TRAILER ANALYSIS

American Sniper (2014)

The trailer for American Sniper (2014) is effective in creating tension and making the film appeal to audiences through the use of visual and audio codes whilst also successfully attaining the intended genre of war and action. 

The trailer begins with the diegetic sound of someone loading a gun before the camera cuts away from a blackout to a mid-shot of a sniper. This instantly creates tension as the mise-en-scene has connotations of violence whilst also teasing the audience with suggestions of action. 

Following this, the camera pans up from the gun slowly to reveal a close up shot of Bradley Cooper which further hooks the audience as he is a well-known and much-loved actor. It becomes clear that Bradley Cooper is the main character through the flashbacks that show him with his family which provide the audience with hints of an emotional backstory but does so without giving too much away. The trailer has an extremely bland and dull colour palette which helps to establish the genre whilst the diegetic sounds of gunshots and bombs allow the film to come across as one that has a strong sense of realism about the reality of war. Adding to this, the trailer includes a dramatic crescendo as the cuts and non-diegetic music increase in pace. - we can hear the sounds of a heart-beat quickening, panicked breaths and the Shepard Tone Glissando getting louder and louder which successfully puts the audience on the edge of their seat and makes them want to go watch the film. 

Gravity (2013)

The story of Gravity (2013) follows a medical engineer and a veteran astronaut whose space shuttle is destroyed, leaving them stranded in deep space with no link to Earth and no hope of rescue. The trailer begins with intertitles before launching straight into an intense scene where a wide shot shows the shuttle spinning out of control with one of the astronauts attached to it. The trailer works successfully in creating a strong sense of panic and urgency through both visual and audio codes. Throughout, there is both diegetic and non-diegetic sound - hyperventilating and panicked screams from the astronaut spinning as well as the use of Shepherd Tone. These techniques work hand in hand with the visual codes as the cuts move in sync

with the breathing pattern heard. This is effective as it allows the audience to emulate the emotion and feelings of alarm and terror seen on screen. 

The Sci-Fi/Thriller genre is also established throughout as in many of the shots, captured in the background is Earth so it is clear to the audience the action is taking place in space. 

The trailer also gains audience attention as the intertitles show off the A-List actors used in the film - Sandra Bullock and George Clooney as well as highlighting the fact that the director of the film is Alfonso Cuaron, who is known for many successful films and so audiences will see his name and feel encouraged to go out and watch it. Adding to this, at the beginning of the trailer, the Warner Brothers ident shows on screen which also helps the film to gain a more superior and professional reputation.

Cloverfield (2008)

The trailer for Cloverfield (2008) is effective in selling the film through the use of editing. All of the camera shots are shaky and jolty to give the effect they are coming from the POV of a camera that one of the characters is holding. This adds to the thrill of the film as when something comes across the screen, the angle means that the audience cannot fully see what it is. However, the effect of this is really enhanced after the editing is added as the footage becomes scratched, broken up and of mediocre quality. 

The audio is also given a slightly worse quality to make it seem the audience are watching the action through the camera. The cuts between shots are edited so that the camera is winding back and forth between footage and is done so at a quick pace so the intensity of the action is heightened as the audience only get a glimpse of scenes from the film at a time. This also works well so that the trailer makes the film look thrilling but doesn't give too much of the plot line away. 

Cloverfield is an Action/Horror/Sci-Fi/Thriller and the trailer's introduction into a central conflict matches up with this style of film neatly for example, the dark colour scheme used throughout suggests thrill and uncertainty. Although the trailer does not showcase any A-List actors, it does a good job of teasing action right from the start and flaunting the gripping conflict that the characters have to face in the film.

The Birth of A Nation (2016)

The first thing that is used within the trailer to gain audience attention is the intertitles that showcase awards that the film has won at the Sundance Film Festival. This gives the film a certain type of prestige and makes audiences feel it is worth seeing. Additional intertitles show that the film is 'based on a true story' which works well to link to the Biography/Drama/History genre and appeal to the target audience of the film who would appreciate this kind of element in the film. Visual codes such as the mise-en-scene also highlights the genre such as the clothes the characters are wearing which suggest it is from a past time period.

 The genre and realism of the film is also suggested through the dark and cold colour schemes which give the film connotations of sadness which matches with the key themes such as racism and slavery. 

The audio codes used in the trailer are successful in heightening the emotion such as the sound effect of chains used throughout whenever a shot of slaves doing their work is shown. Equally, non-diegetic music plays such as 'Rise Up' by Andra Day which also adds to the intensity of the trailer. 

Nocturnal Animals (2016)

This trailer focuses on introducing the audience to the main character right from the start as the first shot is a extra-close up of a woman's face with her voice-over on the top making it clear to the audience that she plays a major role within the film. As well as this, the trailer introduces the main conflict she faces but does so without giving much away - it relates to her husband but there are gaps in the storyline that mean the audience has to follow through and watch the rest of the film to fill in those gaps. 

Many of the visual codes help to infer the genre of the film such as the rapid cuts and tease of intense action. There is a clear dramatic crescendo as the trailer moves along which is most evident through the addition of non-diegetic music. There is a descending ostinato figure that sounds coincides with the spiralling action happening on screen which successfully intensifies the film making it look more appealing to audiences interested in Thriller/Mystery style films.

There are intertitles to show off some of the Unique Selling Points of the film such as the number of A-List actors : Amy Adams; Jake Gyllanhaal; Armie Hammer; Isla Fisher and Aaron Taylor-Johnson. Equally, the trailer mentions the director Tom Ford and other successful works that have made him well-known ('Acclaimed director of A Single Man') which helps audiences to make connections and those who follow his works will recognise his name and will want to watch the film.