2. Avatar is a film from the adventure genre featuring Sam
Worthington. Adventure films come along with
subgenres which include Survival film, Western film,
pirate film, Disaster film, and Historical drama. This
genre of films are popular to combine with other movie
genres such as, science fiction, fantasy, horror and
sometimes war films or explorer films. These films are
known as cross-genres. In the case of Avatar is
combined with science fiction and fantasy due to the
fact that it is set on the moon Pandora and the main
protagonist changes into a unique creature.
3. NARRATIVE
The main protagonist Jake Sully is a paraplegic marine whose
brother was killed in a robbery. He decides to take on his brother’s
unique mission on the moon Pandora and becomes torn between
following his orders and protecting the world he feels is his home.
To explore Pandora, scientists working on the mission use Na’vi-
human hybrids called ‘Avatars’ which are genetically matched by
the human. Head of the mission Dr, Grave Augustine considers
Sully as a replacement but accepts his assignment as a
bodyguard. While protecting the avatars Jakes avatar is attacked
and he flees into the forest where he is rescued by a female Na’vi.
4. UNIQUE SELLING POINT
A unique selling point to Avatar is that the avatars are na'vi hybrids, which mean
that they link to the human mind. This is unique because it hasn’t been done
before, the film is mixing and showing how a human mind can be manipulated
into different body.
Another is that, Avatar was a world mythology, and notice too that it was a type
of goddess mythology derived from nature and mankind's link to the natural
world rather than a set of myths separating mankind from the natural world.
Avatar's mythology was something founded in the roots of our own
understanding of myth and of the world, and as such it connected with people
everywhere and with the most fundamental aspects of our other myths that still
in some way touch us, while reminding us of the precious elements we've lost
from our modern mythologies. It also teaches the audience as well as
entertains.
5. TARGET AUDIENCE
The primary target audience for film Avatar is people who
like adventure/sci-fi films and people who have
anticipated the release of the film. The secondary
audience is probably people who have seen the film being
advertised in some way and got interested and younger
people.
6. The trailer opens up with a big close
up of a man opening his eyes under
a blue light. From this shot us as an
audience seen to think that this
character is our main protagonist,
Jake Sully who could be the films
hero. The shot then fades to a black
screen. The shot then fades into a
wide shot of a space craft in outer
space with a feature of a non-diegetic
sound of a digital like engine starting
and heating up.
7. As the camera zooms into the space craft another fade to a
black screen immediately occurs to then cut to a different shot.
A view of the space craft in a worm’s eye shot is shown
following it through dark clouds. This could represent how
powerful this aircraft is to take them into space yet how
dangerous and dark the mission could be, which we get the
impression off the dark clouds. The shot then fades to black
again; however, this black shot lasts longer than the others.
This could give the audience an idea that we are now being
taken to a darker out of space destination which may build up
tension in the films atmosphere as well as the audience’s point
of view.
8. The camera cuts to the landed air craft on Pandora. The
protagonist exits the air craft in a wheelchair and an oxygen mask
strapped to his face. This shows that they have arrived at their
destination and that they’re on another world as humans cannot
breathe in Pandora's atmosphere.
The camera pans around the
protagonist to show helicopters
hovering in the background, trucks
rolling, gun like soldiers and
human soldiers standing. This
shows that the film is set in a
dangerous and intense place. The
audience is meant to fear the
outdoor setting.
9. A wide panning shot of the soldiers sat in a large machine
with the doors lowering into place. This shows that the
outer side of this planet could be rather dangerous and
they need large strong machines to protect them.
10. A close up of a male character is shown at eye level. He had
three scars running down the side of his face which could
represent his strength and ability as a soldier. He is able to
defeat what’s on the outside. The camera cuts to follow sully in
his wheelchair into a room with other machinery. The pace of
this shot starts at a normal rate and when he begins to look
around him the motion of the camera then has a slow effect.
11. A wide shot of what almost looks like the back of a silhouette
of sully glancing at an avatar floating in a huge tank of water
with wires connected. This is the audience’s first glance at the
‘Na’vi’ and it could be Sully’s too. The camera tracks the
whole tank until it cuts to a close up of sully and another male
smiling at the avatar. This is used to show that they like what
they see.
12. A wide shot is shown of sully led down with blue lit wires around his head.
This shows that he is being examined. A panning shot of what seems to
be the scientist is on a computer screen which is a panel of glass is
examining what seems to be a 3D human brain while it slowly rotates. As
an audience we assume this is defiantly Sully and we assume that this is
part of him mission
13. A close up on Sully’s face is shown while he is
still in the capsule. His eyes open and a
flashing blue light appear. This gives the
audience the idea that his mind is elsewhere.
Due to the flashing light being blue it gives the
impression that he could now be an Avatar.
A point of view shot from sully sees two blue
arms and hands. Here we know that he has
become an avatar. A window is also shown in
the room with the examiner behind the glass.
14. A wide shot of the avatar is sat up on the lab table while the
camera partially pans around him. This is Sully as an avatar. He
has pointy ears, blue skin, a long black ponytail. In comparison to
the humans next to him he is very large while they are very
small. He also wiggles his toes, as he is paralyzed in the real
world this is a big boost of confidence for him.
15. An establishing shot of a helicopter
about to touch the floor of what seems
to be jungle like. This is establishing
the location of the world in which the
avatars live.
Further on in the trailer a wide shot of
the armed human soldiers are running
towards the camera with guns and
masks. This gives us the idea that war
between humans and the avatars may
occur.
Various fast pace shots which flick between what seems to be a war
between the humans and avatars are shown. This shows the conflict
between them both and highlights why Sully was sent there for a mission in
the first place.
16. TRANSITIONS
At the beginning of the trailer black transitions appear
between each shot. This could be that they represent the
fact that the film is set out of space or on another planet
as black is associated with space as it is always dark.
The shots then turn sudden with no transitions. As the
trailer continues the black transitions appear once again.
17. TITLES AND INTERTITLES
The intertitles in this trailer are blue which are made to resemble
the colour of the avatars. They are shown on black backgrounds
which then fade onto the following shot, whether it being
establishing the location or a human/avatar.
18. CODE OF ENIGMA
Firsly, during the teaser trailer we do not know why there is a space craft being shown or what
relevance it has to the film. This is because when we hear the word avatar we automatically
link it to a computerised person or image. We have not yet seen the films version of an
‘avatar’ to relate it to anything involving space.
Secondly, we do not know where they are or why they’re there which would also interest the
audience. There are men in large unique machinery which are unusual to be seen in reality.
This leaves the audience in question as to what could be in their surrounding that are
dangerous.
Another is when they discover the avatar for the first time along with the main protagonist,
Sully. Due to it being in a large tank filled with water the audience may question what it is and
why it is so important to be maintained in water.
You see sully as an ‘Avatar’, this may question the audience on how he is throughout the rest
of the trailer. The audience do not know if he is a permanent avatar or if he is awake when he
is one or how he can walk due to him being permanently in a wheel chair.
