'Every Secret Thing' Trailer Analysis

Camera Shots, Angles, Movement and Composition

This establishing shot familiarises the audience with the setting within the diegesis, which appears to be an unthreatening neighbourhood. This along with the children showed connotes innocence and harmlessness, conforming to the first stage of Todorov's narrative theory, which is an equilibrium.

This mid-shot of a baby again connotes innocence and youth, and therefore makes all the characters seem harmless.




There is a quick panning shot which follows the subject running, this creates adrenaline and feel of panic as it suggests she is in danger or trying to catch someone. The quick pace of in also helps to build tension and suspense.


This master shot establishes the setting and allows the audience to see where they are and as she is in the woods, there are connotations of danger and eeriness. Additionally, as it is mid-shot of one character it makes her look alone and vulnerable, however, she also seems threatening due to her facial expressions and clothing.

This canted angle and unsteady, hand-held camera movement create a sense of uneasiness and portrays franticness and panic. It can also be seen as an indication of intoxication or madness, suggesting that this character is experiencing a mental decline.

This two-shot is of higher status characters with a lot of authority, and the fact they are both in shot makes them seem more powerful and impactful. This contrasts with the rest of the trailer which consists mainly of singular shots of characters, making them appear vulnerable and slightly powerless.

This close-up allows the audience to connect with the character and study her facial expression, in this shot she appears scared and anxious, suggesting she is in a vulnerable position. This creates a sense of mystery and is intriguing for the audience as they want to find out what happened to her.

This is a high angle, crane shot of two characters which makes them appear vulnerable and exposed. This shot is also establishing, as their surroundings look destroyed and destructed, therefore suggesting they are in danger, adding to the suspense and sense of mystery.




How the camera shots convey the genre
The majority of shots of characters were one-shots creating suspense as it suggests that everyone is vulnerable and a target. The main exception to this is the authoritative figures who appear to be investigators, this suggests that they are Proppian 'heroes', which is conventional in mystery films to have somebody attempting to solve the crime.

Editing

There are fades to black between the shots at the start of the trailer, which immediately creates tension as darkness has connotations of danger and death, implying that something twisted will happen. This foreshadowing create anticipation within the audience, making them intrigued.

At 0:20 there is a very faced paced montage of news articles with headlines such as "baby girl missing" to create a sense of panic and anxiety, as well as being the disequilibrium. This quick pace of editing creates adrenaline for the audience and makes them want to find out what happened to the baby.

At 0:38 there are very quick flashes which capture the audiences' attention and imply chaos and energy. These flashes also indicate an emergency, therefore making the audience intrigued and wanting to find out more.

The editing from 0:55 onwards, although slow paced, builds tension as it includes shots from a wide variety of locations, portraying the severity of the crime and the wide impact it has had.

At 1:26 there is a shot/reverse-shot which allows the audience to see each characters reaction, therefore demonstrating the wide spread 

How the editing conveys the genre
This trailer is edited at a fairly slow pace, allowing time to build up suspense and for the audience to become invested and engaged in the mystery. There is not a particular character that is given prevalence and therefore adding to the 'whodunnit' suspense. 

Sound

The trailer begins with a fairly slow paced score, which has a regular beat to create suspense, however, it builds up to a climax at 0:18 which represents the beginning of the disequilibrium.

At 0:33 there are police sirens which are enhanced diegetic sounds, connoting a sense of danger and franticness. They build up suspense and a sense of mystery as it indicates an attempt to solve a crime.

From 0:53 onwards there is a very intense underscore, which has a loud bass, building up tension within the diegesis.

The dialogue "We'd like to ask you a few questions" creates a sense of uncertainty, adding to the mysterious feel, therefore portraying the genre.

At 1:06, there is a score which builds up tension as it gets more intense as it progresses, this builds tension as it suggests an answer is about to be given, however, it cuts off to leave the audience in suspense, wanting to find out what happens.

At last scene includes a very heavy breath (diegesis sound) to portray exhaustion and panic, this conveys the intensity of the film and the negative effects on the characters within the diegesis.

How the sound conveys the genre
The score is key throughout as it is the main way of building suspense and tension. Additionally, the dialogue creates panic and fear as there are multiple references to the 'missing girl'.

Mise-en-scene

The setting in the first establishing shot appears to be a friendly, peaceful neighbourhood, conforming to Todorov's narrative structure theory, where the characters are going about normal day-to-day life.



This establishing shot is low-key lit creating connotations of mystery and fear, linking to the genre.




This character appears to be in a state of distress and panic as she has a worried facial expression. Additionally, her body language (hand covering mouth) suggests that she is shocked/surprised, therefore creating mystery.


This character is alone in the shot making her appear vulnerable and fragile. The vast amount of looking room suggests that she is exposed and that anything could possibly happen to her.





This shot is low-key lit but is also very shadowy, creating suspense and mystery. Additionally, the unclarity of the image may represent how the mystery is still unclear and unsolved, demonstrating the complexity of it and making audience members intrigued and interested.


How the mise-en-scene conveys the genre
The majority of shots are low-key lit to create an eerie and creepy feel. This adds to the overall sense of mystery and makes the trailer engaging and encourages the viewer to want to find out more.