in depth look into film trailers

1. Codal Analysis
The Dark Knight

2. Visual Codes
• The visual style of the trailer is very dark in order to match the tone of the
film. They often cut to a black screen in order to build tension within the
trailer. The colour pallet of the film is a cool blue shade, this enhances
shadows and creates a more serious/mysterious feeling to the trailer.
There are plenty of explosions and moments of action that fall into the
crime/action genre. We are presented with a typical story of good vs. evil,
the villain is portrayed as a total parallel to the hero. The props include
guns, rocket launchers, fast cars and knives. All of these are common with
the genre. The costumes do differ in some places as this is a superhero
film. The good characters can be seen wearing police uniforms and the
hero can be seen wearing armor, like a typical hero would. The villain
wears darkly coloured clothing, complete with scars and war paint on his
face to give him a terrifying look. The villain has a slouched posture while
the hero stands tall upon buildings. This good vs evil is common
throughout the genre however, we often witness it from the perspective
of the criminal where in this film, we follow the good characters in pursuit
of evil.

3. Audio Code
• The score of the film is played throughout the
trailer with heavy drum beats and instrumentals
that lend itself to creating the dark tone seen in
the film. This music also allows for the pace of
the trailer to be set in terms of action, as they
time hits with the bass notes of the score. This
allows for audiences to be immediately
engrossed into whatever is going on within the
trailer. This driving soundtrack allows dialogue to
become more engaging and action to be more
astounding.

4. Narrative Code
• The trailer opens with our first glimpse of the Joke’s voice
as he begins his narration. We see that since the first film,
Batman has been changing the state of local crime while
sacrificing himself as a person. We get a glimpse at some of
the destruction the joker causes. The police provide some
information about the villain by stating that they have no
idea about who he is or his motivations. This lends itself to
the idea that the joker is insane and only wants to cause
chaos. We then follow the trail of destruction that the joker
causes throughout the film as Batman desperately tries to
find him. Themes are explored of how Batman will have to
become something that he is not in order to stop the joker.

5. Technical Code
• The theme of the shots within the trailer are very
kinetic in order to match the pace of the trailer.
This is shown a lot through tracking shots with
pans or tilts. The shots often go from long or
extreme long shots to close up shots, in order to
create a jarring effect between the beats of the
music. The start of the trailer is slow and uses
fades in order to transition between different
shots, but as the pace steps up the clips remain
short and cut between each other.

6. Enigma Code
• The main point of mystery throughout the film
centers around the joker. This trailer leaves
audiences wondering who is he? What is his
grand plan? How will the good characters stop
him? Will Batman be forced to murder him?
There are also some amazing set pieces which
make the audience wonder how they will
make their way into the film.

7. Codal Analysis
Goodfellas

8. Visual Code
• The visual style is very in keeping with the time in
which the time that each scene is set. Vehicles, fashion
and props. As one of the major features of the film is to
show three decades of life in the mafia we can see the
characters start to change through features such as
greying hair. The trailer blends ordinary imagery with
moments of extreme action or violence, in order to
reflect the spontaneous nature of the film and the way
it blends different tones together. There are plenty of
guns, explosions, vast amounts of illegal money and
scenes of violence. These are all common aspects
within the crime genre.

9. Audio Code
• The soundtrack featured throughout the trailer
shows all music from the time in which the film
was set. This allows for the trailer to transition
between the decades seamlessly by playing the
relevant music. This aspect immediately becomes
a story telling device as a result instead of just
filler or a means to set the pace. The music does
remain smooth and upbeat in order to match the
pace of the film. The music is all big band, a genre
that is commonly associated with the mafia and
crime films.

10. Narrative Code
• We are introduced to the main character as a kid. He makes a clear
impression that he always aspired to be a gangster. We then are
introduced to the family mentality that is associated with the
gangsters as well as some of the key characters who will have a
great influence on the characters ideas about life. We see some of
the violence and action that he is exposed to at an early age as well
as the development of some friendships until we are introduced to
him at an older age. We see some of the things that he was doing
during this second part of the story we are told how he would
attempt to steal all of the money that was going through the
airport. We can see how some of the characters change over this
time period. We can see how his lifestyle has improved and we are
also introduced to his wife. We are also given an insight into the
power that came from being in the mafia. We then start to see
some of the darker sides to the story as murder becomes
incorporated into the story.

11. Technical Code
• Camera movement is kept constantly in the
trailer in order to show the smooth pace of the
film, gradually becoming more choppy as
tensions rise within the film and action kicks in.
The trailer begins using close up shots of the
main character in order to show how personal
this story is to him and how we will see the story
from his perspective. More close ups are used
along with a lot of group shots in order to show a
lot of the important characters that will play parts
in his life.

12. Enigma Code
• Those familiar with the story of Henry Hill will
be curious to learn more about how he got to
where he ended up. It will be interesting to
see how the story can develop over three
decades of life in the mafia. The main factor to
take away from the trailer is how did things go
from good to bad, encouraging them to watch
the full film to find out.

13. Codal Analysis
Pulp Fiction

14. Visual Code
• The trailer starts in a very sophisticated way as it
presents the praise that the film has had since it’s
release. The tone quickly changes as the gritty,
face paced nature of the film becomes apparent
with gunshots firing through the screen. It’s clear
that the film may take place from the 80s-90s
judging by the clothes and vehicles being used
throughout the trailer. Many tropes of the crime
can be seen as there are lots of guns, violence
and confrontation.

15. Audio Code
• There is a vast and complex soundtrack to this
trailer. There are some songs which cut
suddenly into others midway through. This
shows the audience that there is a nonstop
pace to this film and gives the idea of the
different stories that may seem out of place to
begin with but will eventually intertwine
perfectly.

16. Narrative Code
• The trailer plants the seeds of stories, containing
common tropes within the crime genre, including
hitmen, crime bosses, drug users, and rigged
fights. This continues more and more throughout
the trailer, showing the vast number of branching
storylines within the film that flow together. The
different aspects of the film’s story are shown
through different title cards such as ‘loyalty’. This
allows the audience to slightly follow along
without giving anything to drastic away.

17. Technical Code
• The trailer begins with a very slow and smooth
pace in order to give the impression that this is a
critically acclaimed art film, instead the trailer
breaks with guns shots, starting a much faster
pace for the rest of the trailer. The trailer is very
kinetic showing the way the film is constantly
developing and weaving within storylines. A
medium- close up shots are used in order to
show each important character that is relevant to
the story, not a shot is wasted on support
characters.

18. Enigma Code
• An instant question that is raised in audience’s
heads is relating to the developing storylines.
The audience will want to make sense of it all
and learn how each one is resolved, and how
they could possibly all link together within the
same film.