Trailer Analysis: 'The Blair Witch Project'

Blogged by Anya:

Questions raised:
Who is the girl?
Why is she crying?
What is the significance of the symbol?
What is the project?
Who is shouting?
What has happened to the students?
What are they being chased by?

The trailer starts with text that explains the background of the plot. This along with the strange sounds of the soundtrack make the audience curious as to what happened while the three students were filming. The texts shakes slightly while on screen which creates an unsteady tone and assists with making the viewers scared and intrigued. The symbol made out of sticks also fascinates the audience because it provokes the girl to tears. The fast pace movement of the camera in the darkness creates tension and the anxiety in the dialogue again scares the spectator. The scream at the end of the trailer leaves the audience with a curiosity as to why and who it occurs as well as leaving them afraid. There are no recognisable actors in this trailer and so the film relies on the the plot and curiosity of the public to bring in an audience. The hand held camera element adds to the drama as it makes the footage seem more real. The setting, a woods, instantly creates generates fear as it is an area that already has scary connotations; this is the same with the parts of the footage that are in darkness because the night tends to be seen as more frightening than the day.