Empire magazine analysis

Sket trailer analysis

The narrative of the trailer is clear through the portrayal of the characters and the location of the scenes shown. We can see that it involves the idea of 'Sisterhood". When the 'new girls' sister is murdered, she goes after the murdered with her new gang of girl friends, they are involved in a lot of crime in the urban areas of London and this helps to set the scene for what to expect in the film

I previously mentioned that the film was made to uncover the life of London's urban areas which is unknown to the rest of the UK, and as soon as the trailer begins and we see establishing shots it is clear that this is the case. In this shot we can see youths sitting around on the streets and being interrogating to someone waking by. This fits in with the stereotype many people would have and already makes the viewer assume how the film will play out.

The music is sharp and quick which keeps up with the initial quickness of the trailer. There are short clips seen during the first section of the trailer which immediately grabs attention. It is effective in showing why the film was made because it allows us as the audience to understand why we would want to engage with the film. We can see immediately the fast pace of the film is sure to keep us focussed and really understand their adaption of the life within London streets.

Overall, i think the trailer is accurate to how the characters are portrayed in the full film and does help give a glimpse as to why the film was made. This will have been because it brings attention to the urban areas of London and allows those who live there to feel relatable by the audience. It is also an interesting chance for other areas of the UK to see this lifestyle and how it contrasts.

Me before you trailer analysis

The trailer for Me Before you was released by Warner Bros. pictures. It was clear from the offset that it was based on a romance novel. The trailer stars Emilia Clarke and Sam Claflin. These are two established actors who have worked in series such as The hunger Games and Game of thrones.

As i had previously mentioned in my initial analysis as to why the film was made, it has bought up many issues surrounding disabilities and has meant advocates have spoken against the film. The trailer highlights that this is the reason it has been made by including long shots of the main actor in a wheelchair like the one below. We are drawn to his disability through the use of camera angles. 

Also camera angles in a trailer are only a glimpse into what we expect to see throughout the rest of the film, therefore we rely on these to give away how the characters are portrayed, we see a wide range of angles and lighting which signify he is very depressed and lonely. H is often seen in a mid shot by himself which makes him stand out as lonesome. 

I believe the trailer has portrayed why the film was made because it is now clear that it has shone a light on disability and different areas of the trailer have done this. When the trailer was initially released many were curious as to how the plot would play out, this makes it succesful.

Role and Purpose of film distribution

Analysis of a horror trailer- Sinister

"Washed-up true-crime writer Ellison Oswalt finds a box of super 8 home movies that suggest the murder he is currently researching is the work of a serial killer whose work dates back to the 1960"

Similarly to other horror movies such as insidious, the trailer starts of with a green screen warning. It includes the age restriction of the particular film and also includes a logo of the film producer. All this information can be taken in by people watching the trailer as it is done in silence.

After the screen is shown, we hear a non diegetic voice over from a radio broadcast about a murder of a family, this is immediately putting fear into the audience and giving an indication of what the film is likely to be about. Although it is only a voiceover, we still gage a sense of horror from the radio presenter. The photo shown on the screen next circles a young girl, the red pen used to circle the girl can imply murder and bloodshed, usually associations with red are violence. Also, by highlighting the girl in the picture we are already getting a sense of her vulnerability and innocence as a child.

The sound used is a convention of a horror trailer as it is full of suspense and eerie. Another area of the trailer that we immediately see fits the genre of a horror is the location of where the film is set and the low level lighting used to portray it.

There is a clever use of the panning shot a the beginning as it is not only used as an establishing shot of the house, it also gives the audience a comparison as to what the house was like before a family moved in. Not only does this give a sense of unease to the audience, it will also mean the scene will be remembered by them further on in the trailer. The comparison of the clips and how they are put together also makes it seem as if the family moving in are on the same path as the family murdered. This in itself highlights how the movie fits into the horror genre from the beginning.

The transition between each shot is used as a subtle way of slowing down the pace of the trailer. It makes the beginning slow moving which contrasts to the montage at the end. Also by having the dissolving transition the family appear more innocent and naive to what they are entering into.

We then carry on watching the trailer to see the family portrayed as normal and happy. This is an effective technique used in horrors to make the audience members relate to the victims and understand their vulnerability. This trailer again uses lighting to highlight the eerie items found in the loft. There is then a sudden build up of tension and the feel of the trailer changes again by a cut back of any sound. The silence builds tension and engages viewers to watch more closely to what happens next. The music descends into a typical horror movie soundtrack, which sounds almost like a heartbeat, which could reflect the state of the father. 

Moving on from the beginning of the trailer, we begin to see high angle shots of the father as they are used to contrast other characters. The policeman can be seen having dominance in the scene due to the low angle used. It is made clear he has all the power in the situation and the father is now the more vulnerable one.

Another key aspect is the low level lighting seen in any clip which has an element of mystery. The lighting levels indicate the state of worry the character is in. As we can see when he watches the clips, he is hidden in  dark room as if he himself is too scared to see what is happening. There is then a mysterious creature whose identity is initially hidden from the audience. We are then intrigued but also scared to see what will happen next to the family as we begin to sympathise for their vulnerability in such situation. 

A reverse shot contrasts the figure and the character, the figure is mysterious and frightening whilst the character is frightened and worried. The figure then disappears creating suspense for the audience. The editing of the photograph makes the image come to life, making the creature a reality to the man as well as the audience. The over the shoulder shot of the man highlights that somethings not right, cutting to a high angle shot of his Daughter again to show her vulnerable state.

Throughout the trailer we see links to fire. We first see it in the reflection of the fathers glasses. Fire is usually associated with danger and death and therefore the cyclical theme of this gives the trailer all the more edge.

The fire at the end shows the recurring link to burning throughout the trailer, which could possibly mean danger and death of the young children's souls, the figure is evil, and the fire may present Hell.

Analysis of a horror trailer- Insidious

“A gripping story of a family in search of help for their son, Dalton, who fell into a coma after a mysterious incident in attic. Little do they know that there is much more to this endless sleep than meets the eye as they explore the paranormal, and rediscover the past; the key to getting their son back once and for all.”

The film i decided to analyse first was the trailer for insidious. The film was released in 2010 and was very successful in the box office. Many people decided to watch it due to its suspense. It is involved in the genre horror which is the same genre i would like to make my film trailer.

As with any film trailer, it starts of with the regulatory warning sign with the age restriction and what is involved in the film. Although this is seen in most horror film trailers, it is actually a convention of all trailers. The message gives watchers a warning to what they will seen and is a disclaimer for anyone who is viewing it. It is a way of giving them a chance to not view if they do not wish. It is an important message which is why it is written on a green screen. This is eye catching to watchers and will have their attention before the film starts. Also, the white writing makes it look more professional and serious. There is no sound within the first few seconds of the trailer so the audience has a chance to read the message without being distracted. 

After we see the films title insidious appear on the screen. We are led immediately to a mid shot of a male character, who we assume is a main character due to his direct look and posture. There is then a diegetic conversation between the male character and and another character which cannot be seen on screen. This immediately gives a sense of mystery and leads us to want to view more. There is then a shot of a pendulum which we assume is the ticking noise which carries on for a number of clips in the trailer. The ticks are echoed which exaggerates the sound and causes the atmosphere to become sinister. We as an audience can only presume that the tick signifies time and perhaps that it is running out for the characters.

The pendulum is an effective sound bridge we are alerted to as soon as the next clip follows. The pace flows effortlessly into the slowly edited clips to follow. An important part of the trailer which helps set the scene is shown next, it is a panning shot showing the front of the house. This is also known as an establishing shot as it shows where the scenes of the movie are set. Other non diegetic sounds are then added to build tension and make the audience feel uneasy as to what will happen next.

Medium shots are then used to show the family. A mid-shot is useful as it can give an indication of who the films about whilst also still giving an overview of their surroundings. 

In this shot, we can see that the families clothes are all neutral colours. These give the audience the idea that these people are innocent and will not be the ones bringing evil in the film. By using clothes as a symbol of innocence, the audience is warmed to these characters immediately. We guess from this shot that the family are the ones who will be facing evil.

Moving to the middle of the trailer, we see a sequence of fast paced mid shots. All of these are timed perfectly with the soundtrack and are shown in chronological order to give an outline of the story. It is important in a trailer that not all of the story is given away, therefore these fast paced short clips give a glimpse of the narrative but not the entire plot line.

The shots are cut quickly so that the audience has little time to focus on the details and rather just focus on the sounds and quick movements in each clip. This is affective as it makes anyone watching want to engage more i the film and find out ant information that may not be included in the trailer. The dialogue used against these clips are from the worried parent of the child, this also makes the audience anxious.

Lighting then becomes a key objective within the next few clips of the trailer. This is where dark lighting really takes over the ambience the audience is involved in and engages the audience to look more closely on the lighter parts on the screen. We can see in the clip above that the light is powered only by a small glow and therefore we are unable to see any surroundings. As an audience we are no longer able to see surrounds and our main focus is the actors. This is affective as it shows how different lighting angles can have a huge impact on a viewers attention.

With this sequences editing pace is at it’s fastest now, they have also included high pitched noises. These are cleverly used for building tension This peace of editing is designed to have the audience on the edge of their seats.

Character profile

There are certain aspects of classic horror characters that will be eminent in our trailer. We have looked into conventions of different characters in order to see what personality traits we can portray onto our victims.
Firstly, our character Annabelle will be of the age range of our target audience, this is because we want them to feel engaged throughout and keep the attention of them. Also, by having a young girl as the main character it will be appealing for both males and females to watch the film in the cinema. Another reason for having a female victim is that it is a convention of a horror film. They can easily be portrayed as vulnerable which means her personality will be conveyed as on edge. This is an important personality trait as it means when she jumps the audience in then will also be scared. This can build on the suspense in the trailer.
Within our film trailer, we decided that Annabelle would be a protagonist which means she herself will experience the horror of the anonymous figure at first hand. She has been terrifiably caught up in events that's are beyond her control, which then lead on to show her personality as anxious and scared.
As our film plot is victim narrated, the female character is at the heart of the entire plot, we get to see her change from a relatively happy and content person to a petrified and unsettled victim of an unknown figure lurking in her new home. This is a modern twise we have added to our plot in order to see it defy the usual conventions. Annabelle faces the horror character by herself which isn't usually seen in most horrors. A convention would be a female character being saved, however, we are glad to add a different twist and challenge usual conventions of a male hero. Annabelle manages to locate the source of horror being inflicted on her home without the aid of a male making this a strong statement of her character.

Why was Blair Witch made?

During the creation of the second Blair witch film, they decided that it was a risk to announce they were creating a sequel to the film. This is because they could face backlash as to why they didn't create a original film or why they were trying to recreate a film which was already good.A statement by the director stated that they planned to keep it a secret. There was also at one point a discussion at Lionsgate whether the entire film should be kept a secret. 

Their original plan was to release the film as 'The Woods' and hope that people decided to watch it. However they then decided that they would reveal it at Comic-Con to a positive reaction.

They wanted to re frame the idea that every sequel could never be as good as the original. Therefore they did this by updating the way in which the film was made. they modernised different aspects to give it a contemporary film whilst still linking to the same idea of the original with a group of vulnerable young teens. 

With the publicity of the new film, the director released a statement explaining the reason for a remake of the original successful film.

“Talking about it in 2013, it was very clear to me that the right approach was to use all the chronological changes and updates,” Barrett said. “Even of just like the camping experience. In the first film, they’re arguing over maps. It’s pre-GPS devices, cellphones, and all those other things. It’s changed a lot in those 20 years. So it definitely was part of the creative approach to take advantage of that. But [I also] don’t know how else we would have done it.”

This statement makes it clear that the remake was created with the idea that the film would give an updated idea of a horror film which had already been successful in its first release. By releasing a horror film which already had a fan base from years previous. They had a good chance of creating a box office success.

Why was 'Sket' made?

Sket is another film which fits into the category of capturing society’s underworld, in this films case that society is in London. The film displays another dimension of everyday life tat is uncommonly seen by the rest of England. This type of living is still quite apparent to those aware of it making the film intriguing to watch.


By reading statements released by the director, I can see that the reason for creating a film is to raise awareness to the growth of female gangs and what their lives may be like.


Nirpal Bhogal, the film’s director, explains his reasons for working on this project in the press pack for the film:

"There is a distinct lack of public knowledge about female gang culture, which results in a high level of fascination – yet not one film has dared to explore it – until now.
I met with various members of male and female gangs in order to learn why young women were now, more than ever, adopting aggressive male behaviour. The more I immersed myself in their ideologies the more I realised that their shift in behaviour could be explained as progressive adaptation, a theme that is at the very heart of ‘Sket’: society is changing, and girls and women must change with it in order to survive."

From reading this, it is clear that the director had a clear vision on how he wanted the film to be interpreted by its viewers. It shines a light on the different areas of life in London that are unseen by most people. This coverage shown in the film gives it an exciting edge.

Why was 'Me before you' made?

"Me before you" follows a tragic storyline seen in a few major films that have become popular films. The film me before you portrays a disabled man who has a live in carer. This film has given an insight of what its like to live with a disability and the daily struggles and unhappiness it can bring. However, it has been seen to glamorize the reality, this has caused a backlash from viewers as the man choses euthanasia over living as a quadriplegic. The film has caused controversy and has brought the topic to light in the media
The director of the film released a statement, She adds, “This is a brave ending. It’s too easy to do it the other way. We could all tell that story tomorrow. But this way… this is the more interesting way.”
But “more interesting” has also resulted in an outcry from disability advocacy groups offended the main character would take his life rather than live as a quadriplegic.
By creating a film with controversy such as this, the producers has allowed the topic to be brought up for discussion.
Another statement released shows that the film was made to be a tear jerker an provoke reaction from people.  Despite the mixed reaction to the movie, the fact that people are out there talking about it and sharing it is an accomplishment to her.
“There is something wonderful about knowing that the person next to you is also bawling their eyes out and you’re sharing that with them,” says Sharrock. “I think that’s a hugely cathartic thing. That side of it, I’m really proud of.”
This is clearly a reason as to why the film was made as it has meant people can share views on such a controversial topic.

Interview found on-
http://www.ew.com/article/2016/06/05/me-before-you-ending-director-responds

Blair Witch

SKET

The film is based in the UK and shows a side to British culture not always explored in the media industry. It is appealing to a British middle class audience. The film uses London as a setting and undiscovered British actors. The use of unknown actors gives a sense of reality to the plot line and takes away from the glamorous movie-making side that Hollywood may portray. 

The plot of the film is a young women who is attacked by a notorious gang led by the violent leader named Trey. When she is attacked, her younger sister Kayla is out to get revenge on the group. She joins a rival group with the damaged and man-hating leader Danielle. They vow to take revenge on their rival gang. Kayla ends up sleeping rough on the streets until she gets to join the tough all girl gang. She gains membership and is introduced to their ways of crime and violence as a way of surviving.

The tagline for the film is "Mans World, Sisters hood." This mean that from the begining the film had a clear aim at who the audience was and what they wanted the film to be seen as. It also meant that their target audience was reached.

The film was directed by Nirpal Bhogal. The production company ranged from different organisations such as Gunslinger, Gateway Films and Creativity media. The distribution companies were 21st century pictures, Kock media, one2see movies, resolver entertainment and Sunfilm entertainment.

The film starred actors such as Lily Loveless, Riann Steele, Aime Kelly, Emmal Hartley-Miller,Adeleyo Adeyo, Varada Sethu, Rich Campbell and Katie Foster-Barnes. 

The films budget was set at 1 million. They made £227,283. This meant the total gross lost of the film from the box office was £772,717.

The film was made available on YouTube, DVD and Netflix. They also produced Blu-ray editions to boost sales. 

The camera used to film was a digital camera. It is a Arri Alexa and was estimated to cost around £40000 and £60000 to film with. 
The film Genre is hard to define individually and therefore the film is classified under Crime Fiction and Thriller.

Me Before You Analysis

For a new start, in A2 I will be building on the work I did at AS Level and look more fully at the contexts of media production and consumption. The focus will be on why as well as how texts are created. I will be approaching texts more critically and looking in more detail at the work of key media.