Black Swan Trailer Deconstruction

I decided to deconstruct this trailer as we are thinking about using the psychological genre for our film trailer and this may provide some inspiration for us while confirming the conventions we have gathered from our research about this genre.

Part 1

The first part of the trailer I decided to deconstruct was the credits, as these could be really helpful for ideas. The camera angles used whenever the credits are displayed on screen are a medium shot of lots of black feathers, used as a background for the credits themselves. Cross cutting is used throughout the trailer to distribute the credits in the appropriate places, such as near the beginning, and especially near the end when the name of the film is displayed with additional information. The sound used during the credits are quite often made up of string instruments, and act as a sound bridge between each different scene, tying them together. We could use this idea in our film trailer to ensure the flow of events is clear and to help connect the plot line throughout. The mise en scene used during the credits is interesting, as the black swan feathers suggest threat and mystery. This is a really effective use of colour as it will draw the audience in to find out how they connect to the plot, and also the sense of mystery helps build suspense in the trailer, making the audience want to watch the whole film. The actual typography used in the credits is very simple, it is a white font and all capitalised. This keeps it simple and clean, making it professional and doesn't clutter up the frame with anything unnecessary. We should use this in our trailer so it keeps the audience engaged without giving too much away - making them want to watch the film still. 
Part 2

One part of the film trailer which works as a great introduction, is the beginning scene, where the main character is seen dancing through varied shots including long shots and medium shots. Cutaways are used when the distance in the shots changes, allowing the audience to see finer details in the costume and especially take note of the colour used. It is predominantly white, which connotes innocence and purity. However, Nina is positioned in the centre of the frame, not only adding to why she is dominant in this opening scene, but also showing how the vast dark surroundings are almost engulfing her, as we know from earlier this suggests threat, showing she is vulnerable to the threat around her. There is narration in this scene, and the diegetic dialogue from Nina immediately paves the way for some sinister events to occur, "I had the craziest dream last night... She kills herself" This is extremely effective as not only does it engage the audience and make them want to see more, but it also places subtle hints about the plot, we could use this in our trailer to provide hints or ideas to the audience about what may occur in the rest of the film. The non diegetic music in this scene is composed of very twinkly piano notes, all of them are high suggesting a positive attitude, perhaps leading the audience into a very early false sense of security.

Part 3

The middle section of the trailer begins to focus on the other character, Lily and how Nina reacts to her actions and dancing abilities. Close up shots are used to show the facial expressions of both characters, Lily comes across as very confident and almost intimidating to Nina, whereas Nina seems to be jealous and quite worried about this competition. This is effective because it makes the audience want to engage with each character and find out the reasons for them feeling like that and the consequences it will have in the plot line. Eye line matches are used in middle section to show the characters Nina and Lily observing each other, most obviously Nina watching Lily and this emphasises the competition and juxtaposition between them. The diegetic dialogue from Nina's dancing instructor supports this idea of heightening competition between the two girls, as he states, "I watch the way she moves" and "Attack it! Attack it!" to Nina when he wants her to improve to reach Lily's standard of dancing. We also get a sense of Nina losing this battle, as another character who is not named in the trailer, but seems to be a mother figure says "I knew it'd be too much" in an angry tone, emphasising the pressure placed on Nina and how people seem to have little faith on her. Finally, when looking at the mise en scene of this section, there is a recurring theme in the colour of the character's outfits. Nina is always wearing a white or very pale cream outfit, again suggesting she is innocent and pure. This is juxtaposed with the very dark and most of the time black clothing Lily is seen wearing, showing that she is a large threat to Nina, especially as she seems to be the winning of the two in the competition between them. This could also hint at parts of the plot line where and could suggest that Nina becomes corrupt as the film goes on and she becomes more involved with Lily.

Part 4

The final part of the trailer is made up of a fast paced montage sequence, engaging the audience and giving that final push to make them want to see the whole film. There are lots of different shots used within the montage, one being a two shot of Lily and a male dancer laughing together at an intimate distance, and using an eye line match we see Nina's horror at the situation. The use of all the different shots from different scenes and locations is really effective, and it makes it seem almost like a nightmare, as we see the horror on Nina's face shown through close up shots, and the fast paced non diegetic sound makes it seem as if there is no escape, just like a nightmare. This is really effective and I think we should try and incorporate a fast paced sequence into our trailer as it will add a dynamic edge to our work, plus it will really help us connect to the genre we want to successfully be part of. We would be able to achieve this using jump cuts, just like the trailer has, switching between scenes such as the kiss shared by Nina and Lily. These fast paced shots which reveal vital but small snippets of the plot leave the audience wanting more, and heighten the anticipation. We also have the juxtaposition of the two protagonist again, linking to mise en scene, as we see a low angle of them fighting by a mirror, smashing it. Here they are wearing pure black and pure white dresses, ready to dance, emphasising for one last time their extreme differences and the competition. To add to the pace, all scenes which are jumped to include some form of rapid movement, such a running, dancing or fighting, this is a technique we could use as it highlights the chaos of the plot. The snippets of diegetic dialogue are also vital too, as we hear the main protagonist's voice while the loud, escalating non diegetic music is heard in the background, as the chilling reflection behind Nina is revealed. This scene is especially effective as it really links to the genre, the fact that this is the first thing to be revealed which doesn't seem quite right, especially when it is shown in this nightmare like sequence makes the trailer almost scary, and ensures that it is clear to the audience. The mise en scene is important in this final section, as it shows the two dominant colours which have been used throughout finally coming together, representing the final battle almost, between the two characters. We could use some kind of system in our film opening, to represent subtle clues and create a climax at the end of the the trailer encouraging our audience to see the rest of the film.