A2 MEDIA STUDIES

Trailer Analysis

Ana, Raissa, Maheni.

BACKGROUND: UNIVERSAL

Raissa

Universal, founded in 1912, is one of the six major movie studios and is one of the longest-lived motion picture studios to be located outside of Hollywood (also the oldest in the USA).

Universal Pictures have rights to many well known movies including:•Snow White and the Huntsman•Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax•American Reunion•The Bourne Legacy

Raissa

BACKGROUND: EUROPA

Europa Corp. have rights to many well known movies including:•Taken•I Love You Phillip Morris•From Paris With Love•Transporter

Europa Corp. is a French movie studio headquartered in Paris. They take on range of production activities like film distribution in France, DVD distribution, sales of French TV rights, and producing advertisements.

Raissa

BACKGROUND: 20 T H CENTURY-FOX

Universal Pictures have rights to many well known movies including:•Ice Age•Home Alone•X-Men•Die Hard

20th Century-Fox is is one of the six major American film studios as of 2011.  

Raissa

BACKGROUND:WALT DISNEY P ICTURES

Walt Disney Pictures have rights to many well known movies including:•Snow White and the Seven Dwarves•Pinocchio•The Avengers•Toy Story

Walt Disney Pictures is an American film studio owned by The Walt Disney Company. The animated features produced by Walt Disney Animation Studios, Pixar Animation Studios and DisneyToon Studios.

Raissa

FILM RATING & MEANINGS

Most US film previews have the MPAA ratings card. The green card allows anybody to watch the trailer, whilst the red is for restricted audiences, its usually a 18+ viewing.These cards are important because they help determine who can watch a certain trailer and then movie. I think this should be used in our trailer so it can show that it’s for appropriate audiences, since ours is 12A.

FILMS I HAVE ANALYZED

SNOW WHITE AND THE HUNTSMAN

This particular trailer doesn’t follow all the codes and conventions

of an average trailer. A trailer is supposedly meant to last up to one

minute, but this one is practically two.

Throughout the trailer a brief insight is given to what the movie

will be about, however it doesn’t spoil the story. The trailers camera

footage is mostly shot in straight cuts and occasional fades so to

show glimpses of what may or may not happen.

Budget for the movie in general was $170 million

The trailer sets the genre for the movie. The apparitions and

transitions scene within the actual clip makes the movie seem

mystical. Therefore based on fantasy. It’s also an adventure, drama

and action film since it follows their codes and conventions.

The main characters are also introduced. First the antagonist, the

Queen Ravenna, her power is portrayed in the beginning where she

sucks the life out of a young beautiful girl. Soon after, Snow White is

shown, she’s the protagonist and her meekness is shown since she

isn’t powerful straight from the beginning, and instead looks young

and weak.

Kristen Stewart & Charlize Theron

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ALICE IN WONDERLAND

This trailer mainly bases its transitions in slow fades, but then

occasionally straight cuts. This trailer lasts exactly 100 seconds, which is

just above the usual for a movie trailer.

With a budget of $140 - $200 million, Tim Burton (the Director) managed

to create a movie completely out of CGI (Computer Generated Images)

which requires the use of green screen’s or rooms.

Straight from the beginning, Alice (Wasikowska) is introduced. A similar

story to the original book by Lewis Carroll is followed (Alice's Adventures in

Wonderland and its sequel Through the Looking-Glass).

Tim Burton’s adaptation uses excessive make-up as seen with Johnny

Depp’s character, The Mad Hatter, who uses excessive facial make up, and

the same with the Red Queen (played by Helena Bonham Carter). This

makes the ‘fantasy’ look come to life, and it’s one way of portraying the

characters.

The genre is fantasy with dark comedy and adventure. ‘Dark comedy’ can

be seen through the Red Queen’s behaviors in her palace, and also the Mad

Hatters.

Johnny Depp & Mia Wasikowska

TAKENThe trailer starts off sweet and simple, introducing the two main characters,

the father and her daughter. Throughout the trailer, the pace quickens, cuts

become frequent and the images become darker.

The theme/genre ‘thriller’ is portrayed in this by the use of fast straight cuts,

multiple scenes in one shot and the fact that all the ‘bad’ happenings are

during the night. (Light to dark). There’s also a few point of view shots, that

allow the audience to see from the characters perspective (usually Maggie

Graces’ character).

Throughout the clip, everything just seems like a camera flash, as if

someone taking pictures of what’s happening, and it’s also as if the camera is

‘blinking’ for the audience because if the audience do blink, they’re bound to

miss something important.

It’s been rated 15+ merely because it contains some imitable behavior (e.g.

deaths), it also includes violence, and bad language.

The budget was $19million since it didn’t require any extravagant locations

or use of CGI other than maybe the car blasts, and gun sounds.

Liam Neeson, Maggie Grace & Famke Janssen