Analysing Thriller Trailers - 'The Girl On the Train'

 Analysing Thriller Trailers - 'The Girl On the Train'

The trailer for 'The Girl On The Train' features a number of conventions that are typical of thrillers.

• dramatic tense music (starts off differently, suggesting the story takes a dark twist)
• mysterious storyline
• the taglines create mystery/enigma
• production company logos at the beginning (companies who have made thriller films)
• taglines split into separate sections on separate title cards (creating suspense)
• references the genre in the taglines
• reference to source material - a best-selling thriller novel
• slow, creeping camerawork (creating suspense and anticipation)
• voyeuristic POV shots
• dialogue references 'secrets'
• images of violence
• male antagonist/female victims
• unreliable central protagonist, dialogue indicates she is a potential suspect
• iconography and characters of a police investigation
• lots of low-key lighting, typical of the genre, along with fades to and from black
• montage scene towards the end (intense and overwhelming for the viewer)
• moving titles for the name of the film (creating a sense of urgency)