The trailer summarizes the key points of the Maze Runner film in under 3 minutes. It shows intense action scenes and frightening creatures to generate excitement and anticipation among its target audience of teenagers and young adults. Persuasive techniques like compelling phrases and adrenaline-pumping music and imagery are used to convince viewers that this is a film worth watching. The trailer provides just a taste of the mysteries and dangers that will be explored in the full movie.

1. Case Studies Guidance Notes
Advertising Product
The Maze Runner Trailer(Official Final Trailer)
Purpose
The purpose of the trailer is to entertain, persuade, and promote. The official trailer was
released on 30 July 2014 and is 2:47 minutes in length. The video entertains the audience
throughout as it provides insight for the Maze Runner and shows some of its intense, fast
paced action scenes, tense moments, and outstanding CGI effects. These factors persuade
the audience, convincing them that this movie is definitely worth a watch and that they’ll be
blown away. Many aspects of the trailer evoke adrenaline and create anticipation e.g. the
first appearance of a ‘Griever’ (the creatures that roam the maze; at 1:02) and the sequence
involving the main protagonist (Thomas) running for his life as the maze shifts around him
(2:17-2:21). These aspects are likely to make this video an entertaining, heart pumping
experience for the viewer throughout.
The trailer is also attempting to promote the Maze Runner film (as well as the novel) to the
audience. One of the key purposes of every advertisement is to raise awareness of the
product that is being shown, and this trailer does a great job in raising awareness and
increasing the popularity of the Maze Runner.
Audience
The trailer seems appropriate for adults and teenagers, although it does imply a great deal of
scenes that may be unsuitable for younger audiences. The creatures that roam the maze,
called ‘Grievers’, are shown and look very nightmarish. Their appearance is likely to terrify
young children. Also, the atmosphere encompassing the trailer might make it seem a lot like
a horror movie likely too intense for that type of audience. The music and the fast-paced
sequences featured within the video might also be too intense for younger audiences. The
trailer is more likely to appeal to teenagers and young adults because these age groups
seem to prefer this genre of film and don’t mind violence.
The trailer should be appropriate for males and females. Males tend to prefer action and
violence in movies a lot more than most females do, so this trailer would appeal to males.
However, the trailer could also appeal to females as a female character is introduced and
she has dialogue. The trailer could give the impression that the male protagonist and this
female character may have romantic feelings for each other; thus hinting at a genre that
appeals to females which is romance. The trailer could appeal to the Achiever
psychographic because there are messages present that focus on individuality (separate
characters), the Emulator due to messages about being more successful (1:48- “We get out
now.”), and Socially Conscious Type A as there are messages present regarding making a
difference (1:37- “What if we were sent here for a reason?”).
The trailer appeals to a US audience. At 2:26, near the end of the video, the date September
19 is shown, referencing the release date in the United States. The video features

2. characters with American accents who US audiences can relate to and references the
company responsible for producing the film: 20th
Century Fox (at 0:34), which is based in the
US. The trailer could also appeal to a British audience as it introduces a character with a
British accent (at 0:48). The content of the trailer might appeal to those of C2DE social
grades, which are lower middle class, working class, and the lowest levels of subsistence.
This is because of the clothes the characters are wearing, the jobs they have to do, the
flimsy appearance of the shelter they have, and how there is no electricity tie to the fact that
lower social grades acknowledge how difficult life is for them.
Type of Advert
The Maze Runner Trailer could fit into a few of Gunn’s Categories including The Perfect
Story, Benefit Based, and USP (Unique Selling Point).
The trailer fits into ‘The Perfect Story’ because of its quotes: Enter the Maze (2:03) and
Unlock the Mystery (2:07). These quotes suggest that viewing the product will have a
positive effect for the audience as it will create the perfect outcome, which would be
entertainment.
The trailer also matches ‘Benefit Based’ of Gunn’s Categories because it is emphasizing the
key positive effects of the product that is being advertised: The Maze Runner. Many fast-
paced, adrenaline evoking action scenes have been taken from the actual film e.g. dodging
the obstacles of the Maze (2:17-2:20), have been taken from the actual film and put into the
trailer to show audiences how good the film will be before even seeing it at the cinema. The
trailer also positively emphasizes the idea to adapt the novel into a film as a quote comes
up: Based on the Best-Selling Novel (1:08). The trailer does not appear to emphasize any
negative effects; therefore it is the opposite of ‘The Problem Advert’.
The trailer could fit into ‘USP (Unique Selling Point) because, like all individual film trailers, it
hints that the film being advertised has aspects which other films do not possess. The trailer
does explore certain elements that audiences would praise as something they have never
seen before, like completely different dynamics and a completely new storyline. Many parts
of the trailer would seem unique. All these aspects fit into this specific category of
advertising.
Psychographic Audience
The trailer would apply to the Achiever psychographic, the Emulator psychographic, and the
Socially Conscious Type A psychographic.
Achiever: A serious individual who desires power and material wealth. Messages in
advertising need to be expressed quickly and focus on things like individuality, money, and
power. The trailer would appeal to this psychographic because there is individuality within
the characters featured and this particular message is expressed quickly.
Emulator: An individual who hopes to appear like an Achiever to gain approval from their
peers or attract the opposite sex. Messages will need to focus on success. The trailer

3. appeals to this psychographic because it hints at heroism and adventurous courage, which
are factors that could be greatly approved of. The trailer also highlights determination to be
successful, and this could be seen as a message by the Emulator psychographic who aim to
be more successful in life.
Socially Conscious Type A: People who are concerned with how the actions of mankind
affect the world around them. They aim to make the world a better environment and
messages need to focus on making a difference to society and/or the environment, or just
‘making a difference.’ The reason this trailer appeals to this psychographic is because it
explores the aims of the protagonist: to make a difference to an environment enclosed by
stone walls and completely change things for the society of boys who reside there.
Persuasive Techniques
A number of persuasive techniques have been used throughout the trailer. A series of short,
striking phrases are present e.g. ‘Enter the Maze’ (2:03) and ‘Unlock the Mystery (2:06)
which persuade the audience to watch the movie and hint at its storyline. During the final
seconds of the video, a tagline for the film is shown: “Get ready to run” which could intrigue
the audience and suggest that the film will feel as if they are really there, running for their
lives alongside the characters in the maze. This phrase is also quite demanding. It is clearly
not aimed at any particular age group, gender, ethnicity, or psychographic; it addresses
everyone. It could be stating that audiences have to see this film.
The phrase in the trailer “Based on the Best-Selling Novel” (1:08) is clearly a reference to a
previously successful product (the novel) and can also be considered repetitive because it
refers to the actual movie which is an adaptation of a previous product: the novel by James
Dashner. In this movie, the story from the original novel is being told a second time. There is
also dialogue within the trailer which could be repeated quotes from the book. There is rule
of three within the trailer, with three separate phrases which viewers are likely to remember:
This Fall, Enter the Maze, Unlock the Mystery.
This trailer also utilizes specific codes: written, audio, technical, and symbolic, which are
very common in film trailers. The written codes include the title of the film (2:25), and the
phrases at (2:05) and (2:09). The audio codes generally concern everything that is heard
within the trailer, including aspects of dialogue, soundtrack, sound effects, diegetic, non-
diegetic etc. The technical codes used in the trailer are movement of characters, shots,
camera angles, and lighting. Symbolic codes involve everything in the trailer that could
create meaning e.g. text fonts, colour, style of characters, setting, and mise en scene.
The written codes in this video intrigue the audience not only through the use of striking
phrases e.g. Unlock the Mystery (2:06), but also through certain elements. These include
size, colour, and style of text, as well as background and whether or not the text fades
in/fades out, flashes on and off/slowly forms etc. The audio codes are persuasive because
they add to the excitement of the trailer and make it a better experience for the viewer.
Without sound, the trailer would be far less enjoyable. Technical codes include camerawork,
shots, angles, and lighting. These create meaning; a high angle shot (0:54) in which the
camera is looking down on the subject, suggests weakness. This is actually very prominent
in this scene, because the camera is very high up and the subjects look tiny which could

4. relate to the fact that the characters within the film
are utterly helpless. Another high angle shot in the
trailer (1:08) shows a main character standing within
the Maze. One of the creatures is above him and the
character is made to look vulnerable; he is the prey.
There are a variety of shots and angles throughout
the trailer which create meaning; another example is
the use of a long shot at (0:53) which has all the
characters in focus along with their surroundings.
This symbolizes the character’s relationship with
their location.
Lastly, the symbolic codes in this trailer involve mise en scene, where the characters, props
etc. are arranged along with the setting. Mise en scene is effective throughout this trailer
because the setting, special effects, acting, lighting, props, and costume are all shown and
these are all interdependent when it comes to showing off the aspects of the Maze Runner;
the setting is an enclosed space with man-made huts, the characters have ragged clothes
on, and props include wooden spears, knives etc. Meaning is created because the most
recognizable attributes of the film show what the film is about and what the setting is.
Lighting is quite low in places, ensuring that dark tones and shadows are present; these
intrigue the audience. The font of the title sequence (2:25) stands out and is also intriguing to
the audience. The style of the title ties to the Sci-Fi genre.
These codes are all dependent of each other because they work together in succession to
ensure the trailer is visually and audibly appealing to the audience, as well as highly exciting
throughout. Symbolic, written, audio, and technical codes all manage to create meaning
within this trailer together; therefore each one of them are heavily relying on each other.
Information
The audience are presented with a great deal of information, both visibly and audibly. The
Maze Runner film is shown to the audience in a series of clips taken from the film and placed
so they appear in a different order than they did in the actual film. A number of action
sequences from the Maze Runner are also included to show the audience what to expect
from the film and create anticipation. The audience also get to look at the key characters that
are featured in the trailer, as well as the ‘Glade’, the Maze, and the maze creatures. An
adrenaline-evoking soundtrack accompanies these visual elements, and the audience is
audibly presented with dialogue from the characters regarding the difficult situation they are
in. Other sounds e.g. falling stone, skittering metallic body parts, and grinding rock give the
audience examples of the movie’s audible elements.
Creating a Buzz

5. The trailer generates excitement within the audience by teasing many action sequences
from the Maze Runner. For all those who read James Dashner’s novel, these scenes might
be just the way they envisioned them which could be exciting. Audiences would also be
familiarized with aspects of the original story. The sequences and clips featured in the Maze
Runner trailer could be considered exclusive previews which excites the audience because
they are being shown aspects of the storyline before the film’s release. All trailers aim to
achieve this within the audience. The trailer also shows off the main characters. This could
excite the audience because they are able to relate to some of these characters before
seeing them in the actual movie. It would be much more exciting for fans of the novel; they
will have already connected to the characters and would love seeing them on the big screen.
The trailer also gives the audience a glimpse of the nightmarish creatures called ‘Grievers’
from the book, which could excite and terrify viewers at the same time. In this trailer, people
don’t get a full view of these creatures, therefore tension is built up. The deadly maze and its
obstacles are also shown in the trailer (moving walls, changing paths, closing barriers etc.)
that two of the characters are forced to face. Other clips from the film e.g. locations of the
Glade have been inserted along with these action scenes to ease the audience into the
action.
The trailer persuades audiences to watch the Maze Runner. The phrases featured
throughout the video e.g. Enter the Maze and Unlock the Mystery will make the audience
want to see the film. These are not only demanding quotes; they reveal important aspects of
the story and the goals of the trapped characters at the same time. These quotes also
encourage the audience that the Maze Runner’s graphic effects will make them feel as if
they are part of the film; the audience is being addressed in the same way the characters
from the film would be addressed. The music and sound effects play a big part in making the
audience want to see the Maze Runner. The music adds to the intensity of the fast-paced
clips from the trailer and the sound effects are adrenaline-evoking and sudden. The trailer
persuades the audience and encourages them that these aspects will feature in the actual
film, but in a much more effective way.