Film poster analysis

Detailed Analysis of movie posters -The Dark Knight & Brokeback Mountain

Detailed Analysis of Movie posters

Detailed Analysis of Movie posters

Detailed Analysis of Movie posters

Analysis of Teaser Trailers - Devil, Going The Distance & Resident Evil

'Devil'

How has the trailer been constructed visually?

In the trailer the creators have produced a successful portrayal of the movie through the use of; a selection of camerawork techniques, a range of editing techniques and also the layout and the design of the text. The title of the movie and the release date are both shown throughout the trailer at the bottom of the screen, this making sure that the audience knows what the film is called and gives a constant reminder of the date the movie is out in cinemas. In-between shots from the movie, there are words that appear on screen, these are coloured red and are on a black background. We, as an audience, may associate these colours with danger, evil and even death. These instantly create an impression on the audience about the genre of the movie and what the storyline could include. To add to this idea, the words say; "Bad things..Happen..For a reason" this makes the audience uneasy and creates a bad feeling around the action.

Looking at the camerawork they used, I saw that there were a lot of high angle shots used and close ups. The close ups also double as reaction cuts from the characters on action that we do not see in the trailer, thus making the audience feel more nervous and it creates an increased level of tension because we are unaware of what is going on. The high angles are voyeuristic, creating an impression of the characters being watched.

The editing techniques are kept minimal but still very effective; there are a lot of fast cuts which add to the pace of the film which becomes more rapid as the trailer goes on. This gives a clue to the audience on how much action is in the movie, this could also be reflecting the feelings of the characters in the movie as it becomes more intense.

What information is used to sell the film?

The use of the title of the film and the release date being on display continually throughout the film trailer is used cleverly to attract attention on the release date so the audience will remember when the movie is being released. The micro-aspects used such as the fast paced editing and the reaction cuts, generate more anticipation around the movie, this being a successful selling point because it creates mystery. A good selling point that the film has, is the mention of the director/writer M.Night Shyamalan. Using his name sells the film and will appeal to fans of his previous work.

What information is revealed about the genre?

Through the use of the camerwork and editing, I understand the film is of a thriller or horror genre. I gained this impression from the fast paced cuts, the quick 'snapshots' of the movie, the colour scheme used and the content of the trailer which shows features of the story. The music score is very intense and consists of sharp notes that reflect the dramatic of the storyline.

What information is revealed about the storyline?

The audience views in the trailer a small group of people becoming trapped in an elevator. We see someone attempting to open the elevator, however in between the action shots, text appears reading; "Bad things..Happen..For a reason". The mixture of these two generate the idea that something frightening is happening and provides a sense of urgency creating intensity. We understand that the characters are in danger this is also emphasised from the title of the film, Devil, which implies something extremely evil or supernatural.

'Going the distance'

How has the trailer been constructed visually?

Through the use of micro-aspects such as; camerawork, editing and style of text, the creators have successfully introduced the idea of the movie. The use of two shots, close ups and establishing shots create a sense of closeness between the characters which in turn reflects the story of the two characters, which is what the movie makers want to convey to the audience.

There are images and shots of aeroplanes which imply travel, this obviously linking to the title of the movie. From this the audience can assume, without dialogue, that there is going to be separation and travelling in the film.

The editing techniques have been kept quite simple, because the film is a love story, the cuts are slow and gentle which reflect the genre.

What information is used to sell the film?

The main selling point of the movie is the 'Stars' that feature in it, Drew Barrymore and Justin Long play the main characters. They will appeal strongly to fans of these actors, making them likely to go and watch the movie at the cinema. To add to the cast, Christina Applegate co-stars as Drew Barrymore's sister, information we find out from the trailer, this adds a whole lot of potential to the movie's success. Although the trailer provides the audience with a good insight into the story of the couple and the situation they are in, there is still some mystery into what happens with their relationship, this along with the 'feel good' feeling that the film represents establishes a light-hearted film which will be popular with cinema goers.

What information is revealed about the genre?

This movie is evidently of the romcom genre, I understand this from particular details of the trailer. There is a lot of light colours used in the scheme for example; whites and pinks which we associate with love and passion. The story of the couple’s relationship is explained briefly and so the audience can determine what kind of film this is easily, there are comic elements of the movie shown through dialogue which adds more of a 'feel good' touch to the movie.

What information is revealed about the storyline?

The audience learns that the couple have recently met, they are out and she explains that she lives far away, therefore cannot see him anymore, after their brief fling. He catches her up at the airport and admits that he doesn't want to let her go and suggests a long distance relationship, she agrees. This all the audience learns, so they have only given us a sneak peek into the story.

'Resident Evil - Afterlife'

How has the trailer been constructed visually?

This trailer provides positive representation through the use of framing and angles, and the editing techniques to emphasise certain factors of the film and the layout and use of text. There are a lot of group shots and wide shots used generously to demonstrate the action that goes on. There is some fighting scenes which benefit from the space given in the shots to emphasise and show off the stunts created. There is a colour scheme of black and white, which we could associate with good and evil. This also giving an idea to the audinence on what the content of the story may be.

Editing has been used sufficiently to reflect the fast paced action that is in the film, the are a lot of cuts from one shot to another this showing off the action sequences and to make the film appear more intense and powerful. There are cuts from images to text, which inform the audience of the 3D aspect of the movie.

What information is used to sell the film?

There are strong female roles portrayed which will help in appealing to female audiences, as this creates an image of women being strong and fearless, this could also generate positive female role models for the female audiences. The trailer focuses a lot of attention on the 3D aspect of the film, the collection of snap-shots from the movie link to this factor of the movie, this advertising this modern technique to it's full potential. This film is also one of a quadrilogy meaning that it already has a large fan base. This also benefits sales as the trailer will purposely target its intended audience.

A main selling point of the movie is also the casting of the actress Milla Jovovich, who is known for playing this role and is seen as an icon, therefore she will create a healthy amount of interest in the movie.

What information is revealed about the genre?

Through the techniques used, it is evident that the film is of the Sci-fi genre. This is shown through the action and also the interior and the surroundings of the characters appear unreal, therefore imply this idea of fiction. The film could also fall under an action genre because of the fighting and violence that is included within the film. There is also a warning at the bottom of the screen about the violence saying; "Contains strong bloody violence and language", this revealing expectation of its content. Rather than being seen as a warning, this message may actually attract a larger audience.

What information is revealed about the storyline?

Not much is revealed about the narrative. The main focus seems to be about the action and the added bonus of the use of 3D. The storyline is not elaborated upon because the film is one of a quadrilogy meaning loyal fans of the film will have seen the other two and therefore they will know the backstory of the characters and the previous narrative. Also, the trailer is a small teaser trailer, therefore it was a fraction shorter than the standard trailers usually seen in cinemas before the main picture.

What are the similarities between all of these trailers & what have you learned about the structure of teaser trailers?

The purpose of a trailer is to advertise and sell the film by creating interest and wonder about the new movie. They do this by packing all the best bits of the movie into this short trailer, exposing the parts that will attract the most attention, all these films do this but some in different ways (GIVE EXAMPLES). The time length of the trailers are normally the same, however I found the 'Resident Evil' trailer was a little shorter than the other two.By having the length of the trailer quite short means that the audience can only have a sneak peak at the film and what it is about. This is another aspect that is similar between the three trailers, that there is little revealed about the narrative but only short snap shots of the story. This leaves the audience intrigued at what happens in the film, therefore fulfilling its value and purpose of being a ‘teaser’ trailer. In ‘Devil’ and ‘Resident Evil’ the pace of the cuts becomes faster, conveying the film to be thrilling and full of action. I found that the layout of the trailer are sometimes quite similar, with the name of the film appearing at the end, however this was not the case with the movie 'Devil' and 'Resident Evil' where the name is displayed throughout the trailer. The release date is revealed at the end of the trailer, alongside the website