2. In this task I will be completing textual analysis
of a teaser trailer and a poster for the same
film, with reference to micro and macro
features, genre and narrative. I will also be
commenting on any ideas I could borrow for my
own production.
TASK
4. Character holding camera establishes found-
footage style of the film; introduces more
realism as the audience can imagine that the
events in the film have really been “captured”
rather than scripted and filmed.
Intimacy of the close up shot combined
with quiet, apologetic dialogue, low-key
lighting, dark shadows on character’s
face and nervous facial expressions imply
that something has gone wrong in the
film and he is apologising for it.
Close up-shot immediately
establishes this character as the
protagonist of the film. Eye-line
shot shows direct address,
making the filming seem
“personal” and intimate, in an
almost documentary-style.
Longer shot duration at the start of the trailer –
separated only by institutional intertitles; introduces
the character, sets the mood of the film and the
diegetic dialogue sets up the narrative.
Diegetic dialogue “Mum... Dad...
It’s me Thomas... How do I explain
this...” Hesitant tone shows nerves
and regret; a confessional tone,
apologising to his parents.
Immediately establishes that
something bad has happened.
Plain white background and un-
coloured lighting is a contrast from the
rest of the trailer which is lit with bright
colours – signifying that the party got
out of control and is no longer fun as
Thomas now is in big trouble.
5. The editing for some shots shows a still image of part of
the film edited to look like a photograph – this reflects
upon the party spirit of making memories and also reflects
on a teenage hobby of taking photos, which makes it seem
more realistic to the audience; almost as though the
photos are really from this fictional party. It also shows the
‘highlights’ of the film.
Non-diegetic voice over:
“Tonight’s about the girls we
never had a shot at.” – implies
the protagonists are going to
have a chance of meeting a girl
at the party.
The colour blue in literature
is used to represent
happiness - suggesting that
this party is the epitome of
happiness and fun. Also,
blue is known to be a
‘popular colour’, also
perhaps referencing the
popularity the protagonists
have gained from throwing
this party.
The girl has a flirty facial expression and
wears somewhat revealing clothing –
reinforces party setting but also hints at a
sexual nature of the film. Potentially reveals
the protagonist (who is filming)’s view of
women as nothing but objects.
6. A mid-shot featuring the
protagonists in the foreground with
party guests in the background;
showing they are at the forefront of
the party and they are the ones
running it.
The character drinking from a
chalice shows the carefree
attitude of the boys at the
party and their attempt at
being cool – also suggests
their status at the party is quite
high.
Slow motion effect and the
arm around the shoulder as
they walk through the door
gives them the impression of
being “cool” and superior to
other people – surprising as
before they were outcasts,
thus shows the effect their
party has had on them;
combines with voiceover
“Tonight’s about changing the
game”; showing their
transformation into more
popular than before.
Screams and shouts from the
crowd as diegetic ambient
sound show the mass crowd and
also reinforce the party
atmosphere.
7. There is very low-key lighting in the
piece, no natural lighting as the
film is set at night time, and is lit
mainly by strobe lights, which
create a party effect, and the bright
coloured lights signify excitement
and fun at the party.
Intimacy of the close up shot combined
with quiet, apologetic dialogue, low-key
lighting, dark shadows on character’s
face and nervous facial expressions
imply that something has gone wrong in
the film and he is apologising for it.
Non-diegetic soundtrack is upbeat and dance-
music, reinforcing the party narrative and also
representing them having a good time. The
bass of the song also is similar to a racing
heartbeat which could link to the effect of
drugs/alcohol/just partying that can be had on
a person.
Alcohol visible in the shot –
audience know the drinking age
in America is 21 thus they are
made aware that this party is
breaking the law; makes it a
rebellious party.
8. The trailer has been edited so it is a montage of shots from
the film – not much dialogue , but just showing off the party
and how big it is, and what people are doing there. This shows
the highlights of the film/party, and let the audience know
what is in store for them if they watch the film – they will get
to witness a great party.
Very short shot durations on the montage images
make the shots not very clear to the audience –
the increase in pace not only shows the party
getting more intense and faster paced but also
could be similar to being intoxicated – gives the
effect as they cannot see the shots properly thus
linking to the party atmosphere.
Image of two people kissing
– shows the party has
elements of
romance/sexual nature and
suggests the protagonists
might find love – a
successful party.
Voice over chanting
“Thomas” (protagonist)
shows his new found
status/reputation.
9. Shot of the police car, the edited screen
text effects to show a police dash/body
cam and the diegetic siren SFX show the
police have been called; shows the
extent of the party and how it has gotten
out of hand.
Wide shot shows a huge
crowd of partygoers versus
a smaller amount of police
offers – the party is huge
and overpowering the
police; shows an out-of-
control state of party but
also shows the
impressiveness of it.
Characters are throwing things at the police car
window – toilet paper and a drink obscure the vision
of the camera and show a disobedience towards the
authorities; implies the guests are careless and the
party may be getting a lot of people in to trouble.
10. The people on screen are
merely black silhouettes in
this shot; there are no faces
visible which demonstrates
their carelessness and
anonymity when faced with
the incidents on screen;
after the police have been
called and trouble breaks
out, they are just trying to
hide themselves from the
authorities and are not
taking responsibility for
what they have caused. This
could not only reflect upon
teenage life and society, but
also may be critical of this
lack of care.
The frame is dark and lit only
by the huge fire in the centre of
the shot. This draws the
audiences attention to the fire
and they can see that a house
is burning; this immediately
connotes danger and
destruction and therefore
shows the extent of the party
and the teenagers’ ability to
turn a party into a night of
destruction. This will draw in
the audience as it is a
shocking scene to see
following the previous ones
featuring bright colours and
happy party goers; the
audience will want to witness
what has happened to cause
this and what will be the
consequences of this.
The colour yellow (for the flames) in
literature represents deceit – this could
reflect on Thomas deceiving his dad and
having a party that he was not meant to
have; represents Thomas as a
deceitful/untruthful character.
11. The image shown in this shot is much calmer
than previous shots; in this, there is low-key
lighting, not many colours and has a dark,
moody tone. This reflects upon the feelings of
Thomas, the character in shot, as his party has
got out of hand and he will get in massive
trouble when his parents return home.
The facial expression and body language of
Thomas represents his nerves at the scale of
the party – when his parents call, he knows
he will get in trouble for it. He has an
awkward facial expression and his hand on
the back of his head signifies his
nervousness.
Whilst Thomas is in the
centre of the shot, the
audience can see flames
behind him outside the
window. The chaos
happening outside contrasts
with the more calm, tense
mood inside and juxtaposes
Thomas telling his dad that
everything is fine – when he
knows it isn’t. This adds an
element of comedy as it is
humorous that Thomas is
pretending that the night is
just quiet and normal when
in reality it is quite the
opposite.
The sound in this shot is a diegetic dialogue which is over a
phone; Thomas’ dad calls to see if he is okay, and is not
aware of the party going on. This is dramatic irony as the
audience is aware of something that a character isn’t;
thus, we are able to assume that his parents will be
incredibly unhappy with him having thrown this party and
the audience may want to watch the full film to see what
happens to Thomas and if he gets found out.
12. At this point, the soundtrack
breaks down a little and is
less upbeat but is still quite
‘groovy’ and cool. The slight
change causes the
audiences focus to shift,
which is vital as institutional
information is shown during
this period such as release
dates, title and others.
The “YOU’RE INVITED” text onscreen is a direct
address to the audience; this inclusivity makes the
audience feel as though it is a ‘real party’, and the
offering of the invitation makes them more likely to
watch the film as they may feel that they have been
personally asked to watch it. Furthermore, it also
links with the party
The bright white/yellow glowing text contrasts against the
black background and makes it stand out more. The gold
colour also signifies potential good quality as gold typically is
for people who are winners or prestige. This therefore implies
that the film will be of good quality, and thus audiences will
be drawn to watching it.
13. Overall, the bright strobe lights with no naturalistic light, combined with
the dance music, alcohol props and huge crowds (along with many other
elements) give a clear impression and set the scene as being a party,
making the film seem more realistic by having instantly recognisable
props, lighting and music.
The non-diegetic voiceovers combined with shots of just the three boys
give the impression that the boys were not popular/outcasts before the
party, but they have become more popular by having it.
The overall trailer is 1m36s, which is just above the teaser trailer time
mark. Compared to theatrical trailers, this is quite short therefore means
it reveals less information about the film than usual, making it seem very
enigmatic; audiences will want to watch the film to find out more about it
as the trailer leaves them with many gaps as to what happens at the party.
The unique selling point for the film in my opinion is the out of control
party – it is an epic exaggeration of many parties but also there are many
things in the party that can and do happen. This makes it appeal to
younger audiences; who are the ones who go to parties, but also to adults
and parents; whose children may be having big parties or attending them.
Having the USP as this means people can ‘experience’ a party like this
without it actually happening, because in real life a party like this would
end with arrests and people getting seriously injured, therefore it is a safe
way to witness an event like this party.
THE WHOLE TRAILER
14. I really like the idea of having the protagonist narrating with
a voiceover in the film/trailer, as it makes it seem more
personal and the audience is introduced to the character
intimately as they can understand their thoughts/feelings.
Therefore, I would like to have my protagonist narrating for a
bit in my trailer, so the audiences can learn a bit more about
my character.
I also really like the idea of having colour to connote the
mood; as the bright colours in Project X signify the happiness
and fun at the party compared to the dark colours when
Thomas has to speak to his dad, I would like to do a similar
thing to represent the changing moods with colours and
lighting as I think it is a subtle but clever way of conveying
moods and thought processes of characters and scenes.
MY OWN PRODUCTION
15. POSTER ELEMENTS
Reference to other
creations by
director/producer
Billing Block incl.
company logos
Release
Date
Image
Tagline
Title
Producer
credits
17. Reference to another film the
producer has made; “The Hangover”
is a well known film and therefore
audiences will know that this
producer/director creates good
quality films thus they will expect this
film to be of a similar good quality,
which will cause them to be more
likely to watch it. Also, the title of the
other work “The Hangover” links to
this film as it is drinking related, like
the party in Project X; furthers the
party theme.
18. The central image uses an extremely
long shot to portray a huge party, with
lots of bright lights, a huge crowd of
people and smoke to make it seem
epic and impressive. It seems
somewhat out-of-control shown by the
enormous crowd in comparison to a
small house. The dog tied to a bunch
of balloons in the air is humorous,
which implies the comedy genre, but
also shows recklessness of the party
guests, thus making the target
audience most likely to be teenagers,
maybe 16-25, as an adolescent
audience will be the most able to
relate to the image, who would enjoy
partying, and also are quite fun-loving
and carefree.
19. There are contrasting ideas in this
image: firstly, the central character is
clutching a chalice in a victorious
fashion, along with the crowd in the
background also with triumphant
raised fists suggests that the party
was a success and is a great event;
however the darkness surrounding
the central image and red colour of
the “X”, along with the flames and
smoke coming from the house
connote potential danger or
something that has gone wrong, thus
suggesting that whilst the party was
great, it has had negative
repercussions. Audiences will want to
watch to find out what goes wrong in
the party.
20. The very minimalistic billing block
shows the names of the actors in the
film; there are no big names or A-list
stars, as requested by the producers.
Therefore, the USP will not be the
famous actors, and audiences may
want to watch a film with fresh new
faces. Using unrecognised actors may
also make the film more relatable, as
they just seem like normal people to
the audience, thus can imagine
themselves in that position.
21. The image in the foreground is of
three characters laying on the grass
curb outside a house. The fact these
boys are isolated from the rest of the
guests may suggest they are outcasts
in society/school, revealing some
character information. Their dark
clothes don’t make them stand out,
and make them seem like normal
teenagers, thus making them
relatable to the audience. As you
cannot see their faces, one can
assume the focus of the film is not
necessarily on the characters but
rather on the events in the film itself.
22. Third person “you’ve” in the tagline
introduces direct address to the
audience as though they are invited to
this ‘party’; the phrase “you’ve only
dreamed about” suggests this party is
unlike any others; suggests a
superiority or high quality, and as
people would be drawn to go to a real
party if it sounded good, it will draw
audiences to watch it as they think it
will be a good film with an impressive
party and unmissable event.
23. The USP of the poster is clearly demonstrated through the
central image and the tagline. The image, being a massive party
with bright lights, looking epic and impressive, connotes it could
be the ‘party of the year’. Combined with the tagline, “THE PARTY
YOU’VE ONLY DREAMED ABOUT” clearly shows that the scale of
this party is unlike any you have been to before – it is the kind of
party that audiences can only wish they could have, making it
seem incredibly unmissable. This links clearly with the trailer, as
they both portray the party as being incredible and
unforgettable, however the trailer shows more of the bad side of
the party whereas the poster only represents it as good. Despite
this, I think the USP is clearly shown as the ‘impressive party’,
and draws audiences of younger partygoers and older adults
alike.
THE USP
24. The poster is a little harder to relate to my own work as they
have completely different USP’s and moods shown in the film
and trailer. However, what I like about the poster is that
they’ve got two images; the boys in the foreground and the
party in the background, as this gives the effect that it is just
one image and shows the incredible scale. I would want to use
layers and positioning in my poster to create an effective
looking product.
I like the framing of the image with text and a darker
background as it simply makes it look very visually appealing
and elements of the poster are not just thrown on randomly. I
would want to take care of the presentation in my product so
that everything is in a good place and the image is framed by
the text and the background.
MY OWN PRODUCTION
