This is an analysis of the hunger games mockingjay part 1 trailer, poster and magazine cover for my a2 media coursework

1. Hunger Games Mockingjay
part 1 Trailer Breakdown
Charles Harris

2. The trailer starts with a shot
of the logo of the film
company “lionsgate” who
made the film. This makes
the viewer know that the
film will be of good quality
as they will recognise and
trust the brand. The
metallic and shiny
typography allows the logo
to look like its made of
metal and therefore well
built – inferring the film is
well made. The way the
logo is “back lit” infers the
film was made with divine
intervention, and there for
will be good.
Non-diagetic soundtrack of an string instruments playing, this gives
the trailer monuments connotations, building the gravitas and
allows the view to feel that the film is important.
The quick fade into the shot, conveys the trailer will be action-
packed and the film will be intense as the editor go into the shot
quickly and not over a course of a few seconds

3. The mise-en-scene of these
clips uses contrast, having a
high-tech plane as the focus,
with woods in the
background, this is conveying
that the film will look at a
clash between nature and the
natural way people are
against the way things and
people are made to be. The
shot shows the middle of no
where, conveying isolation,
this is common in romance
trailers as it shows a viewer
who feel alone that they will
be able to relate to a
character in the love triangle.
Synchronous sound is used as the plane flies past and this is disjointed and distorted. This puts the
viewer on edge as it doesn't sounds right. The plane sounds broken which is a reflection of the
broken society in the film.
The loose frame shot
enables the viewer to see
the background, making
the contrast between
high tech plane and the
forest.
Low key lighting is used to
convey it being night and,
therefore, a level of stealth
and secrecy is being
displayed to excite the
viewer and get them to
question why the secrecy –
getting them to see the film.
It also makes the people
who sent the plane seem
untrustworthy and shady,
this adds intrigue to the film.

4. The use of a hand
held cam makes
the shot seem
more realistic to
the viewer and
therefore absorbs
them into the
trailer, making
them more likely to
watch the film.
A canted angle is
used, this makes the
scene disorientating
for the viewer. This
makes the section
more realistic and
therefore will excite
the viewer – making
them more likely to
see the film.

5. A close up is used to show the
emotion on the characters’
faces. This makes them
relatable to the viewer,
meaning that the viewer will
care about the characters. By
having a little girl on screen it
further invokes sympathy.
The shot matches with the line “I just wanted to
save my sister,” heard in the voice over acting as a
sound bridge. The voice over is used to bring
continuity and context to clips, making them more
potent to the viewer.
The close up shows the protagonist’s face
looking scared. This makes her relatable to
the viewer as it shows that she isn’t perfect
she human – like the viewer.
The shot also shows a single
parent family. This conveys that
the character has already had to
deal with adversities loosing her
dad part way through her life. This
makes her relatable to children of
a single parent family, if this makes
the viewer feel a connection too
her, then this will make them more
likely to watch the film.

6. The fade between “save my sister,” and “and keep Peter alive,” shows
that the character emotions towards her sister and Peter are linked.
This helps the viewer understand how much she cares about Peter, as
it would be similar to how much someone would love their sister.
The over the shoulder shot of the
main character looking at the screen
shows the viewer that the film will be
about them watching the two on-
screen character in their dispute. The
long shot of the guy in the screen
portrays him to be quite distant and,
therefore, not down to earth, making
the viewer not like him.

7. The use of a black out causes
there to be a build-in tension,
this draws the viewer in, so
when the reveal of what’s said
happens, it feels more
dramatic, this makes the viewer
more likely to see the film.

8. A high angle is used when talking to
the man in the wheelchair, this is a
negative representation for people
with a disability as it shows that
they get dominated by the able
bodied. This can infuriates a viewer
who may believe in equality, this
means they will want to see the film
as they will want to find out what
happens to the disabled character.

9. The pin being placed onto the character’s outfit is
reminiscent to the earlier films in the franchise, this reminds
the viewer of their excitement about the earlier films, and,
therefore, gets them excited about the new sequel.
The gold nail varnish on the
character’s hands is the only
colour in the picture. This
shows that the film is about
a glimmer of hope in a dark
utopian society.
The pin is also the film’s
logo, and this clip is the
first display of what the
film is. By not showing
that the film is the
hunger games until 35
seconds in to the trailer,
it gets viewers excited
and drawn into the
trailer. Also, people who
are “quick to criticise”
the franchise can be
drawn in by the action
earlier on and therefore
their cynicism will
hopefully be minimised.
The close up of the pin
being put on shows the
importance of the pin.
This conveys that
symbolism is a key
theme in the film, as
people are obsessing
over the meaning of
the mocking jay pin so
much that it warrants
its own close up.

10. The weapons and explosions help to attract
men to watch the film, as it displays some
physical conflict, which is stereotypical to
young males that fall in the target audience.
The arrow firing at the target
and exploding, sounds similar
to a drum roll building up to
action and atmosphere. This
helps to build excitement for
the viewer, making them
want to see the film.

11. The high angle shot shows the
dominance that the peace
keepers have over the rebels.
This reflects the suppressive
society that makes up
penmen in the film.
The shallow focus of the
shot makes the rebels
blurred into one entity.
This reflects how the
capital view the people of
the districts, not as
individual people, but as a
collective work force. This
makes the viewer want to
watch the film, as they
will sympathise with the
people being suppressed
and what to find out what
happens to them.

12. A loose frame is used,
this allows the people
around the protagonist
to show their faces. The
unimpressed body
language of the actor in
the background is a
binary opposite to the
actress, this shows that
the reveal that Peta is
alive is controversial.
This makes the viewer
want to see the film to
find out why and what’s
the after effect of it.
The close up on the actress’
face helps to convey her
emotion to the viewer. She
isn’t making eye contact with
the camera, this show the
viewer that what’s happening
off camera is such a big deal
she can’t look anywhere else
(as this is a sequel, this helps
to infer how momentous
what happening is to a
viewer who haven't seen the
previous films, and therefore
wouldn’t understand that
Peta being alive is a big deal),
this is matched with the
dialogue “your alive!”
conveying surprise.

13. The two shots are shown next to each other, and are used to
contrast each other. On the left, Peta is dressed up smart and he
is in a fancy mansion with company. This opposes Katniss, above,
who isn’t dressed smart, and is alone in nature. This conveys to
the reader that a rift has occurred between the characters and
they are now worlds apart. This means the viewer will want to
see the film to find out why and what happens.
This is the first time we see Peta,
one of the main characters, but it’s
over half way through the trailer,
this makes what’s been happening
to the character a mystery for the
viewer, making them want to
watch the film to find out.

14. The prints in the
background are a
convention of action
films as they create
excitement that
something new is
being built, this
makes the viewer
wonder what, making
them more likely to
watch the film.
The high angle shot shows
the protagonist taking a
more powerful position and
trying to control the people
in charge of her. This
reflects the rebellious
character the viewer knows
and loves from the previous
films.
The character shouts
“find another mocking
jay,” this helps to convey
the aggression of the
character, and that the
film has high tension
which causes people to
raise their voice.

15. The two shots shown next to each other contrast each
other. On the left, the president is in a very high angle shot
looking at people worshiping her. Above, Katness is level to
the people worshiping her. This makes the viewer like
Katness as the character doesn’t use height to show power,
she stays level with the people she’s above. This makes her
likeable to the viewer, and if the viewer likes the character
then they’ll go a see the film.

16. The white rose uses shows
the viewer irony, the white
rose is a symbol of the film’s
antagonist, white represents
purity and hope, where at
the same time the rose’s
thorn symbolises danger. This
is done to convey to the
viewer that there is a mix of
emotions in the film and that
the film will challenge
people’s views on things. The loose frame shows a
simplistic and dark
background, this helps to
make the roses stand out
and be more eye catching
to the viewer. The loose
frame also shows how bare
the house is, this implies
the Katness to be not
materialistic and humble,
making her a likeable
character for the reader.

17. The shot of Katness running
in to fire could be following
a metaphor. The film uses
fire a symbol of hope, so by
running into the fire, the
character is then being set
alight and becoming
hopeful. This will make the
viewer want to pay to see
the film to find out what
inspiring things the
character does.
There is a montage of the protagonist
in dangerous situations, this conveys
to the viewer that the film won’t be
smooth sailing and that there is
actual jeopardy and potential fatality.
Because of this, the viewer will be
curious about if the protagonist
survives or not, or excited about the
action and want to see the film.

18. This shot contains
screaming children, this
invokes an emotion in the
viewer as its instinctive
human evolutionary
response to try and protect
the young of the species,
this means the viewer will
want to watch the film to
find out if they are ok.
The use of chiaroscuro
lighting means the clip is
dramatic as it’s shadow filled
and full of mystery.
it’s not clear what’s
happening in the picture. This
makes the screaming scary as
the viewer won’t know why
people are screaming, and
the viewer will want to find
out why.
The sound of the screaming is uncomfortable and
unsettling, this means that the sound (and
therefore the trailer) will be remembered after
the trailer stops playing, and then is more likely
for the viewer to pay to see the film.

19. The low angle shot puts is ironic as it’s showing that the
weaker and lower in society are taking charge and
rebelling. This irony conveys to the viewer that change
is happening, and therefore, the viewer will want to see
the film to find out what the change is and it’s effect.

20. There are three shots with
important film information.
This includes the name, the
release date, a website and
hashtag as well as information
about the studio and copy
right information. This is done
to help further advertise the
film, directing people to the
correct places to find out and
talk about the film.

21. Media Theory
• The trailer follows Todorov’s narrative theory, the trailer starts by
showing equilibrium with the voiceover and establishing shots of
district 13, the trailer then shows Dis-equilibrium with the fighting
and conflict, however, new equilibrium isn’t shown as it’s a trailer and
would give away the ending.
• The film has Levi-Strouses Binary opposite theory with the simple
loveable girl Katniss opposing the rich and hated President Snow

22. The model is positioned in front of the masterhead,
this is done because the magazine has a well
established brand so by obscuring part of the
masterhead, the reader will still know what the
magazine is. This also draws the eye to the
characters face which tell the reader what film is
being advertised at a quick glance instead of having
to read the cover line ‘The Hunger Games’
The coverline had black dots over it, this is
done to convey to the reader that the film is
about an uproar and rebellion by using the
pragmatics and stigma that surround graffiti
with it’s connotations of social unrest.
The mockingjay symbol appears in
graffiti on the wall, this helps to
display and advertise the franchise.
It’s done in graffiti to make it seem
more rebellious, this help to show
the films rebellious plot.
The red and white colour scheme are used to
contrast each other. The red’s connotations
symbolises the danger in the film but also the
romantic aspect. The colour red is also
considered a successful and confident colour and
by associating this with the film, conveys to the
audience that the film will be good and
successful. The white symbolises purity which
contrasts the red’s connotation, but (in places like
China) can also be used to symbolise death, this
helps to convey the films themes to the viewer.
The composition for magazine cover
background shows destruction with broken
bricks, fire, and a dust cloud. The protagonist
is standing in front of that, conveying that
she's the hope for the new future.
The model is standing is a strong defensive pose,
standing up straight with legs slightly parted in
armour. This shows her determination and skill at
what she does. This defies conventions because
the model is closed of and isn’t welcoming
people to watch the film. The bow and arrow is
ready to fire but not aimed, this conveys that the
model is wise and isn’t a “trigger happy” ruthless
killer, which makes the viewer interested to see
how she operates. The film contrasts the female
model defensive pose with the “Clint Eastwood
motif” heroic pose in the secondary image, this is
done to show that woman can be powerful and a
hero, as she has the bigger picture and is above
the male model. This represents how the hunger
games is in a “new era” of action film.
The mode of address on the cover, is short
and to the point. The coverlines include
“plus,” and “+,” this makes the cover easy to
read for a reader who is just scanning the
cover to see if they are interested in buying it
The pug of the barcode and price is at the bottom left corner, these need to be present to
be able to sell the magazine but are placed where the buyers hand is likely to go if holding
the magazine, meaning that no important information on the cover will be covered.

23. The way the model is positioned on with the rings, this
is pragmatics to Jesus on the cross. This conveys to the
viewer the idea that the model is going to try and
change society for a better one, similar to what Jesus
aimed to do.
Fire is used to symbolise hope, rings
have connotations of being eternal, so
the ring on fire would show the viewer
that the film is about the eternity of
hope and how it can never be supressed
The poster uses the dramatic colour scheme of black and gold. This
is simplistic, and by using very few colours, the poster is more eye
catching. The black and gold colour scheme is simplistic and eye
catching. The poster is following the franchises metaphor that fire
is hope. It turns the protagonist into mockingjay from the pin.
The model isn’t feminised in her pose, this
breaks convention as sex isn’t being used to
sell the film. This conveys that woman will be
respectfully represented, encouraging
feminists to want to see the film.
The masterhead ‘The Hunger Game
MockingJay Part 1’ is in a bold font going
across the bottom of the page. By doing this,
its easy for the viewer to read as it takes up
minimal number of lines. The ‘mockingjay’ is
in a larger font than the rest because that’s
the important new information as the viewer
would be able to work out it’s ‘the hunger
games’ and know that ‘part 2’ wouldn’t be
out yet. The text has an effect making it
lighter at a point, this makes it look like a
sunrise, conveying that the model is acts like
a fresh start.
The model is placed in the middle third, with
her face being around a third of the way down,
this draws the viewers eye to focus on her
face, this is because her face has become
iconic to the franchise and acts as a logo to
advertise the film.
The black background
makes the gold colour
stand out more. The black
could represent the evil
that is the capital and it
being set of fire conveys
the basic plot of the film.
The model has
an orange tint
to her to make
it look like
she’s actually
on fire.
The slogan for the film and the credits are in a small, hard to read font to
draw the viewer into the poster as they try to read it