The trailer is very

unconventional in that it

features the audience

more than the characters

of the film. The concept is

to show the audience how

people have reacted,

posing the question "What

is making them react this

way?" and therefore

triggering a desire to see

the film i.e. what "all the fuss

is about". This technique

also helps with the realism

of the film, as a hand-held

camera footage film would

not have a conventional

trailer with a voiceover etc.

From the Establishing shot it is apparent that this trailer does not follow conventions of a typical trailer. While most trailers feature text and/ or footage from the film, the various hand-held shots at candid angles suggest that the footage shown is not from the film. As the text explains, the footage is of a separate event; a screening of ‘Paranormal Activity’ which is a completely new concept in terms of film trailers.

The logo in the bottom right-hand corner of the frame shows that the footage for the trailer was editing on ‘iMovie’, a common and cheap editing software. This reveals the trailer to be low-budget, which adds to the realism created by the film and therefore makes it all more believable; a very effective technique.

Using a behind-

the-shoulder shot

of film clips from

behind the

cinema audience

puts the audience

in the setting,

while keeping the

feel of realism

constant.

This trailer is one of the first of it’s kind, and proved to be an extremely effective marketing technique, as films are now made in a time where trailers are criticisedfor all being too similar, as the framework that they follow has become more and more specific.

The fact that this trailer pushes boundaries and offers viewers a different experience of a trailer is very effective, however it is almost too unconventional to base our trailer on.