Trailer analysis - Drama

I am now going to analyse a trailer in the genre of 'drama', I have decided to do this as I am new to the idea of Psychological dramas and I need to find out what is included in them and the emotions/feelings that we need to create on our audience.

Trailer- The social network

I chose the social network as it is a drama that involves the idea of a great life turning into a bad one and drug/alcohol content. this means that it links in with our trailer and may give us an idea of how to handle the ideas of drugs and also how to entice the audience. The social network is also a very modern film as it relates to 'Facbook' which is a very current issue.



Camera angles

• Extreme close-ups are used at the start these are used in order to show the audience detail about the issue that is being covered.. This help to create tension as only minute details are shown so it leaves the audience guessing about what the film is going to be about.
• Extreme close-ups are also used in order to show the details about what the mouse is clicking on, you can't see the full page but you can see the details that give off clues about what the page is showing.
• A long shot is used rather than an establishing shot, This shot is used to show the scene and gives the audience an idea of where the trailer is taking place.
• A mid shot is used to show the amount of people involved and to give the idea of a party scene whilst showing the smaller details of bottles and glasses.
• An over the shoulder shot is used to show dialogue between the characters, this makes it clear to the audience that not only the character speaking is involved in the scene.

Editing

• A very slow pixel-like fade is used in order to bring the first image on the screen, this fade is very effective as it firstly creates tension whilst the pixelated effect creates the ides of a computer
• A series of fast paced cuts are used in order to show the various parts of the web page. This alongside the extreme lose ups create an overall picture of the web page even though only minute details are shown.
• Another slow pixelated fade is used to go form the detail of his nose and zoomed out into the picture of his face, again this gives the idea of a computer screen and also it makes the audience curious about what the picture is going to turn out as.
• A series of a mixture of Jump cuts and Fades are used in order to show all of the scenes. Fast paced jump cuts are used when there are problems

Sound

• There is a main soundtrack at the start; it is a piano alongside some choir singing, It has a very relaxed sound to it however it also creates a very tense effect as I feel something is going to happen
• The soundtrack is quietened when dialogue is on-screen this helps to keep the effect that the soundtrack is creating whilst drawing the audiences attention to the dialogue.
• The soundtrack speeds up and becomes louder when things start to get heated up, this goes well with the shouting and stops the audience being relaxed and makes them feel engaged in the film.

Mise-en-scene
The mise-en-scene used needs to be linked to the idea of technology and the 21st century as this is what the film is based around

• The costumes represent the idea of wealth and the party scene, as the men are wearing tuxedos and the women are wearing dresses. however when things start to go wrong it switches to PJ's and a dressing gown, this show the decent of his life and clearly highlights how his life has changed for the worst.
• The main prop used is the computer, as this is essentially what the trailer is centred around, it clarifies to the audience which era the film is from and highlights that this film centres around technology.
• Another prop that stands out for me is the alcohol as this shows the stereotypical view of teenagers at college/university. It shows the audience how people portray college students as 'wild' and 'drunk'
• The lighting used is mainly artificial to show that most of the filming is indoors.
• One type of lighting that stands out to me is the torch lighting used when the students are caught at a party. Even though the room is slightly lit by lamps the torch really stands out an almost symbolises the idea of authority.

What I have learnt

• I have learnt that a soundtrack can create just as must tension and effect compared to sound effects.
• By lowering and adjusting the sound level certain parts pf the trailer can be made more dramatic and This helps them to stand out.
• By having several extreme close-ups that are split up by fast paced cuts means that an overall picture of the main object can be made, this gives the audience an individual idea of the overall product depending on how they interpret each of the shots.
• By having opposite things that are meant to fit together creates a great effect, in this case a wealthy man is walking around in a hooded top and slouchy jeans which brings across the point that money doesn't bring everything.
• By using slow paced fades to bring the overall image into focus is a very effective technique ; as it leave the audience guessing about what the image is going to show.