'Pi' Trailer Deconstruction

Point 1

Camera: The scene begins with a close-up of the protagonist, Mark, looking down. Then, we see close-ups of peculiar shots, such as a newspaper.
There is a close-up of an ant on a piece of paper, which serves to creep the audience out. This is effective due to its genre of a psychological thriller. We see a high-angle shot of the protagonist falling to the floor clutching his head, which makes him seem vulnerable.

Editing: Jump cuts of different shots of numbers and lists of data are used to disorientate the audience and allow an insight into how the protagonist feels.

Sound:  The scene begins with a high-pitched tinkling, simple melody being repeated lots of times. Then, when the shot of Mark comes into view, a sub-bass note is played which increases the tension. There is a voiceover of the protagonist explaining that "Mathematics is the language of nature." This allows the viewer to immediately know that the character is a bit peculiar. 

Mise en scene: The picture is in black and white, which gives the impression of coming across how the protagonist sees the world. Many shots are seen with tight framing, which shows how the protagonist is trapped amongst his obsession with maths. 

Point 2

Camera: There is a scene between the protagonist and an older man. In the scene the two are having an argument and it is evident that Mark has become too obsessed with the numbers and patterns. There is a close up of him from a slight profile angle, which serves to show how he becomes disconnected from reality. Then, there is a shot in which he is being tracked from directly in front, from a low angle. The shot is shaky which gives a thrilling effect. 

Editing: There are more jump cuts of disorientating shots such as random circles and swirls, which gives a jilted and psychological twist to the trailer. Cross cutting between Mark and the old man is used to show the tension between them.

Visual effects of numbers are edited as jump cuts over shots of Mark and this works to give the effect of how Mark's brain is working, constantly thinking of numbers and patterns. 

Sound: The fast paced drum beat in the previous scene is stopped and there is the sound of sub-bass fluctuating and sounding dramatic. There is the diegetic dialogue of the old man saying "This is insanity Mark," which backs up the idea that he has gone mad.

Mise en Scene: The circular composition in the scene gives the idea that everything comes together which links in with Mark's obsession with patterns and numbers. The lighting in this scene works effectively to throw shadows upon Mark's face and this makes him seem threatening. 

Point 3

Camera: In this scene the audience are made aware that Mark's knowledge about numbers and patterns have become dangerous for him. There is a low angle close-up shot of a woman, which is made to look threatening. As well as this, the audience see a shot of Mark punching a mirror from behind and the fact that we cannot see his face makes him disconnected from us, and therefore reality. Then, there is a POV shot from an unknown person's perspective which is extremely disorientating. This all shows the viewer how Mark's world is falling apart. 

Editing: Fast cuts are used to confuse the viewer as well as speeding up the POV shot in order to completely disorientate them. 

Sound: At the shot of the woman, the fast paced beat and discordant high pitched sound layered over the top returns which adds to the tension and climatic nature of the scene. The diegetic dialogue of the woman screaming "You only gave us half the code" seems extremely threatening. 

 

Mise en scene: In the initial shot of the woman, extremely dark, low-key lighting is used to make her seem threatening and scary. In the POV shot, diagonal composition is used to connote to the audience that things are going awfully wrong. 

Point 4

Typography: The typography is simple and bold, and the title of the film is memorable as it is completely different and unique. The colours are blue/black which works as a contrasting foil to the white background which is the dominant of the shot. This adds to the memorable nature of the title screen, as well as matching the colour scheme of the rest of the trailer.

 

Editing and Sound: The non-diegetic sound of an explosion is heard over the top of the title being revealed. This matches the editing of the title as it is jump cuts in random places around the screen, as if vibrating from the impact of an explosion. This gives the title a lot of significance and impact. After the title is shown, it gets increasingly small until it disappears off screen which forces the audience to look at the symbol until it is gone rather than it just ending immediately.