Ellis Dear

Detailed Analysis - The Vow

The vow is an American romantic drama, released in 2012. The trailer opens up with the two main characters ‘Leo Collins’ (Channing Tatum) and ‘Paige Collins’ (Rachel McAdams) declaring their wedding vows. For example, Paige states to Leo – ‘I vow to live within the warmth of your heart’. Due to the trailer opening up with a wedding scene, it strongly signifies to audiences that this is a romantic genre film because the conventional marriage scene connotes love and compassion.

To help show audiences a marriage is taking place, conventional uses of mise-en-scene have been used. For example, Paige is wearing a wedding dress and vail; holding flowers, Leo is in a suit and tie and guests are in smart dress code outfits. Paige’s wedding dress is very feminine and elegant, representing her as a sweet, loving and perfect woman for Leo to marry. Whereas Leo’s classy suit connotes a smart and professional look, representing him as a refined and well-mannered man.

Over the shoulder shots are used so that we see from the character’s point of view. This creates a personal feel as we watch the vows being declared from the character’s own perspective. Shot reverse shot is also used when the characters are taking it in turns to pronounce their vows. This use of editing helps exemplify the love the couple share because we flick back and forth to both of their faces, to watch the emotions and loving expressions they are displaying.

The diegetic dialogue present in this scene links in with the title of the film ‘the vow’, as Paige and Leo are proclaiming their vows. A sound bridge is present as when the characters are talking; the shot changes to another over the shoulder shot of the other partner. The diegetic dialogue is the only sound at the beginning of the trailer, so that full emphasis is put on the stated vows.

Ellis Dear

Following Paige and Leo being announced as ‘Man and Wife’, they are chased out of their wedding venue by security. This is because they are secretly getting married in an art gallery. The rare background may have created questions for the audience, as they saw from a mid-shot earlier on; that this is not a traditional wedding. This unusual event represents their relationship and personalities as very fun, daring and quirky, as it’s very untraditional to be chased away by security on your own wedding day.

Next, the trailer shows audiences Paige and Leo sharing their wedding kiss after being evicted from the art gallery. The close kiss shows intimacy and romance in the couple’s relationship, with their wide grins demonstrating how happy in love they are. The high-key lighting in this frame exemplifies the up-lifting and cheerful mood the newly-weds are in, as the brightness connotes happiness. A wide shot has been used so the background is clearly displayed to show viewers that the film is set in a busy city. As this frame is shown, cheerful and up-beat diegetic background music begins to play. This music represents Paige and Leo’s happy and enjoyable love.

After this frame, a slow fade transition of different shots show Paige and Leo enjoying their married life together, whilst the gentle upbeat music continues to play. Whilst these shots appear, we hear Leo’s voice give a voice over. He states ‘Life’s all about moments of impact’. From this voice over we start to learn that Paige and Leo face a very difficult crisis in their relationship. However, whilst listening to Leo’s voice over we still watch Paige and Leo’s relationship grow from the early days.

Ellis Dear

For example, as we continue to watch, we start to learn that Leo is a very romantic man and is extremely thoughtful and loving towards Paige. We see this with a creative use of mise-en-scene when Leo cooks Paige breakfast, surprising her by asking her to move in with him. These romantic surprises are very conventional to the romantic genre, as it shows the couple are very caring and affectionate towards each other.

From the following shot we see how appreciative Paige is to the offer of moving in with Leo. A shallow focus is used to draw attention to their faces and viewers watch Paige with a gleaming smile; as she happily looks longingly into Leo’s eyes. She then gently whispers yes to the offer as the shot fades out. The cheerful music continues to play as more shots of precious memories of Paige and Leo being together are shown. These memories are very conventional to a romantic genre trailer, as it’s quickly showing the audience how Paige and Leo fell in love.

Leo’s voice over continues to play through these memories until we come up-to-date with their relationship. He refers back to the ‘impacts’ and says ‘What if one day you could no longer remember any of them?’ At this point in the trailer we watch Paige and Leo share a loving kiss whilst in the car together. Paige is wearing a red coat. The colour red connotes love and romance, therefore is suitable for the kiss they are sharing. However, red is also a colour that signifies danger and viewers start to become alarmed when we see car lights travel closer and closer to the back of the car. Paige and Leo are also in low-key lighting, so that the high-key lighting from the car lights stand out more and worries the audience.

Ellis Dear

Suddenly the soft upbeat music turns into a loud horn from the truck behind as it smashes into the back of the car. Then all goes silent. This loud horn is conventional as it creates tension because the audience worry if Paige and Leo are safe and ok. This is a key element to put into the trailer as not only is it the dramatic scene that changes the character’s lives, but it will leave viewers with unanswered questions, which will persuade them to watch the film. Leo’s car is red. This colour has been chosen yet again as it connotes danger and fear, representing the distress of the crash. As the truck is very close to hitting the back of the car slow motion is used to emphasise the tension in the crash about to happen. This also helps captivate viewers.

The screen goes black and we next meet Paige lying in a hospital bed. It is a relief to viewers that we see Paige is still alive, however all is not good. We watch as a nurse explains to Paige that she has been in a car accident and is now in hospital. However, when she looks up at Leo, she sees an unfamiliar man who she presumes is her doctor. Diegetic background music begins to play again, however this time it is very slow and depressing music to reflect the sadness in the scene. The camera focuses in on a close up of Paige to show her emotions, so that we can see her confused face as she looks at Leo and doesn’t recognise him. Mise-en-scene has also been used to emphasise Paige’s injuries. For example, she is lying on a hospital bed in a patient’s gown with breathing tubes. This shows viewers she was the one hurt in the crash, not Leo who is uninjured and standing by Paige’s bedside. Shot reverse shot is also used to show the confused and worried emotions in Paige and Leo’s faces during their conversation.

Ellis Dear

This is the next frame in the trailer. From this we can immediately see that the film is of a romantic genre. This is because it’s being released on Valentine’s Day, advertising it as the perfect film to watch with your partner. Sans serif fonts have been used as they connote youth and modernity, demonstrating that the film aims at a young adult target audience. The typography is the colour white, which connotes class and sophistication; giving the trailer a professional touch.

Upbeat music begins to play with a female voice singing in the background. This fast paced beat reflects the worried emotions flying around in Leo’s head, as he shouts to the nurse ‘She doesn’t remember me!’ The nurse tries to reassure Leo by telling him ‘her memory is going to improve over time’. However, we see this is not enough to calm Leo down. A shallow focus next shows Leo

with a saddened angry face, looking down to the ground whilst pulling on his hair. The shallow focus puts emphasis on Leo’s face as the background is blurry, allowing viewers to concentrate on the emotions Leo is showing and audiences pity him. We can also see that Leo is feeling extremely stressed due to him pulling back his hair, as this is a conventional action people carry out in a stressful situation. After watching this, Leo breaks down as he slides his back down a vending machine and sits on the floor in tears. In both of these frames the colour scheme has carefully been chosen to reflect the distressed mood. For example, the background is a mix of dull blues and greys, as well as Leo wearing a plain grey t-shirt. This gloomy and dismal colour scheme represents the depressing time and exemplifies how low and heartbroken Leo is feeling. At this point in the trailer, the audience worry if Paige and Leo’s relationship will last and it leaves many unanswered questions which intrigue viewers to watch the film.

Ellis Dear

A few frames later, with the upbeat music still playing helping to draw audiences in, we watch Paige hold back Leo and tell him ‘I don’t know you’. This is a heart breaking scene which is conventional for the romantic genre, as it is typical to have a relationship that faces many difficulties and is on the rocks. The dialogue from Paige concerns the audience as we see she is no longer in love with Leo. In the frame, we look up at Paige from a low angle, as she is standing on the stairs above Leo. This is because Paige is fiercely telling Leo she no longer knows him, therefore her being at a higher level emphasises her sternness to a helpless Leo who cannot recover his wife’s memory. Yet again, the background colour is of a gloomy blue, with Leo and Paige both in dismal blue coloured tops. This miserable shade of colour represents the disheartening and depressing time the characters are experiencing.

Paige next shouts ‘I barely even know who I am’. This creates sympathy from viewers as Leo has lost his wife, however Paige has lost half her life as she can no longer remember her memories, friends or husband. However, later in the trailer we see Paige’s stubbornness towards Leo fade as she is looking at old photos and videos of their relationship, to try trigger her memory. We see Paige looking at old photos of her and Leo enjoying life together and a few frames later she also watches her wedding video. This frame links back to the beginning of the trailer, as it is the same clip from the start where Paige is declaring her vows to Leo. As Paige is watching her wedding video, she lovingly smiles back at the screen. This gives the audience hope that Paige may fall back in love with Leo. A voice over of Leo’s voice is now present and we hear him say ‘I need to make my wife fall in love with me again’. This is conventional for a romantic genre as despite all the obstacles, Leo hasn’t given up on Paige and he is willing to fight for his wife’s love. Due to this glimpse of hope in reuniting Paige and Leo’s love, the background music becomes faster and more up-lifting, which inspires audiences.

Ellis Dear

The next few frames introduce us to the actors in the film. For example, Rachel McAdams and Channing Tatum are both revealed. Along with the actor’s names, other successful romantic films they have both starred in are listed. For example, ‘The Notebook’ (with McAdams) and ‘Dear John’ (with Tatum) are two of the most popular romantic genre films. Therefore, introducing big-name Hollywood actors and other similar successful films will easily promote ‘The Vow’, by persuading viewers who enjoy this genre to watch. Sans serif fonts have been used as they are modern and signify youthfulness, demonstrating that the film targets a young adult audience. White is the chosen colour for the typography because it’s very classic and signifies sophistication; giving the trailer a professional touch. Attractive shots of the actors have also been used. High-key lighting is present on both of their faces; whilst they pose with a friendly widely grin. The brightness and smiles connote happiness, demonstrating to audiences that this film has an enjoyable love story.

Leo’s voice over continues as he explains to Paige in an emotional scene ‘I’ll always love you, fact is you’re just meeting me and I’m just a stranger’. This expressive dialogue creates pity from viewers for Leo, as they feel sympathy for him losing his wife. In the background of these frames there are dainty party lights and we see Paige and Leo dressed in smart party clothing. A party is stereotypically a happy time where people celebrate, however Paige and Leo are both in tears as Paige’s memory has not returned and she no longer loves her husband. After Leo expressing that he’ll always love Paige, a close up is shown of her face. This is used so that viewers can see the tears forming in Paige’s eyes and the sad emotions written over her face as she replies saying ‘I hope one day I can love the way that you love me’. From this we can gather that Paige cannot fall back in love with Leo, however she does realise how much he loves her. Leo finishes the conversation by saying ‘How do you look at the girl you love and tell yourself it’s time to walk away’. Viewers can now presume from this that Paige and Leo’s relationship has come to an end as he cannot win her love back. This is a tear-jerking part in the trailer, which is likely to lead viewers to watching the whole film.

Ellis Dear

Following these last few frames and the emotional dialogue, we can presume Paige and Leo have split. However, we next see Paige walking on her own with coloured lights behind her. This use of high-key lighting is very conventional because it lights up Paige and gives a

very angelic and elegant feel, whilst the ray of colour also connotes happiness. This all represents Paige as the same cheerful and loving girl that Leo first fell in love with, showing viewers that she is still the perfect woman for him. We can also notice the soft smile across her face, which makes the audience question if she has fallen back in love with Leo.

We are next introduced to a frame saying ‘Can a once in a lifetime love find a second chance?’ A rhetorical question has been used so that the missing answers intrigue viewers, meaning they are persuaded to watch the whole film. The words ‘second chance’ give a glimpse of hope to the audience that at the end of the film Leo and Paige do have a second chance, as Paige falls back in love with Leo for the second time. Yet again sans serif fonts have been used as they connote modernity and youth, which shows ‘The Vow’ is aimed at a young adult target audience. Also, the classy white colour used signifies a professional look to the trailer.

The trailer starts to come to an end with flashing events that have happened since the car crash. However, Paige and Leo seem to be enjoying their time spent together. For example, Paige is giggling away at Leo whilst sharing a box of chocolates. A box of chocolates are seen as a conventional romantic gift and after watching Paige laugh with Leo we start to wonder if she has fallen back in love with him. There is also an opened bottle of wine next to them and to audiences this appears that Paige and Leo are on a date together. A voice over of Leo pronouncing his vows from the beginning of the trailer starts to play. He says ‘I vow to love you and no matter what challenges might carry us apart we will always find a way back to each other’. This vow perfectly suits their relationship as they have been hit with a massive challenge; however can Leo find a way back to Paige?

Ellis Dear

The last frame of the couple is of Leo holding Paige’s hand and gently kissing it. This romantic gesture signifies that Leo has kept his vow to always love her and find a way back, but it leaves viewers with a crucial unanswered question. Has Paige’s memory returned and has she fallen back in love with Leo? This unanswered question is conventional in trailers as in persuades viewers to watch the film to find out. The upbeat background music then comes to an end with the vocalist singing ‘We are one’. This leaves the audience wondering if these lyrics represent Paige and Leo who are back in love and living life as a happily married couple once again.