Research of films within the crime genre

1. Detailed Research
Trailer 1: Seven

2. Identify the institution for this video and the
institutional codes employed by the institution
• This film was distributed by New Line
Cinema and directed by David
Fincher.
• The studio had previously had
previously had a large part in the
horror genre, distributing films such
as Friday the 13th and A Nightmare on
Elm street at that time and it is clear
from this trailer that they looked to
bring that existing audience’s
attention to Seven through their
trailer style.
• The Studio typically delve into darker
material which is a part of the reason
that this film was able to get made
because it fit within the boundaries of
some of their other films

3. What are the key selling points of this
video?
• The main selling point of this
film is the actors. The film
features a very good cast and
considering that this film was
made at a time before David
Fincher could be used as a
major selling point since this
was one of his first critically and
financially praised films.
• Since the studio have had
success with their horror
franchise, they marketed the
film in that style within the
trailer, using lots of horror
sound effects that would never
even appear in the film.

4. How does the video establish the
genre, mood and expectations of the
film?• Genre- We are immediately thrown into the
genre of crime as we are following two
detectives as they peruse a serial killer. We
can see that this film is very character
driven as opposed to action driven as they
spend the time building up character arcs,
lending itself to the genre of drama. The
whole confusion based around the
character is the backbone of the trailer, his
motives are unknown, adding to the
mystery genre within the film.
• Mood- The trailer attempts to make you
feel uneasy and tense, and is very effective
when making this possible. The trailer
achieves this by having a fast pace and by
showing the main characters to be
constantly unnerved by the killings. We also
see some glimpses of very disturbing
images which combines with sharp sound
effects in order to shock the audiences.
• Expectations of the film- The trailer shows
a very intriguing film full of mystery and
suspense. As a result, this relatively low
budget film of $33,000,000 had exceeded
the expectations of the audience as we
have been presented with a cleverly
thought out, star studded film from a (then)
relatively unknown director.

5. How successful is this video? Identify
which elements work and which do
not• I think that this trailer is very successful as it
only gives away the essentials of the film,
building up a shroud of mystery around the
film and the murders.
• What Works?: The first thing that stands out
to the audience is the cast, each of them are
a massive draw point for the film but each
are there to add an important element to
the film. They also avoid revealing Kevin
Spacey’s involvement in order to surprise
audiences when he appears later in the film.
The details of any of the killings are left out
of the trailer in an attempt to not ruin the
shock factor before the film comes out. This
strategy of minimalism within the trailer
pays off as it causes audience to want
answers to their questions while allowing
them to be hit off guard when they go to see
the film.
• What doesn’t work?: The only minor issue
that I can see within the trailer is the way
that it is marketed almost like a horror film
with the editing techniques used. My issue
with this is that Se7en is not a horror film, it
is a crime film. The studio have attempted to
draw more of their existing fan base by
marketing like they would do for the horror
films that they have made in the past.

6. What appears to be the target
audience for the film?
• People over the age of 18
• Fans of Brad Pitt
• Fans of Morgan Freeman
• Fans of the horror genre
(studio fans)
• Fans of the
Crime/Detective genre
• Fans of dark story telling
and themes in film
• Mystery fans

7. How is the audience explicitly
targeted?
• It is made clear that this film is only
targeted at people over the age of
18 from the amount of dark themes
and the brutality of the killings.
• The high value cast of the film will
draw in a large pre-existing
audience from their past films.
• The trailer has the pace of a horror
film which may draw fans of the
genre in to watch the film, also
considering that the film is made by
New Line Cinema, they have
accumulated quite a large horror
following.
• Fans of dark storytelling and
themes within films will be drawn
to the noire colour pallet and
twisted biblical killings.

8. Detailed Analyses
Trailer 2: Snatch

9. Identify the institution for this video and the
institutional codes employed by the institution
• Snatch is a film that is distributed by
Screen Gems and directed by Guy
Ritchie.
• Screen Gems has had previous
experience with distributing low-
budget British films. We can see the
effect of this within the trailer as
the film relies on it’s story telling as
opposed to set pieces and grand
effects.
• We can see that more of a budget
has been granted to the up and
coming director as a higher quality
of equipment and actors can be
seen.

10. What are the key selling points of this
video?
• Since Guy Ritchie had some great success
with his cult film, Lock, Stock and Two
Smoking Barrels, the trailer aims to draw in
the following behind that film for the
director’s second feature.
• This selling point can be seen as one of the
first moments in the trailer say “from Guy
Ritchie”. This immediately attempts to draw
the fans from his last film by making it clear
that the same director is being used.
• Both of Guy Ritchie’s first films use similar
branching storylines that intersect later
within the film. Since his first attempt was so
successful, he recaptured a similar format as
a means to draw fans of films such as Lock
Stock and Pulp Fiction to the film.
• The cast of the film is a major selling point
for this feature. Fans would be happy to see
returning cast members of Lock, Stock and
Two Smoking barrels as well as the addition
of A-list actors such as Brad Pitt and Benicio
Del Toro.

11. How does the video establish the
genre, mood and expectations of the
film?• Genre- We are quickly made aware of the fact
that this is a crime film. Our first indicator
comes from the moment that sets the film
into motion, located at the beginning of the
trailer. We are thrown into a fast pace
robbery as a crew dressed as Rabbis. We are
then shown guns, violence and other tropes
of the crime genre as criminals all fight to find
the location of a priceless diamond.
• Mood- The quirky humor and fast paced
mood of the film are all shown within the
trailer. The humor that was popular in Lock,
Stock and Two Smoking Barrels is shown
between characters with some punchy
dialogue. The quirkiness of the film can be
seen in places such as the rabbi heist and the
accent of Brad Pitt.
• Expectations of the Film- The trailer only
heightens the expectations of the film. The
great cast and fast paced story line leads
audiences to expect a lot from what could
have potentially been a low budget British
film that went under the radar. Guy Ritchie
ensures that fans of his previous work will be
treated to a familiar yet different and more
extreme storyline.

12. How successful is this video? Identify
which elements work and which do
not• This trailer is very successful as it
boosts the hype for a low budget
British film. It does this in a number of
ways.
• The cast of the film is a big draw for a
lot of people who would not typically
go out of their way to see a film like
this. The returning favorites of Jason
Statham and Vinnie Jones as well as
the star power of (the post Fight Club)
Brad Pitt and (the post Usual Suspects)
Benicio Del Toro, causes audiences of
all types to be pulled in by this film.
• The only feature of the trailer which
may cause some concern for a small
portion of the audience is the very fast
pace and different intertwining stories
that take place. This may be hard for
some to follow and not understand
what is going on. Overall I feel that the
trailer gives enough away without
spoiling the film.

13. What appears to be the target
audience for the film?
• Fans of Guy Ritchie and his
previous feature, Lock, Stock
and Two Smoking Barrels.
• Fans of Bradd Pitt/ Fight
Club (due to his similar
fighting role)
• Fans of Benicio Del Toro
• Fans of Heist films
• Pulp Fiction fans may be
drawn in by the use of
intertwining characters and
stories.

14. How is the audience explicitly
targeted?
• Many cast members from
Lock, Stock and Two Smoking
Barrels as well as the director
return for the follow up film.
Fans of the original will
welcome the fast pace and
hilarious dialogue of the
original.
• Big names such as Brad Pitt
and Benicio Del Toro were
attached to the project.
• It is clear that the film is
looking to appeal to an 18
and above rating as the
trailer features violence,
crime and indications of
swearing.

15. Detailed Analyses
Film 3: The Departed

16. Identify the institution for this video and the
institutional codes employed by the institution
• The Departed is a Crime film that
was directed by Martin Scorsese
and distributed by Warner Bros.
• Warner Bros had previously
worked with Scorsese on 2004’s
‘The Aviator’ which starred
Leonardo Dicaprio. The pairing of
Scorsese and Dicaprio was a
success so the studio had brought
the two together for another
feature.
• Since Warner Bros. is one of the
leading studios within the film
world, we can clearly see their
influence on budget, by getting an
acclaimed director and actors in
order to generate as much hype
for the film as possible. Scorsese
has even said in interviews that he
wanted to originally make The
Departed a small production with
a small budget and cast.

17. What are the key selling points of this
video?
• The audience will be immediately pulled
in by the opening line, delivered by Jack
Nicholson. Fans of Scorsese will
immediately see his influence on the film
through the use of the Rolling Stones
song, Gimme Shelter that has featured
countless times within his films.
• The amazing cast is shown throughout the
trailer, introducing them gradually
throughout the trailer. The cast includes
Matt Damon, Leonardo Dicaprio, Jack
Nicholson, Martin Sheen, Alec Baldwin,
Ray Winstone and Mark Wahlberg. The
cast are put the great use by making the
faceoff between Dicaprio and Damon the
base of the film.
• This film is also an American remake of
the original by the name of Internal
Affairs. Fans of the original would be
drawn in to see the latest adaption.

18. How does the video establish the genre, mood
and expectations of the film?
• Genre- The genre of the film is immediately
set up within the opening of the trailer as Jack
Nicholson’s character sets up a tale of Cops
and Criminals. Throughout the trailer we are
introduced to characters on both sides of the
law, including gun fights, violence and moles
within criminal and federal organizations.
• Mood- We are given some indicators to the
fast paced, and some times dark humored
mood of the trailer. This twisted attitude is
seen within Jack Nicholson’s performance. The
music gives the audience an idea of the fast
paced, good time that the film is. There is an
overall theme of uncertainty which plays a
massive role within the film, as the audience
can never really expect what is coming next.
• Expectations of the film- Since the original film
‘Internal Affairs’ was a well received film, it
would take a lot for a remake to top it. Warner
Bros. have ensured to draw a crowd in for the
film, while setting up the potential for a
critical/financial success by being intelligent
with their choice of cast, writers and director.
The trailer reflects some of the good decisions
that were made, showing a new take on a film
that build great suspense while having a
unique appeal to it.

19. How successful is this video? Identify
which elements work and which do
not• The trailer does a good job of
establishing the tone and
direction which the film is
taking.
• The film’s expectations are
raised as audience’s see that
the film is in good hands. They
achieve this through the use of
a strong cast and a great
director.
• The only downside is that fans
of the original are always
going to feel skeptical about a
remake of an already good
film, which means that they
need to see more of the film
before they can be onboard
with the remake.

20. What appears to be the target
audience for the film?
• Fans of Martin Scorsese
• Fans of cast members
such as Dicaprio, Damon
and Nicholson.
• Fans of the original
‘Internal Affairs’ will be
interested to see how
the American remake
matches against it.
• 18 year olds and over
will be drawn toward
the film.

21. How is the audience explicitly
targeted?
• The cast are set up to be
a big draw point for
audiences as each major
cast member is given
their own moment
within the trailer.
• Mature audiences are
targeted due to the
violent and mature
themes featured. These
tropes are common
within crime/Scorsese
films.
• Fans of Scorsese can see
tropes of his directing
within the trailer, such as
cast, music etc.