Rec 2: Textual Analysis
Rec is a fairly new foreign horror franchise with only 2 films in the series so far. However the critically acclaimed Rec provided enough scares to garner it as a cult classic. Rec’s unique shaky camerawork made it stand out from the slew of other Horror titles that seem to be bombarding the cinema. The original Rec told the story of a woman who is trapped in her apartment, however an infection takes over her and she is becomes a zombie. Zombie films appear to be the most common Horror films made, especially with the trend starting in the 2000s showing zombies to be fast and agile.
I will be analysing the Rec2 trailer. Rec2 was released on the 2nd of October and distributed by Magnolia Pictures. It is very common for popular horror titles to release in October as the end of the month is Halloween. The film was directed by Jaume Balagueró and Paco Plaza and produced by brothers Julio Fernández and Carlos Fernández. The entire cast only contains Spanish actors, possibly thanks to their choice to film in Spain. It is actually quite common for directors to film and use actors from their respective countries of origin, with J.K Rowling ensuring the Harry Potter cast was English.
This trailer begins with a camera being turned on with night vision. A woman is immediately thrown to the floor and as she struggles to scrawl across the floor, she is dragged at to the other side of the room. This essentially sets the pace for the film, connoting a feeling of uneasiness and unpredictability. As the woman is being dragged off she is sent into a state of panic and lets out a huge scream – giving us a taste of the panic that is yet to come. We are shown the woman’s terrifying panic through an extreme close up on her face. The camera remains completely still throughout the ordeal, telling us it has very likely been dropped on the floor.
The rest of the trailer is set out like a de-briefing; another very unique concept for a Zombie film. The dual screen shows a SWAT team preparing to contain the outbreak. The professionally trained SWAT appears to be sighing and looking very tense. Using mid-close ups we are shown everything we need to see, from the emotion on their faces to the heavy duty weapons they are using. This tense feeling carries over to the audience immediately, as the SWAT team remain completely silent. The only noise at the start of the trailer is a subtle screeching. The screeching represents a camera and symbolises the start of the mission as the film is shot from a first person prospective.
The ambient sound in the trailer adds to feeling of uneasiness and amplifies the claustrophobic feel to the trailer. It suits the quarantine as we are made to feel alone through these noises as no human made sounds can be heard whatsoever. The ambient sounds are interrupted by the debriefing screen that spells the SWAT team’s preparation one letter at a time, imitating a government computer. The sounds are what you would expect to hear during a government de-briefing.
Throughout the start of a trailer there is a countdown which aids in building up the suspense. In fact the vast majority of the first parts of the trailer work as ploys in building the tension and suspense. We are shown the SWAT team walk through a short yet very long plastic tunnel, separating the quarantined area from the rest of the world. After they walk through the tunnel, the mood of the trailer changes from a slow, almost silent ambiance to a violent and far tenser mood.
The trailer is 2 minutes and 8 seconds long, consisting of various scenes of the S.W.A.T team raiding the house, attempting to contain the outbreak. The genius camerawork is simply a camera attached to their helmets. This makes the viewer see exactly what the character sees, enhancing the sense of fear and suspense as you have no idea what could be lurking around the corner or behind the protagonists. The camera occasionally strafes away from the camera-mount in order to display the atmosphere fully with an establishing shot. This shows the perfect setting for a zombie outbreak, with the camera work mainly showing narrow corridors and small rooms. This creates an extremely claustrophobic feeling and emphasises the quarantine.
Most of the sound used in the trailer is non-diegetic. In fact almost all the sound at the start of the trailer is non-diegetic creating a suitable score to the trailer. The sound containing several computerized screeches and various beats, accompanied with quiet yet noticeable growls connotes a sense of danger. While the other non-diegetic sound of a light buzzing connotes isolation. The first piece of non-diegetic sound is a sigh, followed by one of the SWAT members kicking the door down. The sound of the kick appears to be amplified by the rest of the trailer being moderately quiet, making it appear to be very dramatic.
There is a heavy religious influence in this trailer, with Christian objects being some of the key props. Towards the end of the trailer we are shown glimpses of unusual events occur with religious objects, such as a cross being set alight. These are shown through many very affective camera angles and with a quick cut. This highlights the word “teaser” and it does not elaborate on what is occurring with the objects. The viewer is left to wonder what Christianity has to do with a zombie outbreak.
I will be analysing the Rec2 trailer. Rec2 was released on the 2nd of October and distributed by Magnolia Pictures. It is very common for popular horror titles to release in October as the end of the month is Halloween. The film was directed by Jaume Balagueró and Paco Plaza and produced by brothers Julio Fernández and Carlos Fernández. The entire cast only contains Spanish actors, possibly thanks to their choice to film in Spain. It is actually quite common for directors to film and use actors from their respective countries of origin, with J.K Rowling ensuring the Harry Potter cast was English.
This trailer begins with a camera being turned on with night vision. A woman is immediately thrown to the floor and as she struggles to scrawl across the floor, she is dragged at to the other side of the room. This essentially sets the pace for the film, connoting a feeling of uneasiness and unpredictability. As the woman is being dragged off she is sent into a state of panic and lets out a huge scream – giving us a taste of the panic that is yet to come. We are shown the woman’s terrifying panic through an extreme close up on her face. The camera remains completely still throughout the ordeal, telling us it has very likely been dropped on the floor.
The rest of the trailer is set out like a de-briefing; another very unique concept for a Zombie film. The dual screen shows a SWAT team preparing to contain the outbreak. The professionally trained SWAT appears to be sighing and looking very tense. Using mid-close ups we are shown everything we need to see, from the emotion on their faces to the heavy duty weapons they are using. This tense feeling carries over to the audience immediately, as the SWAT team remain completely silent. The only noise at the start of the trailer is a subtle screeching. The screeching represents a camera and symbolises the start of the mission as the film is shot from a first person prospective.
The ambient sound in the trailer adds to feeling of uneasiness and amplifies the claustrophobic feel to the trailer. It suits the quarantine as we are made to feel alone through these noises as no human made sounds can be heard whatsoever. The ambient sounds are interrupted by the debriefing screen that spells the SWAT team’s preparation one letter at a time, imitating a government computer. The sounds are what you would expect to hear during a government de-briefing.
Throughout the start of a trailer there is a countdown which aids in building up the suspense. In fact the vast majority of the first parts of the trailer work as ploys in building the tension and suspense. We are shown the SWAT team walk through a short yet very long plastic tunnel, separating the quarantined area from the rest of the world. After they walk through the tunnel, the mood of the trailer changes from a slow, almost silent ambiance to a violent and far tenser mood.
The trailer is 2 minutes and 8 seconds long, consisting of various scenes of the S.W.A.T team raiding the house, attempting to contain the outbreak. The genius camerawork is simply a camera attached to their helmets. This makes the viewer see exactly what the character sees, enhancing the sense of fear and suspense as you have no idea what could be lurking around the corner or behind the protagonists. The camera occasionally strafes away from the camera-mount in order to display the atmosphere fully with an establishing shot. This shows the perfect setting for a zombie outbreak, with the camera work mainly showing narrow corridors and small rooms. This creates an extremely claustrophobic feeling and emphasises the quarantine.
Most of the sound used in the trailer is non-diegetic. In fact almost all the sound at the start of the trailer is non-diegetic creating a suitable score to the trailer. The sound containing several computerized screeches and various beats, accompanied with quiet yet noticeable growls connotes a sense of danger. While the other non-diegetic sound of a light buzzing connotes isolation. The first piece of non-diegetic sound is a sigh, followed by one of the SWAT members kicking the door down. The sound of the kick appears to be amplified by the rest of the trailer being moderately quiet, making it appear to be very dramatic.
There is a heavy religious influence in this trailer, with Christian objects being some of the key props. Towards the end of the trailer we are shown glimpses of unusual events occur with religious objects, such as a cross being set alight. These are shown through many very affective camera angles and with a quick cut. This highlights the word “teaser” and it does not elaborate on what is occurring with the objects. The viewer is left to wonder what Christianity has to do with a zombie outbreak.