Textual analysis - Sorority Row

The first thing which i immediately notice about the trailer for sorority row is how it begins with upbeat non-diegetic pop music to represent the happy lives in which the group of friends have. The mise-en-scene has also created this atmosphere by the colourful and bright lighting used, colours such as yellows and summery colours often represent cheerfulness and warmth. The fast paced editing gives off the quirky student lifestyle, this effect is often used in party scenes or clubs to again represent the student lifestyle. The characters featured in these shots are viewed as being happy and vibrant, we as the audience see this by the positive emotions expressed. The parties could also be viewed as very stereotypical with the alcohol, loud music and dancing.
However the mood changes as the camera moves in to a close-up of the group of girls speaking about a boy, we then realise these are the main characters in the film. To create a mysterious effect the director has darkened the light to create a key convention which is used in horror. The way in which the group of girls are seen in a bedroom could also be seen as stereotypical as many American films use this to reflect the closeness between the friends.
"A deadly Prank" this phrase is used as a form of narration, the word prank is often seen as humourous however the adjective 'deadly' informs the audience that this prank has backfired. On the other hand the non-diegetic music appears carefree, perhaps this is to reflect the irony of the situation. The group of friends end up in a desolate area which is very cliche in horror, the lighting is dull as it is nightime this exhibits the darkness of the situation. The weapon used is captured in a close-up so that the audience can see that this weapon could possibly be the main weapon used in the film. The trailer does not show the full scene of the killings as this would give away what some of the audience would call the best bits. As the first killing is briefly showed the editing is extremely fast paced with flashes of lighting as this is often associated with horror films, the diegetic sounds of screaming and crying expresses the volume of fear indicated from the characters. The cutting from darkness to lightness indicates the sign of how life moves on and in this case how the friends have forgotten about the situation, the slow motion of the graduates celebrating could perhaps signify how their happiness is gradually slowing down. The use of technology today such as receiving picture messages through a mobile phone is indicated through the mise-en-scene this is important as it creates verisimilitude and reflects life to this day. Montages and the fast paced editing display panic to the audience which builds up to the murder of one of the members of the group, however we as the viewer do not see the killer as this is one of the devices in which the producer uses to draw the viewer into seeing the film. The phrase 'sisters for life' could be seen as ironic being featured after a killing which dulls the tone and establishes the mystery in which is occuring.
The use of flashing images of the weapon used is seen as a key convention of the horror genre, this also perhaps signifies upcoming danger.
I have noticed throughout the analysis that to create a scary effect the producers do not feature any sound for several seconds then suddenly feature screams and loud non-diegetic sounds this forms a sense of fear to the audience. The non-diegetic sounds of young children singing appears to be popular in the use of horror trailers as it adds a specific creepy feeling as something is not right about the situation. The pitch of the diegetic and non-diegetic gets louder and the diegetic sounds of knife blades rubbing together are heard, as the editing gets faster this reflects the fear and panic.
The title of the film is featured towards the end of the trailer to perhaps add tension, it could also be seen as acting as a cliffhanger. The short snippet of the film after the title sequence could be viewed as shocking, this could be signifying the horror and the events which are going to be featured.