Pitch Perfect 2 - Trailer Analysis

Pitch Perfect 2 – Trailer Analysis

I decided to analyse ‘Pitch Perfect 2’ as it is a musical comedy and will therefore have the necessary concepts of a comedy film that is needed. As this film features Rebel Wilson it is presumably going to be funny as most of her films are comedy films.

The non-diegetic sound of the movie trailer is quite upbeat. With it being a musical, the music is quite modern and suitable for their target audience. The diegetic sound of their voices has quite a sarcastic tone, representing the comedic genre.   Towards the end of the trailer there is a clip where the non-diegetic sound turns into quite a slow beat and we are made to focus on the diegetic dialogue at that moment. This is to emphasise the seriousness of the film rather than the whole comedy aspect. The commentator says “oh no she has no underwear on” at one point where she is hanging from the ceiling and has a rip on her costume. This is a comedic line and so the non-diegetic sound was muted to enable viewers to hear the line being delivered. During a clip a male character starts laughing, the non-diegetic sound is muted to show importance, emphasising how funny this film is meant to be.

The lighting in the ‘Pitch Perfect 2’ trailer is bright throughout to represent the upbeat style of the film. The shimmering colours show the characters as not being too serious and relating to the comedy genre. For their performance in the clip, the stage lighting was a hot pink with a white shimmer, this could show the fact that the main cast are all females. Although this is stereotypical it could be true. The colours are also quite happy colours.

The camera shots are varied throughout the movie trailer. It focuses on the main characters for the majority and has some shots of background characters. The angles that are used vary in regards to high or low angles. The first shot we see is framing the main characters with an extreme long shot and a slightly low angle tilt. This represents that they hold the most power showing they are the main characters. The first longest clip is a low angle showing Rebel Wilson dangling from the ceiling. This shot is used to broaden the comedic genre effect.

The mise-en-scene in this movie helps set the genre. The establishing shot of this trailer was a bird-eye view of an American city. The genre is musical comedy, a stereotypical musical is held in America. The areas that we see the characters walking in show a nice state. However the kinesis of the characters shows a comedic genre.

The costumes are used to amplify the significance of the genre. The costumes for one of the performance show Rebel Wilsons character that had ripped the crutch of her costume. As you know what Rebel Wilson looks like it was made funnier by the audience’s reaction. Although you didn’t see the hole, there was still comedy with the proxemics of the audience.

The use of props in one of the clips, ‘Fat Amy’ is swinging at ceiling level, sitting on a piece of thick elastic. This is the main prop within the trailer and it is a major comedy aspect.

I think people will want to go and see this film after watching the film trailer as the comedy genre has been portrayed really well and the kinetics and dialogue of the characters the potential of how funny this film could be. The non-diegetic sound of the music that is played throughout the film is a range of style and years which means it will be appealing to all ages of viewers. 

Hangover 2 - Trailer Analysis

HANGOVER 2 – Trailer Analysis

I chose to analyse “Hangover 2” as it is a comedy film. This meaning that it will allow me to understand the conventions I would need to include in my film trailer.

The sound has an upbeat tempo with a speech from the movie playing over the top. This shows the kind of sarcastic comedy that the film entails. The sound maintains upbeat throughout the trailer. The different sounds used show the different types of comedy you can expect from this film.  The lines that hold the majority of the humour are emphasised and the background music is turned down so that the audience hear the main lines in order to make them want to see the film.

Furthermore, the synchronous diegetic sound is an extremely important aspect. The puns and jokes allow the audience to laugh a lot as well as the slapstick element.

The lighting is quite dull and dark for parts which show the dark sense of humour you can expect from the film. At the points of bright lighting it shows the upbeat humour that everyone will understand and find funny.

The camera shots and angles vary in terms of how different moments are framed. At the beginning there is a slow motion horizontal pan up of the characters, it is a mid-shot as it goes up and they walking in slow motion.

Some of the angles used in "Hangover 2" were canted. These showed how slapstick and crazy the film trailer and film is. The canted angles helped to portray the wackiness of the film trailer.

The mise-en-scene is also used to show the genre. The first thing we see is an extreme long shot of the country they are visiting. We hear the sound of a speech being made by one of the main boys. There are only four main men that we see constantly throughout the trailer. This suggests that they are the main characters who hold most of the comedy.  The area that the three men end up in shows the comedy behind going on holidays. We then see a shot of the sensible one on a posh hotel with a pool behind him.

The costumes are all quite light coloured to show they’re not serious. They are all scruffy, which shows the normality behind each character and shows their natural humour.

The props used are different throughout the film. At one point there is monkey that falls from the ceiling and doesn’t leave the group of men.

At one part of this trailer, we see one main role wake up with a tattoo on the side of their

face. It is obvious that this is make-up but the realism of how it was presented created a comedic effect and shows how much precision has gone into creating this film. This may make people want to watch it as that was only one snip of the film. I believe viewers of this film trailer will want to go and see this film as the mis-en-scene shows an appealing area where the film was shot. This would encourage some viewers to go and see the movie as they like the setup and background of the film. 

Bridesmaids – Trailer Analysis

Bridesmaids – Trailer Analysis

I chose to analyse the film “bridesmaids” as it is a comedy film. This meaning that it will allow me to understand the conventions I would need to include in my film trailer.

The sound in “Bridesmaids” has an upbeat pace which could represent the humour within the film..  During the lines that are of importance and have a sense of humour behind them, the music is paused to draw the audiences focus onto what they’re saying. 

Furthermore, the synchronous diegetic sound is an extremely important aspect. The puns and jokes allow the audience to laugh a lot as well as the slapstick element.

The lighting in the “bridesmaids” trailer is very light and bright. Even the text colours and backgrounds of directors are bright colours. This is a connotation of the comedy genre. Everything is so light and upbeat.

Camera shots and angles were used effectively. When there was a moment that had a specific intention, it would use a close up shot of the character or the main thing in the scene. When there is a group of characters on screen at one moment, there will be a long shot to fit them all on the screen. The long shot allows audience to see the smaller, but funnier aspects to each character.

The first two characters we see on screen are two female friends who are clearly going to be a main part to the film as they have been shown first. This is a representation of their importance.

Costumes of the characters in this trailer are constantly changing as its only cuts of the funniest parts of the film. The costumes show clearly who is meant to be a main comedy contributor to the film.

Props were used occasionally to show a comedy genre. At one point the female character is downing a bottle of wine. This prop is used to represent the comedy behind the character. One of the characters wears a bandage around her wrist but has nothing wrong with her. This is showing a comedy aspect of the film.

Overall, the trailer would real people into watching the film which is what we want people to feel. I think people will want to watch this film as there wasn’t a part of the trailer that didn’t show successful comedy. If people saw this trailer, they would see the amount of thought behind the process of making the film. 

There’s something about Mary – Trailer Analysis

There’s something about Mary – Trailer Analysis

I decided to analyse this movie as it is a romantic comedy. With the comedy side of it, it allows me to see what is included for a comedy trailer.

The first piece of non-diegetic sound we hear is a guitar and piano instrumental that is a stereotypical convention of the romantic genre. The dialogue we hear is either something comedic or something related to romance. The soundtrack changes to a more up-beat song which suggest the light hearted comedy that is included in this film, enhancing the chances of a bigger viewing audience. There is a voiceover that acts as a narration as to what happens in this film, almost a brief synopsis.

The lighting of this movie trailer is very bright and cheerful. This shows the comedic genre and tries to brighten up the audience to act as a representative of how they want the audience to feel. There is quite a smoky shade which shows the romantic style. The light is used effectively to appeal to the audience.

The camera angles are normally a wide shot of the whole set, or a close up of the characters face to show the emotion and expression of the character. The camera angles

are usually framing the women from a low angle shot which normally suggest the person on screen is in a strong position and is viewed highly of. This could be classed as scopophilia as the woman is wearing her underwear. This could be to encourage the male populations to watch this film too. The establishing shot is of a female character standing outside talking to a male character. This shows the typically conventions of a romantic film as it’s the ‘boy meets girl’.

The costumes involved in this trailer show the casual nature of this film, nothing is taken seriously. The romantic theme is shown through some colours that the actors wear like red and pink for the females as these colours stereotypically denote romance.

The props use in this trailer include binoculars. At this specific moment the character was staring through the window at a female character getting changed. This was comedic as it turned out the man looked at an old woman who appeared with rather saggy breasts. It was evident this was a fake costume of some form.

The Shawshank Redemption Trailer Analysis

The Shawshank Redemption Trailer Analysis

I chose to analyse “The Shawshank Redemption” as it is a Crime Drama film. This will be helpful as it is a potential genre for our own trailer as a group.

The sound incorporated in this trailer involves both non-diegetic and diegetic sound. It begins with a voice over, which is non-diegetic sound as it is not visible on screen. There is also a sound backing track playing with the voice over working together to represent the genre. There is a sudden onomatopoeic sound of ‘BOOM’ which is followed by the music change of what seems to be quite a contrasting sound, juxtaposing the genre.  There is a final music change towards the end with regards to the dynamics.  There is a sound effect of thunder that plays over a scene and the image and sound are working in correlation with each other.

The lighting throughout this trailer appears to be dark for the duration. This again works in correlation with the genre of this trailer as the connotations of crime would be dark and dull colours. There are a few moments where the lighting brightens up to show the key characters of the film. The time of day also contributes to how bright or dark the lighting is. There is a scene in this trailer where it is raining and they use a flashing white light to represent the idea of lightening.

With regards to camera work and angles, there are a few that are used and then repeated throughout the trailer. Close to the beginning of the trailer there is a moment where, what appears to be the main character, is holding a gun. For this particular scene the camera sows a close –up of the character. Another part where a man is standing in the courtroom, the camera starts with a middle shot and zoomed into ending with a close up.

Mise-en-scene in this film trailer shows the locations of a court room, a prison yard and what appears to be the inside of a house. These are typical places you would expect to see in a Crime Drama trailer as it is the punishment of committing a crime and a prison is stereotypically where drama would take place. 

Costumes used in a few scenes of this trailer look like what someone would be made to wear in a prison. This works with the genre of crime and the punishment of committing a crime would be going to prison. There are a few moments that focus on a main man who appears to be in a courtroom, for this particular moment the character on screen in wearing a suit.

The main prop we see being used during this trailer is a gun. A gun is a significant prop to the crime genre as it is considered a suspect weapon for most crimes committed. The gun has a huge significance within this trailer and the movie itself as it has its own shot and scene in the trailer. 


HERE IS THE TRAILER:

Codes and Conventions of a Comedy Trailer.

Codes and Conventions of a Comedy Trailer.

The colours used in comedy trailers are normally bright or natural light as it is beneficial to the naturalistic style of the genre. Sound is important in any film trailer, especially comedy. Diegetic sound (dialogue) needs to be clear for the audience to hear it and understand the humour. Non-diegetic sound (editied sound you hear) is also important as it is used as an emphasis on some scenes. Comedy camera work is usually naturalistic and shows no character as being better than the other. Comedy films are usually located in bright places. They are frequently filmed in well-known locations where social events are likely to take place. The types of props vary for the different style of comedy the trailer is. In slapstick comedies, props are vital. Any object that is able to cause harm is well known in comedy movie trailers. In most comedy trailers, idiotic people are used in contrast with 'normal' people to emphasise the folly-ness of the character. It is more than likely that the characters created will be above average intelligent as they also tend to be more socially awkward, which makes them unaware of the boundaries with 'normal' people. A common attribute within the characters is sarcasm. 

Codes and Conventions of a Horror Film Trailer

Codes and Conventions of a Horror Film Trailer

A horror trailer will create a mysterious atmosphere trying to scare the viewer. Every film trailer starts with a disclaimer that shows what audience is suitable to watch this film. Canted angles are used at least once in most horror trailers in order to make the audience to feel confused and disorientated. Extreme close ups are also used often to show the expressions of characters, and since it is predominantly fear, this creates a sense of horror for the audience. The soundtrack used in horror trailers is vital as it leaves the audience feeling on edge and again creating a sense of fear and horror. Most trailers use instrumental work. Voice overs also tend to be added. Props play an important role in horror trailers as they showcase what is about to happen. 

Codes and Conventions of a Trailer

Codes and Conventions - Action

Codes and Conventions of an Action Film Trailer

Action film trailers will have a fast-moving plot. They will usually contain scenes of violence and it is a film where one or more “heroes” will face a certain amount of challenges that include physical threats, extended fight scenes and frantic chases. Only small events will be shown in the trailer as it doesn’t intend to spoil the film, but instead engage you enough to want to go and watch the film. Typical props will include knives, guns and anything that could commit a crime or hint at a crime. The typical location will be a popular big city. There will be binary oppositions of “goodies” and “baddies”.  The soundtracks you are likely to hear in an action film trailer will be up-beat but on edge nerve racking. The lighting is likely to be dark and mysterious to hint at the genre. 

Codes and Conventions - Romantic Trailer

Codes and Conventions of a Romantic Film Trailer

A typical audience for a romantic film would be a female. Therefore, the colours seen will be quite bright and feminine. The main characters are introduced and the theme of love is introduced normally through a voiceover. There will typically be hints of other genres in there to create a sub-genre such as romantic comedies. This would include sexuality, status, binary oppositions and relationships, which some viewers may feel distressed by.  Pops commonly used will be things like flowers, chocolate and anything cute and fluffy. The music used in a romantic trailer will be a typical love anthem that is a clear indicator of the theme.

Codes and Conventions - Science Fiction

Codes and Conventions of a SCI-FI Film Trailer

The soundtrack for a sci-fi trailer will fit with the film and create a mysterious, alienated sound. An introduction of the characters will also be shown. Colours that tend to be used more frequently in a sci-fi trailer will include mainly dark colours as more often than not the issues being presented need to be taken seriously. The location for a sci-fi trailer will often be located where all the action is set as it makes it more appealing to the audience. Other popular locations are futuristic landscapes, forests and warehouses. The music in this genre trailer will normally start off quite light and gradually get faster. The music is usually played in the background to voiceovers so it’s easier for the audience to understand.