Synopsis for Charlie Sings
A teenage boy called Charlie insert lives an introverted
quiet life. With a massive passion for
music he is a very talented undiscovered musician and singer but is too shy and
nervous to perform in front people. Meanwhile a college Jazz Band is
desperately looking for a singer to get a gig for their band. The band leaders
Liam and Louise discus their needs for a singer who feels the core of music and
can give their band a retro twist. After being overheard in a college music
practise room Louise approaches Charlie to see if he will sing for their band.
Charlie admits he finds it really difficult to sing in front of people and tends
to keep himself to himself but Louise is persistent in helping Charlie
developing his confidence to showcase his powerful but raw talent. Louise gets
him to do different exercises to improve his confidence and before too long he
meets the band and they start practising. New friendships flourish at this time
and his enhances his adoration for music and singing. But old fears don’t fade.
When the band gets a gig at the Kenton Theatre Cameron’s anxiety reappears as
the pressure mounts for the big. Missing rehearsals and returning to his secluded-self
concerns the band and Louise goes out to find him. Patching up his confidence
the big day of the ‘Henley College Jazz Band’ performance arrives and Charlie
sees the big stage for the first time. The over-hanging question will he
perform still lingers and Louise hopes she has made the right gable. As the
lights go up and the band start the opening bars of Van Morrison’s ‘Moon Dance’,
Charlie is not on stage. But right on cue a voice soulful and unique voice
emerges from the wings Charlie walks out on stage and takes to the mike. He has
done it. Conquered his major fear and made new friends along the way all through
the power of music.
Institutions
I have looked at a range of films that follow my genre of
comedy-drama. Films under the ‘teen’ culture are usually made in America.
Distributers of these types of films include: Universal, Paramount and Buena
Vista. However coming of age British films are usually made by smaller
independent distribution companies such as Channel 4 and Warp Films.
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Conglomerates: Universal Pictures, Paramount Pictures and
Buena Vista.
These giant institutions dominate the film industry. In my choice
of genre they have made: The Breakfast Club, Pretty in Pink and Breaking Away.
The films are aimed at a mass American market as the companies can use synergy
and convergence to market and distribute the films on a range of different
platforms. The films made in the 80s are under a budget of 10million and have
made box office figures of $45,875, 171 (The Breakfast Club).
The Breakfast Club Poster
However analysing the upcoming films of these companies, the
films do not include teenagers as the basis of their cast. They have developed
their target market and real mid- teen life films are becoming more niche and
‘coming of age’ or American musicals. Another key theme in my trailer is music.
Films like High Fidelity, Back beat and The Commitments are distributed by
other conglomerates such as Buena Vista and 20th Century fox. As major
companies they are able to deal with the demand of filming live music as they
can put a lot of money into organising equipment and replicating a real
atmosphere.
The Commitments Cast
However obviously the main challenge with large
conglomerates is being able to sell a film to them that the company will want
to distribute. My film is not really comparable to recent blockbusters and the
story line is more suited to an independent film company as it concerns
personal and specific teen related issues. After researching small film
companies like Warp Films and G2 pictures I realised that to create a music
based film I would have to pursue a company that specialised in targeting a
very niche market of live music films.
Brassed Off poster
Director Richard Ayoade
Questionnaire Conclusion
For my film campaign I decided to focus in on genre - drama. To narrow this down I learnt a total of 2/3 prefer the subgenre of thriller drama which is a popular in today’s film market but as 50% of my sample would describe themselves as an ‘alternative market’ and 75% seek out films to watch, I could combine the thriller aspect with a docu-drama feel -like one of the film I analysed ‘This is England’- to go against the typical conventions in Hollywood and create a film trailer, poster and magazine cover of an ‘indie’ or ‘art-house’ nature. As my audience is predominately students or young adults this will appeal to this large market as they are new generation looking for different avenues of media text.
In my questionnaire I asked questions concerning how my
trailer should be constructed. I discovered that 75% of the 20 felt that a
trailer was vital in persuading them to go and see a film. Therefore I must
ensure the trailer is engaging for the audience by using the enigma code which
19 of my questionnaire audience felt was effective in leaving an audience in
suspense. This links to the figures that just below 50% preferred the trailer
to pick out the best bits so although I’m not making the whole film it does not
have to self-explanatory. Therefore by capturing a contrast of high action and
low action scenes this will draw an audience in successfully to watch the
hypothetical film.
My questionnaire then went on to explore my audience’s view
on posters for the second part of my media coursework. The majority said the
actor in the film attracted them to a poster. However graphics (including
photographs) came in as the second most popular and therefore I will utilize
that data as my film will be in an alternative style so the actor will not be
that prolific thus I will need other ideas, images or graphics to gain the
audience’s attention. Furthermore I will
also include critics’ quotes on my poster as this made 60% of my sample go
watch the film. This will be useful for my advertisement poster as it
corresponds to the other ideas, images or graphics I will need to make my
poster professional and effective.
Out of the 4 magazine covers I analysed, each were very
different. Although the alternative magazine ‘Little White Lies’ used a drawn
image I’m going to use a photo of the director which is more like the magazine
‘Sight and Sound’ as it allows the cover lines to be based around the
production of my film which was demonstrated by my questionnaire as being the
favourite topic of featured article.
With this information from my questionnaire and
wider research I am now able to create the foundations for my trailer in a
story board format as it gives me a loose structure of how to make it appeal to
my target audience and conform to my chosen genre.
Genre Conventions Conclusion
From my research I have learnt that effectively portraying
emotions or feelings to difficult experiences as the most important aspect in a
drama film. The use of camera shots, editing, music and mise-en-scene draws the
audience into diegesis of the protagonist and often has the power to move the audience
emotionally. The characters are often presented as stereotypes through
exaggerating the emotions of each type character. This uses Stuart Hall’s theory
preferred reading and Laura Mulvey's Male Gaze theory so for example: Skinheads, aggressive; Women, emotional, desirable ;
Children, vulnerable. Dramas
often push ideology to create a more dramatic story line, replicating a real
life experience such as the film ‘This is England’. This engages an audience as it is not
following conventional topics that are apparent in romantic comedies or actions
film, often making them slightly controversial.
Drama films are made by a range of institutions including large
Hollywood conglomerates or smaller independent films makers. This is evident in
their advertising campaign as the larger institutions focus on promoting the actor
whereas smaller film makers present the concept and range of cast as this is
their unique selling point. However in
all trailers music is vital in conveying high tension and emotion whether it reflects
the era, mood or is completely contrapuntal, it is a universal feature for this
particular genre of film. Dramas are usually set in specific places that become
very important to the story line so the costumes, music, props and acting must
reflect this because creating realism is what makes a drama so appealing to an
audience. The realism allows audience to relate to or learn about the experience
during those times i.e. War, Post War, Decades in the 20th century.
The subgenre distinguishes its audience thus a period drama appeals predominately
to women in the late 20s onwards whereas thriller dramas particularly appeal to
men of all ages. By using my audience questionnaire
I will be able to decide which sub-genre is most popular to my surrounding audience.
Questionnaire for Drama Film Trailer
Questionnaire for drama film trailer
Please circle ONE answer
1.
How old are you?
Pre 16 16-17 18-25 26+
2.
What is your gender?
Male Female
3.
What sub-genre of drama film do you watch
Period Drama Thriller
Drama Romantic Drama
4.
What type of target audience would you classify
yourself as?
Mass-produced Niche Alternative
5.
Do you seek out films or watch films because
they are mass advertised?
Purposefully seek new films Mass advertised
6.
Why do you watch films?
Entertainment Education Personal Identification
7.
How important are the trailers important in
persuading you to watch film?
Vital Partially Not at all
8.
Do you prefer a trailer to:
Summarize the film Pick out
the good bits Set the scene
9.
Do you like interactive trailers e.g. voiceovers
that to talk you to as the audience?
Yes No
10
“Trailers should use the enigma code and leave
an audience in suspense” Do you agree?
Yes
No
11.
“Trailers for dramas should be coherent and
self-explanatory” Do you agree?
Yes No
12.
How many characters do you prefer a film to expose? :
A Lot Select
few minimum amount
possible
13.
What attracts you to a poster
The main actor Range
of cast Bold text Graphics
14.
Do you prefer one image or a range of images to
give you a sense of a film?
One image Range of images
15.
On a poster do critic’s quotes make you want to
watch film?
Yes No
16.
‘A poster with minimal graphics and texts are
more effective’ Do you agree?
Yes No
17.
How regularly do you read a film magazine?
Weekly Monthly When a good film comes out Never
18.
What articles do you like to read about in a
film magazine?
Production
Actor information Director
Thank you for participating!
Additional Alternative Film Magazine Analysis
As this magazine is for ‘Art house’ or alternative films the
conventions of typical magazines are modified for a more unconventional effect.
The magazine is published by the BFI which also produces a lot of the films
that are reviewed in this magazine which is why its logo is enlarged in a
separate puff so suggest its importance in the publication.
The cover lines are in a hand drawn style font with bubble
writing and arrows for a ‘doodle like’ effect. This reflects the type of
artistic films which are featured in this magazine-such as ‘Submarine’. The alternative international genre of film
magazine is effectively portrayed through the main cover lines- ‘London Film
Festival special: British Invention’ and ‘Venice’ to instantly inform the
reader its genre of content.
The pale blue, red and orange-yellow compliment the white
background because they stand out drawing the audience’s attention towards
particular articles. An example of this is “Richard Ayoade on his debut
‘Submarine’” with blue text and a humorous
play on the words ‘Submarine’ making the’ I’ a telescope. This ties in to the
main image thus making it more of a focal point than the text underneath.
Another broken convention is the main image. Richard Ayoade who directed the featured film
‘Submarine’ is known for his role as the awkward ‘Moss’ in the IT crowd so
instead of using an action shot of a film or a sexually posed photograph, this
awkward stance by Ayoade portrays an unusual yet quirky tone for the magazine
which resonates in the text on the right and left third.
By having no pictures by the cover lines or a range of puffs
this makes the reader want to subscribe to the magazine so they can look inside
and discover what the cover line is about.
The absence of pictures is in keeping with the magazine creative and
different image because it removes a tacky and amateur finish.
The Sight and Sound masthead is on the left third so if it
was stacked on a kiosk the potential audience would be able to see it clearly,
grabbing their attention. The language ‘Festival special’ suggests the magazine
is specifically focussed on festivals in this edition appealing to a minority
film market that are looking to seek out films rather than see them on the big
screen.
I intend to make my film an indie alternative film thus
making an understated magazine is important, as shown by Sight and Sound, to
remain in keeping with the films tone and message.
The Third Man Magazine Analysis
This is not a front cover but gives me a good idea of what a
1949 magazine was like for drama films such as The Third Man. Contrasting to
the article for the film Atonement this does not use straight lines and a
simple layout. The jagged edges and range of frames from the film footage
provide a sense of unease and turmoil which is in correlation to the feeling of
the film itself.
The use of shadows and black and white text also give the article
a very eerie and suspicious impression marketing the film as an epic suspense
drama. They had no colour in the late 40s so the black and white is an iconic
dated feature of film.
Equally to Atonement, this article on The Third Man
advertises the film by advocating a star member of cast. The large mid-shot of
Orson Welles is easily recognisable and is a draw for a film such as this one.
This large headshot of Ava Gardener is the only aspect of
this 1949 film magazine apart from the name in a mast head. Magazines for any
genre of film have moved on massively from this as the magazines were more about
the actors rather than their role in the film. This is a classic portrait shot
from this time and presents a very elegant image of film as a particularly glamorous
industry. However other conventions still remain such as the models direct eye
contact with the camera and a bright masthead in the top left third to stand
out if the magazine is stacked on a kiosk.
This is England Magazine Analysis
Unlike main stream magazines this front cover uses a drawing
for the main image which is effective in retaining ‘This is England’s’
alternative raw message. The aggressive facial expression of the main character
on the front highlights the theme of anger in the film which is reiterated by
the word ‘HATE’ in the background and the crude gesture, providing a dramatic
element from the genre.
The name of the magazine 'Little White Lies' is not in a large masthead so
instead the front cover prioritizes promoting the film instead of the magazine
itself. The retro and rough ‘The This is
England Issue’ print is fairly understated and compliments the simplistic cover
as it is in keeping with the dated 80s skinhead vibe which is quintessentially
the whole aim if the film.
The strapline ‘Truth & Movies’ suggests to the reader
that this magazine looks at films without financial influence from American conglomerates
and therefore perhaps portray a more truthful representation of life
experiences.
The cover lines are replaced by the list of cast and
director under the heading UK Talent Special. This exposes the names in an
understated way as the actors were not massive stars and thus little hype was
required unlike the promotion of Keira Knightly for Atonement.
This front cover goes against a lot of the conventions in
magazine production as the colour scheme is fairly dark, with no smaller
graphics, puffs or cover lines which pushes how an audience receives information
about a film. As the magazine is quirky and different, it appeals to an
audience who are deliberately trying to find features on This is England rather
than having to be drawn in by flashy colours or taglines.
I intend to create an alternative drama film so by creating
a front cover that abandons layout conventions, it may attract an audience of students
and young adults 18-25 that want a creative and original film.
Atonement Magazine Analysis
This magazine is portraying one of my chosen drama films is
a very erotic way. The main image is not
a capture from the film so is suggesting and alternative sultry tone in
contrast to the traditional World War romance which is depicted in the trailer
and poster. Keira Knightly’s bare back
and wet hair with James McAvoy’s arm around her waist conforms to Laure Mulvey’s
theory of the Male Gaze- where women are objectified for sex. This appeals to a
more adult and male audience rather than an audience who want to watch a World
War 2 based period drama. This links to
the tagline ‘Atonement Is Heating Up the Race’ emphasising the theme of sex in
the film. The main image covers the majority of the masthead to make it stand
out and make a large impression on the reader.
The dark, green and white colour scheme compliments Keira
Knightly’s famous emerald green dress and dark hair. This makes her very
desirable and as she is directly looking into the camera the readers’ eyes are
instantly drawn to her beauty. This
means for this magazine cover the main selling point of this film is Keira
Knightly and her passionate relationship instead of the war or the pivotal
character ‘Bryony’. Thus again this attracts a male audience who may have not
been interested with the period drama aspect, heavily focussing on the physical
side of the couples love.
This edition of Entertainment Weekly is focussing on the
Oscars. The main cover line ‘Will The Oscars Happen?’ and ‘Oscar Preview’ flash
adopt a gossip spin on the film event. The rhetorical question grabs an
audience’s attention as a cancellation of the Oscars would have very negative
impacts on the Hollywood film Industry.
The main cover line and tagline underneath build the anticipation for
the Oscars. The language in the tagline ‘Atonement is Heating up the Race’
intrigues a potential audience to want to go and watch the film as the language
is very effective in marketing the film as a very big deal. The
Oscars awards films of a mainstream nature so the reader is instantly informed the
origin of the films featured in the magazine are large conglomerates. This is
supported by the smaller cover lines in the left third e.g. ‘Terminator’ and
‘Tom Cruise.’
By not having any smaller graphics or puffs the main pull factors
of this edition is evidently the ‘Oscars’ and ‘Atonement’ as these are two
major events that would have large coverage on each.
Similarly this article markets the film with Keira Knightly
as the focal selling point. The tone for this article is much more
sophisticated than the Entertainment Weekly but it still displays Knightly in a
very desirable and attractive way. This shows that most media texts advertising
this film use the star members of cast to promote the film rather than the
directors or more minor characters like alternative film magazines. The two dramatic film captures used as the images
encompass eerie mist or crystal clear reflections to give it more of a
professional cinematic experience. The article is kept very simplistic with
straight edges and limited headings such as ‘the costumes’ in lower case to
compliment the stylish impression of the magazine. This means the reader is
drawn to the stunning pictures and attracts a reader who is more interested in
the production of a film rather than the physical relationship that becomes a
turning point in the plot of the film.
Submarine Poster Analysis
Submarine is another alternative drama film funded produced by Warp Films and Film4 Productions like This is England. The film follows a 15 year old boy in a year of school focussing on his personal life and new experiences that shape his choices of adulthood. The title film suggests an overwhelming feeling of emotions that often ways you down under the water, like a submarine. Consequently the poster has utilized this fundamental idea and created the impression of the protagonist being submerged under the water. The blue strip that takes up 1/3 of the poster draws the audiences’ attention to the main characters eyes emphasises his vulnerability as a youth in the big wide world. His vacant expression further supports the character's awkward personality which is very relatable for a teenage audience of the same age range (15-17).
However the film is also successfully targeted at the age group of 18-25. As a 'student' age group creative, alternative text appeals to a large proportion of this demographic and therefore by placing the film festival awards such as the London and Toronto Film Festival on the poster confirms its successful 'Indie' and raw nature. By having the reviews at the top of the page this manipulates the conventional layout positioning the title in the right half of the landscape. It could be argued that this is one of the first places the audience will look at as psychological studies reveal that most people look into corners of the rule of 3. This would mean that an audience would either look at Craig Roberts' eyes or the MAR in the bold red text.
The basic block colour scheme links to the simple beauty of the film which is part of the attraction. This cleverly represents the innocence and vulnerability that runs throughout the film.
For my poster using my protagonist's personality as focal point I can really portray the message of my film which has a very correlation with this film Submarine. By using an alternative layout and simple colour scheme I can appeal to my audience of 18-25 without over-complicating the visual and giving an incorrect impression of the film.
This is England Poster Analysis
The poster is a long shot of the majority of the cast. It’s
demonstrates the collective mix of individuality that relates to the title of
the film ‘This is England’. Their costumes are very in keeping with the set time
period 1983 and their natural poses and shaved heads provide a raw reality untouched
by many drama films. By tapping into an untouched subject in the drama genre this
interests audiences as it is something new and unconventional, presented in a
very rough way.
By using a flat estate and corrugated fence as a background
this creates quite a harsh tone for the audience as a contrast to the sugar
coated quintessentially British films that obscure British reality which is
what makes ‘This is England’ a drama film. By photographing the young skinhead
characters as the main image to promote the film, the poster attracts a
demographic of 18-25 years because their defiant nature is relatable even if it
has evolved. The imperative strap line ‘A time to stand out from the crowd’ is
another technique that arouses young adult interest as it promotes a disobedient
rebellion which is frequently suppressed today.
The title of the film is in capital letters and a bold font.
The patriotic colours of red, white and blue symbolise the dramatic passion felt
in the skinhead movement. Patriotism is a good way to appeal to an exclusively British
audience as many people remember this tough time during Thatcherism. Many
ex-skinheads will be able to relate to this image depicted by poster.
The combination of the title of the film 'This is England' in patrotic colours and the urban intimidating stances adopted by the characters also juxtaposes with the multicultural backdrop of youth in England during the 1980s.
As the director of this film creates smaller alternative
films the choice of font reflects this. The understated spray of graffiti is in
keeping with the photographed image and does not leap out at you. This keeps
the prestige of the director in proportion to the size of the film and does not
over shadow the initial impression of the poster.
This is England was made of a very small budget with an
independent film company. This means the success of its distribution is largely
based on word of mouth and reviews so by putting the awards and quotes given to
the film at the top becomes a good way of effectively convincing an audience
the film is well worth a watch as it has been given critical acknowledgement.
The Third Man Poster Analysis
The text in this poster is the most important technique to
catch the audiences’ eye. The bold capital letters for the title ‘THE THIRD MAN’
takes up almost half of the page and over laps the sewage water. The other half
is predominately filled up with the actors’ names. This suggests the actors are
one of the most important selling points as when this film was made they were unable
to create special effects for the image so retaining the audience’s attention
was down to the actors and the emphatic title of the film.
The image for this poster is two drawn pictures combined
into one. This is because in the 1940s there were no computers and therefore to obtain and professional finish an artist's impression was a lot more effective with no other printing methods. The dark shadowy man holding a gun wading through black water in a tunnel
suggests mystery, criminality and suspense. This compliments the danger and anger
which is implied through the red sky line of Vienna in the picture. The use of red, also suggests the onset of nightfall so all of the connotations of red represent a broken city trying to rebuild its confidence in humanity and culture from the devastation of World War 2. The Viennese
city sets the backdrop for the film but keeps the outline of the buildings very
vague to remove any real focus. This makes the city rather anonymous so ties in
with the theme of spying and crime shown by the dark figure. The dark figure is positioned on the cross of
the bottom right third to appeal to the psychology of where the audience looks.
If he was in the middle it would suggest he was the third man but creeping on
from the sides gives the image a touch of uncertainty. The pale dull white
boarder helps the black and red picture stand out and focus the audiences’
intrigue.
By 1949 (the time The Third Man was released) the director
Carol Reed had also directed Odd Man Out and another Graham Greene ‘The Fallen
Idol’ and had won BAFTA’s for both of them. So this critically acclaimed
director has his name featured twice to inform the audience the film is likely
to follow the other 2 film’s formulas, attracting the pre-made support base.
Carol’s prestige is highlighted by the decorative font for the large version of
his name as it contrasts with the big bold print of the actors’ names.
Atonement Poster Analysis
The main focus of this film poster is the division of the
two images where the title ‘Atonement’ is found. By splitting the page into thirds
with the two images occupying the upper and lower third and a pale barren landscape
scene as the middle third. The poster makes it clear to the audience
that this film encompasses the hurdles and separation that love faces. What makes this film poster a dramatic genre
rather than a romance is the fact that the couple are unhappy, separated and
looking away instead of being together deeply ‘in love’. This suggests there is going
to a dramatic twist in this couples relationship. This will appeal to the
audience who want to watch cinematography of people’s lives without this sugar
coated sweetness that love does not always follow.
The old fashioned type writer font for ‘Atonement’ in black
capital letters gives more impact than over complicated and decorative text. The simplicity
embeds the title of the film in the audiences’ mind as it provides a tone of
severity.
The strap line ‘Joined by love. Separated by fear. Redeemed
by hope’ uses the syntactical patterning of repeating the word ‘by’. This emphatic
effect works well with the font for ‘Atonement’ as they both compliment the
dramatic content. This leaves the audience with a small amount of information but
gets the message across at a fast immediate pace so the audience instantly understand this drama includes the passion of human kind.
One of the key selling points of this film is the two high profile
actors James McAvoy and Keira Knightly. By having their names above the title of
the film this suggests their importance as a massive draw for potential audiences.
The poster therefore supports this by using large headshots of the two
characters to demonstrate the main focus of the film.
Both Pride and Prejudice and Atonement were directed by Joe
Wright and made by Working Title. By stating this, this attracts their target
audience of people who watch period dramas. This is because the audience can
assume both films will entail similar traits such as style, music and choice of
casting. Likewise as the film is based on the ‘best-selling’ novel this makes
the authors involvement ‘Ian McEwan’ prominent in attracting fans of his other
work or people who have read the book. It also gives the audience re-assurance
that the film is based on something that has been a success which would lead
more people to go and see it.
Drama films usually encompass the struggles of human
experiences e.g. Race, Poverty etc. and so this film looks at the destruction
of World War 2. The image of James McAvoy pictures him in a poppy field in an
army uniforms covered in mud. However as they have also depicted Keira with a
1930s hair style and printed shirt this therefore represents the hardship of
war on both sides- how it not only impacts the soldiers but their loved ones at
home. This coding attracts audiences who enjoy war stories and therefore instantly makes
the potential audience question whether it will be a happy or sad ending
because war has many out-comes. The poster does not focus on when James
McAvoy’s character is in a tux or his work clothes so by using the theme of war
in the poster this technique will subtly draw the audience to want to watch the
film to discover this particular outcome.
This is England Trailer Analysis
2.
The main character in the film is a young boy
called Shaun and the story is how he became a victim of bullying to a member of
the skinhead crowd in northern England. To portray his vulnerability the
composition of the bully’s head shot has other people in it to show his
dominance. In contrast the young boy is on his own with his backed turned. The
contextual references made throughout the trailer e.g. the one in this clip
-the bully ‘Woodstock’s that way pal’ reminds the audience of the
period this film is set in. The swearing in the second shot- pictured below- demonstrates the
rough area in which children are brought up in, retaliating with
crudeness.
3.
The vulnerability of Shaun is further portrayed
in this headshot in the underpass. Again he is the only one the camera shot
whereas the other skinheads are grouped together. When a skinhead asks who is
picking on him he replies with ‘Harvey’ in a really timid voice. The audience empathizes
with the young boy so the trailer is effectively setting the audience up to
root for Shaun and therefore want to discover what happens to him.
4.
The boy’s transformation is filmed in black and
white and uses a freeze frame effect to edit the different shots. Similarly to
the beginning, the footage is cut to the beat so each frame is almost like a
photograph. This documents the event as the
photograph effect really captures the boys happiness. 
5. The medium long shot of the group of skinheads suggests a sense of family and protection. During the 80s the skinhead movement clubbed together to oppose the suppression they faced so this camera shot displays the range of individuality in ethnicity, age and all with the same desire to step out of the crowd. This is a good representation of one branch of the skinhead movement and another side to England. Social deprivation is clearly presented through the settings so the trailer gives the audience a glimpse into this semi-biographical experience in England 1983.
6. The use of a black out as an editing technique represents a definitive change of tone in the film- the exposure of a new dangerous character substantially moves the plot on.
7.
The music also changes from an upbeat positive
Ska song to a post punk electric guitar with a really gritty
nasty feel. This is accompanied by the sinister snigger of the character’s
face. The trailer then begins to show the nasty side to skinhead movement and
from this point escalates in pace to suggest how out of control Shaun's
involvement with these men has become.
8.
The interruption of the editing's increasing pace by critics quotes delays the action drawing the audience further in. As
I mentioned earlier, the trailer positioned the audience to empathize with
the young boy so this sinister development makes them want to go and see
it; to see if the young boy is ok in this eye opening world.
9. The low angle shots of the gang leader entrenches the impression of danger. The characters exclamation of the ‘phony war’ that Thatcher ordered in the Falklands touches on the unglamorous anti-war movement that became violent. 10. Dramas usually include social problems such as race. The stereotypical urban right wing portrayed in the trailer juxtaposes with the other races living in England. The stereotypical connotation of a person from Indian descent working in a shop is presented in this trailer. This headshot shows genuine fear on the shopkeepers face and in this next generation which has become politically correct, the shock factor of this racism impacts on the audience making them want to see it for themselves.
11.
From this high angle shot the identity of the
young boy is blurred with this very adult world. The camera shot depicts him as
one of the dominant skinheads, who has lost his youth and vulnerability which
was presented in the first half of the trailer.
12.
As the violence increases, the cuts get faster to reflect the chaos in this angry world. The shouting becomes
more frequent and at the climax the trailer uses the scene where the main thug
stamps on his victim but instead the underside of his boot leaves
the screen black and acts as a segue to the ending of the trailer.
13.
After the climatic racism, violence and abuse
the black screen cuts to a very minimal section with critic quotes
and other clips from the film. The solo acoustic guitar, ‘fade out’ editing and
no dialogue removes all the hatred and danger from the trailer and allows the
audience to contemplate the social corruption they have just seen. This creates
a larger impact as the fast juxtaposition exaggerates the effect of all the
violence and noise so leaves the audience with a lingering feeling of being
overwhelmed. In this shot the plain
background of a backstreet allows you to focus on the quote rather than an over
cluttered background.
14.
As the film is set in a specific period, one of
the main attractions of this film is the soundtrack as it will be very
distinctive and nostalgic for some of the audience. So by making this clear on
the final cut the audience will want to go and see the film for the story as
well as the music because it was so legendary of its time.
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