Knock Knock Thriller Teaser Trailer Analysis

Name: Knock Knock
Rating: R
Director: Eli Roth
Actors: Keanu Reeves
Production: Black Bear Pictures
Box Office:TBR
Awards: TBR

Target Audience.

 The target audience for this trailer would be males and females from the age of around 13 year olds to 25 year olds. I think that this is a goof age range as 13 is a good age for children to become interested in watching thriller/horror films. However if it were any younger this may be quite disturbing and wouldn't be as appropriate. The age of 25 is a good age to watch thriller films as this age range still finds this genre of film interesting and appealing. However if it were any older than 25 it may be seen as tacky, cheesy or boring.

Camera, Editing and mise en scene.
The opening shot of the trailer is a bird's eye view shot of an outside location in the dark. This shot adds a mysterious and eerie tone to the opening of the trailer, this is further supported by the low key lighting which is conventionally used in thriller or horror films as a tool to create atmosphere and suspense. The shot is quite abstract so it makes the audience wonder who is there or what is going to be happening. The angle of this shot enables the audience to have a clear look at the environment of one of the filming locations. The bird's eye angle also gives the illusion that the buildings in the shot are smaller than they actually are. The camera movement pans slightly and immediately cuts to the next shot.

The next shot used in this trailer is a mid shot of a male character. The character has longer hair and a beard which could suggest and infer that he doesn't care much about his appearance. The costume that this character is wearing is quite laid back and casual which suggests that he is a typical guy- this gives the audience a sense of normality. The camera tracks this character as he moves towards the camera- the angle used also creates an eye line match to the audience which makes the trailer more inclusive. This shot and angle exhibits the appearance of his house. The lighting in this shot is high key and adds the sense of reality and normality, this lighting used in this shot juxtaposes the low key lighting in the previous shot. This therefore shows development and progress of the trailer.
This shot then cuts to an over the shoulder shot of the character walking through his house again. The over the shoulder helps the audience feel more included in the trailer and that this shot could be from their point of view.

The next shown in the trailer is of the main character opening his front door. This shot then transitions into a group shot that introduces the two other main character who are teenage girls. The costumes that these characters are wearing follow the archetype that females wear pink and very feminine clothing. The girls are also wearing jewellery which again supports the feminine archetype. The rule of 2/3rd and the composition of shot exhibits the two female characters as the dominant character in this shot.

The trailer is broken up with the use of title screens. The title screens help to keep the audience interested and intrigued in the trailer. The catchphrase that has been used in this title supports and follows the narrative of the trailer and helps the audience whats happening. The catchphrase is quite eerie and creates tension for the viewer. The typography used for this title is conventional of thrillers as it is quite classic looking and includes the use of serif font which makes the title look professional.

A series of shots that vary from long shots, medium shots and medium close ups exhibit to the audience what the protagonist's character is like on a daily basis. These shots are put together using montage editing which exhibits to the audience that the narrative is developing and changing as the trailer goes on.

A three shot of all the characters sat on the sofa exhibits the storyline progressing and developing. The composition of shot exhibits the two girls to be the dominant characters as they are taking up the majority of the shot.

The title screen used for the trailer at the end relates back to the narrative and emphasises to the audience the key theme of this film. The black background against the white font gives the ghostly illusion and makes it seem more eerie and creepy. The door icon used in this title is an icon for the film and is an association the audience will make with the narrative.

Sound.
The sound for the trailer begins with ambient sound of rain which sets the tone and atmosphere for the film. The ambient sound creates a realistic portrayal for the narrative and makes the audience believe that it actually happened. However in order to make this sound more prominent a sound effect could have been overlaid in order to make it sound stronger. Diegetic dialogue from the protagonist is used to create a realistic atmosphere. The voice over from the other character sound bridges into the next shot when we get a clear look at the other characters. A voice over is used continually throughout the trailer in order to develop the narrative further. Shots are used to back up and show relationship between the sound and shot. An incidental sound track begins at the point in which the first title screen is shown. The sound track creates a sinister tone to the trailer and follows the conventions of thriller films. The low tone of the track creates an ominous atmosphere and conveys to the audience that something bad is going to happen.