Trailer Analysis

Breaking Bad

(Even though Breaking Bad is not a film, I’ve taken a lot of inspiration from watching the trailers, as postmodern techniques are used and the genre fits in with our project)

In the trailer for the second series of the TV show Breaking Bad there is a short clip showing a pink toy bear floating in a pool. The clip is shot in colour but shortly after the clip starts, the colour fades into black and white, leaving only the bright pink bear in colour. This could be a foreshadowing device as the main protagonist is standing in the background of the show wearing a jumper of the same pink colour. In the trailer for the first season of breaking bad we are introduced to the main protagonist, through the action on screen and graphics which introduce his personality and circumstances.

The postmodern techniques of the season 1 trailer don’t really emerge until the introduction of the drug making and dealing, which is also when the action of the series begins to take place. The characters in Breaking Bad who are seen as the protagonists are actually the ones breaking the law and would typically be cast as the antagonists. This concept plays with the audiences’ morals and perception of right and wrong.

Generic Iconography

The iconography used in the trailer establishes the crime/thriller genre by presenting the constant threat of danger to those who choose a drug reliant lifestyle. The use of props such as guns, rolls of money and scientific equipment used for making meth, portrays the many different sides to the featured criminal activity in the series; the danger, appeal and application of making and dealing class A drugs.

Titles

The titles for Breaking Bad have a really graphic look to them. The way they have used the element symbols from the periodic table to spell out parts of words is a clear reference to the nature of the series. the green colouring of the titles have a really dirty look to them which refers to the ‘junkie’ life style. The music that accompanies the titles has a ‘western’ style to it, long slow notes played on a banjo, but also has bongo playing a faster rhythm quietly in the background. The music has a very relaxed feel to it, and paired with the graphics has a very ‘drugy’ feel to it.

Mise En Scene

In the trailer for the first series, we are introduced to the two main characters , Walter White is presented as a very old fashioned man, he wears plane clothing typical of a white male at the age of 50. his glasses are large and typically symbolise intelligence and his facial hair has a very straight forward, matter of fact look to it, all this makes the character come across as very ordinary.In contrast to this, Jessie Pinkman, the second main character introduced in the trailer, is shown wearing very baggy clothing , mainly seen in hoodies and loose fitting jeans. The baggy clothes and lots of layers imply he’s trying to make himself look bigger than he actually is, which could be a physical representation of his personality. He also wears a hat in many scenes implying he is trying to slightly hide his identity. He has a very scruffy look in contrast to Walter’s clean-cut appearance.

The first time the audience is introduced to a drug related environment is when White is taken along on a bust with his sister-in-law’s husband who works for the DEA. The meth lab is dirty and cluttered. There is little light as the windows have been blocked up. The set contrasts the tidy home of White where he feels very safe. The contrast in sets could be a foreshadowing of how White’s life is going to change through out the series.

Sound

At the start of the season 1 trailer, the music has a very looming feel to it, it gives the sense something is about to happen to disrupt the equilibrium seen on screen. When the two main characters meet the music turns very thrilleresque and creates a tension with strings. Electric guitars and drums are used and resemble a heart beat rhythm. When a clip is shown where the characters are making the Meth the music becomes quite empowering, with the electric guitars and drums as before but now with a more of a tune, this could be representing the short lived control the characters have.

The music quickly turns more manic and angry sounding . The music stops and the thrilleresque strings return increasing the tension further and finally fades to the title with a deep drone sounding tone.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HhesaQXLuRY

Camerawork

The camerawork within this trailer switches half way through the trailer from very conventional and simple, simple mid and establishing shots, to including some very unusual shots and angles, for example from inside a washing machine and a point of view shot from the perspective of someone wearing a gas mask. These camera angles create an alternative view point for the audience giving the trailer a postmodern element and hints to the disturbance soon to come.

EditingAt the start of the trailer the footage is very dark, we are introduced to the main character, Walter White, in deep shadow and very little light. This dramatic effect could be foreshadowing the dark future ahead of the character due to the decisions he makes. For most of the trailer, the footage is continuously very dark, until White introduces himself to the world of drug dealing or ‘cooking’, after which the footage becomes a lot brighter and clearer. This could be a representation of the hope felt by White when he finally starts to earn money to support his family and his illness. It emphasises the contrast between White’s normal, quite dull lifestyle to the dangerous and immoral yet exciting new path he has chosen.

When the audience first sees White and his new partner Pinkman in their mobile ‘meth lab’ a shot panning across a worktop covered in scientific equipment and chemicals in bottles is created with a layered edit, slightly distorting the view of the objects for a brief amount of time. This edit creates an uncomfortable feel and hints both characters may be out of their depth and endangering themselves. The edit could also reflect how a user of the duo’s ‘product’ would see and feel, a meth users vision and mind would be impaired. Again this emphasises the contrast between the life White knows and the one he has chosen.

At the end of the trailer, short clips of footage are almost flashed up with cuts to black linking them together. The cuts are timed with the dramatic music which has a sort of heart-beating rhythm to it. The cuts reminded me of the fades to black at the beginning of the trailer, and I interpreted it as though the action at the end of the trailer was what the fades to black were foreshadowing at the start.

TrainspottingIn trailer for the film Trainspotting, there is a surreal scene in which the main character dives into a toilet (known as ‘the worst toilet in Scotland’) after having expelled his suppositories, which he then tries to fish out, and ends up falling head first into crystal clear water. This scene is a reference to the novel Gravity’s Rainbow by Thomas Pynchon (1973). The characters heroin addiction has lead him to a place of false pleasure, allowing him to disconnect or forget about reality.Through out the trailer the main characters in the film are introduced through a series of freeze frames and graphics. The freeze frames break up the conventional transitional flow of a typical trailer. For the duration of the freeze frame, the image on screen turns from a coloured shot to grayscale, this adds to the impact of the freeze frame and separates the shot from the rest of the trailer footage.

Generic Iconography

The iconography featured in Trainspotting really reflects the attitude of the characters; they don’t take their lives seriously and want to have fun. The film’s crime genre is portrayed through the use of illegal substances, violence and petty crime such as theft. Alcohol, drugs and money are always seem to be grouped together if films such as Trainspotting and the other film trailers I have analysed. All three come with risks and I think Trainspotting is all about taking risks; the characters within the film as well as the controversial narrative and plot structure created by Boyle.

Titles

The first title we see in the trailer introduces the main character Renton, the titles are placed on a frozen shot of the character which has been desaturated. The orange colouring of the font contrasts the monotone footage which has a turquoise tint to it. The font itself is very bold and simple sans-serif. In contrast to many film titles, which are often very elaborate, the titles of Trainspotting are very basic, this allows the audience to focus on the action on screen and what is being said in the narration. It also reflects the character’s indifferent approaches to life.

The main title of the film is presented in the same way as the rest of the titles within the trailer. The same font and colouring is used and the only difference is how it is displayed on the screen; the impact of the title is created by placing it on a black background and as the title appears, different letters of the title flash up along with the background flashing from black to white and the sound of a train going past. All of this creates a very dramatic end to the trailer; the train going past refers to the title in a literal way, whereas the characters would use the term ‘trainspotting’ in reference to the ‘tracks’ left on their arm due to injecting heroin.

Camerawork

Throughout the trailer there are lots of tracking shots, following the character in shot as her/she moves. In the very first scene of the trailer a tracking shot Is used to follow the characters as they run down a set of stairs and along a road, the brief continuity of the shot adds emphasis to the next shot which is cut using a sharp edit from footage to a still title shot. Point of view shots are used a lot in the trailer and throughout the rest of the film to convey the disorientated mindset of the junkie characters as well as being used as a sort of establishing shot, displaying a location as seen through the drugged up eyes of that particular character.

Mise En Scene

Most of the shots in the trailer and film are very gloomily lit and have a very brownish dirty look to them. The grim look of the footage reflects the dark humor featured in the film and the dismal lifestyle of the characters.All the sets in the film have been created to convey a ‘druggy’ life style, showing the consequences of drug addiction and, as the characters seem unaware of their filthy surroundings, their disconnection to reality that comes with drug abuse.

The costumes worn by the characters convey their dirty lifestyles. A lot of the clothes worn by Renton the main character are slightly too small and stained. The character has a slight ‘mod’ style which was popular in the 80’s when the film was set, he often wears a t-shirt or vest with a brown jacket, jeans and trainers, his appearance is not something that concerns him too greatly.

SoundThe soundtrack to the Trainspotting trailer is very upbeat and fast paced. The song’s title ‘lust for life’ juxtaposes the lives of the characters as they haven’t achieved much and are addicted to heroin. even so in some ways the characters are satisfied with their lives and are doing the things they love; in this sense the music fits with the film perfectly. The narration of the trailer is spoken by the main character Renton, played by Ewan McGregor. In it he goes through a long list; “choose life”, “choose a job”… “choose leisurewear and matching luggage”. From what he says I interpreted it as though he was making a mockery of the materialistic values of society. The whole film is very challenging and allows you to question your own values and priorities.

Editing

When introducing the other key characters in the film the same freeze frame effect is used along with the same text as well. Before the still appears there is a flash to white as though the flash of a camera has gone off taking the characters picture. This hints to the comedic side of the film as both the characters Spud and Sick Boy are sitting on the toilet in the freeze frame which looks a bit like a photo-booth.

In the club scene there is a flash effect used which acts as a strobe light. This edit enhances the atmosphere of the location and gives the audience the same sort of disorientation the character would be feeling. This allows the audience to connect with the character’s emotion of confusion and discomfort.

Requiem For A DreamThis film is very postmodern, not complying to the typical happy ending and resolved equilibrium featured in most films. The film challenges the conventions of a crime drama. The trailer itself is very fast paced but not in a sense that it builds up tension, but in a way that is meant to slightly confuse the audience; replicating the mind of character Sarah Goldfarb, who’s use of dieting pills causes a breakdown of her mental stability. the way the trailer is constructed feels more like a montage of short clips from the movie rather than footage which roughly establishes the plot as you would expect from a trailer. The trailer is highly edited which creates a very surreal feel to the film. Requiem for a Dream is about how drugs destroy lives and I think the trailer really gets that message across in a very postmodern and controversial way; it doesn’t give away much about the characters or the story line, but really gives you a sense of the film’s nature.

Iconography

In the trailer for Requiem For A Dream, the iconography used portrays the dark subject matter of the drama. Using postmodern techniques the trailer’s footage cuts to shots of money piling up using stop frame motion. The display of large amounts of money is typical of a film which looks at drug use. We also see in the trailer a quick reference to the location of the film through an iconic yellow New York taxi, having the film based in a large city is quite typical of dramas such as this one as there is a lot of drug related crime and people can relate to the location making the audience connect and respond to the film.

TitlesThe titles featured in the trailer for this film are very simple, quite often the titles of a film trailer convey the genre of the film, for example, horror films often have a scratched or bloody looking font, however the font used for this film’s titles is a very standard type and doesn’t seem to hint to the narrative or any themes within the film.The first two shots featuring titles we see are addressing the fan base of former works of the director and the novel of which the film derives from. The actual title of the film is the third block of text to be shown throughout the trailer. It is positioned in a slightly odd place and feels quite uncomfortable in shot until the action starts on screen of the girl screaming underwater, then the audience sees the character is the central focus of that particular shot and the text has been fitted round her.The release date is displayed on a black screen where I personally would have expected the title of the film to be positioned, this gives the title a lot of impact and leaved you remembering that date

Mise En Scene

The very first shot featured in the trailer is of a small living room. The main focal point is the TV screen, the room has a dark depressing feel to it which plays a strong role in the film as Sarah Goldfarb spends most of her time in this dim lit room. from looking at the distance of the arm chair from the TV, the audience can get a sense of how the character worships it. Other than the TV the room looks very claustrophobic and lonely, the audience can see the character lives alone as there is only one chair; this hints that the character takes comfort in the TV as she feels disconnected from family and friends.

The shot introducing Sarah Goldfarb’s son Harry, shows a yellow taxi iconic of New York City where the film is mainly set. This establishes the location of the film for the audience. In the background is a seemingly working class neighbor hood. There is a metal framed fence surrounding an untidy front lawn of a block of flats. This again established the sort of area the characters are from and their class.

SoundThe soundtrack of the trailer is a mixture of rhythmic beats and sound effects which overall creates a very surreal atmosphere. Some of the sound effects include a cash register, slamming of heavy doors and a car’s wheels screeching. In the first few seconds of the trailer, a shot is brought down to cover another with a slide transition from the top of the screen; as it does the sound of a prison door slamming shut is heard. When I watched this I interpreted it to be a representation of how the drugs were imprisoning the characters through addiction as well has causing Sarah Goldfarb to become paranoid and scared to leave the house.Dialogue from the film is used in the trailer; a young female voice is heard whispering “I love you”; she sounds in a state of euphoria as though she is high on drugs. In contrast to this there are also screams of pain heard through out the trailer foreshadowing the depressing plot of the film.

Camerawork

The use of a fisheye lens, paired with fast forwarded footage creates a distorted feel to the shot; it resembles the effect the drugs have on the characters and allows the audience to get a sense of what the characters are feeling and thinking without the camera moving from the corner of the room.

The view from the CCTV camera adds to the postmodern element of the film; it offers an alternative view point and introduces a ‘fly on the wall’ prospective.

The high angled shot looking down at the female in the bath makes her look very small and weak, this emphasises her emotion. As she is naked she is exposed and the audience sees her fear and distress.

Editing

The second shot of the trailer has a slide transition which falls on top of the first shot. This sort of obvious editing which is there to be noticed, pulls the audience out of the ‘film watching mindset’ where you just stare at the screen, and makes the viewers think and question the postmodern aspects of the trailer.In a lot of the shots through out the trailer the screen is split into two sections, displaying different footage in each part. At the start of the trailer the screen is split horizontally and shows a close up of a female character’s face looking down counting out pills on a table. The bottom half of the screen shows the pills being counted from her point of view, this type of editing is called parallel action.

The trailers footage cuts multiple times to microscopic shots of cells and a blood stream which gives a sense of the effect of the drugs that have been taken by the characters which has been made obvious through the trailers use of iconography, footage and action. Another use of editing to portray the sense of the drug’s effects is layering two shots to create the effect of double vision. All of the editing in the trailer is very postmodern and high art which really gives a sense of the character’s mindset and mental instability.

Pulp Fiction

Pulp Fiction is extremely postmodern as the film’s narrative breaks down the chronological order of time. It follows the stories of a boxer, a gangster and robbers; interweaving their stories through out the film. Controversial topics are raised and Pulp fiction features dark humor. The confusing structure of the narrative leaves the audience feeling quite bewildered and may have to watch the film more that once to understand it. This sort of narrative contrasts the typical Hollywood film which is very predictable and always ends happily. By challenging this norm, Tarantino addresses a more alternative audience who are prepared to watch a film and have questions at the end of it, or who are able to see depth within a character or storyline. The trailer for the film is very fast but the pace is broken up with some clips of footage form the film being quite slow due to little action and slow spoken dialogue.

Iconography

The iconography within the trailer reflects the genre of the film. The film’s storyline is based mainly around money and violence, also featuring drug use, fast cars and religion; all these themes often go hand in hand and are generic of a crime/drama/thriller. The iconography in the trailer suggests the dark nature of the film and gives the audience an insight to what the film is largely based on. Tarantino uses a lot of symbolism within the film and this is hinted towards in the trailer. The props used in the film provoke the audience, allowing them to question certain elements of the film and interpreted it in their own way.

Titles

Throughout the trailer, the footage is broken up using titles, which for the first three times only read a single word; ‘loyalty’, ‘betrayal’, ‘crime’. Subsequent to the display of each title, the trailer’s footage reflect the meaning of the word, as if Tarantino is showing the audience examples of the loyalty, betrayal and crime featured in the film. The film’s tagline is presented, in the same style as the previous title, in two sections, with half of it on one title and the other on a second. ‘You wont know the facts…’, ‘until you see the fiction’. The two titles are placed closely together with only one short clip between them (Jules Winnfield “oh I’m sorry, did I break your concentration?) , unlike the other three titles which are spaced quite far apart.

Graphics

In Pulp Fiction, Uma Thurman is shot drawing out the shape of a square with her fingers to illustrate her statement; ‘don’t be a square’. To illustrate her point further than just dialogue, Tarantino uses the graphic outline of a rectangle which follows the movement of the characters fingers. This dotted outline of a square has been featured in many cartoons such as The Flintstones in 1961 and The Three Little Bops in 1957 to show a character in a negative way (suggesting they’re unoriginal or boring).

Mise En Scene

The suits worn by the two characters Vincent Vega and Jules Winnfield have a film noir look to them. This reference adds to the effect the characters have in this scene and their matching outfits distinguishes their relationship as partners in crime. The suits give the characters a very official look and among the other characters in the scene (top image) they have a element of authority about them as they look business like, as if they know exactly what they are doing.Many of the locations featured in the trailer are very darkly lit, this emphasises the mood of the film and creates a feeling of uncertainty. Small props such as the plaster on the back of character Marcellus Wallace’s head have been said to suggest that he has sold his soul to the devil as Jewish folk law tells of the soul being at the back of your neck. Subtle things like this have provoked many theories about the film just from the clever use of props and construction of mise en scene.

SoundThere are five different soundtracks used in the trailer alone, each one stopped by the appearance of a title. there is a mixture of black funk music with more western sounding music, mixing two music genres typical of different cultures. At the end of the trailer, a narrator reads off a list of all the cast actors playing key roles in the film. This is to appeal to fans of certain well known actors featuring in the film as well as giving an insight to what kind of role they play as their names are pared with a clip of their character in action.

CameraworkThe camerawork in the film’s trailer includes some extreme close-up shots of things such as a cash register opening, the play button of a record player and a woman putting her lips to what could be a gun or a microphone. These close ups are there to slightly disorientate the audience and create a high-art feel to the trailer. By doing this the audience isn’t just watching little clips from the film, they have to piece together certain ambiguous shots which leave them questioning what they just saw and wondering how it fits into the films storyline. The shot of two characters opening the boot of a car is a very iconic shot from the film. It seems like a point of view shot; but the body in the trunk of the car is lifeless and without a head so it allows you to question from who’s point of view it is from if that is the intended angle of the shot, or if it is an extreme low angled shot used to make the two characters look very powerful and domineering.

Editing

The editing throughout the Pulp Fiction trailer complements the different soundtracks used; at the very start of the trailer the footage is linked together using cuts which paired with the music make the pace of the trailer very fast paced, when the music changes to a slower track the amount of footage shown in a clip becomes greater and slightly more about the characters and their situation is given away.

The shot of a character’s finger pressing a play button on a record player has a fade to black transition effect on it leading into a title reading ‘loyalty’. The fade adds to the impact of the shot as it is very shot; as the button is pressed the music changes from a very fast paced song to a slow more melodic track. The change in soundtrack paired with this shot really highlights the change and the atmosphere of the trailer shifts from action packed and fast clips to more contextual footage that gives slightly more away about the storyline.