Bitter Sweet: Martha Marcy May Marlene Teaser Trailer

Deconstruction

Camera Angles

Throughout the trailer, there are various 2 shots. This shows the different relationships present but doesn't necessarily offer any more detailed information than this creating enigma and posing questions. The first example of this shot is a mid-shot of 2 girls (one of them being Martha/Marcy May) and what could be her friend. There are others with and without Martha including her sister and her husband and also Patrick and a shadowy figure of a girl (which conceals her identity). Conventional to a teaser trailer, there is not a clear storyline told to the audience which creates even more mystery and intrigue to who these characters are and their relationship with others.

The close-ups of Patrick are intrusive and uncomfortable, true for all examples of close-ups (as well as not revealing too much of the story). This is appropriate for the genres drama and thriller because it shows his emotions and expressions and well as opposing them on the audience. This also gives a creepy feel and gives hints about his character.

The establishing shot of the farmhouse sets the scene and poses questions about its significance to the story.

An interesting aerial shot shows Martha kick someone down the stairs. This is an inspirational example as it is unconventional and in a sense more shocking.

Another trend in the trailer is shots taken from behind the action i.e. the back of characters’ heads, concealing their identity and creating enigma.

The non-diegetic soundtrack consists of a string-dominated piece of music. It begins with strings giving short bursts in a steady beat. As the trailer continues, more strings are introduced layering over the already present melody with a variation of such, increasing tension and causing disorientation.

The ambient diegetic sound effects of birds tweet and breeze work to create a sense of equilibrium at the beginning, which is a strong convention of a trailer.

There is a sound effect throughout that sounds like hammering, but distorted and echoing. This gives the illusion of mental disturbance and could reflect Martha’s anxieties.

Another aspect to the soundtrack is the dialogue repeating ‘Martha’ and ‘Marcy May’ in shouts, speech and whispers. This could resemble voices in Martha’s head as she has been mentally traumatised because of what she’s been through. This increases tension and is distressing even for the audience as the voices are repeated over and over in a disturbing manner. This is appropriate for the film being a thriller and appeals to audiences who want to be shocked and disturbed.

There are deep bass notes during harsh or shocking actions on screen such as a man chopping wood or when Martha’s sliding down the wall. This increases the shock and tension, appealing to the audience and being appropriate for the genre. As well as this it’s also a convention of a trailer.

The sounds of phones ringing are harsh and loud, which could provide shocks and discomfort in the audience, keeping them on edge, especially as they can be heard before the shot even cuts to one featuring the phone so it’s not expected (appropriate for the genre).

To increase tension even further, the sound effect of Patrick cocking a gun can be heard loudly but no gun shot which extends the tension but without any shock release.

Instead the trailer finishes calmly with the Lucy’s disturbed and concerned dialogue ‘Martha, what happened to you?’ The teaser trailer doesn't reveal too much which means the audience are asking the same question. In the background, a sound that’s similar to crickets and another similar to thunder can be heard.

To coincide with the sense of equilibrium at the start, the lighting is bright and natural connoting a happy, relaxed scene. This is further supported by the casual clothing and bare feet of the featured characters.

This is contrasted completely with the rest of the scene which consists of a lot of shadows and silhouettes which gives a dark, sinister edge to the trailer; this is appropriate for the genre of thriller.

The close-up of Patrick shows how he is quite a bit older than the other girls especially because of his slightly grey stubble and lines on his face. He also looks quite rough as he is skinny and wearing a white vest with messy hair and looks a little dirty.

A repeated close-up of Martha shows her look past the camera with an empty but curious expression wearing dark clothing. This is quite a contrast to the beaming grin of Martha at the beginning suggesting something bad has affected her. But the teaser trailer does not reveal any details. Later on, there are shots of her looking disorientated and confused, further showing examples of her anxiety. There are also a few shots of Lucy and Ted looking angry, concerned and anxious.

As we can hear Ted saying ‘her behaviour is insane’, Martha knocks a glass out of someone’s hand and leans towards them confrontationally. This emphasises and gives examples of the type of behaviour he’s talking about (sound is parallel and relevant to the action on screen). Other example of her behaviour are crying and sliding down the wall after talking on the phone; and pulling away hysterically from her sister.

When Martha is walking past a window sneakily, a girl can be seen in the window that looks haunting and slightly scary. This is appropriate for the thriller genre and suggests the danger and terror that Martha is experiencing.

The last shot is the same as the image on the film’s poster and website. It is an extreme close-up of Martha’s face as she lies on her side, her eyes move slowly and eventually find the camera. This is slightly creepy and puts the audience on edge, appealing to them.

The trailer’s transitions are very varied throughout but generally consist of fades: shots fading in and out, fading from/to black as well as cuts to black and flashing of images. These make the shots look softer and differentiate the shots from that of a horror film with are harsh.

The editing is parallel to the sound especially repetitive beats when the shots flash on each note also increasing in pace as the music does.

Fades to black are generally accompanied by a dark ominous boom from a deep, bass note/drum. This creates a feeling of doom and increases tension.

I prefer the execution of this trailer compared to that of conventional horror or even other thriller trailers and so I think we should look to this trailer as an inspirational example.

The trailer begins with a QR code which is unusual but inspirational as it uses technology to encourage audiences to find out more and become more involved. This is effective promotion for the film. The QR code is created from a picture of Martha (from the poster) which makes the technique even more unique and personal to the film.

There are no titles throughout the title to give clues or hints to the audience, therefore a high level of enigma is created, which is a good promotional technique as it encourages audiences to find more out themselves i.e. go to see the film.

The only titles are at the end of the trailer when the title is revealed. The last shot is the same image as that on the poster and website. It then changes format to the ‘M’ shape and the title of the film appears, name by name on the right.

The background is a stark white and the names and image are of a grey colour. The various shades of grey in the title and the font showing the website address could represent her different personalities, families, lifestyles and experiences.

Featuring the film’s website address is also a good promotional tool in the same way as the QR code.