A2 Cart Media: 'Under the Skin' Trailer Deconstruction

Under the Skin - Teaser Trailer

I decided to deconstruct the teaser trailer for 'Under the Skin', a 2014 film featuring Scarlett Johansson.

The trailer opens with a black screen - this creates a sense of uncertainty within the audience whilst building tension.
Next a close up circular figure consumes the screen, getting larger. This section is interesting as it is very long, lasting from 0:07 until 0:52. This slowly increases the tension and confusion within the audience.
The black circle eventually consumes the whole screen before it changes into an eye. This acts as a release of tension for the audience as the mysterious shape becomes identifiable, which provides a sense of reassurance.
The next section is a montage edit of scenes from the film. A long shot of a dimly lit road is followed by various eerie shots of the characters at different stages in the film. Each clip lasts no longer than a second.
The final shot lasts for a few seconds, showing a floating skin from one of the victims - this lingers in the audience's minds and provokes questions as to how the body came to be in such a state etc. These questions leave the audience keen to watch the rest of the film.

The first 'eye' shot contains an eerie, creaking sound that reappears throughout, as well as static sounding electric sounds and a wind effect. In unison, the music sounds discordant and out of time, creating a tense and eerie sound. This sound builds in thickness as the shot duration increases.
When the shot of the eye is replaced by the shot of the road, the music stops completely and is replaced with the parallel rhythmic percussion sound. The images on screen change with each beat which adds a sense of unison between the visual and aural aspects of the trailer.
The last shot is coupled with a contrapuntal string instrument sound. The chord is played in a minor key with discordant notes added to contribute to the sense of uneasiness and foreboding.
The final slow percussion compliments the credits on screen, essentially 'rounding off' the piece.

Typography of critics' reviews is shown on screen in a very quick cut montage, making the text barely legible. However the key words are readable as they remain on screen just long enough to be read.
The text is of a bold, clean, white font in an all-caps style lettering. This adds a certain professionalism as well as readability.

I like the eerie long shot at the beginning to build tension.
The extreme close up shot of the eye makes it appear unrecognisable and disorientating, which is effective in establishing the film as a science fiction.
The quick montage of typography is something we could apply to our own piece to display critics' reviews.