming doors etc, spirit scarring the victims.
- Priest- symbol of faith, father figure, good vs evil.
- Crows; symbols of death, foreboding.
- The sound at the beginning of the trailer starts off happy and upbeat which juxtaposes the melancholic and sinister music which comes near the climax of the trailer
Institution;
- Warner Bros; flashes & flickers onto the screen.
- New Line Cinema Logo also does the same, adds to the eery beginning to the film.
- Hollywood film based in the American Southern States.
- Director James Wan, director of Saw and Insidious.
- Lesser known director who has done a couple of famous horror films, has experience in the genre.
- Cast names not mentioned as they are not well known and are not going to attract a large audience.
Genre;- Demonstrates several conventions of;
- Horror; evil spirits, the haunting, appearance of hanging bodies, exorcism, paranormal investigators, dark atmosphere, chilling music.
- Action; Girl flying into the window, Lorraine falling through the floor, gunshots, fight scenes.
- Thriller; Quest for closure, spirit hunting down the family, possession.
Representation;
- Men; dominant, powerful, leaders, protecting others over themselves, male hero. One example is Ed Warren protecting his wife "I can't lose you" putting himself in danger for her.
- Female; females in the family presented as weak, vulnerable, over reliant on the investigators whilst Lorraine Warren breaks the stereotypes and is authoritative, joint leader, female hero and takes responsibility when things go wrong.
- Catholic Church; the priest is shown to be a father figure, responsible, problem solver, offer guidance and advice.
Audience;
- Hollywood film, hybridized likely to have a mainstream appeal.
- Appeals to horror fans; possession, haunting, danger, tension etc.
- Special effects; breaking windows, smashing paintings etc.
- Trailer promises viewers that by watching the film they will be uncovering a previously hidden case which is so horrific it has had to wait until now.
Ideologies/Media Values;
- Portrays men as leaders/protectors , they are the dominant characters, shown as the people who solve the problems. Given generous amounts of screen time in the trailer.
- The male as the protectors; Ed placing himself in front of Lorraine shielding her from danger.
- The representation of women is ultimately positive throughout the course of the trailer, Lorraine Warren is given generous screen time throughout . She takes an active and commanding role. However the mother is seen as vulnerable and weak as it is she who ends up getting possessed and cannot handle the situation.
- Catholic Church; makes a brief appearance in the trailer but is shown as a powerful, divine force that is capable of solving extremely dangerous spiritual phenomena. The church is the force that the investigators turn to in their time of need for guidance and advice.
Narrative;
- Classical Hollywood Narrative structure, 2 main protagonists involved in a fight to save a family from a darker power, discovering numerous obstacles on the way.
- The narrative is driven by the need to act decisively against the spirit before it does further substantial harm to the family.
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