Detailed analysis of dear john

1. Mackenzie Nisbet
Detailed analysis of Dear John
Camerawork
The use of a dissolve introduces the character in a more romantic transition. Dissolve is typical used
in romantic trailers as it is seen a more romantic and gentle transition. Also this transition is used
here as the sun is behind him which, represents as angle like and in a positive natural way.
The use of a dissolve introduces the character in a more romantic transition. Dissolve is typical used
in romantic trailers as it is seen a more romantic and gentle transition. Also this transition is used
here as the sun is behind him which, represents as angle like and in a positive natural way. The use
of a dissolve introduces the character in a more romantic transition. Dissolve is typical used in
romantic trailers as it is seen a more romantic and gentle transition. Also this transition is used here
as the sun is behind him which, represents as angle like and in a positive natural way.
Sound
The non-diegetic music in the background of the trailer is fast past. The fast past music gives a happy
sense to the movie and informs the audience what the movie is about and this relates to the scenes
in the trailer at the beginning as it shows the two characters in love together. The non-diegetic music
in the trailer then stops while the trailer introduces more of the story and narrative with the use of
dialog. The non-diegetic music also stops when there are very romantic scenes such as the two main
characters (John and savannah) kissing in the rain, this scene portrays lots of romance by having the
characters not care about getting wet in the rain as long as they are together with each other this
shows their strong feelings for each other. The non-diegetic music then increases in volume to
emphasise the dramatic scene where the two are splitting up this links with the camerawork as the
characters are walking away from each other and how the characters are crying.
Editing
At the start of the romantic trailer the protagonist is shown to be a hero and to be a caring loving
character by jumping in the water to retrieve the main female characters bag, this is shown by the
use of match on action to show clearly that the bag has fallen into the water to emphasize the act of
kindness and to make sure the audience knows she has dropped her bag into the sea. The use of
slow motion at the start of the trailer when John Tyree (Channing Tatum) when he is diving into the
water to retrieve the girls bag makes me look dreamy and portrays him as a lovely and caring man.
A blur effect of the footage is used when the titles appear to make the audience focus on the titles
and text introducing the movie as trailers conventionally have some text to promote the movie such
as ‘best-selling author’. There is also the use of a lens flare when the text appears to also emphasis
the text and make it stand out more. Also the use of a lens flare makes the footage seem brighter
and have a higher key lighting to make the scene more positive as brighter colours such as yellow
and white connote happiness and warm and safe feelings.

2. Mackenzie Nisbet
Mise-en-scene
Props in this trailer have an important part as they help show the audience the feelings between the
two characters. For example at the start of the trailer the female characters drops her bag into the
water and like a damsel in distress. The main male character then comes to the rescue to retrieve
her bag. This shows how the male character would look after and be a hero for the girl, which is very
stereotypical for romance genre movies. Another prop which is used to show the male characters
feelings is the male characters surf board. When he is introducing himself he knocks his board on the
pier leg, this shows the male character is nervous and is not concentrating on walking but on other
things like trying to impress the girl he has just met. This also adds a sense of narrative to the trailer
as this scene of nervousness of them meeting.
The use of settings is also important in this trailer. The setting outside in the building they are
helping to build is very romantic as they are outside cuddling in the rain and then they kiss. This
scene where they are kissing in the rain is a stereotypical romantic scene as kissing in the rain
portrays their love for each other and that their feelings are so strong they don’t care about gett ing
wet. Also the scenes where the male character is filmed in an army base with planes and in his army
uniform shows how the male character is leaving and going away to war this adds to the narrative of
the film and helps the audience understand the story. This use of costume and location is linked with
sound as the music gets louder at the same time as the male character is shown in his uniform to be
leaving, this signifies that it is a strong issue in the film and creates drama as he leaves (shown as he
in in an airport). All of these uses of mise-en-scene add to the impact of the trailer to make the film
look interesting to the audience.
Overall the trailer ‘Dear John’ is very conventional as its suits the romantic genre as there are many
conventional aspects in the trailer which are typically seen in most romantic trailers. Some of the
main aspects of the trailer which are conventional to the genre is how the trailer portrays the
narrative with the use of technical elements. Camera work in the trailer is used very effectively by
using two shots and over the shoulder shots to show their love and the conflict. The two shot shows
the two main characters close together and allows the trailer to inform the audience of their
relationship with the use of the actor’s body language towards each other. This use of body language
easily shown in the two shot is very conventional for the romance genre as it portrays their feelings
for each other. The over the shoulder shots in the trailer show how the two main characters are
arguing at each other, the conflict shown in these camera angles are very conventional to the genre
as typically there is a lot of conflict at one point in the movie.
From my detailed analysis of the movie trailer I have found out many of the conventions of form of a
movie trailer, below are a list of the conventions of form of romance trailers…
 Text appearing to promote the movie e.g. From best-selling author
 Fading between different scenes
 Titles which promote the movie also dates of release
 Voice over
 A range of different scenes of short length to give audience a sense of the film
 Use of non-diegetic music to promote the movie and act as a link between the range of
scenes