Textual Analysis

2. TEASER TRAILER ANALYSIS
This scene depicts a happy couple kissing, it shows the two happy, which
contrasts to later scenes which show the main character who is shown
through the vast amount of screen time she gets, to be the woman,
especially as unhappy and distressed. This incorporates quick cuts which
seem to symbolise how fast this part of her life passes.
The very last scene shows the title of the film in bold font, “Kevin” being
bolder than the rest, this shows that kevin is important to the story, this is
the first time we’re introduced to the character as well. The font being bold
and white contrasts with the black background in order to catch the
audiences eye
In this scene the main character is shown in the wall in which the child had
painted before, however the paint also looks like the splatter of blood which
works well with the previous connotation. The author of the book the film is
based on is also shown which works synergistically in boosting sales of the
book and film as fans of both media will take interest in them.
This is the first scene where the psychological thriller genre is really conveyed,
comparatively the other scenes show more of a rom-com. The music starts to be
interrupted with loud noises which shows the characters unease also. The red
colour can represent fear, and is the colour of blood which is conventionally
used in thrillers
In the very same scene the character transitions from child to adult, he is
shown to still be focused on archery, even more so than when he was a
child. As well as this his expression seems more stern and his childlike
attitude is gone.
In this scene the child is taking part in archery which shows his first time
having a hobby, as well as showing the first time he actually shows
interest in anything, the childlike instrument and hat also conveys
innocence which is different to the connotation of him in other scenes.
In this scene the mothers child is painting on the walls. This is the first time
we are focused on the son rather than the mother or husband, it also shows
that he is troublesome as a child. The camera angle used is a medium shot
which seems to be taken from the point of view from the mother as it is
focused on the child.
This scene shows the female character pregnant, her facial expression has
lost all happiness as in the shot before. The use of a mirror also shows she
isn’t happy with how she looks or is otherwise thinking of a change of
appearance as is conventional in film. The camera angle used is a medium
long shot which portrays the whole character for the first time also.
In this scene the main character is shown to be in a hospital bed, just given
birth, however her husband is holding the baby.This connotes a sense of
detachment from her and her baby which is fitting with the genre of
psychological thriller/drana but is not common in film, it fits the genre as it
takes into question the effects of detachment between mother and son.

3. The films unique selling point is the exploration into the effects of detachment between mother
and son, as well as the tone change which makes you question the genre making each scene that
features thriller genres shock the audience. In terms of audience, a more adult audience I believe
is being addressed as there are many themes of which younger audiences wouldn’t understand, as
well as this the dark atmosphere from the use of bland colours and red will not appeal to a younger
audience which have the stereotype of not being interested in psychological thrillers. The trailer
however leaves many questions unanswered, for example, what is wrong with Kevin and what Kevin
does. This attracts the audience into seeing the film.
This could be useful in our own production as it incorporates ambiguity which is key in thriller
films, as well as this it is slow paced towards the start which is conventional of psychological
thrillers as it conveys characters tones and attitudes.

4. Main
image
Movie
Title
Actor
Names
Billing
block
The main image is extremely dark, painting
both characters in low key lighting, as well
as this the female character is not looking
towards the male but instead towards the
distance as If deep in thought. Howeverthe
male character is staring directly into the
camera, directing the audience and
portraying himself as emotionless due to
his very monotonous expression
The movie title is in the same bold font
as in the trailer, with Kevin completely
overpowering the other text in boldness
and size, this shows Kevin as dominant
compared to the other body of text which
also gives the same effect of the
character Kevin seeming dominant
compared to the people saying “we need
to talk about Kevin”, giving the character
and name weight.
Actor names shown above the title of the film
in order to draw the audience into the film, as
they may be fans of the actors. As well as this
it may also give the audience an idea of the
tone of the film as actors often play similar
roles in films of the same genre
The billing block is shown at the bottom
of the poster in small writing, this is used
in order to show fine print of the film but
is small as it is not important to the tone
of the poster

5. This poster conveys the tone of the film well to the audience, as well as this it appeals to the
audience as it is minimalistic and sleek. The trailer and poster both work well together in that
they leave the same questions to answer, which helps in the appeal of the film which is that it is
mysterious. This may be useful in our own project as we can use our poster and trailer to convey
the tone of the characters without giving away the plot in the same way ‘We Need To Talk About
Kevin’ does.