Stalker Film Trailer Analysis

The first 4 seconds of the trailer is the green screen which informs the audience of the certificate given to this film. The shot fades to black and then cuts to the producer and film logos, in this shot the dialogue starts with a sound bridge. The logo then fades into the first shot that sets the scene in a dark seaside where a group of teenagers are having a campfire. The lighting is dark with only the faces lit up by the blazing fire, this instantly connotes the mystery of the film. In the background the waves are crashing, this is known as pathetic fallacy where the whether suggests the mood of the shot. There is no soundtrack at the beginning, but when a shot changes there is a scraping sound effect that accompanies the editing and adds to the mysterious effect. After 24 seconds of calm, soft editing the pace immediately picks up in the car scene, sound effects are also added to heighten the action. The headlights are shown, then we see the headlights from a long shot on a cliff, this allows the audience to feel on edge for the characters as they are not sure what is going to happen next but they know it will be bad. The characters are screaming at each other in fear, we as the audience aren't sure what has happened between the beach scene and the car scene but sympathise with the characters and feel terrified for them. The shot then cuts to a black screen, this connotes danger, evil and badness the skidding sound effect makes us believe that they have crashed or hit something, or someone. With the characters all crowded around a body and the dialogue 'He's dead' the story becomes clearer to the audience. The body is immediately flung into a lake with out revealing it's identity, this promotes curiousness about the storyline, who is this person? what are they going to do? are they really dead?


Again the screen fades to a black shot and we hear the sound effect of a splash in water. After this shot the trailer becomes noticeably brighter and in daylight. The characters are all shown in a close up separately in different locations, their facial expressions show their worry and trauma over the incident. A voice over starts to explain important parts of the story that reflect what is happening on screen. The close up of the letter received by one of the characters injects yet more fear into the story line. The car headlights shown later on in the trailer remind us of the beginning, it sets a kind of 'deja vu' feel and brings back all the memories. The editing pace picks up again as the action continues, something happens to each of the characters that reminds them of what they did last summer. A shot back to the lake where the body is suspected to be encourages the audience to use their imagination. Could it be possible that a 'dead' body can come back and haunt them?


The iconic blood on mirror scene is a generic convention of horror-thriller genres, it connotes that somebody has invaded their personal property to cause distress and fear. Background music fits in with the scenes towards the end of the trailer, and the inter-titles jump out of the screen. The inter-titles are bold red writing, the colour red connotes danger, fear and warning. The word 'someone' leaves the identity of the stalker hidden which creates added mystery as it leaves the audience curious about the stalker. The editing pace at the this point is very fast, switching from close up to close up of the actors faces and features, their body language connotes the fear and the heightened screams tell us how scared they are. The final inter-title is the film title, it is spoken out loud by a eery, scary voice that sends chills down the spine. The shot cuts to a female character gasping and then leaves the trailer on a cliff hanger by cutting to the credits.