The analysis of trailers

Zayn Sattar

INTRODUCTIONThe 2 trailers I will be including within this task is the action thriller, “Rambo” which was released in 2008 and “Wolverine“ the sci-fi action adventure released in 2013

Heroes never die…they just reloadThe hero. The fugitive. The warrior.

The survivor. The legend.

Conventions

Rambo and wolverine have used typical conventions within their trailers and in this scenario they both evolve around the main aspect which is Action. The common conventions within Action films are generally as follows from the involvement of chases, fights, heroes and villains all the way to explosions, just to name a few. However within the particular examples of Rambo and Wolverine certain conventions are more heavily used throughout the trailers. To start off with the main conventions that are shared within both of the trailers is the vast range of explosions and destruction alone. This gives us as the viewer an impulsive feel and gets us prepared for the rush of adrenaline that is to come. Along with just explosions their is a real sense of a enigma code that creeps it way throughout the length of 2 minutes and gives us a indication that their is no time to waste as their is a mission at hand that needs to be completed, and all of this can only be done by one man and one man only, each to their own or in this scenario Rambo and Wolverine, the protagonists of their film, gradually as more thought is put behind the understanding of each trailer more aspects are incorporated such as within Rambo the use of sinister music timed with explosions and destruction and the fight of good Vs Bad starts to engage the audience and make it interesting for them as the viewers...enigma codes are laced throughout the trailers, which means that there is a lot of information to be taken in from the viewer. The trailer itself doesn’t give too much information away about what the film actually is about and rather leaves a more mysterious impression for the audience, leaving them to work out what may be going on.

Camera work

In the trailers not too much is given away about what the plot may be or alternatively what the actual narrative is. In Rambo there is a wide selection of close ups as well as long shots which are regularly used to increase the suspense within the trailer and expresses the high levels of action that is in fact not only within the film but mirrored on the facial expressions to the body language of the characters themselves. The camera shots incorporated within the trailers for Rambo as well as wolverine are a mixture of close ups to extreme long shots and alternate constantly. The effect this has is that it builds up anticipation throughout the trailer, capturing the audiences attention as their is high levels of realism where the audience can relate to the contextualisation used. The camera shots incorporated are as follows - • Close ups• High angle Shots• Low angle Shots• Medium shots • Zoom• Over the shoulder• Extreme close ups• Birds eye view• Medium shot

Editing

Within the trailers it is simple to say that the camera work that is used is very fast paced and there are many jump cuts that are used in order to alternate between the different scenes included within the clips. This builds to the actual tension within the trailer through the various combination of shots. In addition to this the speed of the editing is cleverly coordinated with the music involved within the trailer which gives a overall bigger impact to the audience leaving a longer lasting and more powerful effect of a climax. Within the editing alone many key characteristics were involved in both trailers from match on action in Rambo to the use of more CGI and such technological effects within wolverine. Other things that were involved were –• Jump cuts • Continuity throughout• Use of cross cutting• Fast pace in order to match what is going on • cutaways

GenreThe genre for both Wolverine and Rambo vary as within wolverine there is a sci-fi adventurey feel behind it whereas Rambo is a more war related type of thriller, however this being said both films share one common characteristic and this is mainly being based upon action and this is the genre with the biggest influence over both the films.

Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi, Thriller

Action, War, Thriller

Sound In the Rambo trailer there is no sound used, instead the whole media footage is co-ordinated with the song “Drowning Pool – Bodies”. This choice of song fits hand In hand with what the trailer is trying to portray, “let the bodies hit the floor” is at the same time shown with like the name may suggest bodies hitting the floor, explosions and killings so the music is very appropriate but at the same time the intensity behind the singing within the song indicates that there is a murky high octane feel to the whole film, no dialogue is required as this alone is enough. However when compared with wolverine there is a far more mysterious effect that is portrayed and this is from the way that not too much Is given away from the dialogue. This sets the tone as to how the film is and the focus of more diegetic sounds from conversations that characters have to the use of natural sounds creates a perplexing impression for the viewer that mysteriously captures them and draws them into the film.

NarrativeAs far as the narrative goes itself, here is a brief explanation behind each film…

Logan, AKA, The Wolverine, is sent to modern-day Japan to meet a dying billionaire who wants to offer him thanks. When he arrives, however, Logan gets pulled into a battle where has to face not only face a deviant atrocity and lethal samurai steel but also his own immortality.

In modern day Japan, Wolverine is out of his depth in an unknown world as he faces his ultimate nemesis in a life-or-death battle that will leave him forever changed. Vulnerable for the first time and pushed to his physical and emotional limits, he confronts not only lethal samurai steel but also his inner struggle against his own immortality, emerging more powerful than we have ever seen him before.

In Thailand, John Rambo joins a group of mercenaries to venture into war-torn Burma, and rescue a group of Christian aid workers who were kidnapped by the ruthless local infantry unit.

Vietnam veteran John Rambo has survived many harrowing ordeals in his lifetime and has since withdrawn into a simple and secluded existence in Thailand, where he spends his time capturing snakes for local entertainers, and chauffeuring locals in his old PT boat. Even though he is looking to avoid trouble, trouble has a way of finding him: a group of Christian human rights missionaries, led by Michael Burnett and Sarah Miller, approach Rambo with the desire to rent his boat to travel up the river to Burma. For over fifty years, Burma has been a war zone. The Karen people of the region, who consist of peasants and farmers, have endured brutally oppressive rule from the murderous Burmese military and have been struggling for survival every single day. After some inner contemplation, Rambo accepts the offer and takes Michael, Sarah, and the rest of the missionaries up the river. When the missionaries finally arrive at the Karen village, they find themselves part of a raid by the sadistic ...

Referenced by IMDB