2. American sniper
Before we see any action, we get the diegetic pleonastic sound of a gun reloading, this instantly adds some
suspension as the audience are raring to find out who? what? When? Where? Why? The connotations of
the sound are linked to danger and death, extreme situations like this allow for the audience to be at full
attention. The first shot, an extreme close up of the barrel of a large sniper rifle, is used in conjunction with
a slow pan, leaving the audience wondering who is at the end of the gun, again adding some more
suspense. The use of props such as the gun and rocks in conjunction with some low key lighting give the
scene an eerie feel and as an audience we instantly think, WAR. The extreme close up of the snipers eye
allows for the audience to notice the extreme delicacy and detail of the human eye, this may be
representative of the delicacy of his targets as well as the audience appreciating the effect the shot would
have on the target, just from his eye we can tell that the situation is serious and tense. The high angled
long shot of the two snipers represents the soldiers as resourceful as we can see how well they blend in
with the settings. The POV shot through the scope of the gun adds effect and makes the audience feel as if
they are in the position of the soldier. The cut from the hand held fast pace of the ground troops to the
calm steady shot of the sniper contrasts the role of the two. The shot reverse shot from the white
American sniper to the suspected terrorist who is of Asian ethnicity shows the divide between skin colour
and is typical of an American action/adventure film where Americans are seen to hold the power.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=99k3u9ay1gs
3. Everest (2015)
The initial establishing shot of Mount Everest is extremely relevant to the film and sets the scene, an establishing shot
has been used here in order to emphasise the vastness of the mountain range, the shot is made interesting due to the
fact the camera is up within the clouds and at such a high altitude, this consequently encourages the viewer to
continue watching as this is not something they see everyday. The deep sinister sound of the tuba is loud and
overpowering, also representative of the scenery, the soundtrack carries a spooky undertone, foreshadowing what
happens later on, the audience are able to tell something major is going to occur; this is what they want to see. The
fast paced cuts as the shots fade in and out allow for the audience to build up an idea of how strong a family life the
characters have, as well as their importance in society, this means when something bad happens the viewer is
emotionally attached and wants to watch on. We see an extreme close up shot of a baby scan, this further highlights
the importance of life to the characters as well as the audience, the extreme close up are used in contrast with high
angled extreme long shots in order to put emphasis on the size of the challenge the characters wish to take on
compared to what they are used to in their everyday life. The titles ‘based on a true story’ make everything much
more believable as well as the events becoming more chilling. The increasing sound of wind as the storm closes builds
up tension as well as preventing any focus to be directed at the man made factor of the film, wind is a natural sound
and element, which is capable of anything and can be unreliable, the audience feel scared for the characters as the
wind draws ever closer, a cut to black is used before any major action, this is typical of a trailer and leaves the
audience with the question, “What happens next?”, just what the production team wanted to achieve so the viewers
will then go on to spend money at the cinema to watch the full film.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ZQVpPiOji0
4. The shallow focus POV shot instantly throws the viewer into the action and makes them feel in danger, the same danger in which the real
character is in. The extreme close up of the barcode allows for all the detail of the barcode to be seen and highlights to the audience that
it is of some importance. The deep bellowing sound of the drum adds a serious tone to the whole trailer. Through the use of mise en
scene and costume we are able to identify who is holds the power within the scene and distinguish between the different roles of the
characters such as the security guards. The slow motion exaggerates the power of the antagonist and how resourceful he is. The match
on action of the gun being loaded and the girl in the shower leaves the viewer asking the question, “what happens next?”, this is what is
wanted by the producers. The extreme close up of the mans face shows his calm nature and adds reality to the scene. Props such as the
sports car are a typical convention of an action adventure film and represent the antagonist as powerful and skilful. Several angles used
in conjunction with a hand held camera are used for the fight scene to disorientate the audience. The POV of the plane in the hangar
shows the size and power of the plane. We would usually associate males with bald heads as thuggish and criminals, through choice of
character we can easily distinguish between protagonist and antagonist. The slow motion of the gun firing allows for the viewer to sit for
longer and reflect on the impact of what the gun shot could have on the target. The real life location of the parking lot makes it very
relatable to the audience. A feature of the trailer which I would like to incorporate into my trailer is the dip to black before too much is
revealed, I feel that this is what a trailer should be for. The diegetic sound of the male speaking gives the viewer more of an idea of what
is occurring in the trailer. We see the trailer subvert the genre and use events which are not typical of an action/adventure film, the swat
team costume represents the characters as powerful and resourceful, while the male in the suit is portrayed as weak but rich, although
this is the case, the men in the swat costumes end up in more trouble than the male in the suit, this is not what the audience are
expecting, hinting that the full film will contain surprises round every corner.
Hitman
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=alQlJDRnQkE
5. Elf (2003)
The trailer begins with an aerial shot of what seems to be an expensive ancient chest, the shot allows for the audience to admire
the detailing in the chest, the shot also allows for only the chest to be in shot and focus; thus we understand that the prop carries
importance. The low key lighting gives the shot a mystical, secret feeling. The match on action allows for the CGI to be turned into
reality, CGI is typical of a film with the rating of PG as it appeals to the childish nature of the younger audience. Through the use of
mise en scene, the low angled close up shot of the black boots and red costume only carry one assumption, Father Christmas. The
low angled shot of shallow focus allow just enough for the Christmas tree to be recognised within the background. The shot reverse
shot of the baby and the toy is used to soften the tone and as an audience we understand that the genre of the film is likely to be a
comedy. The highly saturated colours are typical of a PG rating film and comedy films, it allows for it to be more interesting to the
primary audience, because the younger audience enjoy the visual appearances. A high angled shot of the baby used in conjunction
with the low angled shot of Santa clause contrasts the size of the characters, portraying Santa as powerful and the baby as weak
and vulnerable. The long shot of the elves sitting in class is used to great effect and to try to achieve laughs, typical of a comedy.
The long shot allows for comparison in size between the other elves and Buddy. Through the use of camera, the producers can infer
that something is going to happen but then go completely against this inferred event to the surprise of the viewer, the low angled
shot of Buddy and high angled shot of the racoon infer that the racoon is in danger of Buddy, however it turns out Buddy is in
danger of the racoon- the audience would find this funny and the hand held camera show the panic of Buddy. The ambient sound
of the busy New York street used in conjunction with Buddy singing and walking a long in an elves costume show how unfamiliar
Buddy is with this environment, in which the audience would not find unusual, to the audience this is funny. The use of a fiction
location and an everyday location allow for the audience to relate to. The high pitched chimes of triangles add to the childish
comedy as the soundtrack carries a loose, relaxed tone of which the family audience would enjoy.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gW9wRNqQ_P8
6. Skyfall
The trailer for Skyfall makes use of lots of fast paced cuts in order to reveal as little as possible. We see lots of fast paced action feature
throughout as this is what both existing Bond fans and new viewers wish to see. The low key lighting is typical of the spy genre and hints at
themes of secrecy and darkness. The fade to black transition is used to prevent the viewer from seeing the full outcome of the car chase, thus
meaning they are intrigued to watch the full film. The establishing shot of the train in the countryside is used in order to highlight the scarcity of
the location and gives the audience a look at the extreme location of which it is set, the unusual location makes the trailer interesting as it is not
somewhere the viewer can easily relate to. The increasing tempo of the dramatic soundtrack helps build tension and suggest that something
extreme is going to happen. The non chronological order of which the trailer follows leaves the viewer making incorrect inferences, when we
see Bond unconscious underwater, we question, “Is he dead?.” From the handheld camera action we feel unrest and understand that Bond is in
danger, because he is the protagonist, this is not what the audience wish to see therefore sympathise with him and become inclined to watch
the full film. The pleonastic sound of the gun shot creates a chilling feeling as well as emphasises the physical power of both the gun and the
lady shooter. Not following typical conventions of an action adventure film, we see two main female characters as they are presented as having
authority and technological power. The abundance of gadgets such as computers and smart phones represent the two female characters as
intelligent. Within this text, there is a clear theme of gender equality being explored. Dialogue is only used in the trailer when a character must
reveal something extremely important or when something is humorous, such as when asks Bond, “Where the hell have you been?” as we
already know Bond as a mischievous, un predictable character, this would be humorous. Most viewers will already be familiar with the Bond
figure therefore even before the famous soundtrack is introduced, the diegetic dialogue of Bond can be heard, this inclines us to watch on. The
sound bridge is used to make the trailer a lot more interesting as it accompanies the shots and this meaning the shots make a lot more sense,
allowing the viewer to piece the plot together slightly. We see an abundance of CGI used throughout, this is just what the audience of a film of
this nature wish to see, by meeting the typical conventions of an action/adventure film, the film becomes a lot more familiar to existing
action/adventure fans.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6kw1UVovByw
