Trailer analysis

The first thing we hear is two children saying happy fathers day to their dad. This is a common convention of one of the genres of this film which is horror. We then see a man with his family which connotes the feeling of worry in the audience as the audience don't want something bad to happen to the children, in this scene we see the happy family man this establishes what the norm should be. We then get some of the story told to us by the wife and kids as the father is unable to go on a family trip with them. We then get the first real sign that this is a thriller as the lighting changes and the the sound changes we see that it is a dark night and that it is raining this already builds suspense and then we have the sound of thunder this is a foreshadowing device uses to show that the man is about to get shocked or something bad is about to happen. We then see a few close up shots of the man looking worried in the low lit room this shows that he is in possible danger. We also see the mans dog bark, this shows that the animal knows something bad is about to happen. After this we see two girls waiting at the mans door, although would usually be seen as a good thing the music suggests that these two girls may be our antagonists. We see the nice side of the character as he lets the two girls in to use his phone, while he talks to the girls we see that the man is very trusting as he says that the girls don't look dangerous, this tells the audience that he is a character they should like as he is very trustworthy but also naive which is a characteristic most audiences like in a main character. We the see the darker sides to the girls as in a montage of shots we see them trying to seduce the man, this shows the audience through the use of shots and the what is being said that the man is in danger but they are still unsure of what they are doing. After the man is seduced we cut back to the morning with him laying in bed waking up to the girls laughing and playing in his house we also see the realization of what he has done, the fact that the man gave into the girls may lose him some female audiences as he cheats on his wife. We then see the man kick the girls out with the tensions getting higher as the music builds in the background. We then see the character again in the low lighting night scene, this shows that he is in danger still. In this shot we see the mans expressions change as he hears a diagetic noise outside. We then see the character go into another room in the house and find a picture of his family smashed on the ground as he goes to pick it up he gets hit over the head by one of the girls, the two girls then tease the man. We then see the directors name which may bring in fans of that directors work. This then shows the girls tying up the man, this shows us that he is in immediate danger. We then see a major chase going on between the girls and the man with the voice over of the girls saying how the man needs to be punished.

genre research

A thriller is a battle between the protagonist character and the antagonist, When something changes in the norm of life there is then lots of either events or things which have to happen to the protagonist to build up suspense, often we will see the antagonist as someone who is doing bad things and is getting away with the things they are doing. We often see the protagonist trying to fix these problems but still the antagonist will do everything to stop them. One convention that will be used is tenacious music, this music is usually accompanying a montage of shots which will emphasize the drama and importance on those scenes. The lighting will usually be low with lots of shadows as a way to emphasize certain characters darkness, often with newer thriller films the protagonist will have a dark side either to their personality or to their past. With the characters the protagonist is usually a brave man who will have some connection to the problems which are disturbing the social norms. The story line is usually based around making the audience feel that they could be the next person this could happen too. The shot types used mostly in thriller films are close ups or extreme close up these are used to show the audience what they should be feeling and how the character is feeling. Often the antagonist will be wearing dark clothes as a way to hide their identity. 

magazine cover

magazine cover

film magazine analysis

trailer analysis

This trailer is for a filmed called Steve Jobs, this film is a biographical drama. The first code we can see of this film  being a drama is the opening speech which is a voice over which is a common code of drama films. After the opening credits to the trailer we see a wide shot with a man in an office setting this shows us that the film is about this man and his struggle in the business world. We then see another wide shot of an audience hall with no one in it, this could leave an enigma of weather the business this man is setting up will fail or not. We then get introduced to a character we know will have prevalence in the movie as he dressed in a suit and is talking to another character with a very good vocabulary. We are also introduced to another character who doesn't hold as much prevalence as he isn't dressed as well or speak as well. We then hear a voice over of a woman and a man having a conversation about how many times the man has let her down. We then see this couple and the man is the poorly dressed man from the beginning conversation with the well dressed man but now he is very well dressed, this could show the transformation he has gone through on his journey or it could show his immediate success. We then see him walking into a room full of people who applaud him this shows his success and respect. We then find out his wealth as another women on the voice over as she explains that his stock in his company is worth 441 million dollars, this is then completely overshadowed by the thought that he is letting his child and her mother go on welfare as she says this the music changes to a more sad and slow tune, He then shouts at the women "shes not my daughter" this shows that he may be unable to have a proper conversation, he also seems a lot more scruffy now. This shows that as soon as problems arise he turns back to what we saw in the beginning of the trailer. We then see a montage of shots always going back to the main character with the music becoming very tense and building up to something important, most of the things being said to the main character are negative therefore showing him in a negative light. We also see the shot get smaller and smaller this is done in editing to create an even more intense scene, it closes in on the main character this is foreshadowing as it show the world closing in on him possibly meaning he is in danger or an aspect of his life is in danger. It then opens up again to the main character but he doesn't look the same this is meant to show his change for the worse over a certain amount of time. We then see lots of people cheering in a crowd and then the main character a child and the mother in the same room, She then challenges him and he lifts a computer which the child was using showing his and her trust that she let him lift away from what she as doing and he makes the point that the computer can be used by everyone even a child. We again then see the main character in a suit which even though his facial expressions are caught in the medium shot he is in trouble but still successful. We then see quick changing shots which shows his failure being evident. In the shots we hear that the main character is being fired and this then sends him into a rage as he believes he built the company, We then hear a women telling him that he should focus on his daughter. We then see him being challenged through a panel of shots by a women about what his plan is which he responds in a very calm and unworried way. We then get the actors come up on the screen which is an attraction for people as they draw in different crowds. This is then when we see the rise of this character again as is reintroduced to his company and people again applauding him this shows his success. We then see lots of close up shots of the main character with the voice over and this then shows the  character in a positive light before the trailer ends.

magazine cover

magazine analysis

Poster analysis

This poster is for a film called pixels, the poster doesn't really tell us about what genre the film is. We can tell from this poster that there is a giant character in it 10 times the size of a city this could show danger or it could show comedy as this character is from an old video game. We can tell that this isn't a horror or thriller film as the lighting is bright and it is very colorful. This may lead the audience to believe it is a comedy. One pull factor for this film may be the fact that this old video game character is being used, this could bring in the older audience as they grew up with these games and would like to see how they are represented on the big screen. The title of the film is very prevalent as it links to the video game theme. Also the release date is left open just given the year and the a slogan relating back to the video game theme. 

Research and Planning Feedback

 At this stage in the term Michael, when we are about to begin planning production tasks, there should be a lot more evidence of analysis on your blog page and the progress made needs to be addressed.

You should have analysed at least fifteen trailers, five film posters and five film magazine fronts using the analytic terms we have studied.

Analyse trailers considering the following focuses:  Mise en scene, Sound, Camera, Editing, Genre Indictors, Enigmas, Narrative and Characters, Unique Selling Points, Representation, Trailer Conventions and how the Target Audience is Addressed, Comparison to Other Trailers of the same Genre.

You have to evidence an extensive knowledge of the technical aspects of a wide range of media texts - along with your own opinions, ideas and enthusiasm!