Deconstruction 3

Intruders (2016)

Genre: Thriller

The trailer begins with the classification which let the audience know what they will be watching. This is then followed by the Momentum pictures production company which is conventional for any kind of trailer. The scene then begins with a digetic knock on a door, which then develops into a large house being opened by a female character. The close up of the hospital equipment indicates someone is hurt/ill which is conventional to a thriller as normally a character will be injured or die in a thriller genre film. The digetic sound of the heart monitoring beeping further emphasises this, and the voiceover of the female saying she “can’t live without” the ill character suggests he is going to pass, which will most likely affect the plot of the film.

The prop of the body bag being pulled out the house on a stretcher by paramedics suggest the character has passed away, which is conventional for a thriller and will change the course of the film. As this is shown in the trailer, the audience are supposed to know that character isn’t in the film, which indicates the film doesn’t revolve around that one character and it may include some other huge plot twists. Furthermore, as the protagonist is left alone in this spacious house, it leaves the audience to wonder whether she will survive or be a victim to trespassers as the female is usually portrayed as the damsel in distress during thriller films, therefore making this unconventional for a thriller film to have the female successfully fighting off the intruders as well as having dark, menacing secrets of their own.

The close up showing a bag containing huge stashes of money may suggest that this will instigate some drama and violence as many thriller films have revolved around money being the aim. The digetic sound of the smashing glass as someone is breaking into her house shows that the thriller genre is about to become evident. The mid-shot of the female protagonist quivering as she is hiding under the table emphasises the terror that is about to unfold.

All the following shots are conventional for a thriller film such as the shot of her crying, the dramatic music, the prop of blood dragged along the floor and the plot twist that the female has a secret basement where the trailer leaves the audience guessing what happens in there. The mid-shot showing the men looking shocked and terrified adds to the audiences confusion which creates a tense and shocked atmosphere.

The high-angle portraying the door closing as they are left in the basement suggests she has them trapped and the roles are now reversed. This leads the audience to wonder what else the female protagonist has managed to achieve during her ten years alone in the house. There are a lot of black screens which allows the shot to fade into the darkness, which creates a sense of unknowing and fear. This is conventional for a thriller trailer as the aim is to draw the audience in by scaring them slightly, as thrill seekers will be intrigued by the suspense and unique plot.

As the props are shown throughout the basement including things like rope and heavy objects, the audience get a sense of what the “damsel” we originally thought she was is actually like. This is further shown through her dialogue to the intruders, “you have no idea what I’m like” suggesting she is violent and creates a plot twist which will intrigue the audience. As the text crops up it displays that the producer from Paranormal Activity and Insidious is also helping produce this film, which allows the audience to gain a sense of what the full film may include and excite them even more.

The prop of fire being used is conventional for a thriller film as many maniacs and psychopaths use fire to burn victims or hide evidence, therefore perfect to use in thriller genre scenarios. The title for the film “INTRUDERS” appears with a shaky effect to leave the audience feeling disorientated and apprehensive for the film’s release date, which isn’t actually given in this trailer which is unconventional for a trailer.