Lucky Number Sleven is a typical thriller
The shadow figure in the middle of the poster suggests that this is the main character that the film is based around. The light surrounding the main character in the middle could suggest that the main character will find out the truth about something important, “shed light on something” that will be a big part of the film. The hidden identity of the central “silhouette” connotes the element of mystery, essential to a thriller.
The 4 characters in the shadow figure suggest they will be a big part of the narrative. Morgan Freeman (on the left) is a typical “mature” thriller character who looks worried because he is shown looking over his shoulder, suggesting the thriller theme is paranoia. The characters in the middle that all look serious as befits thriller characters, except the character with two guns with silencers, this could mean that this character is a hitman that has targeted the main character, this is backed up by the fact the shadow figure is also hiding a gun with a silencer, which could mean he is afraid of him or that both men are out to kill each other. This is a common narrative for thrillers, where two men are at “war” or the main character is in a situation in which he can’t control. The iconography is also classic, in particular the guns which are the most common type of weapon in thrillers.
The tag line “wrong place, wrong time, wrong number” could suggest that the number “7” in the title could mean because there is a hitman involved that the 7th target is the shadow figure is the 7th target, so the Bruce Willis (hitman) is after the main character.
The font of the title is a stereotypical font for thrillers. The word “number” is in red which could mean that “number” is a main part of the film and this could also be the main focus of the danger, because every thriller has an element of danger. The shadowy, dark background is very “film noir”.
Fast and Furious 5 (2011)
Director: Justin Lin
The 3 characters in the poster represents that they are the main characters of the film. However, the character in the middle and more in front represents that the story plot revolves around him. All the characters are looking around suggesting that the are cautious or even paranoid, expecially considering that they are all holding guns, which connots that somebody is after them and they are protecting themselves.
The background behind the characters shows an urban city which is typical for a thriller because it represents the difficulty of solving problems that they my face like trying to find out who is coming after them or getting away from something. The canted angle of the poster is suggesting that the film or the characters situation is in chaos. The character on the left is the only one with his gun drawn suggesting that he is comfortable with shooting of even killing people. This could represent that the character used to be or still is in law enforcement because he is used to being in gun fights. However, the character on the far right has camaflarge trousers on which could also mean that he is in the military.
The car in the middle of the poster represents that the car is going to be a main prop, which connots that there will be lost of car chases. The car is also between the 2 characters on the left and the other character on the right which connots that they are on different sides and it could mean that the one on the right is after the other 2 characters. The colour red in the title represents that there will be danger and violences, which is often present in thriller films.
Inception (2010)
Director: Christophor Nolen
In this poster, there are 6 characters at the bottom of the poster, but only one of them is in the centre and in front. This represents that he is the main character and because he is the only actor who's name is on the poster which suggest that the story plot revolves around him. In the background, there are quite a few buildings which suggests an urban setting, typical for most thrillers. However, the buildings are curving sideways which connotes a sci-fi sub genre and because the background takes up most of the poster, it connotes that its this is the main part of the story plot.
With the buildings curving round and towards the main characters, this connotes that the sci-fi element is wrapping around the main characters, taking control of them. The tag line, "Your mind is the scene of the crime" could suggests that the main characters are going to be in someones mind and something dangerous could happen.The main characters are in an urban setting but are by themselves which could suggests they are the only ones that know about "Inception" and they are on their own to deal with a problem that has something to do with "Inception. The title "Inception" means, the beginning or the start of something. This could suggest that the plot is about the main characters starting something in someones mind and letting it manifest into something bigger to achieve a purpose.
The colour red of the title connotes that there will be danger and violence in this film, which is typical in most thrillers.
Trailer Analysis
Haywire – 2011
Director – Steven Soderbergh
Narrative context
Mallory Kane is a highly trained operative who works for a government security contractor in the dirtiest, most dangerous corners of the world. After successfully freeing a Chinese journalist held hostage, she is double crossed and left for dead by someone close to her in her own agency. Suddenly the target of skilled assassins who know her every move, Mallory must find the truth in order to stay alive. Using her black-ops military training, she devises an ingenious--and dangerous--trap. But when things go haywire, Mallory realizes she'll be killed in the blink of an eye unless she finds a way to turn the tables on her ruthless adversary.
How are the Characters established and represented?
The first scene shows 2 of the main characters sitting down in front of each other which show that they know each other. But when the man hits the woman and she is shown on the floor, this suggests that they are against each other. Most of the characters seem to be chasing the main woman which implies that they are trying to capture or kill her. All the main characters are introduce in close ups and the only characters that are shown in the first scene is the main woman (Mallory Kane), her boss (Ewan McGregor) and her former partner (Channing Tatum) which suggest that they will be the main focus point for the film. These are typical thriller characters because they all seem to be part of a shadowy government group which is typical in action and political thrillers such as “Salt”.
Enigma code
The element of mystery starts off when one of the main characters (Channing Tatum) hits the main woman when a few seconds ago they were sitting down talking. The next scene is establishing the other characters and we, the audience asks themselves who are they and how are they connected because you do not see all the characters in the same shot. The voice over “why did they betray her?” makes the audience asks that question as well. Then we see the main woman fight with another character (Michael Fassbender) who we also see a few seconds before dining together. These scenes show that one of the main themes of the film is betrayal. We then see her boss (Ewan McGregor) ask the man she was fighting with “is the divorce final?” which we assume is code for is she dead? The audience is then wondering why her boss sent her to be killed.
Camera and editing techniques
During all the fights scenes, the editing is fast paced as we expect because of the action. All the characters we see are introduced through close up shots. The establishing shot shows where the 2 characters are, this is shown to be quite isolated and in the middle of nowhere. When she gets knocked out, it is edited to black and white which suggests the main character is unconscious. There are a few fade outs when the main character is fight with another character (Michael Fassbender) which represents the force of the blows that are being exchanged. There is quite a bit of cross cutting between 2 different shots which implies that the scenes are related. On the scene when its cross cutting between the 2 characters are fighting and the character on the phone, every time it switches between scenes, there is a gun like sound and flash suggesting that she is going to kill the man. There is a low angle shot of the main character jumping across a building which shows she has power. During some of the shoot-outs there is slow motion which represents that the main characters are calm, in control and used to shoot-outs The last shot acts as a statement, this shows that the main character that is being hunted is going to fight back.
Use of sound
The first non-diegetic sound we hear is tense music that sounds similar to a heartbeat when we see the establishing shot. As soon as the male character hits the woman, the music changes to action fighting music which represents the struggle that they have. The voice over explains who the woman is while the music changes back to tense. We can also hear the diegetic sound of the punches being exchanged in the fight scene, which makes it more realistic to the audience. When we here the diegetic sound of the character talking on the phone, the music volume lowers. This emphasises that the audience and the main character as found out something important. The last diegetic sound we hear is the main character saying “you better run” shows that she is determined to get the people who are after her before they get her.
Captions and titles
Most of the trailer has no captions. The captions that we do see is “when they left her with nothing” “they left her with no choice”. Theses captions are ultimately justifying her reasons for going after those people. These are also shown in white, which suggests that her motives are pure. The other captions are stating who directed this film and who is in it. This tries to persuade the audience to see the film based on its actors.
Target audience
I think the target audience for “Haywire” is males and females from 15 years upwards because males tend to see a film based on action. However, the main action lead is a female which suggests that this film is aimed at women as well as men.
The Departed – 2006
Director – Martin Scorsese
Narrative context
In South Boston, the state police force is waging war on Irish-American organized crime. Young undercover cop Billy Costigan (Leonardo DiCaprio) is assigned to infiltrate the mob syndicate run by gangland chief Frank Costello (Jack Nicholson). While Billy quickly gains Costello's confidence, Colin Sullivan (Matt Damon), a hardened young criminal who has infiltrated the state police as an informer for the syndicate, is rising to a position of power in the Special Investigation Unit. Each man becomes deeply consumed by his double life, gathering information about the plans and counter-plans of the operations he has penetrated. But when it becomes clear to both the mob and the police that there's a mole in their midst, Billy and Colin are suddenly in danger of being caught and exposed to the enemy-and each must race to uncover the identity of the other man in time to save himself.
How are the characters established and represented?
The first character we see is in the shadow and is talking about cops and criminals, the audience may assume that this is the crime boss because he is represented as a “dark figure”. The next 2 people we see are a cop in uniform and a criminal behind bars. The cop is represented as the good guy whereas the criminal is represented as the bad guy who is locked up. We see them through close ups, however the criminal has more screen time than the cop because we only see the cop for a couple of seconds. Then we finally see the crime boss’ face through a close up. The cop “Matt Damon” is seen at a commanding position within the police. However, the crime boss is seen as a leader and the main focus of a police man hunt. The first shot of the man behind bars, we now see him in police training, which shows the audience that he is the undercover cop. This establishes the characters as they are in the plot. The undercover cop (Leonardo DiCaprio) always looks worried whereas the cop (Matt Damon) and the crime boss (Jack Nicholson) in control.
Enigma code
The enigma code for this film is will the undercover cop or the undercover informer be discovered and what will happen if one of them is found out. The iconography shows a lot of guns which implies that there is a lot of death but it’s unsure of who will die. When both of the organisations (the state police and the crime syndicate) discover that there is a mole in their organisations, the audience asks themselves who will find their mole first.
Camera and editing techniques
When the crime boss is talking in the shadow, there is fast pace cross cutting showing the other characters while he is talking. When showing who the characters are, their life, at the beginning, the editing if fast and shows glimpse from different angles of the same thing. The moving camera shot of the undercover cop from behind bars shows that he is trapped in the lie of his undercover life. There are lots of two shots but not many groups shots which suggests that the main characters are never seen together. The overhead shot of the undercover cop falling to the floors implies that he is weak. There are slow motion shots of the main characters on the phone or looking at the phone which suggests that they rely on their phones to communicate with their double life. There are also slow motion shots of the characters checking their guns which mean they are getting prepared to fight. The characters are all shown at least once in the shadow and at a canted angle which implies that they all have a dark side and that they will show it.
Use of sound
The non-diegetic sound of the music in the background at the beginning is not typical of a thriller because it’s sombre and not that serious. When its cross cutting between characters while the crime boss is talking, there is a bang, like a gunshot sound when the shot changes. After the warner bros title, the non-diegetic music changes to a more suitable music for thrillers because it sounds more serious. When the pace quickens showing the 2 main characters lives, there it a harsh drum beat every time the shot changes suggesting hectic lives. The music then changes to Irish music which symbolises the main characters heritage (Boston Irish) which shows that the characters have similar background to each other. Again the music changes to typical thriller much which implies that the film is full of chaos and that the plot is quite complicated. Again the non-diegetic music changes to something that is unexpected for a thriller. Only the last few seconds of this trailer have, again, music that is expected of a thriller.
Captions and titles
Target audience
I think the target audience for this film is men from 17 years upwards because it is a gangster thriller with lots of action and violence that appeals to teenage males.
Vantage point – 2008
Narrative context
The US President is giving a speech in Spain, where he is shot and everyone is trying to figure out what happened. A secret service agent tries to figure out who shot the president and what else could be happening. The shooting was seen by 8 different people with different vantage points, each with their own piece of the puzzle. The story is retold through the eyes of the 8 people who witness the shooting.
How are the characters established and represented?
In this trailer we see all of the 8 main characters who are involved in the assassination attempt. The characters are the 2 secret service agents, the news woman in the camera van, a woman in the corner, a man holding a camcorder, a man walking past, a man facing the camera and another man looking nervous. These are shown through dissolves and wipes. For example a shot of one main character dissolves into another main character. The characters are also shown through close up shots. We are shown all the characters in a mixed order, so we don’t know who the good characters are and who are the bad character which give the audience a sense of enigma. These are typical characters. For example, there are 2 government agents and a political figure (The President) which you can find in political thrillers like “The Shooter”. There is the tourist with the camcorder who is the typical thriller character who is in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Enigma codes
The captions that appear throughout the trailer, makes the audience ask questions. For example, the first captions that appear are “8 strangers” so we, the audience are questioning who are the strangers and what links them together. The second and third captions “all with a different” “vantage point” makes the audience question what they all saw. These enigma codes keeps the audience interested throughout the trailer and makes them want to go and see the full film to find out what happens. The other captions “good” that fades into “evil” makes the audience question which characters are good and which are bad. Another caption “life” that changes to “death” keeps the audience in suspense about which characters will die. These captions are the enigma codes which makes us question the characters and what will happen. Mainly the enigma codes are responsible for making the audience interested enough to go and see the film.
Camera and editing techniques
Use of sound
The non-diegetic music in the background quite calm which could represent “the calm before the storm”. The voice over is explaining what is the event is and introduces the president. The diegetic sound of the president saying “today, we make history” show that this is an important event, which could suggest that with big political events come danger. Then we here gunshots and see the president falling down which show that he has been shot. After we hear the gunshots the music changes to eerie music and becomes fainter so that we can hear the reporter say “the president has been shot”. Then the non-diegetic music changes to sound more like a heartbeat or drums which show how tense the situation is. Then the non-diegetic music picks up pace and which the camera switches to a different character we hear a louder bang. After that we hear slight action music as the trailer picks up pace. At the end we hear diegetic sound of an explosion just before the end title.
Captions/titles
The captions and tiles all appear in white represents purity however; some of the captions are an oxymoron because the words that appear “evil” “death” are not pure and represent danger. The titles move across the screen which suggests that the film is fast paced.
Intended audience
I think that the intended audience for this film is males from about 17 years upwards because the trailer shows lots of action which appeals to teenage males. However, the plot is very political which suggest that the older audience would find it appealing.
Running Scared film opening analysis
This film opening is about 6mins long and it establishes typical thriller characters, setting and narrative.
“Running scared” starts off with a man carrying a small boy to his car and racing off (these are presumably the main characters); this is shown in slow motion (which is common in thrillers) before they race off,. It also shows that they are in a race against time to get help which is important in establishing the suspense that thrillers require. The main character Joey (Paul Walker) is all banged up and the small boy is covered in blood which implies that he’s been shot. This presents an enigma because you don’t know what’s happened and how they were both hurt, and you want to keep watching to find. They race off trying to get somewhere, presumably to get help. You see the main character drops a gun into the car before he gets in, which could mean that the boy was shot. It is set in New York
Then it goes back to the beginning which started 18 hours before (flashbacks being another feature of thriller narratives). It starts off with the man we saw at the beginning (Paul Walker) with his boss Tommy (Johnny Messner) and associate Sal (Michael Cudlitz) involved in some sort of exchange (probably a drug deal); we see all of the men carrying guns, which is the most common and most iconographic weapon in thrillers. It also shows that this is a crime thriller because the main character is a criminal. Then it’s interrupted by 3 masked men with shotguns.
The camera shots of the 3 men are from a low angle to make them seem more powerful. They try to steal the money and drugs but the men fight back and it turns into a shootout where most of the men end up dead including 2 of the masked men. This sort of action set piece is common in thrillers. As soon as the 3 masked men burst in, the editing becomes very fast paced and the camera is moving very fast to show the expressions on everyone’s faces. The 3 men tell everyone to lie on the floor and slide their guns under the bed. The camera angle is at floor level and is moving around the room showing all the criminals sliding their gun under the bed.
As it turns out, the men that were trying to steal the drugs and money were cops. The opening of “Running Scared” is very important because the shootout between the crooked cops and the main character and his friends is most likely connected to what happens 18 hours after. In the beginning, you are shown the end and start, which makes the audience want to see what happens next. This kind of opening is not very common but it is shown in a lot of thrillers. Crooked cops are very common thriller characters because villains in thrillers are usually more powerful than the hero’s and cops have the law on their side and they use this to manipulate people and get their way.
When the main character and his boss realise they’re cops, they take the money and drugs (more key elements of thriller narratives) and run out of the apartment. Then there is a shot of them in a car, getting away from the shootout. The main character’s boss hands him the guns used in the shooting of the dirty cops and tells him to get rid of them. The audience will assume that something will go wrong before the main character can get rid of the guns (which it always does in thrillers).
In the opening, it has already set out the narrative which is where the main character (Paul Walker), his boss (Johnny Messner) and associate (Michael Cudlitz) killed 2 crooked cops which resulted with the main character and a boy being hurt. This is quite a common narrative for thrillers where a criminal is being chased by a dirty cop for something illegal (in this case money). The opening has established most of the main characters and how they are involved except for the boy.
The music in the background is very faint and some people might not hear it because this film gets straight to the point and the sound that you hear the most from the beginning is the sound of gunshots.
Magazine covers
The masthead is always at the top and usually in big letters because it is easier to notice. it draws the audience to the heading. Total film is a well known film magazine so when the audience sees the masthead, they know that it is good and worth buying. "Total" is smaller than "Film" which shows that the magazine is dedicated to films. Every magazine that has a website, advertises it on the magazines, but it is usually in small print so its not to draw attention away from the main focus which is the main image and main cover line. The main image is always in the middle of the cover because its the main focus of that particular issue. The main image depends on what film is new and is a very anticipated film so that the audience knows that the magazine is up-to-date with films. the main cover line links with the main image usually saying the name of the film like "Max Payne" and something about the main actor of the film "Wahlberg finds his Bourne" which is connoting that the main actor is good by comparing him to another actor playing a very well known role that is similar to the film featured. Banners are put onto magazine covers because they stand out. So if something is important to the main feature it is put on a banner so that the audience are attracted to that.
This magazine cover is a thriller cover because the background is dark and dreary which is usually associated with dark thrillers that involve crime and murder. the main image of the main character is connoted as a violent character because he is holding 2 shotguns, which is also typical thriller iconography that connotes that there will be shootouts and deaths. the main character is dressed in all black which suggests that the character is dark or haunted by violence in his pasts that has changed him and turned him into this dark character which is typical for thrillers. The main cover line looks shattered which connotes that the main characters life might be shattered by an event which is typical for a thriller character's background. There is flecks of white, probably snow which connotes that there is hope for the main character to survive but because there is not much white it suggests that the odds are against him.This is typical for a thriller because the main character usually has very little change of succeeding but still manages to prevail.
This magazine cover is a thriller cover because the background is dark and dreary which is usually associated with dark thrillers that involve crime and murder. the main image of the main character is connoted as a violent character because he is holding 2 shotguns, which is also typical thriller iconography that connotes that there will be shootouts and deaths. the main character is dressed in all black which suggests that the character is dark or haunted by violence in his pasts that has changed him and turned him into this dark character which is typical for thrillers. The main cover line looks shattered which connotes that the main characters life might be shattered by an event which is typical for a thriller character's background. There is flecks of white, probably snow which connotes that there is hope for the main character to survive but because there is not much white it suggests that the odds are against him.This is typical for a thriller because the main character usually has very little change of succeeding but still manages to prevail.
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The masthead is again across the page and in big font which is the same as "Total Film". Both "Empire" and "Total Film" masthead's are obscured by the main image because they assume that their target audience knows who they are, which is true because they are both well know film magazines. The main image is of all the main characters with the lead character at the front which connotes that this is more about his character and the other characters are his "back up" characters. the main cover line is again the film that is featured on the cover and is adding something about the main actor like "Tom on his new action epic" which makes the actor seem really good and very well known so that the audience will read not only about the film but also the main actors. however the banners in "Empire" tells the reader what else is featured in the issue to draw them in on their other interests that's related to films. The pug is offering a free gift to entice the reader to buy the magazine.
This cover is a thriller cover because the main characters are arranged as a team with Tom Cruise as the leader. This is typical for action or conspiracy thriller where there is a shady government agency and a team or agents has to go rouge in order to clear his or their names. They are all dressed in black which connotes that they dark sides to them or that they are used to being invisible by wearing black. they all have stern expressions on their faces which suggests they are ready for what they have to do or what they are going to be faced with.
This cover is a thriller cover because the main characters are arranged as a team with Tom Cruise as the leader. This is typical for action or conspiracy thriller where there is a shady government agency and a team or agents has to go rouge in order to clear his or their names. They are all dressed in black which connotes that they dark sides to them or that they are used to being invisible by wearing black. they all have stern expressions on their faces which suggests they are ready for what they have to do or what they are going to be faced with.
The lines on the magazine cover is called the rule of third. all magazines use the rule of thirds because this is guidelines for where the conventions should be placed. The masthead is always placed at the top because of the way that the magazines are stacked on shops. in shops you only see the top row which is where the masthead is. the middle row is for the main cover line which shows the main feature of the magazine. The middle row is where we focus on when we have a direct view so it draws our attention. the centre column is where the main image is which also makes it stand out. The banners are usually on the side so it doesn't distract us from the main features but it also provides us with extra information. Without the rule of thirds the magazine would look messy and unorganised.
Campaign
The Bourne Legacy- 2012
Director - Tony Gilroy
The Bourne Legacy is an expansion on The Bourne trilogy based on Robert Lundum books. This franchise is well known and is very recognisable by the target audience.
Teaser Poster
This is the teaser poster for The Bourne Legacy. the colour scheme is dark and dreary which suggests that the film is following the original plot of shadowy government agents trying to hunt down a rouge agent while the rouge agent is trying to stay alive. the title is in a simple font, but the word "Bourne" is in a bold font, this connotes that its from The Bourne franchise. By making "Bourne" stand out, its drawing fans from the original Bourne series to go and watch the new Bourne film. By "Piggy backing" on a well known franchise, it doesn't have to do as much work enticing a new target audience.
The main image is obscured by blocks of black, like his file as an agent has been redacted, so that he remains a secret, which is typical for conspiracy thrillers. The tag line, which is spread out word by word, which is again keeping with the secret agent theme by only keeping some words uncovered. The tag line "there was never just one" means that there was a conspiracy which connotes the conspiracy thriller theme and also give an excuse to make another "Bourne" film even though the "Bourne" trilogy ended.
By showing the staring actors names, it shows who is in the film but also tries to draw their target audience in by appealing to fans of the staring actors because some people go to watch a film in the cinema because their favourite actor is in the film. The iconography of the gun connotes that the film will have violence in it, but the way that the main character is holding the also connotes that he is used to holding a weapon by his calm demeanour.
Bourne Legacy Poster
This colour scheme is different from the teaser trailer. The colour is more light instead of dark which shows that this film is less dark than we were first made to believe. The image of the main character is slightly on the side rather than the middle which suggests that the film is not just about him, there is more than meets the eye. the background looks like a city which is typical for an thriller. The main character looks to be leaning to the side which connotes that he is running above the city linking to the theme of a conspiracy government agency chasing the main character.
The main character is holding a gun which is typical iconography for a thriller because it connotes violence in the film plot. There are still blocks of black on the poster like it has been redacted. However, the main image is more clear than on the teaser which connotes that the film could reveal something. The tagline is spread out on the blocks of black which is the same as the teaser poster. This is keeping with the theme of secret agent and shadowy government.
The main character has a determined look on his face which connotes that he is not willing to give up and while holding the gun, he is willing to kill to get what he is looking for. The title is in white and "Bourne Legacy" is in capitals which represents that the words are important. The "Bourne" connotes that the film is "piggy backing" the original Bourne franchise. "Legacy" is suggesting that the film is going to leave a lasting effect on the audience and that this film is retelling or adding to the legacy of the Bourne films' plot.
Bourne Legacy Teaser Trailer
Narrative context
The events in this movie takes place around the same time that the events in The Bourne Ultimatum. When a British reporter was writing an expose about Black Ops operations Treadstone and Black Briar, and the ones responsible for them are concerned. And when Jason Bourne, former Treadstone operative got the file on Treadstone and Black Briar and gave it to Pamela Landy who them passed it to the media. When the men behind Treadstone and Black Briar learn of this, they're concerned how this will affects other ops they have. They decide it's best to shut down all ops and make sure make everyone involved disappears. They try to take out Aaron Cross who is part of another op called Outcome, but he manages to survive. He then seeks out Dr. Marta Shearing who worked on him when he began. It seems part of the program is for all subjects to take medications but he has run out, which is why he seeks her. But someone tries to kill her. He saves her and she tells him, he should have stopped taking the meds long ago. They go to Manila so that she can help him. Later the men behind Outcome learn that Cross and Shearing are still alive. They try to get them.
how are the characters established and represented?
In this teaser trailer we see the main characters but like the teaser poster the scenes are edited like a redacted file throughout most of the trailer. This presents enigma because we never see a main character fully until the end of the teaser trailer. We see parts of the faces of the characters, usually the eyes because they are the most expressive part of the face so this gives us an insight into the main characters. For example, at the beginning we see part of the main character's face (Jeremy Renner), which from that we can tell that he looks scared and that he is injured. Even though the teaser trailer is almost 2 mins it still only gives us an insight into the film because of the secrecy in which the trailer is being shown.
Enigma code
This teaser trailer gives the audience a sense of enigma because throughout the trailer we only see the main characters face fully, we do not see any of the other characters faces fully because their faces have been distorted by blocks of black moving across the screen.This connotes that this film is a thriller by the way the editing has obscured the images. This portrays the secrecy of the main characters because the blocks of black are similar to a secret file that has been redacted, which means we don't know much about the characters from the trailer because their faces are covered up. The trailer also relies on the audience having watched the previous Bourne Trilogy in order to understand the context of the diegetic dialogue like "Tread Stone". So to the audience that haven't seen the Bourne films will be clueless to was is being said in the trailer.
Camera and Editing techniques
There are a lot of close up shots of characters faces and of what characters are doing when the scenes are partially distorted by the blocks of black across the screen. this shows the expressions of the main characters like when the main character (Jeremy Renner) was shown looking scared and hurt. The blocks of black comes from both direction revealing the image underneath but not all of the blocks go, but some partially cover up the image to leave a sense of enigma. When the blocks of black are completely removed from the screen, we see Aaron Cross (Jeremy Renner) through a panning shot from the side of his face to the front. We see him looking determined. After this shot, the editing becomes fast paced because the action kicks in. We see the main character running while bullets are flying towards him then it cuts to him fighting with an enemy. it also cross cuts between the main character fighting and a shady group of people taking about the kind of skills he has. When the main character jumps from a tree to another, we see him from a low angles showing that he has power which is different from a typical thriller because the main character fight against a big shady government organisation is usually shown as less powerful than its enemies. the last shot of the main character taking a shot from a sniper rifle turns to black and white and the blocks of blacks come in to cover up the image which connotes that he is still a mystery.
Use of Sound
The first sound we heard is the non diegetic sound of someone asking the main character question when the screen is black. Then we hear the diegetic sound of the main character talking back answering the question. The man who asking the questions is never shown. There is non diegetic music in the background which is typical of a thriller film because the music gives the audience a sense of enigma. In the first minute we only see the main character talking whereas we here other people talking but we cannot see them. After the first minute when we a gun being loaded, the non diegetic music becomes more urgent and fast paced. throughout the trailer, we hear the other characters talking about Aaron Cross (Jeremy Renner), about his skills and the dangers he poses to them. The non diegetic music is in time with the fighting, for example the beats within the music is in time with the punches that Aaron Cross is inflicting.
Captions
The only caption in this teaser trailer is "There was never just one" which connotes that this film is related to the Bourne Trilogy and the caption is the reason that the film was made.
Intended Audience
The intended audience for this film is males from 15 years old upwards because this film is related to the Bourne trilogy which was aimed at the same target audience. Therefore they can just "piggy back" on the Bourne trilogy audience.
The Bourne Legacy Trailer
How are the characters established and represented?
The first shot we see is a extreme close up of Aaron Cross (Jeremy Renner) and we can see beads of perspiration on his face which suggests that he is anxious. We see a similar shot from the teaser trailer of the main character injured, which connotes that he is having a flashback which scares him because the next shot we see is him jumping up in a panic. Then we see a focus pull shot first of the necklace then of his reflection in the mirror which could suggests that the necklace was an invisible barrier for him and by taking it off, he becomes free. We see Aaron Cross in multiple fights scenes which connotes that he is the target of an agency and that he is fighting to protect himself. We also see an extreme close up of Dr Marta Shearing (Rachel Weisz) which connotes that she is important to the plot. We see Aaron Cross with weapons and fighting which suggests that he has been trained so he could have been part of the group that is now after him. throughout the trailer we see different people talking about Aaron Cross and how dangerous he is to them, which connotes that they are the ones who are after him. there are shots of characters from the previous Bourne trilogy like Pamela Landy which implies that they are related. We see various different shots of people dying with the sound bridge of someone asking "You are asking me to wipe the most valuable assets we have ever had in the field" which connotes that the government agency is getting rid of the "programme" that made the super soldiers (Jason Bourne from the original trilogy and Aaron Cross from this film). We see long angle shots of Aaron Cross showing his strength and speed.
Enigma Code
Throughout the trailer, we see different people fighting, shooting and looking for the main character which creates the mystery of why are people trying to kill him. We then hear someone saying of the phone "Jason Bourne is in Manhattan Confirmed" which suggests that Jason Bourne and Aaron Cross are connected but we don't know how. The other mystery is why are they killing the super soldiers when they are on the same side.
Editing and Camera techniques
Unlike the teaser trailer, there are not blocks of black on screen. It is more open rather than an enigma. There are a lot of close ups to show the main characters' expressions and some times the characters are on the side of the screen rather than in the middle. the pace throughout the trailer is quite fast because there is action throughout most of it mixed with calm conversation which is not typical structure for a trailer. there is some slow motion shots of the main character turning which could represent that he sees everything. there are a few aerial shots of crowds and cities which connotes that the film has multiple locations usually in crowded cities. there are low angle shots representing the main character as powerful which is not typical of thrillers because usually the main character is up against a more powerful enemy. The high angle shot of Aaron Cross and the woman on a motorcycle being chased represents that he is weaker than his opponent.
Use of Sound
The non diegetic sound of 2 people talking is what is heard first and because we hear an echo or acoustic in the background while the main character is sleeping. This could represent that the main character is dreaming or remembering and the audience can hear it. the non diegetic music in the background is ominous which is typical in a thriller. the sound bridge of another character (Edward Norton) talking from his scene is carried over through scenes of the main character talking because he is talking about the main character. the music is in time with the scenes, for example when we see the main character come up from the water, the music makes a louder sound. there are multiple narrators throughout the trailer talking about the main character while he is doing the things they are talking about. For example when a woman says "we have never seen evaluations like this" while the main character makes a gun out of a fire extinguisher. After a man said "Jason Bourne is in Manhattan" the music turns into faster paced music which matches what we see on the screen like gun fights.
Captions
The only captions we see are "there was never just one" which is the tagline for the film because it carried on the same theme from the Bourne trilogy and it explained why there was another film when the trilogy ended. the other captions were "The Legacy" "Lives on" which is carrying on the theme of the Bourne trilogy by saying there was never only Jason Bourne but many others and that Jason Bourne only started it.
The Bourne Legacy Magazine Poster
The masthead is across the top of the page and is obscured by the main image which suggests that the magazine is well known and the audience knows what the magazine is without seeing the full title. The main image is of Aaron Cross who is the main character in "The Bourne Legacy". The main image is in the middle which immediatly draws the attention of the audience. The main cover line is infront of the main image which represents that the person behind the main image is the main character in the film advertised. On top of "Bourne Legacy" cover line, there is another cover line in black and white "Bigger, Better, Badder Renner". This is there to advertise the main character by saying good things about him. This tries to entice fans of the actor into watching this film. Film magazines always complement the actor who is from the film they are advertising. The pug and banner provides an encentive for the audience by advertising what else is in the magazine.
The main image of the main character holding a gun and is in a crouched positions shows that he is ready for conflict and violence, which is typical for a thriller, as well as the typical iconography of the gun. The background of the magazine looks like a closed off area that is quite dark which is typical of thrillers because it connotes that the main character might be trapped.
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