10 Things I Hate About You (1999) - shot list analysis

 0:01-0:02 
Production company titles 

 0:03 - The main titles for the film 

0:04 - 0:10 
Two shot of the two girls as they walk around high school, therefore the audience are immediately aware of the setting of the film. As well as being introduced to two of the main characters in the film and through the use of dialogue, the audience can develop an understanding of the type of girls they are.

 0:10-0:12
The inter-titles appear again as they show the audience themes of the film that could appear. The list counts down from ten and goes onto the first problem which all relate to growing up and being teenagers. The list is shown to be quite stereotypical and allows the audience to label the kind of students that are going to be shown in the film.

0:12
From the previous inter-titles, the titles then zoom into the screen which then carry the trailer onto the next scene.

 0:13 
There is a wide shot of Bianca as she walks down the school halls, the camera is tracking her actions and is shown from her perspective so the audience get the sense like they are a part of her life. 

0:14
Following on from that, an example would be as she walks along the halls, she catches Cameron's attention who is then introduced to the audience. 

 0:15 - 0:16
The camera through the use of the wide shot continues to follow Bianca as she passes Cameron and the audience can sense that there is perhaps a relationship between the pair.

 0:17 
Through the close up, the audience can familiarise themselves with the two of the main characters, Bianca and Cameron.The use of the close up allows the audience to see their facial expressions clearly and using these examples shown the contrasts in their emotions. This is shown through the dialogue as Bianca says to Cameron 'You're asking me out?' and Camera nodes his head. It also allows the audience to see the progression of their relationship and how it is shown as the trailer carries on. 

0:19
The trailer has a variety of different shots and alternates between them in a fast pace. Therefore, it moves quickly and without any hesitation as shown as the shot has changed from a close up to an over the shoulder shot. It shows the conversation between father and daughter, it is also representing the authority figure in Bianca's life. As well as the fact that she is the youngest between the two sisters so with the use of an over the shoulder shot, it is like she is asking a question she is afraid to ask. This can be supported through the dialogue as her dad replies without the audience having heard her question by saying 'You are not going out and getting jiggy with some boy, I don't care how dope his ride is.' 

 0:20-0:21
These wide shots here and the one below are shown as the father speaks to Bianca in reference to her going out with a boy. 

 0:23-0:24 
Another key character is shown, Kat who is the eldest sister of Bianca. The camera now follows her as she is seen to have authority, not only over Bianca but over the students in the school. This is shown through her actions as she rips off the poster on the building but also through the voice-over as it says 'Her sister Kat is something else entirely.' It shows the obvious difference between the sisters, it is represented through their clothing very obviously but now also the attitudes they both have. 

 0:27 
Once again, this is apart of the introduction into Kat Stratford as you see she is the complete opposite to her sister through the continuous use of wide shots. Through her costume and the dark shades in contrast to the lighter, more feminine shades of pink that Bianca is shown to wear. 

0:28 
The change in shot is shown again through the close up of the teacher which shows her authority. The dialogue also helps build an understanding of the character of Kat as the teacher says 'People perceive you as somewhat ...', Kat replies with 'Tempestuous?' and the teacher replies back with 'Heinous witch is the term used most often.' 

0:29
The use of the close up on Kat also undermines the authority on the teacher as she is not shown to seem insignificant in comparison to the teacher. This does allow the audience to assume if the teacher does have any power in comparison to Kat, as the teacher similarly to Bianca is showing more feminine colours such as pink. Pink has connotations of sweetness and being nice, the characteristics are more nurturing in comparison to the dark colours such as black that Kat is wearing that has connotations such as power, evil and mystery.

 0:29 - 0:30
The close up shows the character of Kat as her facial expressions are clearly shown to the audience who are of annoyance and anger. Thus, following her actions shows she does not follow stereotypes as her behaviour is rude and abrupt. 

0:30
This medium shots shows exactly what Kat has done as she purposely crashes into another car behind her. This supports the idea of her anger and lashing out which is typically unheard of females to be as they are traditionally stereotyped to be caring. The introduction of Kat is not as positive in difference to her sister Bianca who is shown to be more caring towards materialistic items shown through her clothing and dialogue, whereas Kat does not seem to care at all.  

Overall, although I have only analysed 30 seconds of this trailer I was able to understand clearly that I need to include a variety of shots in my trailer. The shortness of this trailer also influenced this factor as the pace was fast, so they had to include a variety of shots to engage the audience and keep them intrigued into the plot of the film which is what I hope to create in my own trailer. Although, I do not plan on having such a fast paced trailer, I do want to incorporate the shot variation and the way that they have included so much of the story line into such a small amount of time. This ensures that the audience are kept interested throughout the entity of the trailer and do not stop watching as the trailer is easyto watch and understand. 

Mood board

This is the mood board I have created for my trailer so that my target audience can develop an idea of what I was trying to achieve when working on my trailer. Through my mood board, I was trying to express the plot of the trailer itself and the type of person I want my main character to be. Therefore, I have included film inspirations that have been shown throughout my planning and some new ideas from films that I have recently been inspired by. An example of an idea I have shown and want to express in my trailer is of the main female character, in comparison to the top left image of Julia Roberts in the character of Liz Gilbert, I want a more un-stereotypical female character. Therefore, I included images of female characters who are less feminine and more opinionated which is how I want to show my main character as. I want her to be outspoken, independent and not follow through the typical stereotypes which is why I included characters such as Juno and Beca from Pitch Perfect. 

Theatrical trailer analysis - Not Another Happy Ending (2013)

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.