Detailed Analysis (film trailer) - Pan's Labrinth

There is eery background music, typical of a horror, from the start of the trailer. To begin with the production company's name/logo appears on the screen. This then fades out and the shots begin to show. Four shots flash up on the screen to the timing of the music - a shot appearing each time a piano key is pressed. These shots 'set the scene', giving the audience an initial insight into what type of film the trailer is promoting. A small caption that reads, 'WHAT HAPPENS' is then shown in the centre on a blue/grey errie background. The background fits with the overall mood and colourscheme of the trailer so far. The caption fades out and two more shots fade on and off of the screen followed by another caption of the same style. This again fades out and one more shot appears followed by the final caption that completes the question - 'WHAT HAPPENS WHEN MAKE BELIEVE BELIEVES IT'S REAL?' The question helps to add mystery and intrigue the audience. The music now becomes 'darker' as the caption fades into the next shot. It is much quieter to begin with and gradually builds ending in a crash as the creature suddenly turns to face the camera. This is the climax of the trailer, where it becomes more apparent that the film is a horror. The screen then turns black and the music is almost nonexistant as the directors name appears on the screen in a style similar to that of the previous captions. This similarity helps to give the trailer a sense of flow. Following this the falling action begins, the music increases in volume and tempo as short shots, quickly cut together, appear. There is then a brief fade before the tempo increases further. The final shot, of the girl entering the tree remains on the screen slightly longer than the others, before fading into the film title as it appears. The music gently fades away and finally a quote, website and star rating are shown. The film title and final captions are again in the same style as the first, helping the trailer to flow and keep its theme throughout.

As my group have chosen to do a horror trailer, analysing the trailer for Pan's Labrinth has been beneficial. The trailer effectively draws the audience in, adding mystery and building tension throughout. No dialogue has been used as is with many horror trailers yet it is still relatively clear to the audience what the film is about. The choice of music and captions seem to be essential to the success of this trailer. I am hoping that when it comes to producing our trailer we will include captions of our own and set out the trailer in the same, conventional way - rising action, climax, falling action.