Trailer Analysis - Friday The 13th

 Friday The 13th Trailer (1980)

Screenshot 1 - Old Man

• Representation - The elderly man within this shot is actually represented as knowledgeable and experienced which is emphasised through his traditional and conventional clothing. As you can see, the aged man is about to get on his bike to travel far away from the secluded location where everyone eventually gets murdered. This can therefore accentuate that he is wise, senior people within the trailer are therefore portrayed as valued members of society that can provide younger audiences with guidance and wisdom.

• Medium Long Shot - The medium long shot provides of the old male establishes both the character and setting. The shot can indicate to viewers that the old man is quite lonely but also harmless. This could imply that he is a protagonist, however, this shot is also showed briefly, therefore it could add a sense of enigma to the narrative of the trailer, which will make viewers think about who this character is and the role he plays within the story.

• Audience - This brief shot of the elderly man will help the trailer to maintain its anticipation, this is due to the unknown identity of the elderly man. However, this character is the only one that is mature in age, therefore the audience may think he is more significant to the story line that initially expected.

Trailer Analysis - Friday The 13^th

At different points in the trailer, we see both a knife and axe being wielded by the hand of the murderer who remains unknown. Immediately, this conforms to the codes and conventions of horror slasher films as these weapons are signifiers of murder and peril which are the main themes of a slasher. This trailer follows a linear narrative which is exemplified in the trailer through the use of numbers to indicate the number of victims that were murdered by the unknown killer in chronological order. The theory of binary opposites by Claude Levi Strauss is evident through the representation of the young and elderly. For instance, teenagers are portrayed as sinful which is emphasised through the two teenagers who were caught participating in sexual intercourse, this scene therefore indicates these teenagers to be disobedient but also troublesome. In contrast, we also see an old man that actually leaves the location where everyone is killed, this elderly man is therefore portrayed as well-informed and knowledgeable. The binary opposition between young and old is actually a positive concept as it introduces certain morals and values to the narrative such as respecting those who are older and wiser than you or even respecting the will of parents.

The nature of this film is based around the pain and suffering of victims who are killed savagely by the antagonist. However, some viewers within the audience might be sadistic, therefore they will have a tendency to derive pleasure and sexual gratification from the pain and suffering caused to others. The violent terror themes of this trailer, can definitely lead to sadistic viewers watching this film to achieve gratification the infliction of pain on others, this is due to number of victims that are actually brutally murdered within the trailer.  Within the trailer, the identity of the killer remains unknown which automatically abides by conventions of a slasher. This furthermore creates suspense and builds up anticipation amongst viewers who will be urging to know who this murderer is. In the trailer, the most used type of camera shot is the point of view shot which is used to show viewers the perspective of the killer. It therefore illustrates to the audience, what the murderer himself is looking at, it therefore enables viewers to empathise what the character in the trailer. If the audience is placed within the shoes of the killer, this also adds a lot of intensity to the narrative, as we can see the murders take place first hand yet we still don’t know who the killer is.

Although some men are victims in the trailer, a large fraction of the people who are killed, are screaming women. In contrast, we never hear male characters screaming in fear. The implementation of screaming women abides by the typical stereotypes of women, such as always being weak and vulnerable victims. In contrast, men are portrayed as dominant to females as they are killed silently. This therefore reflects that they do not show pain, but take it in a manly way. This contrasts greatly to the loud screams of women, this piece of diegetic sound can therefore emphasise that women are feeble. Within the trailer, we also hear eerie climactic sound effects continuously, this non diegetic sound creates a sinistrous tone that is established within the trailer, ultimately developing the tension of the trailer to a point of climax. The trailer also mainly utilises dim lighting, this is to emphasise the dark but evil theme of the film itself, which is a slasher horror. Dim lighting can also add a dramatic mood to the trailer which can also accentuate that the narrative reflects the genre of horror with lots of dramatic scenes.