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WWZ trailer analysis
- 1. AngelaPignatiello 1 Trailer 2 I havechosento analyse the film: WorldwarZ it’sdefinitelyathrilling,original movie that differsfromanyotherapocalypse filmsdue itsunique visual effectsof the waythe zombies move.WWZ isan Americanaction/horror/thrillerfilm, directedmyMarc Forsterandstarring Brad Pitttryingto protecthis familyinazombie apocalypse.Iwill be analysingandreviewing this2minute 27 secondtrailershotbyshot,to give me ideastoinspire me withmyown trailer.Thistrailerissojam packedwiththrillingactionthatthe audience will definitelywant to see it.The fact that the main character isplayedbya successful actorlike BradPittalso makesitmuch more appealing. He isthe face of the movie,whichattractshisfansand people whohave likedhispreviousfilms.Zombie filmsdon’tusuallyhave famousactors,as theyare usuallylowbudgetandnottakenasseriouslyasmainstreamHollywoodmovies. But thisone has one of the biggestA-listersasthe leadrole;therefore,itmustbe on a whole newlevel inthe horror/zombie genre.The characteristicsof the zombiesare indeedvery original andcool looking. Inthisfirstshot,it showsa colourful,Birdseye viewdescendingslowlydowninNew YorkCityinwhichthere are manycars andbuildings,goodweatherbutnocharacters.This isan establishingshot, settingthe scene froma longwayaway.Howeverwe can hearthe maincharactersvoices overthe car hornsbeeping,astheyplaya game.Thisisnon diegeticsound.The atmosphere isordinaryand calm,so theycan buildupthe tensionabit lateron inthe trailer.Time:3 seconds. In thissecondscene we see a happymaincharcater in hiscar withhisfamilycontinuingtoplaythe game.Thisscene createsa cheerful vibe,creatinganatmosphere of anormal,everydaylife.The shottype is midshotaswe can see the charactersstraighton, fromthe waistup and we can see a bitof the background.There islotsof colourinthisscene,nospecial effectsandthe onlysounds are theirvoicesandcars beepinginthe background. The nextscene isquick,itshowsa bikerzoompast knockingthe mainfamiliesside mirrorrightoff the
- 2. AngelaPignatiello 2 car, startlingthemandinterruptingtheirgame.Theylookconfusedandslightlyannoyedas he justridesoff,withoutapologising.The soundsinclude;the motorbikesengine,the wifes voice,the side mirrorsmashinganda helicopterupabove.Inthese twoseconds,the atmosphere hasdrasticallychangedfromhappytoa suddenrealisationthatsomethingisn’t right.The audience are nowslightlyworriedandcuriousas towhat’sgoingto happennext. Upon seeingahelicopterupabove (left,shottype:wormseye view),the maincharacter utters‘whatis goingon?’makingthe audience nervousandaskthemselvesthe same question.The soundof the helicoptergetslouder, whichaddstothe dramaticatmosphere. The rest of the familyisalsomore confusedandperhapsabitworriedat thispoint.Visual effects:helicopter(likelycgi) In the nextframe,the maincharacter hasdecidedtogetout the car and see what’sgoing on,as seeninthe picture onthe right.It’s a mediumshotwhichshowshimdirectlyahead, fromthe waistupwithsome colourful carsand buildingsinthe backandforeground.By lookingathisfacial expression,the audience cansee thathe is worried, whichmakesus questionwhyandanticipate the nextscene.We canhear police sirens,carsbeepingandthe daughtertellinghimtobe careful. Itisheartbreakinghisdaughtersare worriedforhim, so we hope that nothinghappenstohim, fortheirsake.Thismakesthe audience emotionally connectwiththe characters. Audience memberswithfamilywoulddefinitelyrelatetothe fearof keepingtheirfamlysafe.Thismakesthe potential dangerevenmore nervewracking and serious. The nextshotis a colourful,extreme longshot,showingacar crash explosionfromfaraway inthe background.Each frame inthisscene isquickand veryshakyto add the panicked effect.Asyoucan see infromthe character’sfaces(middle &right,shottype:close up) they are veryworriedandtheirfearthat they’re indangerhasbeenconfirmed.The wife callsher husbandsname (Gerry) ina shaky,quietandbreathlessvoice,illustratingthatshe is terrified.Itisstill unclearwhatexactlyisgoingon,whichaddsmysterytothe pandemic.In thisscene we hearveryloudnoisessuchas the explosionandpeople screamingandwe see bigvisual effectsuchasthe fire and smoke fromthe crash. These effectscreate amore dramaticand realisticscene.We alsosee otherscaredandscreamingcharacterson the pavement,wholooktobe runningawayfromsomethingbutit’sunclearwhat.
- 3. AngelaPignatiello 3 Suddenlyapolicemandrivesinona motorbike,shoutingatthemto‘getback intheircar rightnow andremainwiththeirvehic-‘before he isabruptlycutoff byan out of control lorrythat comesspeedingdownthe road,smashingeverythinginitspath(cgi islikelyto have beenused).Thisissounexpectedandsuddenbecause it’sdesignedtomake the audience jump,tocreate animpressionandgetthemengrossedinthe trailer.The loud soundsalsomake itjumpyand helpspeedupthe atmosphere.Firstpic:overthe shoulder shot.Secondpic:wide,mediumshot.Asthe lorryspeedsthroughthe city,the soundis mutedandall we hearis a deaf,highpitchedcontinuousringingsound,resemblingthe ones youhear whenyourearsare blocked. The fact that a figure of authorityhasbeentakendownbywhatseemstobe a civilian – showsthat the cityreallyisinchaos. A police officerismeanttoprotectpeople;sothis scene createsthe sense thatthe familyisontheirown.Nothingcansave them – theyhave to survive bytheirownmeans. Use of pathos:The camera cuts to the daughter’sterrified face for a second, whichtugsthe audiencesheartstringsbecause she’ssoyoungand vulnerable andit’ssadwhenchildrenoranimalsare hurtin movies.Sothe sudden realizationthatthey’re indangermakesthe audience extremelynervousbecause we want themto live,sowe siton the edge of our seatseggingthemonto survive. The filmcompanylogosappear,showingthatthe movie hasbeenproducedbymajor, mainstreamorganizations.Thismakesitseemmore impressive andpopularalready.Each logoappearsfor lessthana second,onthe countof a dramaticloud,louddrumbeat for emphasis,all withablackbackgroundandsilver,boldwritingtostandoutand create a dark vibe.Atthispointthe buildupof tensionisalmostat itsclimax andit’sclearthat we’re gettingintothe mainpart of the trailer.
- 4. AngelaPignatiello 4 The dramatic musiccontinuesand intensifies,throughoutthenext manysceneswhichare short, snappyand include avarietyof shottypes.These include;bird’s eye view,wormseye view,close up,establishingshots,directmid shots,overthe shouldershotsand manymore.Theyare all colourful and are likelytohave beenalteredwith some digital effectsfora bettervisual impact.There are manysounds,suchas screaming,helicopters,carsskiddingand crashingand shouting.Howevermostof the noisesare inaudibledue tothe music cancellingthemout.We see hoardsof people runningthroughthe streets, includingourmaincharacters,many abandonedorcrashedvehicles,helicopters and buildings.The fastpacedmoodof the trailerexcitesthe audience, intriguingtheminthe movie. Here we see an extreme wide shotfromthe view of ahelicopter, witha slightlycantedcameraangle showingagreydirtydamaged lookingcitydownbelow andasoldierholdingaguninthe foreground.The moodlooksdarkanddepressingtoshow the worldturningintosomethingugly.Thisshotlastsbarelya second,before cuttingtothe nextshortscene.Eachshot isfast pacedto keepthe trailerinterestingandexciting. The nextshotis froma wormseye view,lookingupatmanyplanes quicklyflyingacrossthe Smokeygreysky.We heartheirenginesasthey do so.The appearance of these jets,showsthatthisisindeeda‘War’, whichisa scary prospectinour modernsociety. Thenfollowsanothershort,wide shotscene of ahuge crowd of people runninginthe same direction,towards the camera. Thismakesitclear that the source of the panic isbehindthemwhichfrightensthe audience.There isno soundat thispoint. We see more pathoswhenthe cameracuts to the children’sfrightenedfacesandhear the mothertryingto reassure hereverythingisokay.Thiswouldaffectthe women (especially mothers) inthe audience the most,since theycanrelate the fearof losinga child.The soundhere isdiegetic.
- 5. AngelaPignatiello 5 The trailermovesforward,stillkeeping up thetension,withourmaincharacters attemptingtoescape byhijackingavan. The music still plays. Then,anotherjumpscare happenswhen whatlookslike amad personheadbutts the wife’swindow,crackingitandmaking herscream. Thisscaresthe audience and againmakesus fearfor theirlives. The nextshotis an establishing one,showingthe familysafely drive awayfromthe madpeople chasingthem.These scenesinthe trailerare upsettingtothe audience asit’sscary to see the worldas youknow it turn madso suddenly.Effects:CGIisprobably usedto make the people looklikethey’rerunningfasterandthe same soundsas the previousscenesare still heard. For the firsttime inthe trailer,textisbeingusedforeffect.Ithasthe same colourcode as the companylogos(blackbackground, silverwriting)andappearsonthe count of a drum beatfor effect.Itdoesn’tfinishthe whole sentencewhich appealstoour natural curiositytofindout whatit says.It alsorevealsthatthe filmwill be released inthe summer. Afterthat,we see a close up profile shotof Gerry’spanicked face,as he talkson the phone,questioningwhat’s goingon. The camera cuts to a man in a helicopter,revealingthatthat’swhohe’s talkingto.Thismakesthe audience questionwhatrelation theyhave toeach otherespeciallysince theyknow each othersnames.ThisimpliesthatGerry mightworkfor a highauthorityand there ishope that maybe his connectionscansave him.The sound here isdiegetic,because the source of the soundis visibleonscreen.
- 6. AngelaPignatiello 6 Here we seethe rapiddecrease of the world’spopulationwhich showshow quicklythe dangerisspreadingandthatit’sclearly verypowerful.Thiswhichworriesusandpanicsus because we’re realisinghow littletime thereistostopthisthing.The fact that we still don’tknow whatthe dangerismakesit all the more suspenseful. For the firsttime inthe trailer,we see the zombiesastheytipovera bus,withsoldiersshootingat them.Eventhoughtheydon’tlooklike the gory,slow shufflingzombiesinmostothermovies,it’s cleartheyaren’thumandue totheirvast amountof energy,obscenestrengthandimmunitytothe bulletsbeingfiredatthem.Theydon’tevenappeartogethurt aftertheyfall off the busand crash ontothe floor.At3 seconds,thisscene isslightlylongerthanthe previousonessothe audience can get a goodlookat the zombiesandabsorbthe fear.The fact that there are somany of themis whatmakesthemso intimidatingbecause it’shardtofightsomethinginbignumbers.The cgi whichspeedsuptheirmovementsalsomakesthemunique comparedtootherboring,slow zombies.Ithinkthe editorscreatedthiseffectforamore thrilling,fastervibe inthe movieandthey had to make itstand outbecause sucha bigactor is playingthe maincharacter. Everysoundsuddenlystopstofocusonthe manfrom the helicopter(Terry). We can see that he has landed,since he isstandinginwhatlookstobe a building withpeople walkingaroundhim.He shakeshisheadfromside toside andsays ‘we don’tknow’ina weakwhisper,withastressedlookonhisface.The audience losesabitof hope as not eventhe highauthoritiesknow howtostop thisand it’sclearthat everyone isontheirown. Thiscompilationof fastpaced scenesshowsthe chaoshas spreadthroughoutthe world (as see onthe map diagram) and that there isa mass panic. All armedforcesare out as civilizationbreaksdowninto anarchy.The gunsand explosionsrelatetothe action/thrillerthemesof the film, whilethe biological diagram(middle left) shows the science fictionaspect.
- 7. AngelaPignatiello 7 Nextwe see aredflare beinglitandwe hearit hiss as it’s broughtto life.It’suknownwho’sholdingthe flare right now,or where theyare,whichmakesitmysterious. Howeverwe know it’sdarkbecause the onlylightwe see isthe redone comingfrom the flare.The suddenquiet change in atmoshere worries the audience andbuildsup a slighttension.Thisisaclose up shot,withdiegetic soundand nocomputereffects. In the nextshot,itis revealedthatGerry’swife hasthe flare andall the familyisthere,hidingfromsomething. The audience feelsreleif thatourmaincharactershave survivedthe huge chaosinthe city butthe fact that they are beingsoquietgivesusanuneasyfeelingthatdangeris close by.In thisscene Gerryis breathlesswhichshowshe has justrecoveredfromatrauma and the troubledlookon hisface suggestshe knowshe’snotsafe,givingthe audience anunsettledfeeling. The daughteris showncoweringnexttohermotheras the red glow flickersinheranxiousface.She whimpers ‘I’mscared,’ina shakyvoice, soundinglike she’sabout to burstinto tears.Again,thismakesusfeel sorryfor her.The creatorsof thisadvertkeepusingherfora sympatheticaffect,sothatwe connectwiththe characters andthe tensionistherefore intensified whentheycollide withdanger. The motherseemstopay no attentiontoherdaughterand instead turns toGerry, saying‘How do we know they’re coming?’She paces slightlyfromone foottothe otheras she quietlysaysthis, demonstratingthatshe isnervousbutreadyto move.She looksathim for a sense of reassurance,because she clearlytrustshisinstinctsand knowshe’ll guide themtosafety. Gerry looksbackat herwitha focusedface,the redflickering lightstill fillingthe roomandhe whispers‘they’re coming’ina doubtlessvoice.Thisconfirmsall fearandpreparesthe audience for the upcomingdramathat’sclearlyaboutto happen.He pauses fora couple of seconds,totake a lookat her uncertain face,before saying‘ready?’inareassuringwhisperwithaslight nod.At that pointwe start to hearquick,quietbeatsgetlouder and fasterto increase the tensionfeltbythe audience. In thisoverthe shouldershot,the wife communicatesnon verbally,bynoddingherheadslowlyupanddown.The restof herbody remainsstiff,indicatingthatshe isn’tfullyprepared for whatthey’re abouttodo, but she understandsthatshe has to do it.The quietbutquickdrumbeatsstill poundinthe background,soundinglikehighpitchedheartbeats,mimicking theirfear.
- 8. AngelaPignatiello 8 Suddenlytheyburstoutthe doorwiththe lowdrop soundat the start of the traileronce againplaying.The daughter screamsin fearas she ispulledalongbyherparents The sceneryof the roofsof buildingsmakesthe audience why they’re upthere andhow they’ll escape.We hearthem shoutingateachother,tell themto‘gogo go!’ and‘hurry up.’ The extreme heightsaddextradangertothe situation.How will theyescape the zombiesfromhere? Thenwe hear the soundof an aeroplanespropellers (diegeticsound) asitlowersneartothe roof top.It is a saviourthat relievesboththe charactersaswell asthe audience. A soldierhelpsthe familyboardthe plane,butGerryisnowhere to be seen.There isa sense of relief asthe familyappearstobe saved,butthe adrenaline hasn’tfullycome downyet. We thensee himstruggingtokeepthe doorclosedas there is somethingbehindit,tryingtogetthem.Thispart has tonnesof tensionbecause ourmaincharacteris soclose to the zombies. He isin a trappedsituation;he needstoescape butassoonas he releasesthe door,aswarmof enemieswill overrunhim. Eventuallyhe letsgoandreleasesthe zombiewhoburstsout the door and chasesstraightafterhim.Thisisthe firsttime inthe trailerthata zombie hasdirectlyattackedone of our characters andwe getto see a clearerlookat one on it’s own.It’snot verygory butit runs veryfast.The audience can probablyguessthatthere’smore thanone whichmakesit evenmore suspensful.Anotherthingthataddstothe edge- of the seateffect,isthe deepdrumbeatswhichare now speedinguptocreate tension.
- 9. AngelaPignatiello 9 LuckilyGerrysafelyboardsthe plane justintime, givingtheaudience asense of relief.The soldiers thenbegintoshootat the zombies.Cgi:likely used.Sounds:loud,fastlow drumbeatsforeffect The bulletsdon’thave anyeffectonthe zombies,buttheydogetdefeatedbyrunning off the buildinginafailedattempttoattack the helicopter.Thisshowshow dumbthe zombies are,as well ashow far they’dgoto eat.In this scene it’salsorevealedthatthere wasmore than one zombie chasingGerry. The dramatic musichas died downintoquick,quieter drum beats,the same onesthatwere playinginthe flare scene.BradPittsname is showninbigcapital letters,in irongrey writingagainstablackbackgroundto make it standout and appeal tohisfans. He isthenshownas Gerry,ridingina windy,coldlooking helicoptertoadestinationthatwe don’tyetknow.We wonderwhere the storyisheadingatthispoint. The helicopteristhenlandedonashipinthe middle of the ocean,a seeminglysafe place fromall the infected. Thismeansthe audience cannow relax alittle.The drum beatshave now changedfromsingle beatsintoa differentrhythm.,tokeepthe soundinterestingand match the new atmosphere of the trailer. The trailernow goesback to showingshortclips,tobringback the fast pace so it can leave withalastingimpact.Inthisone we see Gerrycarrying hisdaughterto whatwe asume isinside the ship.
- 10. AngelaPignatiello 10 Here we seea close up profile shotof aman in a militarysuit, whichgivesusa clue that Gerry’sworkmightbe inthe military. He tellsGerryhe ‘needshimtohelp.’The soundhere is diegeticas we can see the soundcomingfromthe characters mouth. Thenwe see Gerry saying‘you’re askingme toleave myfamily’ whichscaresthe audience aswe realize thatonce againthat they’re goingtobe seperatedand thathe isgoingto have to help stopthe zombies. The nextcut showshimkissinghiswife goodbye,whichmakesthe audience sadandhopeshe survives.The fastdeepdrumbeatsstill poundquicklyinthe background. We see a plane hoveringoveradirty,poorlookingcitywithblack smoke risingupto the greysky.There is low dramaticmusicinthe background,as the drumbeatsget louder.Thisisan establishing shot. The nextshotis a birdseye one,as we see the infected sprintingthroughthe streets,smashingeverythingintheir path.The dramaticdrums still play,gettinglouderandlouder as the trailerclimaxes. We see a baldboycurl up inthe middle of the chaos,makingthe audience fearforhim.Butwhenwe see the zombiesrunstraight past him, we’re leftwanderingwhy. Thenwe see Gerry inthe middle of the street,withsoldiers behindhim.The suspensebuildsashe almostcomesface to face withthe infectedmob.Thisisa wide shot.
- 11. AngelaPignatiello 11 Thenwe see thezombie mobfallingovereachotherastheyrun downthe alley,towardsGerry.The drumbeatsare as loudas they’ve everbeeninthisclip. But it’sleftat a cliff hanger,asthe scene switchestoan establishingshot,showingaplane surroundedbyzombies. The drums have quietenedslightlynow thatwe don’tsee any characters in danger.We hear the militarymansvoice as he tellsGerrythat he’swell suitedforthe job,howeverwe don’tsee him.Thisiscallednondiegeticsound. We thensee Gerryinthe plane,sayingtohiswife onthe phone to ‘tell the kidshe’scomingback.’Thisportrayshimas a persevering, strongcharacter, givingthe audience confidence thathe’ll survive. The drums getlouderonce again. Afterthat we see aneye level shotof himstandingatthe readywithsome othersoldiers.He hasa stronglookon his face as his commentaryrepeatsthe words‘I’mcomingback,’ ina deepwhisperwithnosoundeffectsinthe background,to make the audience focusonhiswordsonly. Afterthe screenblacksout for a secondto letthe audience absorb Gerry’sdramatic words,we geta good lookat the huge mobof zombiesonce again,astheyclimbupa giantwall.The audience is shockedthatthe zombiesare capable of doingthisandthe amount there are.Cgi isdefinitelyusedhere,tospeeduptheirmovements. The low drop soundand fastdrum beatsare the quickestthey’ve everbeenasthe trailerhas reachedit’sfinal climax. The final shotof the trailer,isa close upof Gerry’sface,which looksnervious yetdefiantatthe same time. Afteranother1 secondsilentblackout,the titleof the movie emergesin silvercapital letters,fromthe blackbackgroundonthe count of the low drop sounf,whichmakesitstandoutso that the audience will remember the name of the movie andwantto watch it. The traileristhencompletely silentforthe firsttime,asthe release appearsinthe same silverwriting,withall the companylogosbelow so that the audience canagainassociate the movie withbignames that make it seemmore impressive.