1. Movie release date: April 28th, 2011
Director: Paul Feig
Genre: Comedy/Romance
The title Bridesmaid’s is straight to the point and this is effective as it is
conforming to the genre. Other genres like horrors tend to have less revealing
names to keep the audience guessing, but by having such a blunt but true title
the audience are intrigued to watch more. The whole films surrounds the story
of bridesmaids, the cover of the DVD also makes this quite clear.
AUDIENCE GENRE
The target audience for this film are for young
adults, in particular females. The film is intended to
amuse the audience and make them laugh, most
men wouldn’t be interested in films like this as it is
known as a ‘chick flick’ and the characters within the
film are mainly women.
The genre of the film is a comedy and a romance
and this is hinted throughout the trailer, this is
mainly done through the snippets of dialogue that is
added in. These snippets provide an insight into film
and makes the audience want to know more. The
act the whole film has the majority of female
characters along with the plot of the wedding
immediately highlights that the genre is also a
romance.
2. Mise-en-scene
Throughout the trailer the lighting is bright and natural and this makes the film have a laid
back approach allowing the audience to relax and enjoy the film. The print screen on my left
shows how the lighting is quite natural and there is nothing artificial about it, this is kept
constant throughout the trailer as shown in the picture on the airplane below. By using this
lighting the trailer is conforming to the genre with all the light tones signifying the happiness
of the film. On the other hand in horror films
The actresses used in ‘Bridesmaids’, Rebel Wilson
and Melissa McCarthy are both well known
actresses who have starred in a range of other
comedies conforming to the genre. Therefore
immediately this means the audience have a high
expectation for the film and also will be more
enticed to go and watch it.
the lighting used has black and dark tones
again as a way of signifying the mood.
The costumes of the characters are
used to show the divide in the
bridesmaids that is evidently one of the
main events of the film. Above is a
picture of Helen, who is in a black ball
gown for one of the wedding events. By
wearing this it shows how she wants to
dominate against the maid of honor
and she feels superior, again bringing in
the comical aspects.
The settings in the film vary and this is a
way to reflect the conflict between the
maid of honor and Helen, one of the
Bride’s other friend. The two characters
have opposing views about how the
wedding will work, Helen is upper class,
depicted through the costume she is in
above, where as the maid of honor is laid
back, I feel the use of depicting this in
the setting makes the trailer more
amusing and comedic.
3. Camera
At the start of the trailer an establishing shot is used and this is done so the audience
are aware of the setting, New York, therefore giving them a better understanding of the
film before it has even begun. The shot has been taken during the day therefore
meaning that the atmosphere is immediately set as happy. Following this shot is a
picture of the bride and her best friend, the maid of honor. This shot is a medium angle
and is taking from a straight on angle, the effect of this is that we get the sense of
equality and how they are both so close to each other.
One of the most effective shots was the long shot of Helen, then closely followed by an
extreme close up and I feel the effect of this was so the audience could tell she is a
main character in the film. In the close up shot she is the only person in focus and this
insinuates that she feels superior and craves all the attention. This opposes to the initial
equality we got from the previous shot and shows the conflicting personality.
The camera movement throughout the trailer is smooth and this is due to the laid back
approach of the film, this is something typical of a comedy therefore the trailer is
conforming to the genre. A lot of the moving is done by panning, and this creates a
steady and smooth motion, this again has a calming effect and the movement is more
natural, therefore taking the focus away from the camera movement but more on the
events.
The shot below summaries the film, a group of girls on a journey and I feel that this
simple shots have substantial effect.
4. Editing
Throughout the trailer the editing is slow paced and the cuts flow
from one to the other, but as the music picks up there are an
increase in the action in the shots and this could be done to create
excitement. This editing synchronises with the music, known as
anchorage. An example of this is when the cuts are in sync with
the strum of the guitar.
Transitions used include a downward swipe and this is when some
of the text appears on the screen, this is fun and different suiting
the genre.
Below is a print screen of another editing technique used, fast
motion has been put on a list that tells Anna all of what she has to
do in order to fulfill her role as the maid of honor. The fact it has
been edited to go fast reflects how Anna is under all the pressure
and she doesn’t know where to start, therefore showing her
confusion.
Sound
The music starts and it is quite quiet and calm, but
as the first snippet of dialogue is played the pace
picks up, this pace brings up the atmosphere
conforming to the happiness and fun of a romantic
comedy. The song played within the trailer is called
‘Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap’ and the beat
synchronizes with the events going on in the song.
Annie, the maid of honor, lacks effort and
enthusiasm for the role and the song lyrics create
irony. Most of the song is drum and guitar and this
fits in very well. The music, however, dies down at
the comedy moments and this results in the
audience paying full attention to the funny sections.
The narration of the film is done through the little
bits of dialogue and this is effective as the audience
get to see some of the film enticing them. The
characters perspective creates a sense of
verisimilitude, a similar technique done in the
horrors I have analysed.
There isn’t much added in non-diegetic sound other
than the music and this is because the director
wants the audience to concentrate on the funny
bits, again it makes the trailer easy to watch and
there is no disturbances.
5. Narrative theory
I think that you could link Bridesmaids to the
narrative theory of Levis Strauss who argues that
media texts can be broken down into opposites. In
the trailer there is a lot of opposites in personalities,
places, and ideas.
Within the move Helen is upper class and is very
posh, she wears formal clothing and takes pride in
her appearance. While on the other hand Anna who
is the maid of honor, has a more casual and laid back
persona that is also reflected in her clothing. These
oppositions are one of the comical aspects of the
play and it is made clear throughout that these two
characters are opposite.
Similarly to this the setting in the film contrast, some
of their events are in a grubby restaurant where-as
another one is in a 5 star hotel. I feel these
opposites are what make the film diverse. .
6. Texts
The inter titles used throughout the trailer have a consistent
house style that support the idea of a romantic comedy. As
previously mentioned the target audience for this film would
be women aged 15-24, so the titles being in pink reinforces
this. The text used is bold and this makes it stand out and
almost forces the audience into reading it.
The background also has a tint to the color instead of being
plain white and this is a way of adding diversity to the trailer,
this also sways the film towards women. Inter titles are
something a lot of films use and the film I analysed
previously, paranormal activity, used them. This suggests that
the inter titles are typical in modern trailers and they are a
way of informing the audience more about the film. However
all the inter titles change depending on the genre because
the titles have to conform to the genre and to the theme of
the movie. These titles are fun and suggest to me that the
film is uplifting.
