1. AboutTime TrailerAnalysis.
AboutTime came out in2013. It is a Romanticdrama comedy,staringDomnhall Gleeson,Rachel
McAdams and Bill Nighy.The filmiscreatedbyRichardCurtis,whoalsowrote othersimilarpopular
Rom Comfilmslike NottingHill, Love ActuallyandFourWeddingsandaFuneral.
The traileropenswithDomnhall
Gleeson’scharacterTim,ina wide shot,
showingoff hisfamilyhome andhe
himself,introducingtothe audience,that
he is infact the main character and the
storywill revolve aroundhim.Overthe
clips,Timfamiliarisesthe audience,with
a voice over,explainingwhohe is,and
whatthe storyis goingto be about.He
finisheshissentencewiththe idea,that
thisyear‘wouldchange hislife forever.’
The nextscene showseveryoneelsekissingata party,aftereveryone screamshappynew year,
showingthe happinessandcelebrationwithinthe film, andmatchingwithwhatGleesonhadjust
describedasgoodyearahead,whilst
Gleeson’scharactergoesfora hand
shake,showingthe dramaand
dilemmaTimhasinhislife,ina wide
shot.Withinthe first14 secondsof
the trailer,the audience now knows
that the filmwill be basedaround
love andthe drama of character Tim,
and how hisnervescan stophim
fromfindingawomanor love,this
therefore enticesthe audience from
the beginningandtheycanthen
sympathise withthe characters.
The nextscene goesto a bright naturally lit house,somewhere ratherrichandexpensive,and
tropical to those whoare not usedto livinginthatstandard.The shot usesthe rule of thirds,as the
house takesupthe two leftthirds,leavinganemptyspace toadmire the landscape andocean
behind.The filmisnowseentobe a
filmaimedmore atan upperclassof
people,similartothe same audiences
as those whoenjoyotherCurtisfilms.
The nextvoice over, isof Bill Nighy,
(Sidekickcharacter) explainingthe
future plotof the film.
Inside the house,bothTimandhisDad
(Nighy) talkinginarather messysitting
room.Dad tellsTimof howas a male in
the family,he hasthe capabilitytotravel intime,whenhe climbsintoadark place andgrips hisfists.
The editingisfastpacedas it reversesbetweenshots,asTim and Dad argue about whetherornotit
2. isin fact true.The fast pacededitingshowsthe audience,thatthe farfetchedstorylineisalsonot
believedbythe characterswithinthe film.DadisstandingupwhilsttalkingtoTim, witha low angle
shotlookingupto him,showinghischaracteras more wise andknowledgeable,incomparison tohis
son,whois lookeddownuponfroma much higherangle,who has onlyjustfoundoutof the tricks
and truthof hisfamily.
WhenTim beginstobelieve hisfather,the camerafollowsTimintoacupboard,where a wide shot
againfocusesonhishands clenchedinthe cupboard,
almostas a symbol forthe whole film.The blackand
dark coloursrepresentfearandanxietyamongthe
character. The traileristhen reversedwitha tinted
blurto show the audience thatit worked,andthatit
isimportantto the character as he isnow a lotmore
powerful.Thistherefore showsthe audience that
there will be some goodcome of thisfilmashe usesit
to hisability.
Next,whenbackintime,Timrelivesthe
firstfewmomentsof the trailerbutinstead
kissesthe female insteadof shakingher
hand.The cameramovesto a close up of
the kiss,whichiscommonin romance
films,asthe love betweenthe charactersis
thenobservedmore bythe other
characters,so theycan feel forthe
characters,especiallyatthistime Tim,who
has alreadywitnessesnotbeingatall in
love,andhavingtrouble withromance. Afterthisshot,the cameragoesback to Timsittingwithhis
Dad, as he tellsTimthat itwill be a complicatedlife.The scene fadestoa natural pink/white (rather
natural and romantic.) where the musicstartsup overtop of the video.The songis an indie folk
song,representingthe love andlife of the characters,Lake House byOf MonstersandMen. The title
screenreadsoff ina sansserif text,whomade
the film.Thiscan thengrab more attentionfor
those watchingthe film, asif itis a familiar
film, peoplewillbe furtherentisedintothe
story.The trailerfades toblack,andre opens
withTim’svoice overexplainingthathisnew
3. foundpower,wasalwaysgoingtobe about findinglove.The trailerfadesbackup,toTim staringat a
womandowna street,the shotswapsplaces,andis now seenfromTimspointof view,sowe can
now feel personal withthe
character and feel andsee what
he sees.The shotis of Rachel
McAdams character Mary, ina
shallow focus. The roadson either
side of Mary act as leadinglinesto
focusthe audienceseyesupon
Mary. The lightinfrontof her
body,acts as a borderaround her
body,like anangelicwoman,who
has come to save Timscharacter,
so he can findlove.The rule of
thirdsshowsthatMary is inthe
centre,whilst,leadinglinesare inthe otherthirds.The scene isinslow motion,asshe turnsaround
to reveal herface,toshowthe audience herbeauty.The nextfew shotsare similar,withotherslow
motionshotsandscenes,everytime gettingclosertoMary,so more focus inon herfrom the
audience,thisalsoshowsthatMary will alsobe anothersupportingcharacterinthe film.
Followingafewmore scenesof Timfailingto
impressMary,and wantingto relive the
momentoveragain,anothertitle scene fades
to, reading;‘Whatif youcouldrelive any
moment.’The rhetorical questiongetsthe
audience guessingandthinkingaboutwhat
theywoulddo wheninthissituation,andas
the trailergoeson,can compare itto Tims
experiences.
Followingmore scenes,where Timbeginstoworksthingsoutaftermultiple rewoundscenesof his
firstdateswithMary, Tim explainsthatMary lookswonderful andrhatsjustherface,as he hadnt
yetlookedfurtherdown,thisisquite funny
and bynow the audience realisethe comedic
valuesof the film, inthisconventionof form.
Followingthis,the musiccutsoutand there isa
shotfrom above,asa highwide angle,looking
downat a bed.The bedappearsto be rather
neatand the pair seemratherrelaxed,withthe
room still intact.The shothoweverstill shows
themas rather weakandvulnerable,butalso
ina comiceffectasit connotesthe awkwardness
betweenthe two. However,the nextscene
showsthembothina ruinedbed,whilstthey
appearto be evenmore warnout,with
everythinginamuchworse mess,withthem
bothcuddlingandappearingto be naked,asthis
scene followsthe last,itcontrastsandacts more
4. for the comicvalue.Inthe above shot,the bedcoverrepresentsthe innocence andnormalityof
Marys bedroom,where asthe white bedsheetsandpillowsrepresentsthe natural purityof the bed,
and howlustand sinislaidoverthe pure andnatural source,like aruinedstain. The scene further
signifiesthe comedywithinthe filmasMaryexplainsthat‘Some people make areal messof itthe
firsttime’,thisisfunnyforthe audience who have justseenthe previousscene andknow the truth
aboutTim.
Nowhalf waythrough the trailer,the audience have discoveredthe mainstoryarcand what sort of
filmitisgoingto be.This isconventional forthe genre of trailerbeingused,asissimilartootherfilm
trailerslike DearJohnandThe Vow.From here on,the trailerincludesmultiple montagesof clips
showingotherexcitingscenesthroughoutthe film, howevernotsetina particularorder,so does
not reveal muchof the story line.
The main aimof the trailerisof course
to advertise the film, howeverthe film
has a message of livinglifetothe full.
Thisthereforshowsmultiple clipsof
love,ina trainstationinthe London
Underground,withthe same songina
more upbeatsection,asthe montage
neverremainsonmore thanone clip
for more than 2 seconds.This
connotesthe effectof life beingalong
journey,buta quickone also.This
image here showsthe twoseemingto
be in love takingupthe middle section
of the screenwalkingintoaplatform.
The nextscene showsthemwalking
back through,whilstTimiscarrying
her.Thisconnotesthe journeyof life,
and howtheyare comingback froma
day.The carryingshowsthat love can
pickyou up.The twohere are both
still inthe middle section.Overall the
colourin these twoscenes,are rather
brightcolours,butfadedenoughsotheyseemmore realistic.
The scene followswithmore similar
scenesina train station.Then whilstin
a bedroom, TimasksMary to marry
him.Thisis uncommoninfilmtrailers
for thismuchdetail tobe givenaway,
however,thisthentellsthe audience
that the relationshipof TimandMary is
not the mainfocusof the filmbutmore
the conceptof Tim’spower.The scenes
isdimlylit,withjusta lampbehind
Timshead,creatinga borderaround
Tim representingthe strengthof hisquestionandthe fearinaskingit.The shot isa low angle looking
5. up at Tim fromMarys shoulder,thisshowsusasthe audience whatitislike fromMary’s
perspective.The shotthenmovesovertoMary, where we see herlayingdownona bed,witha high
angle lookingdownather,as she exclaimsyes.The scene fadestoblack,andquicklyrisesbackup
again,put youas the camera in the driver’sseatof the car as itdrivescrashing intoanother.The
inside of the car appearsto be red,connotingthe dangerand death,withinthe crash.The car it hits
appearsto be blue/purple,whichmayrepresentthe thoughtof heaven,wisdomandmystery,asno
one can explaindeathnorwhathappens inheaven. The compostitionof the shotshowsthatthe
driversitsonthe righthandside
and there isan emptychairon
the otherconnotingthe lonliness
of death.The car infrontis
sprawledacrossthe screen
representingnotbeingable to
escape it.Finallythe rearmirror
isdark, implyingthatthe pastis
a blur,eitherthroughthe means
of dyingorthe characterspast.
Whoeverisinthe car therefore
couldhave a dark past. The
musichere almoststops,andis verysloweddown,toamuch more quietpiece of the song.Aftera
distantshotof the car crash,showingthe full destructionof the twocars,inslow motion,showing
everyone ata slowspeedwhatishappening,the scene againgoestoblackand spansto another
small separate motage spanningover4powerful shots.The number4representingthe realisationof
power.WhichIsin fact true for thisfilm.
The firstshot showsTimand Mary running
througha hospital inslowmotion,inthe
centre of the screen,withleadinglineseither
side of them,as theyare both dressedinnear
nutural colours.Thisisconventional fora
movie trailer,asitrepresents the dillema
withinthe film.Itisalsoconventionalmfora
Romantictrailer,similarlyinThe Notebook,
the dillemainthe trailerhitsaround¾ of the
waythrough,and isresolvedthroughthe rest
of the trailer.The nextshotisof the maincast
and charactersin the livingroomof the
tropical house fromthe beginning.Inthe
room everyone isdressedinblack,connoting
deathand a funeral.Tim ison one of the third
lines,whilstsome similarlookinggingermale,
presumablyhisbrotherisstandingonthe
otherthirdline,withthe doorsbetween
them,connotingthe doorsto the death.Aroundthemothercharactersborderthem, all of whom
lookforwardto the camera.
6. The third scene showsawomanin the door
wayof the house,presumableyTimsmum.
She standsin the centre third,showingher
importance inthisscene.‘Iam souniterested
ina life withoutyourfather’.Firstly,the
language usedshowsthe classof people who
istargetedto watch the film.Butalsoshows
that the character whohas infactdied/dying.
The colour withinthe shotisnowa lot darker
and notas colourful asbefore. The final sceneinthe blacktoscreenmontage,isthisclipof Tim
hugginghisdad,takingup the tworight thirds,whilstlettingthe whitelightlingerininthe farleft
third.The light,lightsupthe twofrom behindalmostlikeangelsinatime of death,like theyare
enlightenedwithknowledge andlove.Thisscene ishowevernotinslow motion,butisa lotslower
than the restas it letsthe audience take inthe love of the pair.Thistherefore highlightsthis
relationshipandshowsitoff tothe audience,thisiscommoninboththisformand genre,where a
significantmomenthappens,the
editingstopsfrombeingfastpaced
and slowsdowntoreveal the
significance of acharacter or
relationship.Finally,without
swappingbackto black,the scene
carrieson, howeverfroma
differentangle,sonow youcan see
the emotionuponTimsface instead
of hisdads,furtherhighlightingthe
relationshipbetweenthe two.
Timsarms are firmlywrapped
aroundhisfather.Whenlookingat
the two shotsaftereach other,itis
noticedthatTim looksoutintothe
lightof the window,ashe sees
heavenandhope,atthis time of
need,whilstDadseeshisinterests,
withinthe booksandhisbusy
room.This can eitherconnote his
powerto travel orhis disagreement
to whetherhe acceptsdyingornot.
The trailerisfurtherrewound,asDad talksaboutconsequencesintravelling,the nextscene we find
Tim andMary in
an art gallery,
where Mary
explainsshe has
nevermethim
before. Tim’s
face is half lit,
showinghe ishalf knowledgeable abouthispower,howeverMaryisalmostentirelyindarkness,and
standingina trenchcoat, oftenassociatedincrime andmysteryfilmsasbeingcraftyandmysterious.
7. As the musicrisesbackup to the
happiestpointof the song,we are given
an eye-line shotof Tims eyes.The eyes
therefore show thatTimisbeing
receptive andlearninghislessonstohis
power.
From now on,the trailerincludesfast
pacededitingof a seriesof clipsfrom
Tim’slife beinghappy,withthe title
screensreading‘it’saboutlove’‘it’s aboutlife’.These canentice the audience sotheycansee the
genre andthe furtherplotof the film.
Thisshot showsMary to be surroundedbybridesmaids,inarather untraditional reddress,showing
the love andlustof the characters, but alsothe genre of the filmoverall.She isinthe centre of the
screenwithmenas usherseitherside of her.Firstlythissceneisawedding,butalsoshowsthe
artisticcinematographyusedwithinthe film.The cameraworkisveryconventional forthisgenre of
film. The nextfewshotsincludeababy(presumablytheirs.) inashallow fieldshot,focusingonthe
newbornbaby,whilsta hospital tagiswrappedaroundthe female’swrist.The coloursinthisshot
show the whitesandpeachesall of
whichneutral coloursinthisscene.
Withthe footinthe middle,almost
red,representingagainthe love.
8. As the trailercomestoan end,a final few shotsfinishoff whatsortof filmitisgoingto be.
Commonlyfora romance film,there are oftensome tearsandkissing.Inthisfilm, followingsome
crying,there isa shot of Dad and
presumablyTimasa childstanding
on a beach,skimmingstones,doing
normal familyactivities.The shotis
wide,andfroma reasonable
distance, showingthe relationship,
as the two are quite close.The light
shinesontheirwhole bodies,
representingnothavingacare in the
world,wheneverythingseemedto
be perfect. The oceaninfrontof
themconnotesthe longdistantlife
theyhave together.Thisisfollowed
by a similarshot,of Timand another
child,runningdownastreet
together.Theyare bothin the
middle third,whilstMaryand child
are inthe otherthird.Both of which
are on the rightside of the railings,
showingthattheyhave freedom,
whilstthe childrenare young.This is
a conventional piece todointhe
formof trailers,anditshowsimprisonmentandfreedomeasily.The leadinglinesalsofocusthe eyes
on Tim.The mise-en-scenehere israthernormal,astheyappearinLondon,maybe off to school;
however,Timiswearingthe same clothesaswhathisdad didinthe above clip, showingthe
relationshipandfatherhoodbetweenthe twocharacters,withthe brownconnotingnatural sources
like life,andthe blue beingfreedomandwisdom.
Aftera bigsmile betweenthe two characters,the trailerfadesintoafinal title screen,revealingthe
name of the film.Thisisconventionaltoappearat the endof the film, asithas now attracted the
audience,andpeople willnowwanttorememberthe name of the filmandplanon goingto see the
film.
Thistrailerisincrediblyconventional andincludesmanyfactorsbothsuitable forthe formandgenre
of a romanticdrama movie trailer.The title slidesare alsoveryconventional formovie trailers,and
the overlapof a character usinga voice overnarratesthe film.
