Action Film

Taken 3

As the film is and action film, the trailer succeeds to have violence, tricks and stunts to create an upbeat and action scenario throughout. The film has all the conventional characters of an action film: Bryan the heroic father, The Ex-wife being the innocent Victim, Kim the daughter who tries to be helpful and solve the mystery and the typical villain characters. The first shot in the trailer is a panning establishing shot over the top of the New York skyline. This first of sets the scene and allow the audience to get an idea of the location and setting. The scene is set at night and therefore there is a beautiful New York landscape with bright lights and tall buildings creates a very happening and picturesque opening. Next is a sequence of scenes with ….. Which his family as (if the audience has seen the previous films) they are finally back together. This creates the idea that things are starting to get better for the family and life is as it should be.  However this could portray the idea that something bad is (yet again) going to happen.

There is a then a high angle shot of a knife lying on the floor covered in blood which instantly suggests danger. At this point the music changes and become eary and unnerving. As the camera tracks into the bed from as the perspective of the character played as Lee Neeson. The story soon becomes clear that he has been framed for killing his ex-Wife. She is wearing navy blue colours and is elegantly laid on the bed that connotes the idea that she is very peaceful and innocent and has been killed for the sake of setting up Bryan. The audience feel sympathy and empathy for Bryan at this point however also the audience have to understand that he is being set up and he needs to be strong and fight back like he always does. He is not like other heroes in action films- as he isn’t a handsome, strong and sexy male; however he has a very clever brain and the willing to help his family no matter what.

The use of the prop of a knife shows that the death was very brutal and intentional and therefore there must be more to the story than an unintentional murder. From Taken 1 and Taken 2 the audience are aware that throughout the film there is an ongoing mystery involving one of Bryan’s family members. I believe that the story line in this film is fairly predictable that another problem occurs in the family which results on him running from the private authorities. I believe that this trailer is not very well considered as the main story line a shock, is very soon revealed and doesn’t lead the audience to believe anything as exiting can happen afterward. Too much has been revealed and therefore the shock factor has been removed.

The target audience for this film are both female and male teens from 16-25. The audience is very broad as it is a very popular and versatile film. It isn’t too frightening however it has a large element of danger and bravery. The use of the special effects and stunts crate a very impressive reaction from the audience. 

The title of the film appears towards the end of the trailer. The use for the black background creates the idea of the dark side of the movie, there are large white letters with the title on. The letters look slightly warn and tattered to represent the danger and how there is imperfection with the family. The 'E' has been replaced with the three and is red which again connotes danger and fear! there colors are commonly used in action films to portray the shock factor and represents the blood from the dead victims. Just above the title of the film there is lead character Bryan- played by Liam Neeson. This is a very big achievement to have Liam in the film as he is an Academy award winning actor who is very widely known across the US and England.

Action codes and convensions

Romance film

Remember me

The beginning of this trailer reveals the extremely recognisable actor- Robert Paterson- as he attempts to stop a fight in a dark alley way in New York. The police turn up and falsely accuse him of the offence. This automatically gains the audiences sympathy as he is innocent and helpless. A later scene shows Robert looking after his young sister, affection from an older brother towards a younger sister is always valued by the audience as it shows love, kindness and sensitivity. However the trailer soon reveals he is a grumpy, lonely guy who lives alone in a dark dingy apartment. This all changes when he meets a woman. The non-diegetic music to open the trailer is Robert Paterson’s voice saying this:

"Ghandi said- 'whatever you do in life will be insignificant but it’s very important that you do it!"

This gives the audience something to initially focus their attention too. It is extremely effective in changing the atmosphere and mood. The sounds then change to an acoustic guitar as the girl enters the trailer to show the change in the boy’s life changes and becomes more positive. She has blonde wavy hair, and has a very innocent completion that allows the audience to understand that she is a possible love interest and there is romance blossoming.

There is an over the shoulder shot of the love interest in the foreground and Robert in the background- He is looking over at her with lustful eyes and she stares into blank space. This shot gives the impression that he wants her and she doesn't know who he is. Again this makes the audience feel sympathetic towards him. On the other hand he looks foolish and pathetic as he makes no effort to introduce himself or make an impression. When he finally does, she makes a comment to suggest she’s not interested and he wins her round. This allows the audience to feel a sense of accomplishment as he has achieved his goal. On their first date, the woman wears a red top. Red often symbolised danger and fear, however in this case the red connotes romance and desire which sets a loving atmosphere.  

The last scene in the trailer shows a birthday cake as a close-up with Robert directly behind it, as the music starts to climax, the candles are blown out. At this point the music stops and the screen turns black. It is extremely effective as it builds up a climax then there is a sudden black out. It could contoe that there is a happy ending and he is getting on with his life as another birthday goes by. 

Romance film

The Notebook

 The trailer narrates the story of the two lovers and the troubles that come their way during the film. The first few shots are high angle shots of the couple on a boat in a beautiful lake that instantly creates a relaxed and comfortable feel. The white swans in the lake represent the elegance, romance and tranquility. Then an old man's narration comes in describing the characters and their first meeting etc.

Another story emerges as the audience understand that the male voice is the young male actor (Ryan Gosling) as a grown man, describing the story to a woman. This makes the love story feel even more magic as they have been together for such a long time. The romantic story entices the young female audience who see the beautiful relationship that blossoms during the film.  However they face obstacles; Ali's mother- an upper class lady- disapproves of her daughter’s new found love. The non-dietetic music playing in the back changes and becomes colder. The time of the film is fairly old fashioned and therefore the costumes for the characters are suitably matched. Mid way through the film, Noel meets Ali’s family. He is dressed in an old tattered grey shirt that looks fairly lower class and scruffy. This contrasts the upper class look of Ali’s family who are wearing classy dresses and suits. This represents how the time period has a discrimination state where Noel is not accepted as a worthy partner for Ali.

The prevalence is given to the young couple during the film however the audience feel empathy for the young man. He is left alone as Ali gets engaged. There is a shot of a car with Ali inside and Noel chasing the car and the stopping in the middle of the road in the pouring rain. This single shots tells the audience about his emotions and betrayal and instantly pulls sympathy on to him. The rain highlights the atmosphere and feelings and the lighting being grey and dark shows that he is left in a dark place- alone.

The intended target audience for this film would react very positively to the trailer. Women particularly would be very excited when seeing the trailer because of the music used and type of shots used in the cuts shown. The target audience would be predominantly women from a wide range of ages. The trailer would definitely alienate males regardless of what age they are because of it being such a feminine looking movie. Men or young boys right from the outset of the trailer would instantly be put off by the feminine love music; they would rather watch something more masculine. Men are more typically associated with action, comedy or science fiction style movies, movies that are so to speak more macho.

Then at the end of the trailer you hear the tag line “behind every great love is a great story”. This one phrase ultimately represents the entire idea of the movie. This portrays the idea that love is eternal and the story behind true love is beautiful. The last two shots in the play are very cleverly arranged. There is a medium shot of the elderly couple slow dancing in a delicate and slow manner. It is very sweat and innocent and therefore the audience are drawn to the ‘Cuteness’ of the shot. There is there a crossfade to a similar shot of the couple at the age of 20 where Noel holds Ali’s back as she backbends very elegantly. This is beautifully done as the audience can connect the couple and understand that true love never dies. 

Romance Film

The Vow

The vow has an extremely emotional storyline due the the female character loosing her memory due to a car crash. The format of this trailer helps the audience to understand the life before the crash and how Paige and Leo lived very happily prior to the crash. The man character Leo is the hero, he tries to restore the equilibrium that was lost when his wife lost her memory. This is his quest, and distinguishing him from the victim, he is the texts main character; this is evident from the trailer.The wife Paige is mainly presented as the princess, as she is threatened by the hypothetical villain (the memory loss). Our hero spends his time trying to save her from her peril. But the trailer doesn't reveal whether he succeeds, this entices the audience to watch the film to find out what happens. 

There is a fairy happy and optimistic piece of music to link to the content of the piece. this non diabetic sounds helps to  life the mood up until the moment of crash. As soon as the crash happens, the music stops and an early and muffled nice comes on to represent the seriousness of the event. The audience then find out the next piece of information that changes the atmosphere of the trailer. Leo asks if Paige knows who he is and she replies with - "Yes...you're my doctor?". This piece of information is extremely important and life changing for leo which automatically make the audience feel empathy towards him. Leo's voice is playing over the background saying "She doesn't even know who i am!" in a distressed and frantic tone. The villain (memory loss) is ruining his lie as he can't make his wife love him again and thereof causes frustration from the audience. 

Channing Tatum is an extremely well known and admired actor across America and the UK and therefore the use of him as the main character is a very effected way of hauling in viewers. He is also a very good looking, handsome man who has received a lot of female attention on the internet. This is why the target audience is predominantly women ages 16-25. 

There is an extremely emotional scene towards the end of the trailer where there is a shot reverce shot of the couple while they are dressed up in very fancy clothing on the balcony. The beautiful setting and the nice outfits show the potential love interest and romance however the burden of the memory loss has caused this to be a very heartbreaking scene. Paige is crying as she says- "I wish one day i can love you as much as you love me!" this is a very significant line as the audience are aware she once will which causes (again) frustration and empathy for Leo. 

There is a long shot mid way through the trailer which allows the audience to see the whole body of the character. The slouched position of Leo's body allows the audience to understand how he is feeling which would be upset,worried and insecure about his future. The fact that there is a clock above him would suggest how he has to play the waiting game to find out whether she will regain her memory or whether he will have to guide her back to the person she was.The trailer does have an end result or resolution with allows the audience to have an element of interest and intrigued to want to watch the rest of the movie and know the ending. 

Rom-com Film

The Other Woman

From my research of Rom-com's, they are set in large cities such as such as new York, since this is where relationships can be made. This film starts with the protagonists voice over so that the audience understand the characters. and also  use loads of high-key lighting for example in the shots of Cameron Diaz as she in her red dress which allows us to be believe her to be a sexy or  dangerous character within the film. 

The natural lighting can  be used to make it match the mood of character or the situation. This city is very busy and creates the impression that there is a lot of love interest available yet his has selected the women involved. however when the audience understand that the woman are being played and that the man has several 'women'the female audience would feel connected as they might has similar relationships in real life. 

The music within the trailer links to the shots involved, for example when Leslie shows that she is the wife, the music turns to a depressing sound effect then into dramatic and faster music to show the contrast from one happy scenario then into a dangerous atmoshpere.

the audience see a wide shot of Kate Upton running along the beach, the audience are instantly drawn in to the size of her breasts as the camera zooms in and focus's on the movement as she moves. It just so happens to switch into slow motion in order to capture this lady- however by seeing the big boobs and blood hair, the audience instantly see's she is the stereotypical blonde bimbo. With the two other women, one being the somewhat neglected housewife and the other a strong woman it enables the female audience to really relate to the trailer/film, since these women are very obvious and typical in today's society. 

Romance codes and conventions