'The Usual Suspects' Trailer Analysis

Introduction of setting
The first few settings seen are dark and gloomy, cast over with shadows. This is a typical film noir feature, and connotes the dark themes present in the film.

The small circle of light through the window symbolises a sense of hope or chance of freedom, yet the juxtaposing shadow surrounding it suggests a larger overpowering theme of entrapment.

The red light in the last setting forebodes murder and death- with the large door leading to the tragedy.

Introduction of characters

The camera than tracks down a narrow, red lit corridor, which then fades to a slow motion drop of a cigarette. These disorientated close ups suggest that this unknown presence causes destruction and danger. Similarly, the red lighting of the corridor connotes ruthless violence and forebodes danger.

There is not a whole character first introduced, but rather features of a person. The close ups of the shoe and the hand holding a gun distort the audience and fragment the importance of the character.

Sound bridge
So far, the non diegetic music has been tense but rather quiet. This is then overpowered by a classic, stylised, American voiceover, heightening the suspense of the narrative and giving it a more traditional action feel.

However a sound-bridge is introduced through the character of the detective, as his voice is heard over the crime scene shots. Because of this, the audience creates a link between the detective, and safety, as the destructive force is absent from the screen. This gives the detective a higher authority and clearly explains the themes of the narrative.

The main protagonists

The first sight of the protagonists is in the line upeach character looks individual and unique, however their placement is rather distorted. This is then reinforced as the non diegetic voice over states each name individually, adhering to a thriller, crime genre.

The characters then appear to be united as each is shown individually through a cutaway of their facehighlighting their collective motives, yet individual threats.

Sound Segue
The second more dramatic soundtrack change also occurs on a close up of Spacey. This alone has been done by the editor to focus on this character and allude to a hidden persona than what appears on the surface. The non diegetic music here fits to an action film- therefore moving away from film noir, and heightening a climax.

There are two key changes in the non diegetic soundtrack, the first is on the close up of Kevin Spacey's face, as the music momentarily sounds like a 'gong' and forebodes a deeper motive for that single character. However the music then continues as before to intrigue the audience and digress the narrative.

Rapid Cutaways

The constant mention of the name 'Keyser Soze' is linked to a final cutaway of Spacey's face. This immediately suggests a link between these characters and a hidden relationship or identity. The action throughout these cutaways is fast and highlights the film noir features of death and crime. The constant change on the screen also disorientates the audience and depicts a rather unsettling, spinning feeling.

Effect of a 'calm' ending

The ending juxtaposes the rest of the trailer and is rather calming and tranquil. The soft ripple of the water symbolizes a sense of tranquility and allows the end title to gently emerge on top.

The font of 'The Usual Suspects' is Sans Serrife' and stands out against the black sea.