Gone Girl is an American Psychological Thriller, released in 2014. It is based on the novel by Gillian Flynn, which involves solving the mystery of a woman, Amy (played by Rosamund Pike) who went missing one morning from her home, where she lived with her husband, Nick (played by Ben Affleck). The film focuses on where Amy went, whether she is still alive, and who killed her if she isn't... which throughout the film is implied to be her husband Nick. The trailer follows this, immediately making audiences suspect where Amy is, leading them to need to see the film in order to find out, creating an Enigma Code, as stated by Barthes.
As the film is based on a book, the trailer repeatedly gives clues in which only audiences who have also read the film would understand, however, still allowing for the mystery to appeal to new audiences.
0.12: One of the first shots in the trailer is of Nick, with a poster of his missing wife in the background. Low-key lighting is important in this shot, along with the rest of the trailer sequence. Having a poster in the background with a woman face and the words missing on, immediately gives the audience an insight into the film, which is one of the main purposes of a trailer.
The next two shots show contrasting images of the missing girl, Amy. The first (0.15) is a close up of her face, showing her laying in bed. The second (0.19) is a mid-shot of her out in the streets smiling, offering a contrast to the first shot of her emotionless face. The two shots are clearly at different points within the film, displaying how trailers often shift between times, and commonly aren't in chronological order. Again both shots are in low-key lighting.
The next in the trailer is a long-shot of Nick. Through mise-en-scene Nick is represented as a common man, wearing a shirt and black trousers, and also appearing in a typical American-style house. Relatability is an important convention of psychological thrillers, as it causes the audience to believe that the events that occur in the film could happen to anyone, increasing the suspense generated throughout the film-and also the trailer.
This then changes to a mid-shot of the two characters together, contrasting with Nick's isolation in the previous shot. Although lighting is low, a sepia effect is created, suggesting romance, which is highlight through the composition of the two, with Nick touching Amy's chin.
The trailer then cuts back to the scene of Nick in the house, using a shot-reverse-shot edit to present him seeing upturned furniture and smashed glass props. Smashed glass is connotative of violence and danger, and suggests that a bad incident has occurred. This reaction is also conveyed through Nick's facial expression in the close up shot on the right.
The next two shots in the trailer sequence present people looking for missing Amy, again showing the time shifts between shots. One of the shots is clearly in daylight, showing a large group of people searching through films, showing how Amy is a likeable and popular character, causing audiences to long for her safety, increasing anticipation. The background of the second shot is black, displaying how it is nighttime-highlighted by the torch prop. The juxtaposition of the time of day in these two shots presents how the search for the missing woman is extensive and complicated-taking a long time.
A mid-shot is then used to show Amy pushing Nick, again implying that the two were having troubles prior to her disappearance. This causes the viewer to question whether Nick was involved, once again alluding to the plot of the film. It then cuts back to the first scene in the trailer, of Nick in front of the poster, forcing audiences to make the link between the two arguing and her disappearance.
Following this, the trailer shows Nick in a Police Station-conveyed through the use of costume-being swabbed. This increases audiences suspicions, and begins to mistrust Nick, causing them to lust to see the film in order to find out whether he is guilty.
A close up shot is then presented of a gloved hand holding an envelope, with the words 'Clue One' written on the front. This leaves the audience wondering who wrote the note, and also who found it. It also appeals to fans who had read the Gone Girl book, and this moment is crucial for the rest of the narrative.
A long shot of a TV is then shown, where we see the news title 'Nick Dunne wife killer?'. This tells the audience that the case is very high profile and has gained a lot of media attention, emphasising its importance. This makes audiences feel that they would miss out if they did not see the film, as they would not find out the ending and whether Nick is convicted of murder.
This is then contrasted with a close up of the two kissing in a restaurant setting, showing how they were once in love, making the case more confusing and disorientating - a main convention of psychological thrillers.
Editing pace then drastically builds, showing 4 different shots over the space of 2 seconds. Face-paced editing excites viewers, as it increased the suspense and causes them to anticipate the films release. In this trailer it is also used puzzle audience, cutting to different scenes and times.
At 1.29 a close up is shown of Amy underwater, looking up to the surface, which after a fade-to-black transition is used, suggesting an ending to Amy. This again causes the audience to desire to find out the ending of the film, and find out the intricate details which were not included in the trailer.
The title of the film then gradually appears over a scene of a river, causing the audience the make connections to the shot of Amy underwater. Titles and the date of release are conventionally shown at the end of trailers, so that it will be the last thing to stick in the audiences mind. The release date is one of the most crucial aspects of the trailer, consequently why it is put last in this trailer, so it is the thing audiences are most likely to remember.
Non-diegetic music is played throughout the title sequence. The song 'She' by Richard Butler is used. I think this song was chosen due to the lyrics included, such as 'She may be the face I can't forget' and 'She may be the beauty or the beast', linking to the mysterious character of Amy, and the puzzling event of her disappearance.
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