CONSTRUCTION: SMASH CUT

The purpose of a smash cut is to jar the audience with a sudden and unexpected change in image or sound. I aim to use this technique to help heighten the emotion of anxiety and increase the fear which I believe is one of the main goals of a horror/ thriller film. This can be created by a series of fast-moving, disorderly shots combined with images flashing up to confuse the viewer in an uneasy and sinister way. Ways that I intend to use a smash cut is a sudden brief appearance of our unexpected horror character (Charlotte) complemented by a sharp and shocking sound the audience will most likely not expect. This smash cut will take place towards the end of the trailer, after a build-up of tension.

The book "Cinematic Storytelling" outlines the different uses of smash cuts with examples from renowned film Psycho and American Beauty. In American Beauty, a smash cut jumps from a wide aerial shot to an imposing close-up, jolting the audience. Psycho uses a moving shot than then slam to a stop with a static shot, making the audience feel as if they have ground to a halt.