1. Trailer review
General Overview
The directorof the force awakenswas J.J.Abrams(JeffreyJacob
Abrams),he waschosenby DisneyandLucas filmastheirdirector
of the firstepisode inthe new'StarWars' trilogy because of his
successful StarTrekfilmswhichwere of averysimilargenre.Lucas
FilmshadbeensoldtoWalt DisneyStudios onthe 30th
October
2012 withthe intentionof continuingthe StarWars franchise.The
filmwasreleasedin cinemason17thDecember2015 withthe
budgetat an estimated$245,000,000 and the cumulative
worldwide grossingwas$2,068,178,225.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2488496/
Purpose
It isbelievedthere are twotypesof audiences;the primary
audience andthe secondaryaudience.The primaryaudience are
categorizedasthe Star Wars fans,so wouldhave beenthose who
watchedthe original trilogyandwouldbe watchingtodiscoverwhatwouldhappennextinthe StarWars galaxy.The
secondaryaudience are those whowouldbe watchingforentertainment,theymayhave seenthe previousfilmsbut
wouldbe more likelytobe watchingforthe genre,e.g.action.
The primaryaudience wouldbe more enticedbyprops andother
featuresthatare recognisablefromothertrilogies,such as;Light
sabres,R2-D2, the force,the Jedi religion.Whereasthe secondary
audience wouldbe more enticedtothe themesandactiongenre
whichispresentedthroughouttoexcite the audienceandmake the
whole storylinemore gripping.
The filmwasmade so that George Lucas couldcontinue the Star Wars storyas
it ismostlikelythathe believedthe storywasnotover.The filmwouldalso
have beenmade because of the considerationof how successful the previous
trilogieswere,therefore J.J.Abrams(the director)andGeorge Lucaswouldhave
consideredthe grossing’sthatwouldbe made froma new trilogy.Due tothe
sheernumberof Star Wars fansit wouldbe highlylikelythatthe profitswould
be verysuccessful.As DisneybroughtLucasFilmitsuggeststhatitwas always
theirintentiontoproduce the nextStarWars trilogyinorderto make their
studioevenmore successfulthroughbroadeningtheiraudience evenmore.
It was mostlikelythatthe purpose of thisfilm wasforentertainmentpurposes
because the fastpacedaction of the movie wouldbe adistractionfromthe
audiences’everydaylives.Thisisthe mostcommonreasonforaudiences
watchingmoviesasthe stressof theireverydaylivescanbe forgottenasthey
are focusingonthe film.However,itcouldbe arguedthat the primaryaudience watchtoeducate themselvesonthe
continual updatesof the StarWars storydisplayedthroughthe trilogies.Butthisisagainarguesas an entertainment
pointas the focuson the story of Star Wars isstill a distractionfromoureverydaylives.
Genre
The movie isa Sci-fi andhas many codesand conventions
of thisgenre thatcan be identifiedwithinthe trailer such
as the oldspaceshipsthatappearat the beginningof the
trailerwhenRey(whocurrentlylookslike she maynotbe
human,thusintroducinganotherconventionof Sci-fi)
Locations:
2. firstappearsas a scavenger.Thiswouldappeal tothe primaryaudience whomayinferthatthese oldspaceshipsare
frompreviousfilmsthusgivingthemthe ideathatthisfilmisbasedafterall the previoustrilogies. Afterthe location
withinthe oldspaceshipthere isashotof BB-8 (arobot) withRey(our inferredprotagonistbecause of the wayshe is
leadingBB-8) addingtothe sci-fi genre.There isalsothe classicspace shipswhichare recognisable fromprevious
filmsandwouldthereforeappeal tothe primaryaudience butalsowouldappealtothe secondaryaudience asthey
wouldenjoy the fastpacedshipsaddingtothe conventionsof anactiongenre.There are alsoshotsof space when
KyloRen(representingthe darkside) isfirstlyintroducedthusinferringtothe primaryaudience thatthe darkside
are incontrol of the galaxy.
Form
The force awakenswasall shoton a filmstockand on35mm exceptthe scene of Jakkuin
the desertthat wasshot ona 65mmbecause itprovidedabetterqualitythroughusing
imax.Inadditionitcouldbe arguedas a reflectionof Finn’sfreedomnow thathe hasleft
the storm troopersandrecognisedhe isnowan individual. Byusing65mmfor thisdesert
scene meansthataudiencescanviewawidershotwithhigherresolution,makingabig
difference especiallyinimax cinemaswheresecondaryaudienceswouldbe likelytogo.
Style
JJ Abramshas usedthe 80s sci-fi style inthe trailertoappeal toolderaudienceswho
wouldhave watchedthe previousmovieswhichwere made inthisperiod,givingthis
primaryaudience anostalgicfeelingtowardsthe film.Fromhispreviousfilms,suchas
Star Trek,Abramsusedlense flare whichwouldappeal tothe olderaudience aqsitagain
givesthe 80s feel tothe film.Howeverinotherpartsof the trailerAbramsusedbetter
qualityCGIand SFXin orderto appeal tothe younger/secondaryaudience.
Content and meaning
In the Star Wars: The Force Awakenstrailermise enscene isusedtofrequentlytocapture the attentionof the
audience thuscreatinganemotional response bypresentingcodesandconventionsof agenre throughthe different
topicswithinmise enscene. Thiscouldbe provenbythe openingsceneinthe trailerwhere Rey(ourfemale
protagonist) isfirstlyintroduced,implyingthatshe mayhave a significantrole inthe film because she wasthe first
shotin the film andhad a close up shot of herremovingthe darknessthatwasinitiallyonthe screen.Thiscould
foreshadowthatshe isa representationof hope withinthe filmasshe dissolvesthe darknessthatwasfirstlyonthe
screen(implyingthe darkside maybe inpowercurrently).AsRey’sidentityisinitiallycovereditsuggeststhatshe
couldbe an alienof some kind,addingthe conventionsof sci-fi tothe trailer. The soundwhenReyfirstisintroduced
isquietand non-diegeticlinkingtothe non-diegeticvoice of Reysaying“I’mnoone”replyingtoMaz’squestionof
“whoare you” because the musicisquite unnoticeablelikehow she describesherself.However,asthe music
becomesmore intense asthe trailerdevelopsitcouldsuggestshe gainsmore confidence inherself asfurther
supportedbythe intensifyingactionwhichfurthersupportsthe ideaof Rey’sgrowingsignificance.
In orderto appeal topreviousStarWars fans,the brandlogoof Lucas Film
isintroducedafterthe introductionof Reytoshow that thisisa new Star
Wars film. Afterthe textthere isapan of a massof storm trooperswhich
couldbe a linktoMarxism and the Bourgeoisie inhegemony asitis
arguablya representationof dictatorshipandcouldmore specifically a
reference toKingJongUn as it isveryup to date and wouldthereforebe a
subtle wayof the Americanscommentingon NorthKoreawithinthe
media. Furthermore,asReywasintroducedfirstitimpliesthatshe isa
significantchange tothe Star Wars franchise because she isthe first
female protagonisttoeverbe inStar Wars showingthatAbramsis trying
to make the filmmore modernasfurthersupportedbylaterinthe trailer
whenshe isholdingagun and lookingfierce toindicateshe isastrong
character. Shortlyafterthe Lucas Filmlogothere isthena close upof Fin
(a blackstorm trooper) tofurthermodernise the filmbymakingitmore
3. diverse,the close upimpliesthatthisisanothersignificantcharacterasfurthersupportedbythe non-diegetic
voiceover,suggestinghe maybefriendReyashe isthe nextcharacterto be introduced.Afterthe shotsof Fin,Kylo
Renis introduced,suggestinghe isalsoa significantcharacter.He isclearlyidentifiedasanantagonistbecause of the
dark colourshe is wearing,connotingevil anddeath.The wide shotof hisbacksuggestshe hashiddenhisidentity,
representinghisconflictedemotionsbutalsomimickingDarthVaderbecause of the identical shotandlocation.
There isthena zoomtowardshimuntil itfocuseson hismaskedface,representinghissignificance inthe filmas
furthersupportedbythe change innon-diegeticmusicwhichimpliesthe characterisan anomalytothe other
characters whowere previouslyintroducedinthe trailer.Inaddition,the shotof KyloRenmindreadingPoe (the
resistance pilot) andthenthe fade toanexplosionsupportshe isanantagonistwhocausesdestructioninthe film.
As the musicchangesto a more cheerful tone,afterthe shotof KyloRen,the Millennium falconisintroduced with
the famousHan Solomusic,suggestingtothe primaryaudience thatHanSolohas a significantrole inthe movie as
furthersupportedbythe nextshotof a close up of Hans Solosaying“It’strue,all of it” addinga sense of mysteryto
the trailerthusenticingmore people towatchthe filmtofindoutwhat“it” is that istrue.It alsoshowsthe contrast
betweengoodandbadinthe film,asfurthersupported bythe lightanddarklightingusedthroughoutthe trailerto
signifythe fightbetweenthe lightanddarkside. Forthe shot of thissegment,the pace isquite fastto appeal tothe
secondaryaudience whowouldwanttowatchthe filmforthe action genre advertisedinthissegment. Italsoaddsa
western genre because of the locationinthe desert thusmakingthe filmhave anevenmore diverse audience.
Moreover,the sci-fi genre isintensifiedbythe quickshotof lightspeedlinkingtospace travel andalmostaddinga
dystopiansub-genre becauseof the ideaof moderntechnologythatisunrecognisableinones’everyday.
Afterall the characters are introduced,textappearssayingthe filmwill be released“thisChristmas”thusexcitingthe
audience further. The musicatthispointbecomesmore like the recognizable starwarstheme musicwhichwould
excite the primaryaudience asitisverynostalgic. Afterthis,the pace of the trailerincreases byaddingsmallerclips
to representthe excitementthe audience mayfeel because theynow know whentheywillbe able tosee the film,
but alsowouldbe excitedforthe festive time of the year,therefore appealingtothe primaryandthe secondary
audience. There isalsoaquickshot of Finwitha lightsaberquestioningif he isa Jedi andsuggestingthere willbe
one of the famouslightsaberbattles,thisisalsodramatizedbythe musicwhichisbuildingup andthe cut to
darkness toimplyitisa significantmomentinthe film asitisthe lastscene. Now the charactershave been
introduced,more of the plotisrevealedtogive the audiencemore informationaboutthe filmandtherefore excite
themfurther.There isnowmuch more actioninthe secondpartof the filmto entice the secondaryaudience who
wouldbe more likelytowatchforthe action thanto learnthe continuedstory. However,the adoredHan Solo(from
the previousfilms)explains“the Jedi”and“the darkside”whichis representedthroughthe stormtroopersona
destroyedcity(forthe darkside) andthe resistance base starringPoandFin whichisina more nature friendly
locationtoshow the Jedi,plusbyaddinganextraStar Wars themedsoundeffectwhenthereisthe mid-shotof Fin
wouldsendthe primaryaudience backtothe previoustrilogies.HanSoloisalsoshownhuggingprincessLeiato
presentthe momenttheyre-unite andthusfurtherenergize the primaryaudience whoremembertheirrelationship.
As the non-diegeticmusicbuildsitsuggeststherewillbe somethingdramatic,thusgainingfurtherinterestfromthe
secondaryaudience whowould believe there maybe some action.Howeverthe non-diegeticvoiceoverof Mazwho
isa differentspeciesthusreferringtomulti-cultural societyof today,furthermodernisingthe film .Thisisdone as
the musicintensifies,states“the force,it’scallingtoyou”to implythere maybe a new Jedi. Asthe musicfinishes,
the screengoesblackto furtheradd mysteryandpossiblysuggestitisthe endof the trailer,therefore makingthe
nextpart all the more surprisingtothe audience.Whenthe traileriscutto darknessMaz finishesbysaying“Justlet
it in”signifyingthisiswhatthe filmwill be basedon asit iswhatthe trailerfinishes withthusemphasisingits
importance.Furthermore itcouldbe impliedthatMaz istalkingaboutReyas she iswhothe filmstartswith,whichis
anotherveryimportantpartof the trailer. The trailerthenendswiththe classictextusedforall otherStar Wars films
to introduce “StarWars: The Force Awakens”whichwouldattractthe primaryaudience asitis the veryfamiliartext
that theywouldimmediately recognise.However,the musicusedtointroduce the textisslightlydifferenttothe
original theme musicsuggestingthe filmhasmodernised(asprovenbyReyactingasthe female protagonist which
challengesdominantideologies).Thisfinal partalsoincludesthemesof the sci-fi genre becausethere are stars
behindthe textindicatingthatitisin space,makingthe trailerall the more relevanttogenre. There isthenarelease
date revealedtothe audience forthe 18th
December2015, allowingthe audience toplanwhentheycanwatch itso
4. theywill be furtherexcited. Beneaththe release date itstates“Inreal D 3D and IMAX3D” whichwouldappeal tothe
secondaryaudience whowouldbe more likelytowatchthe filmforthe experience ratherthanthe storyline.
