Trailer Analysis: The Ring

The Ring
Directed by: Gore Verbinski
Produced by Walter F. Parkes and Laurie MacDonald
Written by: Kôji Suzuki, Ehren Kruger and Scott Frank
Based on: Ring by Koji Suzuki
Starring: Naomi Watts, Martin Henderson, David Dorfman, Daveigh Chase, Brian Cox
Music by: Hans Zimmer
Cinematography: Bojan Bazelli
Editing by: Craig Wood
Distributed by: DreamWorks Pictures
Release date(s): October 18, 2002
Running time: 115 minutes
Country: United States, Japan and United kingdom
Language: English

Plot.
A supposedly cursed videotape is found and according to legend, those who watch the tape will die in seven days.

The very start of this trailer does not show the institution/ studio. This is important as it would show the audience who the production company is. People who already know the production company may have liked other films by them and may then think this film will be a good too.  diagetic ambient sound is used, as the audience can hear the movement the tape is making as it has been incerted into the tape player.

The background of this shot is extremely dark and dismal. This therefore suggests that the film may have a sinister plot. This then means that anyone who enjoys watching horror films can understand the genre of the film and so are more likely to go and see the film. The bold, white text written in capslocks has been used to catch the attention of the audience. this is important as before this the trailer has been uninteresting which means the audience may get bored. Using strong, visible text grabs the audiences attention.

Showing the door gives us the feel that something bad may happen, as in most horror films, as soon as we see a door we always shout at the character "don't go in there!" The lighting shows us something may happen as when it is dark in a home alone there is always a sense of urgency and fearfulness. The audience can then hear the sound of the tape fuzzing as though there is a proble, this could suggest that something may happen in the film that may cause some problems.The pace of the edits are slow suggesting that theire may not be a sence of ergency in this part of the film.

The fuzzy screen shows us that something must not be right. we know it is part of the teaser trailer but when we usually see a fuzzy screen we think our television may be broken or the signal coming through the television may be interrupted. this makes us as the audence think something must be going on, without knowing ezactly what it is. the pace of the edits start to speed up slightly as the trailer moves on. This could suggest that the events happening in the trailer are becoming more eurgent until it reaches the climax.

For anyone who does not know what the film is the about , watching the trailer can be very important. when watching the trailer and coming across the words 'seven days later' the audience wonders what could this mean and what is going to happen next. This leaves a sence of not knowing in the minds of the audience which will help them watch it. The theory thats helps us understand this is Barthes enigma code, whichstates that by the end of a text the puzel should be solved. this means that if the audience does not understand what is going on in the trailer, they will want to go to see the film so that the puzzel can be solved. Again the text creates, buildes, and grabs the audiences attention.


Next we see a well in a dark, wooded area. the setting: This is the typicl place for a horror film to be based as the audience knows the woods hold the unknown. This means that the audience are able to tell that somehing is going to happen. It uses a fast pace, to jump to the well, in the middle of nowhere suggesting something bad has happened or will happen in this well. As a teaser trailer is very short only the very best or most important parts of a film can be incorporated into it. This tells that the well must have some significance in the film.






Near the end of the trailer, we see a character that must be important to the film, she looks like a child. This is important as we as the audience must try to work out why she is so important to the trailer.