General overview, purpose, genre, form, style, trailer analysis.

1. The Force AwakensTrailerAnalysis
General Overview:
 Director– J.J.Abrams
 Studio– DisneyandLucasfilm
 Year released –2015
 Country – US
 Budget– $245,000,000
 Box Office – $2.068 billion
 Preview –17th
December
 WorldWide – 18th
December
Purpose:
Star Wars The Force Awakenswasmade to entertain,like anyotherDisneyandLucasfilmmovies.It
appealstoa wide range of audiencesincludingthe primaryaudience,the olderfans,thathave
watchedall the originalsandthe secondaryaudience,the newer youngerfans,whomaybe have not.
It appealstothe olderfansbecause of all the original charactersthat are inthe film.Forexample,
Han Solo,PrincessLeia,Luke Skywalker,Chewbacca,R2-D2ANDC3-PO.The neweryounger
audience wouldappealtothe newyoungercharacters.Girl wouldmore likingappealtoReybecause
of herstrongfemale powerandbeingthe maincharacter.Boyshowever,are more likingtoappeal
to Finnbecause of himrebellingagainstthe darkside andjoiningthe lightside,andall the action
that Finngoesthrough.The otherpurpose isto make profitsothentheycan carry on makingother
Star Wars films forthe evergrowingfanbase.
Genre:
The Force Awakenshasmanysci-fi codesandconventions.These include the iconicspaceships such
as the MillenniumFalcon,TIEFightersandX-Wingfightersthathave all beeninthe original films.
Thiswill appeal tothe olderfansbecause theyknow whattheyare and itwill sparkexcitement.
However,thisalsoappealstothe youngernewerfans because althoughtheyare the original
spaceships,theyare usuallyseenfightinginspace butinThe Force Awakenstheyare seencloserto
the ground.For example,theyare all inthe scene whenKyloRencomestofindBB-8for the map
that leadstoLuke Skywalkerandthere isa fightbetweenthe FirstOrderandThe Resistance.Other
conventionsof the sci-fi genreare the robots,creaturesanddroidssuchas BB-8, C3-PO andR2-D2.
These are the mainthree droidsthatget to be seeninthe film.C3-POand R2-D2 are the droidsthat
wouldappeal more tothe olderfansbecause of theirpreviousappearancesinthe original films,
whereasBB-8wouldappeal more tothe youngerfansbecause of his‘friendlylook’andhislittle
comedyscenes.Forexample,whenwe see himandFinnlookingateachotherand at Reywhilstin
the MillenniumFalcon.
Form:
The Force Awakenswas shotona 35cm filmstockbut the
actionscenesonJakkuwere shoton a 65mm IMAX stock for a
highresolution toproduce abetterqualityshotsbecause of
the veryharsh lightingwheninthe Rubal Khali desertnear
AbuDhabi. The highresolutionalsomeantthatCGIwasn’t
neededasmuch,therefore makingthe scenesmore realistic.
The filmwasproducedinboth 3D and 2D so that people

2. The Force AwakensTrailerAnalysis
couldchoose howthe wantedto watchit. Thisalso
meantthat people maywatchittwice in2D and 3D
whichwouldthendouble profits. Inthe productionof
The Force Awakens,whenfilmingmanyof the scenes
theyhad to usedgreenscreenstoaddthe
backgrounds.Forexample,whenwe firstget
introducedtoRey,she is scavenginganold,crashed
shipon Jakku.Whenfilmingthistheyuseda biggreen
screenstudiowithareplicaof the hangingobject,of
whichDaisyRidleywasclimbing,whichthenbecame
the shipinediting.Thisisalsousedinmanyother
scenes,like whenKyloRenisfirstintroducedcomingoutof hisshipfollowedbyStormtroopers.
OthertechnologywasusedforLupitaNyong’owhoplays‘MazKenata’.She had to weara suit
designedtocapture hermovementsandfacial expressionssothatlaterineditingtheycouldaddin
the character of ‘Maz’.
Style:
J.J.Abramsproducedthe filminan 70s and80s style.We see thiswiththe propsthat were made,
insteadof usingCGI,like the MilleniumFalconandBB-8.He didhisso itwouldstill tie inwiththe
original filmsandsothatthe olderfanswouldstill like itbecause ithasn’tchangedtoomuch. They
alsomade the MilleniumFalconandBB-8,insteadof CGI because thenitiseasierforthe actors to
interactwiththemsothat the actinglooksmore natural and looksoverall better.We see the
MilleniumFalconandBB-8throughtout the film, butthe one scene thatshowsthe two togetheris
whenReyand Finnare in the MilleniumFalconescapingformJakkuwithBB-8andHan Soloand
Chewbaccatake the shipback again.
ContentandMeaning(traileranalysis):
In The Force Awakenstrailer,the veryfirstshotisa close upshot of
Rey’sface lookingintothe cameraas if she is lookingatus,the
audience.However,atthispointwe donot know whoshe isbecause
she iswearinga mask anda head-to-toeoutfitof dustyrags.Thismay
alsomake the audience wonderif she isanalienorcreature form a
newgalaxythatwe have not heardof before inthe original StarWars films.Fromthisshot,we can
establishthatthe charactermust be importantbecause theyare the veryfirstshotof the trailer. The
nextscene showsthe same characterabseiling downfromwhatseemstolooklike acrashedship.At
thispoint,some of the olderfansmightthinkthatthe character isa
scavengerbecause itshowsherlookingforparts,whichinthe film we
findoutshe is. In the background,we here a womansay,“who are
you?”whichin the filmwe learnthatitis ‘Maz’. There isthenan
establishingshotof ReyandBB-8 togetherina desertwalkingaway
fromthe camera.Thisshowsus whowas underthe maskin the first
couple of shotsand showsuswhere she is. Atthis point,someone
thenrepliesto‘Maz’saying,“I’mno one”. Thisshowsthat itis Rey
speakingandthatshe and the audience donot know whoshe isand
maybe will findoutinthe film.There isthenmore mid-shotsof Rey
showingherworkingbutthenstoppingtolookat something.Here the
audience will wonderwhatshe islookingat. Afterthis,itgoesto a
blackscreenwith‘Lucasfilm’ fadinginandthenfadingoutagain.This

3. The Force AwakensTrailerAnalysis
thentellsthe audience thatitisStar Wars filmbecause before thispointwe donotknow whatthe
filmisbecause we have notseenanyof the charactersor placesthat were inthe original films.The
‘Lucasfilm’logoissilver,whichmaysymbolise stars,linkingtoStar Wars,
and maybe referringtothe factit isgood quality. The nextshotisan
establishingshotshowingStormtroopersfrombehindlookingat
someone whichisshowntobe verypowerful becauseof the many
Stormtroopers whichare seenasthe camera pansto the left.The main
colourin thisiswhite,butthere isa blockof red whichisin the centre
behindthe leader(Hux).Thisclearlyshowsthatitisthe dark side inthis
shotbecause of the large quantityof stormtroopersandthe amountof powertheyshow. We are
thenintroducedtothe secondcharacter,Finn.There isa close upof his face takinghis
Stoomtrooperhelmetoff,whichiscoveredindirtandhasa bloodyhandprintonit. In the original
films,we neversee the peoplewhoare underthe Stormtrooperoutfitssotherefore thisshotshows
that he is important. He isalsolookingina similardirectionto Rey,which atthispoint,the audience
may thinkthatlateron inthe filmtheywill come together,whichwe findoutinthe trailerthatthey
do. He says “I wasraisedto do one thing,butI’ve got nothingtofightfor”.
Thistellsusthat he doesn’twantto be a Stormtrooperandthat he wants
to rebel againstThe FirstOrder.We thensee a TIE Fightergethit and spin
out of control headingtowardsa planet.Thisstartsto show the action
involvedinthe film.Afterthisshot,we see Finnstandinginadesert,
whichthe audience canthenfigure outthat Reyand himwill probably
meeteachotherbecause theyare on, whatlookslike,the same planet.
Up to this point, the backgroundmusicisverycalm witha pianoplayingthe oddnote throughout.
The background musicthenintensifiesabitandwe are thenagain
introducedtoanothernewcharacter,KyloRen.The camera pansin on
himlookingoutthrougha windowtospace.This givesa sense of
importance because he isin the centre of the frame.He is also wearing
a mask so therefore we cannotsee whathe lookslike whichmayraise
questionswiththe audience astowhohe isand whyishe soimportant.
He too,like Reyat the start, islookingdirectlyintothe cameraatthe
audience showing thattheycouldbe connectedsomehow.Inthe shot,
KyloReniswearinga blackcostume witha red streakof lightgoing
throughthe shot.This showsthathe ison the dark side andis one of the
mainpeople inThe FirstOrder.The coloursredand black symbolise
dangerand blood,whichshowsthathe isnot on the lightside.When
KyloRenisintroduce,he says,“nothingwill standinourway,I will finish
whatyou started”.Hisvoice isverydistortedandnot human-like which
will make the audience once againquestionwhoishe?At thispoint, itthengoesto a close upshot
of Darth Vader’s maskthatis burnt.For the olderfans,theywill know thatDarthVaderwas
crematedbyLuke Skywalkerwhenhe died andhismaskiswhatis leftof him. However,forthe
newerfanstheywill notknowthisandwill wonderwhathashappenedandmaybe ask the question
as to whoit was.
Whenwe are introducedto anothernew character,Poe Dameron,itis
whenKyloRenisreadinghismind.Thisshotisa close upon Poe’sface
but itis at a slightangle toshow KyloRen’shandwhichshowshow
stronghe isand how much powerhe has. Poe is showntobe
screamingin pain,whichthenfadesintoascene where aforestis

4. The Force AwakensTrailerAnalysis
beingdestroyed.The maincolourinthisshotis redwhichimplies
that itis because of The FirstOrder that the planetisbeing
destroyed. Next, we see the firstshotof the MillenniumFalcon
beingchasedby a TIE Fighter.Thiscreatesmuchexcitementforthe
olderfansbecause the MillenniumFalconisinthe original filmsand
isan iconicship.The blue engine onthe MillenniumFalconshows
to any newerfansthatit ison the lightside.While there isachase
scene betweenthe TIEFighterandthe MillenniumFalcon,Reysaysinthe background,“there are
storiesaboutwhathappened”. There are TIEFightersshootingandexplosions,whichshow the
actionside of the film, andthe iconicgunshotswill alsoexcite the
olderfansbecause theyare alsointhe original films.We thenheara
man say “it’strue”,whichimpliesthere mustbe anoldercharacter
fromthe original filmsbecause he issayingthe storiesare true and
that he was there. There isthena mid-shotof ReyandFinntogether
withReystandinginfrontshowingthatshe mightbe the more
importantcharacterand she is maybe stronger. Theyare standingina
blue light,which connotesthe lightside.We thenhave amid-shotof
Han Solo,alsowithhiminblue light,andsaying“all of it”. Thisshotof
Han Solowill create massesof excitementforolderfansbecause itis
an original character.There is thenan original shotof hyperspace
withthe MillenniumFalconcomingtowardsthe camerafromthe
background.Hyperspace is andalwayshasbeenblue lightwiththe
blackbackground,symbolisingspace andthe lightside.Overthe top
of thisis the original hyperspace noiseandthe soundof the
MillenniumFalcongoingpast the camera.The screenthengoesblackand blockcapitalssaying“This
Christmas”fadesin,inthe centre.Thisiscrucial to the trailersothat it createsexcitementandfans
knowwhenitcomesout and can buyticketsto see itat the cinema.A
similartune tothe Star Wars tune then kicksinwhile KyloRenappears
withotherhoodedmenbehindhim.Thisalsoshowshe isvery
powerful andthathe has otherpeople thatare on hisside.He is
shownholdinghisredlightsaber,whichisnotthe usual lightsaber,
whichshowsthathe isdangerousandshouldnotbe messedwith.The
backgroundnoise isthunder,whichgetslouderatthe pointwhen
lightingcomesdown,makingKyloRenappearanddisappearagain,eachtime gettingclosertohis
face.Afterthe screengoesblack,the camera thenpansto an establishingshotof X-Wingfighters
flyingabove,whatlookslikealake orthe sea,againwiththe similarStarWars tune andthe noise of
the fighters.The camerapansacross intoseveral scenes.The firstisan establishingshotof a war
zone withmanyStormtroopers.The secondshowsaTIE-FighterbeingchasedbyanX-Wingfighter
withsmoke andexplosionsinthe backgroundshowingthatthe galaxyisnotbalancedand there isa
war betweenthe darkside andthe lightside,justlikethe originalsatthispoint.We hearHan Solo
saying,“the dark side”,whichthentellsanynewerfansthatthe Stormtroopersandthe TIE-Fighters
are the dark side. Itthenshowsus whatlookslike the Resistance base withPoe gettingoutof his
fighterwithFinnwalkingpasthim.Poe iswearingthe iconicorange andwhite X-WingFighter
uniform,whilstFinniscarryinga gunto show that he isnow withthe Resistance and isoff to fight
and helpthem.Again,we hearHanSolosaying, “the Jedi”.Thismaybe a clue thatFinncouldbe a
Jedi,andwill once againhelpthe audience buyticketsbecause they wouldwanttofindoutif he is
or not. There isthena transitionof an X-WingshootingdownaTIE-Fighterwithitexploding,toan
explosionbackonthe desertwithFinnandRey,showingthattheyare in danger.Another

5. The Force AwakensTrailerAnalysis
conventionof the sci-fi genre istheninshot.A robotisshownwalkingpastFinn,Rey,HanSoloand
BB-8, whilsttheyare walkingtowardsanunknownbuildingthathasn’tbeeninthe originals.Itthen
fadesto a mid-shotof ahoodedmanwitha robotichandtouchingR2-D2. Thiswill cause mass
excitementbecause forolderfans,R2-D2 isshownandtheywill know thatthe personisLuke
Skywalker.He isshownkneelingon the floorwithfire inthe background,whichcouldonce again
symbolise danger.HanSoloisthentakinginthe backgroundsaying,“they’re real”.There isthena
shotwitha blackand redshiplandingwithStormtroopersrunningaroundandfire thatthenfadesto
a silverStormtrooper.ThisStormtroopermustbe importantasshe iswalkingalone andhersuitis
silver.Afterwatchingthe film,we knowthatitisCaptainPhasma,leaderof the Stormtroopers.Once
againthere isa clipof KyloRenlookinglike he iskillingsomeone orsomethingwithhislightsaber.
There isthena mid-shotof HanSolo,Finn andChewbacca
surrendering,whichmayshow that they have lostand the dark side
have won. We thenhave a sequence of Poe andBB-8 inhisX-Wing
Fighter,battleingagainstthe TIE-Fightersagain.The shotof Poe in
the fighterisan iconicshotas we see thisinthe original films.Maz
isin the backgroundsaying,“the force...it’scallingtoyou”.The
battle sequence continueswithashotof several Stormtrooper
runningoutof a shipand fadingtoa close upon Reysface looking
angry while she isshootingatsomethingandthenfadestoa close up onKyloRenturningaround
whilstreachinghishandout,showingthathe isusingthe force.There are manyexplosionsshowing
the action part of the film.Once again,we are introducedtoanother
character, PrincessLeia,whichwillalsocause massexcitementbecause
she was alsointhe original films.Inthismid-shotshe islookingsadand
isbeinghugged byHan Solo,howeverwe cannotsee hisface. The next
twolong-shotsare of Finnand KyloRenfightingwiththeirlightsabersin
a dark forest.Thisisdone to make the scene more dramaticand tense
and to make the lightsabersshowupmore.The musiciscontinuously
gettingmore tense until itgoessilent withablackscreenwithMaz
saying,“justletitin”.This isdone to letthe audience take inwhatthey
have justwatched.The blackscreenthenfadesto the traditional Star
Wars logo/title and“The Force Awakens”in-betweenitanda small
sectionof the Star Wars theme tune playingquietlyinthe background.
In Star Wars font,the release date (December18th
) fadesontothe
screenwithitsaying“inreal D 3D andIMAX 3D” and “ticketsnow available”. Thisissothat people
can choose howtheywant to watchit. Italso hasthe legal informationatthe bottominsmall.It
once again fadesintoa blackscreenforthe end of the trailerso that people cantake itin.