Research: Trailer Analysis

HUSH:

Hush is an American psychological horror film directed by Mike Flanagan, starring John Gallagher Jr and Kate Siegel. The film was produced by Trevor Macy which had its world premiere on March 12th, 2016 and was released by Netflix on April 8th. Maddie is a young deaf author, living alone in a secluded cottage within the woods, attempting, however, failing to finish her latest novel. However unknown to her, there is someone outside her house- a disguised, armed intruder on the mission to enter her house and murder Maddie. Maddie, trapped in the comfort of her confined home, needs to do everything she can to survive despite facing the challenge of being deaf. 

At the beginning of the first scene, director Mike Flanagan automatically introduces the audience to the setting of the film through the use of a long-shot. The long-shot used by Flanagan starts at a high angle displaying a sea of trees before slowly panning in a downwards motion into the abandoned woods, possibly foreshadowing upcoming danger for the victim of the film, suggesting to the audience that there is nowhere to run, no help nor escape. The camera once in the woods starts to pan towards a modern looking house, dominated with dark tones such as blacks and dark blues almost allowing the house to camouflage into the dark background suggesting that the owner of the house does not want to be found. Low key lighting is a common convention within horror films which is also a contributing factor within this scene. Flanagan within this scene uses a direct light which shines at the peak of the house, making it the subject of the frame. This is in order to guide the eyes of the audience to the house, possibly signifying the house's importance within the remainder of the film. However, in contrast to the high key lighting used on the house, low key lighting is used for the remainder of the background making it difficult for the audience to make out the figures and shadows within it. This provides an eerie, uncanny atmosphere, making the audience feel on edge as they are put at a disadvantage. 

Within this trailer, dialogue is not a contributing factor in order to portray the narrative or theme of the film to the audience as it is absent throughout most of the trailer however instead, the audience members become more reliant on the imagery on screen, the use of sounds and the text within the trailer. Thirty seconds into the trailer, the audience, although whom yet have not been introduced to the character, have been made aware that the character is unable to speak nor hear as it has been translated to the audience through the use of text. White font is used in order to portray the text which is significant as white traditionally holds connotations to purity and innocence which can possibly reflect the traits of the main character within the film. However, in contrast, Flanagan presents the text onto a dark background of the location possibly reiterating the significance that the house may hold or foreshadow the upcoming dangers that it may bring. The use of binary opposites also suggests that there is a battle between good and evil within the film, which the audience automatically assume is the battle between the innocent victim and the malicious intruder. 

As the images below present, the word "hear" and "speak"  differ from the remainder of the words as they are in written bold writing, possibly to highlight the key information which the Flanagan would like for the audience to absorb in order to understand the narrative. However, instead of the binary opposites purely suggesting a battle between good and evil, it could also suggest the ongoing battle which the victim faces with her disability throughout the film and how this will affect her ability to survive. 

During the first forty-five seconds of the trailer, a low ambient sound of nature is constantly present, preventing complete silence in order to reinforce the eerie theme of the trailer. The sound of birds chirping is an underlying sound in the background which could suggest an intertextual reference to Alfred Hitchcock's 1963 film "The Birds". Due to the negative connotations which the 1963 film holds to birds, the director possibly could be using this technique in order to foreshadow the upcoming horrors within the film, keeping the audience constantly suspicious and at the edge of their seats. The lack of sound during the opening of the trailer holds high significance as it is directly reflective of the plot of the film. The audience is in a vulnerable position, like the main character Maddie, as both lack the use of sound, therefore, the audience's remaining senses become more heightened making them reliant on the visual imagery which makes them constantly feel at unease and be fearful. This also allows the audience to empathize with the character as they are at the same disadvantage as her and are able to feel the challenges which she is faced with, making them automatically draw a liking to the character and form an alliance with her.