Trailers as Multi-modal Texts

A multi-modal text is a piece of media that has two or more types of communication. These can be; images, music, dialogue or written language etc...
When combined, these modes work together to form a meaning. I will be analysing some features in a movie trailer and describing how they compliment each other to create a certain effect.

Film title: Don't Breathe

Features of multimodal text	Description of feature in trailer	Analysis of impact on audience
Written text on screen	The text has a blurry effect and against a black background. It says that the film is made by the same people who made another popular horror film; The Evil Dead. The colour is white, overlayed with dark orange and black splotches and slashes. 	The effects used on the font connects to the plot of the film. The film is about 2 characters being trapped in a house and hunted by a psychotic blind man. The black background creates the effect of being surrounded by darkness, just like the characters. The blurry effect creates a distorted vision, which links to the element of bad eyesight.
Spoken language	Before encountering the blind man, one of the characters says; 'just 'cos he's blind, don't mean he's a saint'.	Originally, the audience would side with the vulnerable blind man who is about to get robbed. But this dialogue puts doubt in their mind and blurs the line between who's good and who's bad. It hints that the man might be evil, which prejudices us against him and generates a bit of fear. This is supported with the scenes later on in the trailer. It also creates a sense of mystery. We don't know what the blind man is hiding. The majority of the later dialogue in the movie is whispering, because they must work very hard to erase their presence.
Moving images	One character tries to quietly back away from the blind man (who is unaware of his presence). In doing so, his foot steps on a creaky floorboard.	The cliché creaky floorboard scenes is a commonly used horror convention. The meaning of this scene is to create nerve wracking tension. The character must not make a sound, or else he could die. The movement of his feet is the focus of the scene, which is why the close up shot makes it more intense and dramatic.
Sound effects	A gunshot is heard. The character conceals her shocked gasp by covering her mouth with her hands.	Sound is very important in this trailer because the blind man relies on his sense of hearing to hunt down the intruders. The sound works with the moving images by using lots of heavy breathing to demonstrate the character's fear and their fight for survival. Every sound (like a creaky floorboard) increases the chances of the characters getting found. Drop sounds are also heard during the written text scenes, after a shocking event and during a blackout. They emphasise these factors. Other sound effects include; footsteps, screaming and match on action sound, like glass shattering when a window is broken.
Music	Different soundtracks are used in different parts of the trailer, in order to create different emotions. In this scene, a slow, melancholy piano song is played as we see the character's depressing life.	The meaning of this scene is to portray her suffering and make us feel sorry for the girl. This serves the purpose of; evoking sympathy for her, causing the later events and somewhat justifying her actions due to her desperation. This soundtrack was sad, but the later soundtrack is quick and harsh (with low beats and grating sounds) to compliment the brutality of the torture scenes.