Horror film trailers - Shot Types

Shot typesCarrie, Gone Girl, Friend Request

The shot used here is an establishing shot that usually is a shot that captures the setting of the film which establishes where the film is set as well as setting the scene. Using an establishing shot allows the audience to get a feel for the film and what it is going to entail. The shots tend to be very wide or extremely wide, to show as much detail as possible. The establishing shot also gives away enough of the plot without any narration and can also enable the audience to get a feel for the film.

The shot used here is a close up. The close up shot here is used to showcase the characters facial expressions which can give a lot away about the scene. It allows you to see the characters facial expressions in detail as the camera is close up in their face and you can also get an idea about what the character is going through emotionally and what is going on in the scene. It also draws the audience in to the feelings and emotions of the character as they can see it in lots of detail.

The shot used here is an over the shoulder shot that shows all of the characters in a conversation/confrontation. This shot helps to establish the position of each character and makes it feel like you’re looking at the other person from the character’s perspective. In the Gone Girl screenshot you can see the two characters arguing, with the man having his arms out stretched. The same in Carrie, but this time its Carrie cowering from her mother which is shown by the camera being positioned above Carrie pointing down. Finally, with Friend Request, it suggests that the character we can visibly see is of a lower popularity as the other girl as she is seen as being shorter than the other girl.