Orphan

The opening sequence of this trailer shows a school and of girls playing, this shows innocence and equilibrium within the scene; this is a common horror convention used to show that no one is afraid currently and that the world is a ‘normal’ place.

The town is covered in snow which makes the scene appear very cold, and unforgiving. Snow also represents isolation and being trapped, this mirrors ‘Ester’ who throughout the trailer remains isolated. Winter has connotations of being cold and dark and this is reflected throughout the clip. When the family approach their home, it is very large which implies that the family are wealthy, however the girl continues to wear the same Victorian-style clothing throughout the trailer, this suggests that she is quite a dark, mysterious character but it also makes her stand out which is shown when the girl at school teases her about her outfit. During the toilet scene, Esther is enclosed in the cubicle which suggests that she is trapped not only physically but within herself as well.

When she burns down the tree house, the fire is the first time warmth is portrayed in the trailer. However this fire is not supposed to represent warmth and homeliness it links to destruction and the Devil. This connects well with Esther and her character because just like fire she can seem warm and innocent but the minuet either one gets out of control it’s deadly.

Occasionally during the trailer there are frames containing text. These help to give subtle hints about the film itself. For example one frame says “Something’s wrong with Ester” and another reads “You’ll never guess her secret”. This creates a foreboding atmosphere as the audience wishes to know what her secret is and why she wishes to hurt her new family.

As the trailer progresses, the cuts become quicker in order to build up tension. Fades are used to indicate a change in time or location and link well to the snow and the text cards as they fade to white. During the voiceover and at the end of the trailer, the screen goes black to create a sense of uncertainty within the audience, before displaying the title of the film and the credits. This keeps the audience on the edge of their seats wondering what’s going to happen and if everything is going to be alright.


At the beginning of the trailer, dialogue from the film is used to update the viewer on the events which have occurred, this is a very common convention within trailers as it is an easy way to back-track on a story and set the scene. At the beginning of the trailer the non diegetic music is quite quiet, as it is portraying equilibrium within the scene, however as the tension and uncertainty builds the music gets louder, before a crescendo when we hear a loud scream. There is also a large amount of diegetic noise within the trailer, such as the children’s voices as they play which helps to create a sense of authenticity within the trailer. The dialogue helps to update the viewer on the events that are unravelling and the eerie noise of the swings creaking help to add ‘creepy’ atmosphere to the scene.

The bird’s eye view establishing shot helps to set the scene of the trailer, and again creates an authentic feel as we see what appears to be a stereotypical American town. The two shot of the adopting mother and father also help to create the view that they are the perfect stereotypical couple; being framed together helps to show the audience the couple’s close, ‘normal’ relationship.


When Esther is in the classroom, the camera is positioned through an opening in the door, and we see her back which makes it seem like someone is watching and following her. A common convention of a trailer is to have equilibrium at the beginning, and this occurs in the orphan trailer, as we see lots of long shots and close ups of the family; making them seems happy and normal. Low angles are repeatedly used to show that Esther is the dominant character and that she is in control. High angles are used on the family, especially the mother to show vulnerability in the trailer. As Esther looks directly into the camera, there is a close up which helps to link her to the viewer, as it is as if she is staring straight at them.

Over all this trailer sticks quite well to the stereotypical conventions of horror trailers and creates tension and uncertainty within the audience making them want to know what happens.