Trailer analysis shutter island

Analysis of the Shutter Island

1. TRAILER ANALYSIS: SHUTTER
ISLAND
Released in 2010, Shutter Island was directed by
Martin Scorsese, starring Leonardo DiCaprio. The
target audience of this film is aged 15 and over as it
features violence only suitable for a slightly older
audience. However, the trailer aims to attract an
audience of all genders, nationalities and class’s.
The trailer offers the uses and gratifications of
entertainment as it provides the audience with lots
of action that lasts throughout it, this action is also
fuelled by tension. It also creates a talking point as
is full of shocking characters and leaves many
mysteries still to be found out. This is done using
mise-en-scene, cinematography, sound and
editing. As well as it, the inclusion of Leonardo
DiCaprio helps to generate hype around the film as
he is a very popular actor.


MISE-EN-SCENE:



The colours mainly used in the trailer are very dull and dark. This helps to suggest that the
film is a thriller as they create a tense and unsettling atmosphere. Adding to this, in some
parts of the trailer there is an added blue filter, making it look cold and mysterious.
The setting of the trailer is in a mental asylum, on an offshore island. This is a very
significant piece of mise-en-scene as it emphasises how the asylum is the centre of the film,
and how far away from society the characters are. This is conventional of many Thrillers, as
they tend to put the characters in dire conditions in an isolated area, to create suspense and
tension.

2. Vladimir Propp’s philosophy on character types proposed there were seven key character
types within every text: the hero, the villain, helper, donor, false hero, princess and the
dispatcher. DiCaprio is depicted throughout the trailer to be the main protagonist of the
film, meaning that clearly the plot will revolve around his character and the obstacle he
must overcome. Although the protagonist character type is the Proppian hero they may also
take another role, the Proppian victim. DiCaprio’s character Teddy Daniels fits this type as
he is shown to be the protagonist of the trailer but is also shown to be battling the insanity
around him, which in the full film we find is his own mental illness.

Proppian Hero (Protagonist)
Proppian Victim (Antagonist)


There are various syntactic elements of mise-en-scene in the trailer that connote the thriller
genre, various costumes are included like suits, police officers and doctors’ outfits, all which
connote authority and emphasise the serious nature of the film. The trailer also features
props like cigarettes, guns, bloody notes, fire, matches and police badges, all are significant
of the genre as symbolise different forms of violence.




CINEMATOGRAPHY:
The titles in the trailer are quite basic with them all being in plain white, san serif font on a
black background. This creates a mysterious tone in the trailer, as it doesn’t seem to give
much away, a common convention of Thrillers. The dark colours also suggest this. The title
that displays, ‘Shutter Island’ appears suddenly on the screen in a larger font then the
previous titles and then begins to fade out, alongside intense music slowly winding down.
This creates a feeling of unease at the end of the trailers, which makes the audience want to
see and know more.
The trailer first shows
Martin Scorsese and then

3. Leonardo DiCaprio towards the end, which is effective for attracting an audience as both are
extremely well known.
The shots used at the beginning of the trailer are predominately close ups, establishing long
shots, medium close ups and more. This creates a
natural view for the audience.



A few clips include flickering, which is effective, as it doesn’t give much away and adds
intrigue for the audience.




There is an eyeline match linking Teddy Daniels to a medium close up shot of this woman.
This shocks the viewer as the woman is disturbing, this is the first look into one of the
patients of the mental hospital and gives the audience a glimpse of what is to come into the
film.

This is a close up shot as the camera pans to the right while the hand shakes, the puddle of
blood as well as the gun indicate that violence has occurred. This will appeal to fans of the
thriller genre as it shows some of the action that will be included in the film. This scene
follows a woman’s scream and highlights the point in the trailer where the action starts to
happen and tension begins to build.
SOUND:

4. The trailer opens with slow deep non-diegetic music and the sound of waves overlapping.
This creates a tense and mysterious atmosphere that along with the mise-en-scene, creates
a feeling of unease for the audience. The music stays low but builds in volume before
changing to a quieter clicking noise.
When the music builds to a crescendo it then stops and starts again whilst the picture
becomes dark and as the clips begin to quickly pick up in pace, so does the sound. It
becomes quicker and louder until the ‘Shutter Island’ title appears.
This scene is accompanied by the diegetic sound of the
sea; this allows the audience to be fully immersed in
what is happening. However, this diegetic sound is
layered with a deep pulsating beat, this creates
tension within the audience.

EDITING:
Throughout the trailer the editing pace picks up increasingly, creating suspense. This
however slows down for a short while in the middle of the trailer, creating an uneasy feel
until the title ‘Leonardo DiCaprio’ appears and picks up again. Here the clips become
extremely short in order to compliment the music.
There is an eyeline match linking Teddy Daniels to a medium close up shot of this woman.
This shocks the viewer as the woman is disturbing, this is the first look into one of the
patients of the mental hospital and gives the audience a glimpse of what is to come into the
film.