LO1 - Analysis of film trailers

a) Purpose

This trailer is used to promote the psychological thriller 'Dead Man's Shoes' by Warp films in 2004. The trailer has been made to attract the audience to watch the film, this film has been made to, at least primarily, entertain an audience.

b) Form

Dead Man's Shoes is a stand-alone film and there does not seem to have been any mention of intentions to make it part of a franchise.

c/d) Content and Meaning

The trailer gives the audience a relatively vague idea about what happens in the film, it particularly focuses on the disequilibrium of the film. By giving the trailer a non-linear structure fans can still know what to expect but not have the entire movie ruined for them at the same time. As the trailer progresses the violence gets more intense and so does the music, at around 0:30 the music disappears almost completely and the next soundtrack (which comes in towards the end of the trailer is much more elevated and almost church-like. This makes the trailer seem very dramatic, I think, and it coincides with the mis-en-scene.
The characters in this trailer are all dressed in very casual costume, this is to connote the middle class area where they are from and this also helps to make the characters more relatable to the audience.The same applies to the locations used; the film is set in Derbyshire, this is denoted through the use of a lot of country scenery.

Another important use of sound in this trailer is the amount of dialogue. It uses a lot of dialogue, and I think that is another way of making it feel local and getting a sense of what the characters are like, the audiences will quickly be able to recognise accents of the characters which creates verisimilitude.

The trailer also highlights two important pieces of iconography; these are the gas mask and the axe. They both have very strong connotations of aggression and violence; this is shown by the ways it cuts in to the character using these items multiple times.
By using low key lighting throughout the trailer, this connotes the dark tone of the film.
The trailer users a lot of low angle close up shots of the main character, as this connotes that he is powerful as he is above the audience. The use of a close up shot also makes the characters emotions much more visible, which fits in with the tone of the film.
Most of the camera movement used in this trailer are panning shots and are used to show movement (such as at 1:44) or to show large groups of people (1:10). This selective use of camera movement helps make the trailer feel more grounded I think.
Interestingly this trailer fades in to and out of red  at 0:52, this is not something a lot of trailers do so it catches the viewers eye straight away and of course has connotations of danger and violence. Another use of editing is of course towards the end of the trailer when the title and credits are zoomed in. Again, the colour red is used to connote danger and violence.

e) Genre

The film is a psychological thriller, and it shows typical conventions of this genre. Most notably is the way the trailer lets you get inside the lead character's head before the audience fully knows him. It does through using close-ups to get a full picture of the character's emotions and it uses some flashbacks (using black and white filters) to suggest to the audience reasons for the current events.

The iconography is also important to representing the genre, the axe in particular can be related to other psychological thrillers; namely The Shining.

f) Audience

The film was given an 18 certificate by the BBFC, and I think the trailer really appeals to this audience. This is shown through the amount of violence in the trailer alone. I think with their being absolutely no women in the film trailer they are definitely trying to appeal to a male audience. Men will more likely relate to the male characters as well as the violence within the film which is stereotypically associated with men. As this is an independent film I think it is aimed towards people in the C1C2D categories. As the film is set in Matlock, a middle class county town.

a) Purpose

This trailer is used to promote the socio-realistic film 'This is England' also by Warp Films, and also directed by Shane Meadows. This trailer has been made to attract an audience to watch the film which, again, has been made primarily to entertain.

b) Form

'This is England' is not part of a film franchise. But it does have three miniseries; the first of which, This is England '86, was broadcast in 2010. The other two series, This is England '88 and This is England '90, were broadcast in 2011 and 2015 respectively. The latter was supposed to be broadcast in 2012 but Shane Meadows was busy with his documentary film about 'The Stone Roses'.

c/d) Content and Meaning

One of the most important aspects of this trailer, I feel, is the costumes and make-up used. As the film is set in the 1980's and centred around the 'Skinhead' subculture of that time. Because of this costumes and makeup are very important in representing that time period and creating verisimilitude with the audience. I think the choice of Doc Martin boots and denim jackets are particularly important pieces of iconography which connote the choice of fashion in this culture and time period.

There is a lot of close-up shots in this trailer because it is introducing a lot of characters,  this is also again important to representing the films setting as the audience can identify with particular hairstyles, makeup and tattoos.
The editing in this trailer users clips from the time period the film is set interspersed with actual footage from the film. These clips obviously the denote the 80's, and would be easily recognised by the target audience. The trailer also uses titles to help move the narrative forward. These are designed to look like ripped up paper; this has connotations of the anarchy associated with skinheads and popularised by Punk bands such as the Sex Pistols in the late 70's.
Interestingly, the trailer uses a high angled close up of Combo when he is first introduced in the trailer and low angle of Shawn (1:13). As this is usually used to connote someone as being a weak character it seems strange that Combo comes across as a very powerful character.

e) Genre

This is England is a British Drama film. The conventions of this genre are shown in this trailer by creating a familiar setting to audiences. The nationalist views of some of the film’s characters are used to enhance the connotations of violence and aggression, which are important themes in most drama films.

f) Audience

The film has a certificate of 18 but I think it was originally aimed at a slightly older audience,  an audience that can identify with the time period. I think because it could be so relatable to an audience from the 80's it would be more appealing. I think the film appeals to a fairly even split of males and females, with the violence appealing more to a male audience and social context perhaps appealing more to a female audience. I think the film would be aimed towards people in the C1C2D categories because the characters within the film mostly fit in to these characters themselves and therefore would be more relatable.

a) Purpose

This trailer is used to promote the 2015 Thriller 'The Gift'. This trailer is also used to attract an audience to watch the film which has been primarily made to entertain.

b) Form

The trailer uses the film's title, The Gift, as an way to attract the audience. It does this by starting with a close-up image of a bow and then makes reference to various other types of gifts which appear throughout the film. This is a standalone film meaning it is not a part of a franchise.

c/d) Content and Meaning

This trailer actually gives the audience a fair idea of the films main events,  again focusing on the film's disequilibrium.

The trailer mostly focuses on the dialogue to add the 'fear factor'. Again, it uses a non-linear structure to make the audience fill in the gaps. The part of the trailer which I find most appealing is at 2:07 and until the end of the trailer where the antagonist's "Simon says" dialogue is placed over a ton of jump cuts,  the soundtrack also begins to match his speech pattern which I think it's a really clever way of adding those typical Thriller elements. The trailer also uses a lot of low key lighting to give it a darker feel.
Lots of close up shots are used to focus on 'the gifts' as of course it represents the films title and shows the audience that they are an important piece of iconography within the plot of the film.
The main use of camera movement comes from zoom ins and outs, this is used to denote the gifts which are of course an essential part to the movie's plot.
The film has a stark contrast in costume between two of the characters the last half of the trailer, whereas Simon continues to wear a smart shirt, Gordo wears this rough brown coat which I think connotes the difference in the two characters lifestyles. The very end of the trailer shows a man in a monkey mask, this is edited to give it a static appearancve. Both the costume and use of editing give the film its dark connotations and this amplified by the way the soundtrack speeds up towards the end of the trailer.

e) Genre

The film, like Dead Man's Shoes, is a Psychological Thriller; though the trailer alone makes it very clear that the two films have a distinctive budget difference through the choice of actors and locations.

An important thing the trailer vaguely touches upon is the antagonists troubled past, an important aspect of various psychological thrillers. I think Joel Edgerton's performance as the antagonist,  Gordon, is also very important as in the trailer alone he gives the audience a very unsettling feeling,  I think, which is another important aspects of Psychological Thriller.

f) Audience

The certificate for this film was 15, and I'd say that this is a fairly accurate minimum target audience.  Personally I would say this film is aimed at late teens/young adults and the trailer uses some of it's more disturbing scenes to appeal to this mature audience.

a) Purpose

This trailer is used to promote the Thriller '7 minutes'.  This has yet again been made to attract an audience to the film which has been made to entertain.

b) Form

The trailer only makes three references to the title, 7 minutes, one at the very beginning when we see a digital clock and an analogue clock at the middle and end, just before the title comes up. This is also a standalone film and not part of a franchise.

c/d) Content and Meaning

Again you get a clear idea of what this film is about. The use of guns and the setting of a bank make it clear that this is a heist. The fast pace of the soundtrack also gives the audience a clear idea of the fast pace of this film and creates a very intense atmosphere.

The guns are also important as they are pieces of iconography for both Thrillers and heist films. I think other things such as the brief suggestion of drugs at 0:45 and the vaguely mysterious package prior to that also make the audience a little unclear as to whom the primary protagonist is (or if there is one at all). It is similar to the trailer for 'The Gift' in the way it has that 'fill in the gaps' non-linear structure. Interestingly, the trailer uses a lot of high key lighting. This helps to highlight the action scenes for the audience.
An important use of costume in the trailer is the masks which are shown throughout the trailer, and each of the characters are shown wearing one so they become a piece of iconography. Because the film has a band of protagonists the trailer uses a lot of wide shots to highlight all of the characters at once.
The editing is again used to show the titles for the film and help display some details of the narrative. At 1:15 the footage is also edited to speed up a R-L panning shot of a police officer, I think this is used to match the trailer's soundtrack and give connotations of danger and action.

e) Genre

7 Minutes is, as previously mentioned, a Thriller. And so that is where it becomes easy to draw comparisons to the likes of the trailers for 'The Gift' and 'Dead Man's Shoes' as they all show or suggest the use of guns and other firearms in their trailers so it quickly becomes clear that this is an important aspect to the Thriller genre.

f) Audience

The film has a certificate of 15 and I feel again like this is a fairly appropriate audience. I think this is certainly marketed towards teens mostly because the main characters are high school students and whilst this isn't so evident in the trailer, it is still evident that the cast are mostly young adults so I can see why that audience would be targeted too.

a) Purpose

This trailer has been made to promote the 1995 comedy 'Mallrats'.

b) Form

This film is the prequel to the 1994 black and white comedy 'Clerks' and is the second instalment in the 'View Askewniverse'. Most prominently are the characters 'Jay and Silent Bob' who appear in almost all of the View Askewniverse films. The films sequel 'MallBrats' is currently in production and expected to have a 2017 release.

c/d) Content and Meaning

The most significant thing in this trailer,  I think,  is how it is in a typical 'Kevin Smith'  style and the links to the film 'Clerks'  become very obvious.  The cuts to introduce each character not only make it comparable to the trailer for 'Clerks' but also gives the trailer that authentic 'cheap'  feel despite the fact that this film had a much larger budget than its predecessor.

The film also uses several rock tracks (all of which are shown at the end of the trailer) which I think vaguely add to the comedic aspect, particularly during cuts where the music briefly pauses.  I think it is also used to relate to the audience as the Rock and Punk scenes were thriving at the time of the film’s release.
The film uses really tacky cheesy title cards to introduce each of the characters, the way the words whirl around the whole screen is certainly used to connote the comedic tone of the film.
The trailer mostly includes medium shots, as there are quite a range of characters, and camera movement is only really used to track the movement of a character. I think that this is done because of the way that comedies rely on their characters often more than their plot.
The costume is mostly casual and relative to the time it was made except for when Silent Bob dresses up as Batman; whilst this is obviously done for comedic effect, it does also have connotations of the 'nerdy' background to the film

e) Genre

The film is a romantic comedy; it is clearly a comedy to its light-hearted approach. The romance is, I think, very vague and is only shown when the two characters Brodie and Rene are speaking at the very beginning.  It also shows brief kissing and the protagonist, Brodick, on a game show called 'Truth or date’ which does have clear connotations of love and romance.

f) Audience

The film was given a certificate of 15 and personally I think the type of comedy in it would appeal to this sort of age.  The only reason I think that this film is perhaps aimed at an audience slightly older is due to the film's 'Cult following' which developed from the release of 'Clerks' which was evidently aimed at University students. This is also shown in the Mallrats trailer as it is the approximate age of most of the cast and so this age audience can relate to the lifestyle led by these unorthodox characters. Most of the characters in the film are male and therefore I think it is more likely to relate to a male audience. The film draws some of it's comedy from comic books, which stereotypically is also associated with a male audience. I think this film is aimed towards people in the BC1C2 categories. Whilst it was still made by an independent studio, the film evidently has a larger budget than Smith's previous film 'Clerks' and so I think it would be aimed at an audience with a little more disposable income.