This is my response to the question 6 of the Star Wars: The Force Awakens trailer analysis I was given as part of my A Level Media coursework.

1. Contentand Meaning-
For thissectionof the essayI will be analysingthe official‘The Force Awakens’trailerandtodoso I
will be breakingitdowninto5 differentcategorieswhichare:mise-en-scene,cinematography,
sound,editingandstructure/narrative/SFX.
The mise-en-sceneof ascene can drasticallyaffecthow anaudience interpretsthe meaningand
atmosphere soitiscrucial whensettingthe correcttone of the film.The firstshotof the traileris
Reyin herscavengeroutfitand fromthisthe audience caninferthatshe perhapsisn’tverywealthy
fromthe tatteredconditionandhandmade appearanceof herclothes,buttheyalsohide her
identitymakingherseemmysteriousandpossiblyalienasthe gogglesshe wearsdistortherface
shape so she iscompletelyunknown.Thisclothmaskshe iswearingalsolooselyresemblesthose of
the Jawas andTuscan raidersfromthe original trilogywhowere alsoscavengerssotoolderfansthis
will tell themmore aboutherbackgroundandwhoshe is.The followingshotscontinuetomove
furtherawayfrom Reyand showthe audience more of hersurroundingwhichare alarge derelict
machine or spaceshipof some kind.Thisonce againreinforcesthe ideathatshe isa scavengerbut
alsothat she is very skilledaswhenthe cameramovesoutwe see the vastnessof the shipshe’sin
and howdangerousitactuallyis.Thistellsustwothings,she’sverycapable asshe can scale a large
shipwithonlya rope but alsothat she isveryalone andisolatedasshe seemssosmall and
powerlesscomparedtothe enormityof the craft.Thiscouldrepresentherpositioninthe general
scheme of thingsas we knowshe isn’twell off soherlife maybe assmall and insignificantasshe is
incontrast to the ship.We nextsee whoispresumedtobe the same character - Rey - walking
througha desert,verysimilartothatof the desertsonTatooine where Luke Skywalkergrew.
Drawingthisparallel betweencharacterslinksthemandsuggestedtheirstoriesare insome way
similarormay cross.Even thoughReyiswalkingwithadroid,againthe vast expanse of the scenery
makesherseemsmall andalone.The nextfew shotsshow Reyinsome sortof civilisedareayetitis
still rundownand dilapidatedwhichsuggestsagainthatshe is impoverished andthispairedwith
shotof the spaceshipinthe distance suggestsshe islongingforchange ora way out.
The settingquicklychangestowhatlookstobe a rallyor assemblyof thousandsof stormtroopers,
all stoodfacinga stage witha large redand blackflag hungfromit. Thisstronglyconnotestothe
Nazi ralliesthatwere heldinWW2 andthe flagalsolooselyresemblesthatof the swastikaasthe
colourscheme andmarkingsare similar.Instantlyyoucantell thatthese people are the ‘badguys’or
antagonistsbecause of the stormtroopersas almosteveryoneknowsthey’re onthe badside,but
alsodue to the connotationsof the scene that suggesttheyare undera totalitarianruling.
Again,we quicklymove ontoa newcharacter – Finn– whois seentobe a stormtrooperbefore he
removeshishelmet.Tofansof the series,thiswill show themthathe isn’tfollowingthe rulesasyou
aren’tallowedtobe seenwithoutyourhelmetonbutto otherfanstheymay questionthe facthe is
blackas typicallyinthe pastfilmsall stormtrooperswere aclone of one white man.The trailer
movesonto a FirstOrderfightercraftbeingshotdown,whilstflyingawayfromalarger FirstOrder
shipso to enthusiasticfansthismightraise questionsasto whytheyare shootingattheirownships.
We thensee Finnina verysimilardesertsettingasReywasbefore andthistellsthe audience two
things,one isthat Finnhasabandonedthe FirstOrder(as explainedinthe dialogue) andhislackof
ST attire and two,that Reyand Finn’sstoriesare somehow intertwined.
Next,we cutto a figure dressedinall black(KyloRen)whoisstoodatwhat appearsto be the helm
of a spaceship,shroudedinredlightinstantlymakingthe figure standoutfromhissurroundings,but
alsomakingthe audience waryof the character as the colour connotationsassociatedwithredare
usuallynegativesuchasdangeror fear.This redtheme iscontinuedthroughoutthe trailerasKylois

2. rarelyseenwithoutsome formorredobject or light.The clotheswornbyKyloverycloselyresemble
those wornby Darth Vaderandthistellsushe ismostprobablyon the bad side andthe fact that he
issilhouettedmeanshisidentityishiddensohe seemsmore foreboding.The nextshotconfirmsthat
the figure isn’tinfactVaderbut the mask isso similarittellsthe audiencethathe perhapsadmired
Vaderor wantsto be like him.Thisisconfirmedbythe nextshotof the brokenVadermaskwhichis
presentedonaplinthsuggestingitisondisplay soprobablyconsideredvaluablebywhoeverownsit.
A fewshotslaterthe audience are shownthe MillenniumFalconinafast-pacedscene beingchased
by Imperial orFirstOrderships.The MillenniumFalconisaniconfromthe seriessoalmosteveryone
watchingwill recognisethe shipandmanywill be excitedbyitsreturnas itimpliesthatother
belovedelementsof the previousfilmswill returnsoon,howeverthe factthat itis inwhat isthought
to be the same desertasboth FinnandReysuggeststhat theyare in some wayinvolvedwiththe
shiplinkingthe oldwiththe new. Thisshotsequence thenfadesintoReyandFinntogetheronthe
MF nexttowhat seemtobe hologramsandthis maycause fansto questionbothhow andwhythey
are on the ship,howeverthe shotthencutsto Han Soloinhisclassicoutfitalsoonthe shipwhich
will definitelyexcitefansasitconfirmsat the oldcharacters are beingrevivedforthe new filmbut
the questionstill standsastowhytheyare withHan.
We thenjumpa fewshotslaterto Kylostill inhisblackattire butthistime he isholdingared
Lightsaber– againresemblingVader’sasthisalsoaddsto the red imagerybuiltuparoundhis
character. Thiswill certainlyexcite fansasitreinforcesthe presence of the DarkSide andshowsthat
the iconicweaponwill be returningforthe film.The settingof the shotalsosaysa lotaboutKylo’s
character as Abramshas usedpatheticfallacytoshow the angerand aggressionKylofeels,
representedbythe pouringrainand intense lightningflashes.
In the followingshotthe audience are shownX- Wingfighterplanesflyinginformationwhichlike
the MF will excite fansasthese planesare the symbol of the Resistance/Rebelforcesandconnote to
the Light Side muchlike the FirstOrderfleetshipsrepresentthe FirstOrder/Imperial Empire.The
returnof these statementshipswillincreasethe nostalgicvibe Abramstriedtocreate throughout
the film.The craftsare onlyseenfora secondbefore itcuts awayto the STs shootingat the Rebel
planeswhichclearlyshowsthe divisionbetweenthe twosidestoensure anyfirst-time viewerscan
easilytell whoisgoodandwhois bad.
We nextsee anewcharacter (Poe) wearingthe traditional orange andwhite Rebel flyingsuitwith
the Resistance emblemonit,showinganyolderfansthathe isclearlya Resistance fighter,however
he is seenstandingnexttoanX-Wingplane soto anyone whodoesn’tmake thislinkhe canstill be
identifiedasaGood Guy.The shottracks Poe and showshiminteractingwithFinnandtherefore
linkingandmostlikelyReytothe Alliance,confirmingthey’re the protagonists.
The trailerjumpsback to the desertsof Jakkuas the audience are shownReyandFinnwithBB8
beingshotat by planesanditis the reappearance of the droidthatmay excite botholderand
youngerfansas the belovedcharactersR2-D2and C3PO are yetto be seenso the presence of anew
droidisappealingasit once againreinforcesthe nostalgiaandisrelatable tothe youngergeneration
as BB8 isa lovable character.
A fewshotslaterthere isa scene thatlasts abouthalf a second,yetisarguablyone of the most
excitingshotsof the trailersofar as we are finallyshownR2-D2sothisis promisingasitsuggestshe
will return,but the keyelementtothisshotisthe handon the droid.Viewerswhohaven’tseenthe
firsttrilogywon’tnotice itbutthe hand touchingthe droidisa mechanichandidentical tothe one

3. belongingtoLuke Skywalkerandupuntil thispointthere hasbeenno directmentionorreference to
himwhat soeverso thiswill excite mostfansasittellsusthere isa chance he will return.
Later, we are showna shot of some STs walkingthroughwhatseemstobe a village orcamp that is
on fire butone of the STs is wearinga fullychrome/metallicsuit,distinguishingthemfromthe rest.
Thishas neverbeenseenbefore asall STshave alwaysbeenwhite andblacksothismay cause the
audience toraise questionstothe significance of the specialtrooper.
In the nextfewbrief shotsthe trailercutstoFinn,Han and Chewie all withtheirhandsinthe airas if
surrendering.The sceneryof the shotmatchesthatof the firstX-Wingshotsuggestingtheywere
perhapscaughtby the First Orderbutmore excitingly,Chewbacca isbacknow meaningthatthe new
filmwill have HanandChewie togetheronthe MF whichto any Star Wars fan isa major deal.
The shot thencuts to BB8 in the back of a plane quicklyfollowedbyPoe wearingthe Resistance
flyingsuitandhelmet,presumablyflyingsaidplane.Thisisprettymucha mirrorimage of whenLuke
fliesthe X-Wingplanesinthe original trilogywithR2-D2inthe back controllingthe gunssoAbrams
hasn’tbeensubtle here whenmakingthe comparisonbetweenthe twocharacters.
7 jumpcuts later,the trailershowsLeiaOrganahuggingHan at whatcouldbe the Rebel base as
there are lots of people inthe backgroundwearingflightsuitslike the one Poe hadon.The fact that
Leiais at the Rebel base suggestsshe isinvolvedinthe Resistance butthe factshe ishuggingHan is
infinitelymore excitingasthe audience don’tknow if theyare still togetherandwhathashappened
intheirpast. Thisparticularscene will be especiallyappreciatedbythe female StarWarsfans as
before Rey,Leiawasthe onlyfemale characterthatwomencouldsupportandrelate toso her
returnwill be special formanywomenbotholdandyoung.
The final shotsare of Kyloand Finnhavinga Lightsaberbattle,KylousinghisLightsaberasseen
before andFinnusinga blue LightsaberwhichinpreviousfilmsbelongedtoLuke Skywalker.Thiswill
certainlycause fansto questionhowFinngotLuke’sLightsaber,whetherhe hasthe Force and many
more as we have seenbrief clipsthroughoutthe trailersuggestingthatKyloRenhasthe Force but
doesFinn?
Cinematography-
The cinematographythroughoutthe trailerhasbeenengineeredtoshow the clearcontrast between
the good andthe evil withinthe filmanditispresentfromthe verystart.The firstshotsequence
shownestablishthatReyisverymuchalone andisolatedandthisispresentedthroughthe first4
shotsthat slowlymove awayfromher,givingthe audienceaview of hersurroundingsandhow small
she is.Thisis repeatedinthe followingshotinthe desertbutitalso hasthe addedelementof her
walkingawayfromthe camera andbecomingsmallerandsmallerwhilstsurroundedbysucha
barrenenvironmentmakesherseemtinyincomparison.Again,thissame technique isusedwhen
showingFinnonJakkuas he too isshowninthe desertalone withthe nothingnesstoreallymake
the audience understandhowalone andpowerlesshe is.
These twoscenesbothpresentFinnandReyas the underdogsasit issimplythemagainstthe world,
so whenitcuts to the first shotof the FirstOrder the contrast betweenthe twoforcesinmassive.
The slowpanningshotat the ST rallyshowsthe endlesslinesof figurestogive the audienceasense
of immense powerasthere isnoendto the numberof ST there.Evenwithinthisshotwe cansee
the clear distinctionof powerasGeneral Hux ispositionedabove the soldiersshowinghe haspower
overthem/commandsthemshowinganestablishedhierarchy.

4. The introductionof KyloRenisdrasticallydifferenttohow Reyand Finnare presentedasthe first
shotclosesinon hisfigure makinghimseemforeboding.Thisisfollowedbyanintense closeupshot
of hismaskin a lowlightenvironmentagainreinforcingthathe isthe antagonistas he appears
sinister,butalsobecause the shotis froma slightlow angle againsubtlyshowingthe power
imbalance betweenthe goodandbad.
Whenthe character of Han Soloispresented,he,ReyandFinnare all shownat level midshotangles
suggestingthattheyare equal ratherthan part of a dictatorshiplikethe FirstOrder.Thisagain
highlightsthatdifference inforcesasthe bad guysare usuallyfocusedontakingoverandrulingso
that fact that these three charactersare all eventellsthe audiencethattheyare on the goodside.
The final shots of Kyloand Finnhavinga Lightsaberduel alsopresentthispowerimbalance butona
smallerscale asit isonly1v1 yetthe Dark Side isstill portrayedasmore powerful asthe camera
tracks and followsKyloashe closesinonFinnwhoisseento backaway intrepidation.The
positioningof the camerainthis shotalsoportraysthis as Kyloispositionedinfrontof Finnmakingit
seemasthoughhe ismuch larger,therefore makinghimcome off asmore powerful and
overbearing.
Sound-
The soundtrack and effectsof the trailergive itmassive presence andprovide emphasistocreate an
intense atmosphere throughout.The openingchordsof the videoare openpercussivenoteswith
lotsof reverbtogive the scene a brightand positive tone andalsoinducinga sense of almost
wonderment.The timingof saidchordsalsoallowsthatdialogue toflow perfectlywiththe musicso
it hasa verysmoothquality.The score remainsquite bare forthe introductionof ReyandFinnwith
onlyminimal soundeffectsaddedtoadd to the isolationof the charactersandto increase the
contrast that followsinthe nextscene whenKyloRenisintroduced.
A thispoint,the musicstaysthe same melodywise,howeveritbecomeslayeredandmore effects
are addedto buildthe arrangement andconsequentlythe volumetoincrease the intensityof the
scene.Thisisdone throughthe use of heldonstringsratherthan the singularchordsto make the
introductionof Kyloveryforcefulandominous,therefore makinghimseempowerful aswell.The
arrangementisthenlayeredupagainwithsoundeffectstobringthe piece toa crescendoand
announcesthe beginningof the firstactionsequence.
Here,the melodyreturnstothe more positive score whenReyistalkingtoestablishthe ideathat
she isthe goodguysand KyloRenis one of the bad guys.The piece of musicusedforthisscene is
alsoone of the tracks fromthe original filmssothiswill cause viewerstoassociate fondmemoriesof
the firsttrilogywiththe character Reyto againensure the audience feel inclinedtorootforher ina
sense.The dialogue thatfitsoverthe musicfromthisscene addsmysteryasReysimplystates‘Those
stories’ratherthanelaboratingonwhatstoriesshe’stalkingaboutsoprettymuchanySW fan will
knowwhatshe is referringtoyetitleavesjustenoughunsaidsothatany new viewerswill question
thisand wantto findout more.
The music thencutsto the original SWsoundtrack whenwe are shownKyloagainina similar
fashionasearlierinthe trailerbutthistime itcontinuespastthe shotsof Kyloandbeginstobuildas
choirvoicesare addedtothe orchestrato give the soundanalmostethereal feel,remindingviewers
of the sci-fi/fantasygenre of the film.Atthispoint,the use of soundeffects - suchas the laser
blasternoisesandthe fighterplane canons - are increased,asisthe actionwithinthe shotsso this

5. increase allowsthe musictoplateauwithoutthe actual score changing.Thisiscrucial forthe 16
secondsof the traileras the musicbecomesverystabbyandplacesemphasisonthe specific
characters andshots throughthe intense builds.At1:59 onlythe reverb fromthe musicis left
allowingmassesof space forthe followingdialogue andcreatingmassive impactsurroundingwhat
Maz Kanatasays. The soundthenfadesbackintothe original soundtrackwitha positive melodyand
chords combinedwiththe informationaboutthe filmrelease toleave the viewersfeelingsatisfiedin
a way and encouragingthemtogo andsee the film.
Editing-
The editingworkswell withthe cinematographyof the trailertoonce againenforce the ideathatthe
FirstOrderare all mightyand powerful,specificallythroughthe shotlengthsandtimingof the shot
cuts to ensure the audience onlyseeelementsthatdisplaytheirauthority.
On average,the shotlengthduringthe introductionsof ReyandFinnisroughlyaroundabout4
seconds,howeverwhenyoucompare thistothe average shotlengthof KyloRenwhichisabout2
seconds,withmanyof hisshotslaterin the trailerbeinglessthan1 secondlongitbuildsasense of
intensityashisshotsare veryblunt,whereasthe longershotssuggestvulnerabilityasI explainedin
the cinematographysubheading.
The cut timingasmentionedearlieralsohasa bigeffectonthe audience’sperceptionof the First
Orderas theyare presentedinapositionof powerinall butone shotthroughoutthe entire duration
of the trailer.Anexample of thisisthe STrallyas I mentionedbefore where itiscutso we see no
beginningorendtothe linesof troopers,givingthe audience the impressionthatthe linesare
endlesssuggestinginaway that the Orderhas infinite power.
The order inwhichthe traileriseditedalsorevealsinformationaboutthe filmasthe keycharacters
are introducedfirstinanisolatedwaytoensure the viewerknowstheyare importantcharacters,
but alsointhe fact that the middle sectionof the trailercontainsvastamountsof actionandfight
scenesgivinguscluesasto the basisof the storywithoutgivingawaytoomuch of the plot.Thisis
done throughthe use of fastpacededitingsothe clipneverlingersonanyone scene formore than a
couple of seconds,yetthe audience still have asense of whatthe filmmightbe about.
A keyshotin anyof the aspectsI have talkedaboutisthe endshot as it isthe last thingthe viewer
seessoit will leave alastingimpression.The waythe shotiscut short sothat we onlysee a glimpse
of KyloliftinghisLightsaberletsthe audience know he isincontrol of the situationeventhoughwe
are rootingforFinnas he’sthe good guyso there’snowayhe’sgoingto lose.Thisleavesthe viewer
reallyquestioningwhatwill happenall because of the timingof the cutand the fact that we don’t
see Finnfightbackor retaliate inanyway.
Structure and Narrative-
The structuringof the trailerandhow ittellsthe storyisquite unsubtle atthe beginningasthere are
3/4 scenesthatare clearlyestablishingthe genre andcharactersof the film.From0:08 to 0:19 of the
trailerthe shotschosenare purelyto introduce the audience tothe tone,genre andatmosphereof
the filmsoit isclear fromthe start what codesand conventionscanbe expectedthroughout.The
trailerthenprogressestoa more storytellingstylewhere we agivenaglimpse of the 3 main

6. characters andan insightintotheirbackgroundandmindsetfrombothshotsandthe dialogue that
goeswithit.Thisallowsthe audience togetto know themandpossiblyformapersonal relationship
withthemas theymayfeel theyunderstandacertaincharacteror perhapscan sympathise withthe
situationthey’re insothe viewersbecome emotionallyinvestedinwhathappenstothem.
The pace thenrapidlymovesontoseveral separatesectionsof fastpacedaction shotsthat again
followthe conventionsof whatyouwouldexpecttosee ina sci-fi filmsoevenif the viewerdoesn’t
particularlycare aboutthe characters,there will be somethinginthe filmthatstill intereststhem.
The same can be saidabout the plottwiststhatare revealedthroughthe traileraswe startoff being
shownthe MF whichbyitself wouldexcite somefans,butasthe trailergoeson andHan Solois
unveiledandthenthe verybrief clipof whatcouldbe Luke Skywalkerisshown,the audience’s
attentionisdrawnina way to whatisn’tbeingshown/isbeingwithheldfromthemwhichwill
increase theircuriosityandmake themsee the filmjustsotheycanfindoute.g.if Luke reallydoes
make an appearance.The trailerreachesitspeakinboth musicand tensioninthe final shotwhere it
islefton a cliff hanger,furtherincreasingthe audience’sdesiretogosee the filmandfindout what
happens.