Research- Analysis of trailers

The Texas chainsaw massacre:

• Characters and their representation - In the trailer, the females are presented as provocative and objectified by men. The final girl theory of Clover is evident in the trailer as the girl who is reading the American Astrology is the one the audience sees as the final girl who survives till the end. Low angle shot is used to show her understanding and knowledge about her surroundings. On the other hand, the first girl to die is seen as the most sinful one among her friend. This is evident through her clothes that depict her as vulnerable. The cannibals are all male which suggests male dominant society (patriarchy). During the time when the film is set the second wave of feminism was going on which is symbolic as both the women in the trailer are objectified by men. 
• Setting - The film is set in Texas where the teenagers get stuck and end up in the isolated house which is creepy. They enter the house to seek help without realising what they got themselves in to. The setting meets the conventions of horror/slasher film as the house is in the middle of nowhere and is isolated. Dark lighting inside the house foreshadows the danger to the teenagers lives. The lighting and the setting together create the feeling of a slasher film. 
• Narrative - The story revolves around four teenagers who are on a road trip which ends up as a worst nightmare. They get stuck in an abandoned house where their run to escape starts. The house they get stuck in is full of cannibals who chase them and kill them all leaving "The Final girl" to survive on her own. The audience can already recognise the final girl in first few shots of the trailer as she is the one reading the astrology book and tells the others more about the place.  
• Theories linked - Carol J Clover's theory of the final girl is evident in the trailer. This suggests the last girl to survive everything and come out alive is known as the final girl. The audience is supposed to feel empathy towards this character and support them in the film. In this trailer, the final girl is recognised straight away as she is the one reading the astrology book and informing others about the place. The other girl then the final girl herself is wearing much more revealing clothes and is shows as a damsel in distress. She is the first one to die because of her wrong deeds and her wearing sense in the film.
• Types of shots used - Different types of shots were used in the trailer of the film. Many close-up shots were used in the trailer which help the audience recognise with the characters and their emotions in the film. Extreme close up shots are used which creates jump scare as the audience is able to see the detail in the characters expressions. Long shots have been used which help the audience to get familiar to the setting and allow them to get a little bit of background to the story.

I Spit on your Grave:

• Characters and Representations - This film conforms to the stereotype about women for example, the female character in the trailer is raped by five males and is taken advantage of. However, the use of phallic symbol by a female character makes her look more strong and subverts the stereotype as she fights and takes revenge from all five men on her own. Her character challenges the stereotype of horror films as we would expect to see a girl being oppressed by a man and longing for help. The five men dominate the girl however, she stands up for herself and seeks revenge one by one from each one of them.
• Setting - The film is set in a hotel which is in a rural area more likely a forest. This reinforces the stereotype of horror films as the the setting is more realistic and the audience would expect to see it. The film is mostly showing the forest foreshadowing something bad is about to happen. 
• Narrative - The female character is new to the city and comes and lives in a new house which is surrounded by a jungle which directly foreshadows the climax of the film. Five men have their eyes on her and are successful in raping her. The girl however, is the final girl in the film as well. She takes revenge from the five men one by one. She uses phallic symbols which shows that a female even if she is independent needs a weapon to protect herself from a man. By her using the phallic symbol makes her more masculine and the audience is able to empathise with her.
• Theories linked - Levi Strauss's theory of binary opposite is evident in the film: good vs evil, masculine vs feminine. Also, Carol's theory of the final girl is evident as the only female character is the one who survives at the end by taking her revenge successfully and killing all the men who did wrong to her. The audience would expect her to mourn after being raped but she subverts and stands up for herself fighting all the evil in the film making the good win. 
• Types of shots - Close-up shots are used when the female character is taking revenge one by one from each of the men to emphasise her victory over them and to show them helpless. long shots are used which help the audience familiarise with the setting of the film and get some insight in to the background of the story. hand held camera is used when the girl tries to escape to show her helplessness. The over the shoulder shots used help the audience to see the conversation happening and understand the narrative better.