Theatrical trailer analysis - The Vow (2012)

Genre: Drama, Romance
Narrative: 'A car accident puts Paige in a coma, and when she wakes up with severe memory loss, her husband Leo works to win her heart again.' - IMDb
Unique Selling Point: Both the actors/actresses and the plot, the two main actor and actress is Rachael McAdams and Channing Tatum. They are in very well known films prior to this film, McAdams is in films such as Mean Girls and The Notebook, Tatum has been in Step Up and Dear John. As well as the plot that has been taken by the novel itself, it is a very sad storyline but also could be relatable as many people suffer from memory issues through illnesses so it isn't as uncommon as expected.

Target audience: The audience would mainly consist of 15+ females, ranging from teenagers, young adults and adults as the film can be aimed at any ages throughout the gender due to the plot of the film. Many of the audience could also be readers of the novel who would want to then see how the film is portrayed, as well as fans of the actresses and actors included especially due to the success of both McAdams and Tatum. 

Music, Dialogue and Voice over :  The trailer begins with diegetic sound of both the main characters, Leo and Paige as they are in the car together listening to the radio 'Meatloaf' 'You do not like this song.' Then Leo begins to sing along to the song on the radio 'I'd Do Anything for Love. Then as the scenes progress and instantly fall into the main story line, a voice over is paired with non-diegetic sound as Leo is the voice being heard as he says 'Life's all about moments of impact and how they change our lives forever but what if one day, you could no longer remember any of them.' This dialogue is paired with a continuous beeping sound, almost intimating the sound of a monitor in a hospital. Both uses of sound are ended as soon as the scene is revealed where Paige wakes up at the hospital and then shows the reference of the beeping sound. The music shifts again at 0:51 where another non-diegetic track is played which gentle and gives suggestion to the mood of the film, once again at 1:10 it changes to 'Enchanted' by Taylor Swift which is then played until then end of the trailer. 'Enchanted' is also paused briefly when at the scene where Leo is taking Paige out of a date and she says 'I just have to be back by ten in the morning to which Leo replies with 'Oh my god, first date and you're already inviting yourself to stay the night.' This shows a slight comedy aspect in the film, despite the tragedy which is why the track has intentionally been paused to focus on the events taking place.

Camera angles/shots:

This is a mid shot which is mostly what the trailer consists of. It could have been considered a two shot however in both shots, they ensure the other character is shown but blurred so the main focus is on the character speaking. This is also the beginning shots of the trailer so the audience are immediately introduced to them, in comparison to a lot of other trailers that begin with an establishing shot. Very quickly in, before the events unfold the audience can develop an understanding of the relationship between the two and then how the future events affect them. 

 The use of close up's particularly for this scene after the previous one is to focus on the events then unfold very quickly into the trailer. It shows the main factor that impacts both characters therefore with the close up's, the audience can have a clear understanding for what has happened. The close up's differ in the various scenes to add emphasis on different aspects in the trailer for the characters.

Over the shoulder shots have been used to show in this case, the relationship between the two characters and the love they share. The shot allows the audience to see how expressions from the couple so they can clearly show how in love they both are. This is in contrast to a another over the shoulder shot that was in the trailer of Leo and the nurse in the hospital. By including both of these different scenarios but using the same shots, the audience can see the change in the relationship and in the characters.

 As mentioned before, this over the shoulder shot shows more of the change in plot and characters. But in comparison to the previous shots where an equal amount of the back of the characters are shown, in this scene Leo is shown to have more control in terms of his physique as he is taller than the nurse. Therefore, more of his back is shown to give the illusion that he has more power when in actual fact, he does not. Furthermore, more screen time of him in this scene shows the significance of him and with the close up of the shots, it allows the audience to see Leo's emotions clearly and therefore empathise towards him.

This is a POV shot of Paige which is one of my favourite shots they have included as we are put in her perspective as she wakes up. Therefore they have purposely blurred the scene to present the idea of her slowly waking up. This is when the audience are introduced to Paige after the accident and so the build up to seeing her creates more tension to the audience. 

Once again, they have included another close up shot to show the difference to the Paige prior to the accident and afterwards. The audience then begin to understand the events and how it now affects the couple. This is also an over the shoulder shot from Leo's point of view as the audience experience the heartbreak he is also going through.

After not having an establishing shot for the beginning of the trailer, they include it half way to show the city that the couple are in through the drastic change in their lives. Throughout the trailer, the audience can develop an idea of where the couple live but it isn't shown until now. The use of this shot just adds more onto the plot and into the story of Leo and Paige. 

Furthermore, after many different shots that are similar to a two shot, they finally include one. This two shot shows the separation of the couple now as Paige is dressed in the hospital attire and Leo is dressed casually. It shows the difference between the two now after the accident, a clear indication that things haves shifted between the two. Especially through the body language between the two, Leo has his arm out whereas Paige has her hands nearer to herself and gives the indication that she may not be comfortable around Leo which isn't a surprise due to her memory loss. 

 Similar to the trailer of 'Eat, Pray, Love', before the title of the film itself, they have included inter-titles such as rhetorical questions and statements into the trailer. This has been done to engage the audience and intrigue them, for example with the question asked, it not only shows the plot of the film and the events that happen but also how the audience would feel if it happened to them. In many cases, through illnesses, memory loss can be an aspect that others may be able to relate to, which again shows how they are connecting with their target audience. As well as the fact that the film is in fact real which then immediately interests the audience as this is an example of an accident that could happen to anyone. 

The inter-titles for 'The Vow' are very simple as they are in the sans serif font and the only detail added are that they are in bold. The colours included are black, white and a light green/turquoise. The colours all show sophisticated together, as well as the fact that the colour white has connotations of  light, goodness and purity. These could also be in relation to aspects in the vows spoken at wedding themselves. White is used when associated with weddings which is seen in the trailer as it is shown evidently that the couple are indeed married.                                                    
The final use of inter-title in the trailer is when they display the media links for the film, they specifically used Facebook for the film so they included the link into the film and encouraged the audience to share the film. This shows another way that they have interacted with the audience to keep them engaged with the film.  

For my own trailer, I want to include aspects of the trailer for 'The Vow' such as the variety of shots and the way they have edited together. I especially liked the different effects such as the blurring and the cuts between the shots as the voice over is introduced to the audience. They have included a lot of shots, dialogue and music all together to show the key events of the film which is what I wish to recreate myself. They have very easily sold the film to me and their specific target audience in the matter of two minutes which want I wish to also try to complete in my own. 

Teaser trailer analysis - Blue Valentine (2010)

Genre: Drama, Romance

Narrative: The relationship of a contemporary married couple, charting their evolution over a span of years by cross-cutting between time periods. – IMDb

Unique Selling Point: The actors, as the main two are Ryan Gosling and Michelle Williams, they are both success in their previous films and very well known. For example Gosling as in films such as The Notebook and Crazy, Stupid, Love, Williams has been in films such as Oz the Great and Powerful and My Week with Marilyn.

Target audience: Despite the film being in the drama and romance genre, it is quite an alternative version to the genre, therefore the audience would be aimed at sixteen and above. The film could stretch until to young adults and perhaps even further, but what might cap older audiences such as adults to watch it is because it is an indie film but it still holds the aspect of the traditional love storyline which makes it fall into the drama and romance category.

Music and dialogue: As it is a teaser trailer, the shots and sound are really limited. However, especially for this teaser, they have limited the music. The trailer starts with diegetic sound of the dialogue of the characters, ‘Have you got any talents?’ ‘Like hidden talents?’ Although, from the beginning of the trailer, the dialogue is heard before the audience see the characters therefore for a brief few seconds it is almost like a voiceover. But not for a long, as soon afterwards the scene is shown to the audience and the dialogue fits, this is until various different scenes from the film are shown while the dialogue is still happening. There is limited dialogue before the character of Gosling, Dean begins to sing ‘You Always Hurt The One You Love’ by The Mills Brothers and play his ukulele which is the diegetic sound that is then used as a sound bridge for the scenes shown afterwards from the film. As mentioned in the narrative, the film cross cuts from scenes of the couple when they were younger and as they are currently therefore the scenes being seen are then varied and can tell the difference in how the characters look. Then at 1:11, the dialogue picks up again while the ukulele is still being played and the sound of Dean and Cindy giving each other a high five is heard as the trailer ends. 

Camera angles/shots:

 The trailer begins with a wide shot showing both the characters. It is an instant beginning and the enigma codes have already been created as the audience are left in complete suspense into how the two characters are linked. There is no introduction to the audience, they are immediately placed into the film and the two characters. The wide shot shown however allows the audience to familiarise themselves with the characters' and their surrounding. They are standing outside a wedding dress shop which could be foreshadowing the future events of the characters and does allow the audience to begin to understand the relationship between the two. 

 As shown above, there are many close up/ extreme close up's of both characters. This is an example as shown from an over the shoulder point of view from both characters. This has been done to show the progression of the relationship between the two, throughout the trailer it quickly shows the intensity of their relationship as it is discovered that they are together. The trailer is in non-chronological order therefore the scenes are varied between time and as an example, in these shots it shows the couple young and in love. The close up's of their faces shows enough for the audience to understand that the feeling is mutual between them and it represents the idea of young love which are then questioned further along in the trailer.

 They use close up's frequently throughout as mentioned before to get the audience familiar with the characters and make them more prominent. They have included them into the two shots, these shots make show the relationship clearly. It also as previously shown presents the youth in comparison to the scenes later in the film. As well as the representation of youth love which also is shown to have changed as most of the shots are mainly of the couple when they were younger. Therefore this could be an indication to the audience by the fact that there are less intimate shots as their relationship isn't as what it was in the present as it was in the past. 

These shots are in comparison to the previous shots shown. This shows the cross cutting between the couple when they were younger and how they are now in the present. They have constantly used close up's and for these shots, they have been done intentionally to show the audience emotions of the character. By showing them so up close, it also indicates the personal aspect from the character to the audience so they are given the idea like they are watching into the life of the character's. Therefore they are able to relate with the characters' storyline as the film progresses and they continue to see the insight of the lives of the pair. 

Inter-titles:

 The use of these particular inter-titles is show the unique selling point of the film which is the actor/actress. They have presented them highly as they have added 'Academy Award Nominee', therefore they are trying to engage the audience through the success of the pair. Despite that, the inter-titles overall in the trailer are very simple as they have let the scenes in the trailer be the main focus for the audience. The font they have used is serif, this could be done intentionally to relate to the genre of the film as it is a romance. Furthermore, by adding more of a feminine element to the font it ties in with the main focus of attracting their target audience that constants mainly of females.

However, the inter-titles in comparison to the final title are different. The final title is in the sans serif font, it is bolded and used to come across as a statement to the audience. The use of the colours black and white are powerful yet also show the sophistication of the titles. The main attraction for the audience is the storyline and the scenes so the titles have then been played down so they are not over exaggerated to bring the attention away from the film itself. The titles have been chosen though to continue the theme of simplicity as the film itself seems to be portrayed as quite easy going and light.

Overall, although this trailer isn't theatrical and is a teaser which is the opposite to what we are going for, I included it in my research as it was a low budget film. The main success of the film was from film festivals as they have shown in the beginning of the trailer, therefore I wanted to use a trailer that I knew I could relate and research into the production companies. Although, the trailer is a lot shorter than mine will be, I really liked the variation of shots they had which I hope to include. There were different shots and angles to show the different times in the characters' lives which I hope to recreate for my main character as similar to the pair in the film, her film changes dramatically too and I want to show that in my trailer as they have done here.

Theatrical trailer analysis - Me Before You (2016)

Genre: Drama, Romance

Narrative: A girl in a small town forms an unlikely bond with a recently-paralysed man she’s taking care of. – IMDb

Unique selling point: The plot, this is because the book has attracted a majority of the audience as it isn’t something that is commonly shown especially when relating paralysed men and romance. This is due to the stereotype of the disabled that is shown in the media that causes the element of surprise for the audience when watching the film as they take a twist on the typical expectations for the disabled. 

Target audience: The majority of the target audience would be readers of the book and even fans of the author herself. Therefore, the audience would be aged around fifteen and over, this could go on into mid-thirties to forties as the genre of the film is aimed at the female audience as a whole.

Music and dialogue: The trailer begins with diegetic and non-diegetic sound, the diegetic sound being the dialogue between the job hunter and Louisa, ‘We have tried the chicken factory,’ ‘I’m still having nightmares about those giblets.’ The non-diegetic over the dialogue is of the song by Oh Honey, Take All The Time You Need which goes alongside the dialogue as it is upbeat and light-hearted. However, at 1:09 of the trailer, the first song stops and Photograph by Ed Sheeran is then played until the end of the trailer. 

The song is played underneath the dialogue and the sound shifts as the emotions of the trailer develop into sadness and the audience know the story line thickens from the previous happier scenes. The song Photograph is played until the very end where the song ends on the lyrics ‘Wait for me to come home’ as the titles of the film appear which intensifies the overall mood for the film as the audience can immediately tell the film will perhaps be quite mournful. This is also supported by the dialogue leading up to the ending of the trailer as a conversation is inserted ‘I promised my parents six months and that’s what I’ve given them’ ‘But that was before me.’ 

Camera angles/shots: 

It starts traditionally with an establishing shot of the location where the film is primarily set and also where the Traynor family live. 

 There are many over the shoulder shots in this trailer and here are the first two that are shown as Louisa is introduced to the audience. The use of the over the shoulder shot is to create the idea that the audience are peering into Louisa's life. Especially as this is the first scene in the trailer where she is seen. As well as the fact that using both angles from front and back of the over the shoulder shot, it allows the audience to pay attention to Louisa's outfit. From the back, the audience are able to see her unique hairstyle followed by her outfit which instantly creates enigma codes on who she is and perhaps why she is dressed the way she is. It also engages the audience as her attire isn't ordinary and therefore they will be intrigued by the character.

                                                                                   

There is an aerial shot of the location showing the castle and the homes surrounding it. Once again, this is just to show to the audience the setting in where the characters live. But also to show that the community is close and quite small, which relates to the context further in the trailer as Will says to Louisa ‘That can't be from around here.' 'Why not?' 'Because this is the kind of place where people come to when they have got tired of actually living.' 

 There are also many close up/extreme close up's of the main characters such as Louisa and Will. There are many of Louisa in particular as the film is told through her life so through the close up's, the audience develop an understanding of her emotions as the events unfold in the trailer. It also shows the authority she holds as she is the main character and this is evidently shown as she has the most screen time in the trailer.

They also include two shots to portray the relationship of the characters. This is an example of Nathan and Will, which shows the difference between the two. This has been done intentionally to highlight the key fact that Will is sitting in a wheelchair to signify that he is disabled in comparison to Nathan. 
Another two shot is used of Louisa and Katrina which shows the sisterly bond they have. They are also both lying down on the bed together which shows there is no difference between them, in comparison to the previous two shot of Nathan and Will.

 As mentioned before, the use of over the shoulder shots are used frequently, as well as high/low angles. These are both an example of using both the shot and the angle, the effect of this is for the audience to see the clear representation as Will looks up to Louisa. This has been done to portray the difference between them and the fact that Will is relying on Louisa as he looks up to her physically as he cannot complete tasks alone. Therefore, while defying the stereotype of the disabled by the character of Will being included in a romance film, they still continue to stereotype the disabled through the shot variation and angles to portray them to be weak. 

Inter-titles: 

The titles for the film are shown before the final inter-title when the trailer comes to an end. But the titles leading up to it are giving the audience more information about the film e.g. with the first title, it is informing the audience on the originality of the film. It also is showing how popular and well known the novel has been and how it was then turned into a film. 

The next two titles are again shown as apart of the trailer as it fits in with the dialogue when Will advises Louisa to live her life to the fullest. Therefore, once again the audience can begin to gain an understanding into the possibly outcomes of the story. 
The font for the inter-titles are in the serif font which shows the aspect of romance as they are more feminised with the added decorative flourishes added to the ends of the words. As well as this, the colour palette fits in perfectly with the genre of the film. The main significant colour is red as shown by the vibrant red background which has connotations of love, passion and desire. All aspects which are shown evidently in the trailer, they have complimented the bright colour with the black and white text. These colours both contrast well with the colour red and add to the simplicity of the inter-titles. 

These are the final two inter-titles as the trailer comes to an end. The trailer finishes on a simple note with the inter-titles as they have let the clips of the film engage the audience rather than exaggerating the inter-titles. The simplicity allows the audience to focus more on the scenes and the plot which is the main selling point for the film.

The last inter-title shows that that the film prior to it's release didn't have an official release date or wasn't unveiled in the trailer as they instead say the film is 'coming soon'. This could have intentionally been done to add suspense and keep the audience updated on the film. As well as the fact that they have used the hashtag #MeBeforeYou so the audience can easily keep up to date with the release of the film and or even premieres, any new information will be shown on social media using the hashtag so it is no trouble for them to find out anything related to the film. 

Voice over: Throughout the trailer, there are slight aspects of voice overs but soon after the dialogue is matched with the scene. For example, at 0:14 when said ‘Do you have any experience with care giving?’ ‘I have never done it but I’m sure I could learn.’  Soon afterwards, the scene is then shown of the characters Camilla and Louisa. This is then carried on throughout until 02:04, when Louisa says ‘But I have become a whole new person because of you’, this is the only voice over used as it does not show the character using the dialogue afterwards. Through the use of this specific sentence as the only voice over, it adds tension to the audience as they slowly begin to try and solve the enigma codes that are being presented in the trailer. The trailer is portrayed after the halfway mark to be melancholy and not as uplifting as the first half, therefore the sense of urgency is implied through the tone of the character Louisa as she says those words to Will.

I was inspired to complete an analysis on this film due to the fact that it is apart of the genre of my own trailer and I myself thoroughly enjoyed this film minus the extreme sadness. As for my own trailer, I want to engage my audience the way this trailer did but including a variation of different shots and including music that really fits into the plot of the trailer. These two elements were really important in this trailer and is what made it so effective to the audience as they portray the emotions that the audience should feel with the change in plot through the scenes that are shown and the music that is played.