Orphan trailer analysis

FILM TRAILER ANALYSIS- ORPHAN

The Orphan trailer portrays a young orphan girl whom is adopted by a new family. In the trailer we see a nun in the orphanage talking about the girl, it seems that she is highly intelligent and will settle well with her new family. However the equilibrium is soon disrupted as strange events begin to unfold when the girl is brought home. A child falls from a slide in the playground, and the camera reveals the orphan girl stood there, so it appears that she pushed her. A montage of shots portrays other unusual and disturbing events, which the orphan seems to be responsible for. The key code of enigma is "what's her secret?"

At the start of the trailer, a soft non-diegetic soundtrack plays underneath the shots. The soundtrack is piano music, which is relatively upbeat using higher notes, though it feels slightly unsettling.
The traditional appearance of the "orphan" is in keeping with horror conventions. The costume of a dress with collar, and hair in ribbons portrays the optimum image of an "innocent girl" , however in horror films the innocent girl usually possesses some kind of hidden power or is the most violent character. The fact that she has been looked after by nuns in the orphanage would lead us to think she has been taught by religion to be well-behaved and forgiving.
There is also the typical horror convention of the victims or surrounding characters trying to resolve the situation. In the case of this trailer, we see the adoptive parents in a meeting with someone who seems to be giving advice on the child's behaviour, we therefore assume they have been seeking the advice of a psychiatrist to help deal with the child. We also see the adoptive mother researching online, it seems she is searching for information on the girls' past, and her background history.

Key imagery reflecting horror conventions include a shot of the children's tree house catching fire, and burning in flames. The girl being ridiculed in school and made fun of, resulting in her violently lashing out in the school toilets. This is the first image showing her violent tendencies. The girl being present at every scene of misfortune or disaster. Also the dialogue , "I guess I'm different" which tells a lot about her coming behaviour very early on.

Intertitles: "There's something wrong with Esther." "You'll never guess her secret." These intertitles though concise are extremely effective, they fade to black leaving us wondering about the questions given. This creates a very clear code of enigma for the audience.

Length: 2.33- complies with average time.

Editing-
There are multiple uses of a fade to black after shots. Seeing a black screen after a shot works well as it causes the viewer to reflect on what they have just seen, and await in suspense for the next shot. The use of jump cuts are also effective, appearing as though shots are flashing on to the screen suddenly, reinforcing the horror theme and the theme of fear.