Avengers: Age of Ultron Trailer Analysis

This is a trailer for 2015 summer blockbuster Avengers: Age of Ultron. 

The opening shot of the trailer is an establishing extreme long-shot showing the skyline of a city and the surrounding areas on a summers day. A male narrator says over the shot "I'm gonna show you something beautiful..." This initial shot sets the audiences expectations up for a feel-good film, however the sharp cut to black and the following shots instantly subvert these expectations. An enigma code is created by showing a strange cloud of yellow smoke along with the narrators following line, "...everyone screaming for mercy." This makes the audience wonder what the yellow smoke is and why it would cause people to scream. The audience will also question who the narrator is and why he takes pleasure from people suffering, although it is made pretty clear that the narration comes from the antagonist. This is also a subversion from normal narration over trailers as it is commonly the protagonists viewpoint that is shown to the audience, not the antagonists. The audience are already given clues suggesting that the plot is on an international scale by the opening shot of an American looking city and the french flag held up by one of the protesting people.

The protagonists/heroes are then slowly unveiled to the audience without giving them too much screen time. One hero is shown in mid-shot from behind, the next in close-up but with a lens flare and a quick shot making it hard to make him out and another in close-up but only on the bottom half of his body and cape. This teases the audience who want to see more of the heroes, as well as the slowing pace and the scenes of destruction and chaos the characters are pictured in adding enigmas and increasing the drama. The audience is then given their first look at the antagonist in a couple of low-angled shots to make the character dominant and more threatening to the audience. The villain looks like a worn-down robot but the audience is shown his strength by how he crushes the head of another robot.

The exotic locations that are an integral part of all Superhero/Action films are then showcased in a short montage that include a castle in a mountainous area, a town in a sandy desert and a snowy forest. The montage further teases the audience of the multiple set-pieces you would expect from a film of this genre and furthers the idea of the international scale of the plot. The non-diegetic background music to this part of the trailer is interesting, as it is a slower, creepier version of the I've Got No Strings song from the kids film Pinnochio. Using a song popularised through a children's film and playing it over scenes of guns, explosions and general chaos is a heavy juxtaposition of tones and it has a largely unsettling effect on the audience. This makes them feel more uneasy about the antagonist as well. 

The trailer comes to an end on a shot of one of the most well-known props of the franchise, Captain Americas shield, torn into 2 pieces with what is supposedly Captain Americas limp hand lying next to it. This suggests that the villain is formidable and can beat the protagonists and foreshadows dark things happening in the film. This will also make the audience want to go and see the film to find out if one of the heroes actually does die or not, meaning it is an effective shot.

Ant-Man Trailer Analysis

This is a trailer for 2015 Superhero film Ant-Man.

The opening shot of the trailer is an establishing shot of San Fransisco, instantly informing the audience of where the film is set and conforming to the convention of Superhero films to be set in America. The rough plot is given to the audience through a man shown making a speech who is shown to be in some position of power through his smart suit costuming, recognition and applause from other characters and low-angled shots. "Imagine a soldier the size of an insect, the ultimate secret weapon," he says. As this is a new superhero that most of the audience would be unfamiliar with, it makes sense to introduce him and his powers in some form fairly early on in the trailer, as is the case here. The audience is giving a few quick close-ups of Ant-Man in costume as well as a quick demonstration of what he is capable of with close-ups of lightbulbs being shattered and bad guys being beaten up. 

The trailer then introduces some of the other characters in the film, giving Michael Douglas prominence in his shots by applying the rule of thirds as he is a big-name, instantly recognisable actor that will attract people to the film. The trailer does go in a slightly different direction to what audiences would expect, bringing in some comedic elements that would otherwise not be present in a climactic trailer for a Superhero film like dramatising a fight on top of a Thomas the Tank Engine train set. The trailer even mocks its own concept by having the main protagonist joke about how Ant-Man "wasn't my idea." This was probably done to surprise the audience and show them that this film has a unique aspect to it and is not just a generic superhero film in order to convince them to come and see it. It would also win around audience members who would just laugh at the high concept far-fetched plotline by having the film itself acknowledge the fact that it is over-the-top.

Finished Titles

These are the titles we are planning to use in our film trailer. This title is very dramatic and fits in with the tone we want in our trailer, the lightning storm really adds to the effect of the lights going out in the final scene of the trailer.

Targets

Complete Research and Planning.

Research -

Analyse 3 magazine covers

Analyse at least 7 trailers - try and analyse several thriller/horror trailers.

Add the research posts to an old magazine cover analysis so it does not effect the order or research and planning posts.

Questionnaire Feedback - Horror Trailer

Questionnaire Feedback - Blood and Gore

Questionnaire Feedback - Favourite Film of this Genre

Questionnaire Feedback - Sub-genre

Questionnaire Feedback - Protagonist

Questionnaire Feedback - Antagonist

Questionnaire Feedback - Location

Questionnaire Feedback - Age and Gender

Thriller Conventions

Thriller film conventions:

Antagonist- Normally have twisted views of the world and they normally believe there actions can solve the worlds problems, they are normally psychopathic and in certain films they are portrayed as smart and thinking through there plan methodically, such as in Seven.

Setting- Thrillers are normally set in very corrupt areas such as cities, haunted buildings, prisons etc, the dark streets in the city provide tense and mysterious backdrop.

Protagonist- They are normally male characters who are going through a normal day, but in the film they are suddenly sent into an extraordinary plot.

Themes- The director will normally put a number of themes into a film, the plot for example will normally revolve around some kind of mystery or some complicating conspiracy. Some films are designed around a theme such as Seven which is based aroun the seven deadly sins, these themes are placed around the whole film.

Sound- The sound used in thrillers is crucial to showing the mood of the film, in thrillers the sound provides the most tension and suspense and it can make shots appear very menacing and dramatic to the audience

Editing- The director will often use jump cuts as it often makes the film flow better and allows the film to make sense to the audience, it can also help build suspense in the audience and can cause jump scares, in some situations, it can also be used to show one of the characters is nervous and this can add tension to the scene this was widely used in the film District 9.