12th Jan 2010
EDEC 262- Blog 2
Blog 2- Questions We Ask
This week in class, Dr. Steinberg guided us through an examination of television and film trailers to consider how media are constructed and the ways in which we might respond to them. What was abundantly clear at the conclusion of the lecture was that media are never simply transparent or obvious, and that we must come to the same conclusion as Jeff Share when he states that “Media are thus not neutral disseminators of information because the nature of the construction and interpretation processes entail bias and social influence.” (Share, “Media Literacy is Elementary”, p. 18) Media intends to construct a response in us and we in turn respond to media as individuals.
In Chapter Two, Share mentions several conceptual frameworks or core concepts for understanding media, including his own (see Appendix B). His framework provides the critical observer with some key questions (or prompts) that should be asked whenever they are presented with some form of media.
Share presents six prompts to consider:
1. What contexts affect the message of the media text?
2. How is the media text put together?
3. What are the different ways the media text could be understood?
4. What are the different messages, either obvious or subtle, that can be read in the media text?
5. Why was the media text created and why was it sent?
6. Who or what group is benefiting and who or what group is suffering from this media text?
(Share, “Media Literacy is Elementary”, p. 144-145)
In light of this week’s lecture, your first task is to find a film trailer that appeals to you. Secondly, select ONE of Share’s core questions and apply it to the trailer.
Clearly state which of Share’s questions you are using. Begin by describing the trailer so that we are clear about “what is happening?” in the thirty or so seconds you are examining. Then, simply answer the question in response to the trailer. Think about how the trailer is put together and what kinds of images and emotions it is trying to elicit in the audience. Media, we have seen, is never transparent.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gCM4JiJ6B2I
The trailer I have chosen is Tim Burton’s Alice and Wonderland. In the trailer, we see that Wonderland is in chaos, being obviously dirty and destroyed. Though this is Wonderland, it is obvious that it is a sequel to the first animated Disney version. Alice, it seems, has been gone for quite some time (she is a young woman now) and the characters of Wonderland seem to be under the tyranny of the Red Queen. There seems to be a lot more drama and action within this version, showing signs of an impending war.
For this trailer, I have chosen to implement Share’s question number 6; 6. Who or what group is benefiting and who or what group is suffering from this media text?
This movie, being a Disney sequel, seems to be geared towards those who have seen the previous movie. Being a movie about Alice RETURNING to Wonderland, it gives a sense of wonder in asking, why is she back? What is happening with the Red Queen? Who is the White Queen that wasn’t originally seen? Taking alot more from the Lewis’ book more than the Disney movie, Tim Burton seems to also be driving this movie to the literary fans of Alice and Wonderland as well. This iseems to be a fantasy movie filled with action and suspense (the war scenes), possibly driving towards those who enjoys action-fantasy movies similar to Chronicals of Narnia. I would say the age group for this movie is going to be between 12-18, spanning the tweens with the fantasy aspect and the older teens with the action and live-action made version.
Personally, I am going to see the movie because it is a Johnny Depp, Disney and Tim Burton movie. I am a huge fan of the three of them and enjoy almost everything they have produced. The trailer makes the movie seem quite action packed and thrilling so I am quite excited to see how an ADULT Alice would deal in Wonderland.
Just before I begin my blog, I had never seen the trailer for Alice in Wonderland because as a child the movie didn’t get much of my attention, so it wasn’t something I was excited about. However, after viewing the trailer because of Samantha, I will be sure to go see the movie full of weird characters!
As for the trailer that has appealed to me: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0viifGIcA84
“… 14 personnes tués sont toutes des femmes (toutes des femmes).” To begin a trailer with the news of a previous shooting, who was all girls, ir pretty shocking! Directed by Patric Jean, in the trailer of La Domination Masculine, we see that in the 21st century, women are still basically objects to men. We see an image of men being architects and mayors and women still having the roles of cleaning ladies! This will not be a movie that you will have your big bag of popcorn and a bottle of Coke, while whispering to your friend about the gorgeous Brad Pitt. It will be shocking and people will talk about it when they walk out! All in all, one word can best describe this trailer as a whole; Equality.
I have decided to answer Share’s question number 5, which is, Why was the media text created and why was it sent?
This movie is nothing to sit down and laugh about! Today’s society is said to be equal; women have rights. Well think again. Patric Jean is sending out a message not only to make women realize that not only because you vote do you have power or a spot in the world of “men.” He wants men to understand that women are humans and have rights as well! A lot of women are bright, educated women and still obey to their husband when it comes to having supper set and ready on the table before he gets home. I believe this movie is sent to create controversy and shock people about what is still going on! After everything women have done and fought for, we are still known to be objects! Although I am a women and shocked about this, we do see a man being interviewed saying that feminism is a crime to humanity! Do men only care about themselves and THEIR power?
Even though I have never seen any movies from Patric Jean, I am definitely going to go and watch this movie about power and equality of men and women. I am a women, I have worked hard to get to where I am. No man is going to tell me I am his object and will need to do what he wants me to do. I understand most women cook and do the laundry, but now that women can be mechanics or electricians, why wouldn’t a man be able to cook a meal?
The movie trailer that I chose was Transformers 1. This is probably the movie I was looking most forward to ever; however, I was also very worried that they would destroy one of my favorite cartoons. the reason this movie worried me is that very often cartoon or comic inspired movies tend to be a let down. In this case the movie gave me everything I wanted cars that turned into robots and beat each other up.
The trailer shows image of the more popular transformers that viewers of the cartoon would recognize from the cartoon for example Bumble Bee and Optimus Prime. although they don’t look exactly like the cartoon they keep the same colors which help to recognize these transformers. There is also quick glimpses of battle scenes with the transformers. they hint that there is a love story going on between Mikaela (Megan Fox)and Sam( Shea LaBeouf). one element that is also very clear is that there are good transformers ( Autobots) and evil transformer(decepticons).
The question I chose to answer was shares question 6: Who or what group is benefiting and who or what group is suffering from this media text?
It is clear that this movie targets a particular audience and that is men in general. The trailer suggests that this will be an action packed movie. It is also geared for people who watched the cartoon as a child (mostly boys). they designed this trailer in such a way that characters are familiar and most of the audience will memories of these characters and this will encourage them to go and see this movie. This movie is rated G so that families will go see this movie. The rating of a movie is very important for a movie success. The higher age rating the less people can see the movie meaning less money. One thing that bothers me is that this movie is a giant commercial but I guess that that is to be expected considering the transformers are owned by a toy company(Hasbro). Its no coincidence that they choose Megan fox as the lead actrice and it is not because of her acting skills. It is clear that in almost every way this movie is geared for men. This is not to say that women won’t enjoy this type of movie but in most cases a guy will probably have to go see a couple of chick flicks in order to convince his girlfriend to go see this movie.
Even though every aspect of this movie is a commercial for a company. it gave me exactly what I wanted. When Blackout transformed(Decepticon in the first scene) and we heard that old school transforming noise I was like a child. The movie could have ended there and I would have been satisfied. I was the targeted audience a 25 year old man who loved the transformers as a child and I find Megan Fox really hot. This movie had a huge fan base already and they had a giant budget. This is why this movie was so anticipated and for once a cartoon inspired movie lived up to the hype.
The link didn’t work so here it is.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U2gs0ZSWalQ&feature=related
I found the trailer from Patrick Jean quite shocking – which is what most movies try to do these days to captivate its audience. I have chosen a movie trailer that deals with the societal issue of poverty.
I would like to answer Share’s fourth question: 4. What are the different messages, either obvious or subtle, that can be read in the media text?
I think this trailer, in 2:25 minutes can touch many of us very deeply. In this time of recession, the general public is even more aware of people’s struggles. Although the setting seems to be in earlier days, the messages clearly still apply today. For example, a single father, who has nothing but his son in life, and who strives to become somebody, make money – just like that man with the ferrari. I think deep down we all wish to be rich – but more importantly to be able to provide for the ones we love at any means possible. Courage, perseverance, family, poverty, hard work are all issues and aspects present in the trailer only.
The trailer has a powerful choice of music (although I recognize the first two songs, I only know the title for the third – ‘Soar’ from Christina Aguilera). The text media and music blend together to support the following message that Will Smith’s character delivers to his young son : “Don’t ever let someone tell you you can’t do something, not even me”. I think this is the quite obvious message which will probably be presented in a more subtle way throughout the movie.
I really want to watch it, but I am waiting for the appropriate moment when I will be able to deal with the sadness in this movie. Has anyone seen it yet?
I will be using question 6: Who or what group is benefiting and who or what group is suffering from this media text?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BuDc4GtjLfY&feature=PlayList&p=823376CAA9CEFC13&playnext=1&playnext_from=PL&index=1
A young delinquent boy is speeding in a car being chased by cop driving a futuristic looking motor bike. We soon find out that the boy’s name happens to be James Tiberius Kirk. Only those people who know Star Trek or have been following the past 40 years of Star Trek journeys will know what major role James will play aboard the U.S.S Enterprise. This is what you find out when you watch the first thirty seconds or so 2009 Star Trek trailer. Because my father could “almost” be considered a Trekkie, I have a lot of familiarity with what the story is about and who the characters are. Therefore, I believe this demonstrates that the groups who will mostly benefit from this media text are those who have an interest in Sci-Fi movies and have a general understanding of the past Star Trek series and movies. When watching the whole two minutes and fourteen seconds of the trailer, we get a good grasp on the fact that this movie has mucho action in it and will target people of all ages. On the other hand, those who will detriment from this media text are people who absolutely hate anything that have to do with space and aliens.
What I liked about the trailer are the scenes that include the beginnings of young Kirk on one planet and Spock on another in which we later see them together on the same ship realizing their destinies. We also see that the movie will include many fighting scenes and some humor. Overall, this trailer gave me a great preview of the movie and was not at all disappointed when I went to go see it with no other than my “Trekkie” father.
Sorry, mine didn’t attache either: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z95wF2Cdye4&feature=PlayList&p=2AFA59EA4F67E6F6&playnext=1&playnext_from=PL&index=35
The movie trailer that I had chosen for this blog entry is “Taken”. The trailer begins with the father, Brian Mills bonding with his daughter, Kim. Kim is off to Paris with her friend Amanda which marks the beginning of a series of unfortunate events. Kim and her friend Amanda are kidnapped and will be lost forever in the slave trade, unless Brian Mills, the CIA agent, does something about it. We are then shown another side of Brian Mills, as his aggressive behaviour becomes clear when he addresses one of the criminals that took his daughter. At the same time, we are shown brief emotional and action packed clips of what Brian and his daughter go through, then the trailer ends.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CvUxdQ4q-Lg
I have decided to touch upon Share’s question concerning why this particular media text was created and why it was sent.
I felt that this trailer paints a picture of Paris that I have never seen before. It showed me and the rest of us that there is more to Paris than fine wines, croissants, and beautiful scenery. After viewing the trailer, the reason behind its creation became clear. It was created as a means of heightening our awareness of how dangerous this world can be, especially if you’re a young teenage girl travelling to a foreign country. This idea connects as to why this text was sent to be viewed by the public. The slave trade is prevalent in places across the globe, and the viewers are able to see just how perilous this injustice can be. Although we see many implausible events that occur, it shows us, especially women, the harsh realities of the world and how cautious we need to be. Another reason why I believe this text was sent was simply as a means of entertainment. Who doesn’t want to watch a skilled ass kicking CIA hero deal with a bunch of throw away napkins for an hour and a half?
When I saw the trailer for Taken, I was captured almost instantly by its brief action filled plot that unfolded. It was this interest that drove me to see the movie. Although many aspects of the movie were highly unrealistic, it was this action that attracted the viewers. It left me appalled and shocked the see the works of the slave trade.
The trailer that I decided to use is the one for the movie Mamma Mia. I remember when I first saw the trailer for this movie and thinking that I just had to see it. I had always wanted to see the Broadway show but never had a chance, so I was really excited that I would be able to see it in theatres. Here is the link for it:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yzhxHsqQvsI&feature=related
Right when the trailer starts, the song “Mamma Mia” is playing in the background. Throughout the first 30 seconds, the plot of the movie is laid out. There is a girl who is getting married, and she wants her father (who she has never met) to be at her wedding. She finds out from her mom’s diary that there are three guys who could be her father, and she has invited each of them to her wedding to find out which one is her real dad. The rest of the trailer shows clips of different dancing scenes in the movie while different songs are playing in the background.
The question that I am focusing on is “How is the media text put together?”
This trailer has a combination of music, text, dialogue and dancing. As I mentioned, when the trailer begins, the song “Mamma Mia” is playing in the background. So right away, the trailer is creating the mood or the tone of the movie. Then, within the first 30 seconds, the plot of the movie is laid out for the audience. During these 30 seconds, the trailer tries to relate the plot of the movie to what people experience in everyday life. For example, the announcer for the trailer says things like “Every girl has a dream,” “Every family has a secret,” and “Every wedding has a few surprises.” While he says these things, the words are put on the screen as well. By doing this, the trailer is attempting to get people to identify with the characters in the movie. Once the plot has been laid out, the music in the background changes and more dancing scenes are put in to show that the movie will be told through music and dancing. By using the combination of music and dance, the trailer is trying to get the audience into the movie by showing images that are happy and funny. It is trying to show that the movie is dealing with subjects that are experienced by everyday people, such as family secrets and the stresses that come from a wedding, but doing it through a fun way. The ending of the trailer is where the audience is shown who stars in the movie, and they start off with “Academy award winner Meryl Streep.” Like we discussed in class, whenever there are actors or actresses in a film who have won awards, that is usually put into trailers to show that there are big stars in the movie. After her, the rest of the main cast is shown.
This trailer really got me excited for the movie and I wasn’t disappointed when I saw it. Some of the actors didn’t have the best singing voices, but overall the movie was well made and I found that the trailer did show what the movie was about.
The movie trailer I chose to share is on the film “He’s Just Not That Into You”. I selected this movie because it is a light hearted film based on relationship comedy that involved many well known actors such as Scarlett Johansson, Jennifer Aniston, Ben Affleck, and Drew Barrymore, to name a few.
The trailer of this movie gives a glimpse into the misadventures of different couples in their mid 20’s and 30’s. This movie deals with the challenges of reading or misreading human behavior, more specifically, misreading human behavior of the opposite sex. Most of this movie is concerned with demonstrating when one should walk away from someone that is not showing you any interest, when a person is “just not that into you”.
Link to the trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0IeXqvFR6HI
I have decided to look further into Share’s question number 5: why this particular media text was created and why it was sent, as well as question number 6: Who or what group is benefiting and who or what group is suffering from this media text?
After watching the trailer, and seeing the movie, I can say that this film was created mainly for entertainment purposes. It is a fun and easy film- just to relax and enjoy yourself. I do think the trailer did a good job at portraying just that through the various clips and dialogue.
Giving the title “ HE’S just not that into you”, I think it is safe to agree that this movie is mainly targeted to women. It is basically a standard “chick flick”, which I don’t see as a bad thing. It is a cute and comic film that addresses stereotypical gender roles. I think this movie aims at an age group of women ages 16-30 although it can be enjoyed by people of all ages for a good laugh.
This movie should not be a held to a standard that is wasn’t made to meet, but if you’re looking for a little laugh and something to unwind to, I would say it is a good choice.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WNpPR3_uYm0
Being a huge John Travolta fan I felt it fitting to to use one of his movie trailers for this blog. “Face off” one of John Travollta’s best performances, is an outstanding film with an amazing concept. When Sean Archer’s (John Travolta) son is murdered by an arch enemy. (John Travolta’s charater decides the only way to catch the psychotic man, who killed his son is to become him.. In the attepmt to change faces with his enemy things go wrong and Sean finds himself doing everything posible to keep his family safe from the enemy, who has now escaped and is living Sean’s life.
The question I will address is Number 1. What contexts affect the media text?
The opening scene from the trailer where John Travolta’s character (Sean) explains how evil and crazy Nicholas Cage’s Character (Castor Troy) and what he had done and is capable of doing sets the premice for the movie. When John is talking about how he knows how he can catch him by becoming him, the camera then lets you know how, by putting Nicholas’Cages image over John’s. The actual visual effects and the constant action in the movie give to the media text throughout the movie. The escape from the prison, as well as the chase on the roof top and the boat explosions in the movie give to the seriousness and intensity of the text. The idea of doing anything possible to find the man who killed your child and to seek revenge on him is something that most viewers could sympathize with. Although, the film is intense and has some outlandish scenes, in general people could relate to John Travolta’s character and the pain he has gone through.
When Castory Troy (Nicholas Cage) is living John Travolta’’s life the scene where he is talking to (Sean) daughter and giveing her advice about how she acts and dresses around men, reveals in an indirect way what was missing in Sean’s) relationship with his daughter. The ability to be open and hoenst with his daughter. The realtiy is Nicholas Cage’s character is very violent, and psychotic, his expressions and use of language gives to the character.
I really loved this movie and found the acting amazing. The writen script and the visual effects really completed and made the movie more real. I think watching this movie one could really appreciate how precious life is and how important it is to be yourself. In many ways it touches upon the importnace of family which can be easily forgotten. The trailer showed the sequence of the events of the movie and did a good job at grabbing the audiences attention. It was appealing to the eye and revealed the strong performances of both Nicholas Cage and John Travolta.
I thought I would be the only one to think of Alice in Wonderland – guess not! The trailer I chose instead is for the movie “Precious”, which I have not seen yet, but I remember seeing it in theatres and being touched by it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b5FYahzVU44
The question I chose to answer is #4: What are the different messages, either obvious or subtle, that can be read in the media text?
I think the messages, which are literally spelled out at the end of the trailer, are common ones in true story drama movies. This story is about a young girl, broken by racism, abuse from her family, and basically beaten down in every possible way. The message of perseverance in the face of adversity is quite strong in this trailer, as is the power of hope and love. I think these are very important issues for the film and the media depicts them quite well. The music is culturally appropriate, featuring a song sung by Mary J Blige, and I find the shots that they chose to be very raw with quite a bit of shock value. “Life is Precious”, seems to be the lesson that the main character will learn throughout the film, and I think audiences will be affected by the roughness of the scenes. The movie, being based on a true story, looks like it was filmed documentary style which helps the message of realness to come across in the trailer. This trailer tugged at my heartstrings and I had no problem figuring out what message(s) the filmmakers were trying to get across to viewers.
Todd, I definitely agree with you that the Transformers movie is geared towards men. I remember going to watch the movie premiere and finding it hilarious seeing the adoring looks on the guy’s faces and the matching evil glares on their girlfriends face.
The trailer I chose to share is “Harry Potter and the Goblet of fire.” I remember watching this trailer a few years ago and jumping up and down in joy. (That also has to do with the fact that I’m a Harry Potter diehard fan haha!)
I think this trailer did a magnificent job in capturing the essence of the Harry Potter world. The little jingle at the beginning of the trailer is a work of a genius because it sets the magical mood to perfection. This trailer shows glimpses of a first crush, evil regarding the Voldemort character, and competition surrounding the Triwizard tournament. The trailer portrays the balance of good and evil and it does a wonderful job in getting its fans hyped about going to see the movie!
The question I chose to address is question number 6: Who or what group is benefiting and who or what group is suffering from this media text?
What I find amazing about the Harry Potter movies is that ithey are technically geared towards children and teenagers however it managed to acquire a older fan base too. I think because of the fact that people of all ages enjoy this movie, everyone is benefitting. However, I think that the people that have read the books are the biggest group benefitting from this movie
Harry Potter gathered thousands of fans in its midst like every movie it has it’s huge crowd of haters. Which I think is perfectly understandable because not all people enjoy magic and fantasy movies. This being said, I think that these “haters” are the ones suffering from this movie because they have to enjoy Harry Potter frenzy that comes with each movie. Don’t get me wrong, there are also some fans that suffer too (and they tend to suffer even more deeply if that’s even remotely possible) because of the fact that they found the movie did not live up to the book.
Link to the movie: http://movies.yahoo.com/movie/1808475610/trailer
Oops just realized I have a big typo:
The haters have to endure the Harry Potter frenzy and *not enjoy the Harry Potter frenzy
Haha!
The trailer I have chosen is for the new movie “Dear John”, a film that I want to see because of the trailer even though it is not normally the type of movie I would watch.
The trailer begins with a group of friends sitting together on a dock and a bag falling into the water. One man jumps in to save the bag for a girl and from here the trailer is scenes from the story edited together to show quickly how these two fall in love. We also learn that the man is in the army and he is deployed, and to communicate the two lovers write letters to each other. There is compelling music in the background but really the only thing revealed about the movie is the mans deployment and the fact that they are in love.
I have chosen to use question #5. Why was the media text created and why was it sent?
Obviously this text was created to invoke curiosity and a “want” to go see the film. With little plot given in the 2.5 minutes, we are only given flashes of the characters which makes the viewer curious about the film and how these characters will interact. the text is sent out and is made for mostly a female audience (although not solely) probably from the age of 13 up as it is what we would technically define as a chick flick.
I chose the movie trailer for Freedom Writers. The trailer provides a snapshot into the struggles that non-white teenagers face in California daily. This is a sharp contrast from the charmed rich white life we tend to see in movies and TV shows set in California. The students get a new teacher and they don’t think that she will understand them because she is white. But, unlike the other teachers in the school, she believes in the students and gives them an opportunity to express themselves. In the background one of the songs that is playing uses Dr. King’s famous words “I have a dream” and in the end the teacher is able to show these students that they can dream.
I will discuss Share’s 5th question (Why was the media text created and why was it sent?) in relation to this trailer. I think that this film was created to showcase a part of California that is so often hidden in the media. Often media set in California depicts a sunny beach scene and shows the life of the rich and the famous. Yet in reality there is another side of California that is ignored, the gang violence, poverty and class differentiation that occurs. This film shows teenagers who beat the statistics and stayed in school because someone believed in them. It gives hope to minorities that are struggling or teenagers in a similar situation. It also shows the impact a person can have on people, if they ignore the stereotypes and learn listen. The teacher did not listen to her colleagues, who said that there was no way to make the children “want an education” and she tried to connect with her students and listened to their stories.
Trailer for Freedom Writers: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MT0L1U-Rdj4
The trailer i choose is the spy next door with Jackie Chan as the main actor. This movie is not in yet, but i will probably watch it with my litlle cousin. It’s about a spy that had done multiple dangerous and that always succeed. However, his next task is not as usual as his order. Bob ho(Chan) has to babysit three children.
I will be answering question # 4. What are the different messages, either obvious or subtle, that can be read in the media text?
I remember watching Jackie Chan movie when i was younger. I love them all! I loved the fighting and the fact that he was doing everything by himself even if it’s dangerous.
This movie is like the other one, but the audience is younger as there are 3 children in it. However, we all know the Jackie Chan movie and i think the end is way to obvious. Jackie and the kids will fight together against bad people and they will win. We can also think that he might fall in love with the mother and they will live happily ever after. With the children, the spying and the fighting will interest both boys and girls .
I’m goign to see if it’s going to surprise me finally…
The movie trailer that I decided to choose is for the movie “Armored”. I chose this movie because I remember seeing it when I went to see another movie at the cinema and I thought that it seemed like an intense action flick. Here is the youtube link for whoever is interested in watching it: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uEV7bTWpG8w . Basically, in the trailer you see money transporters that one day decide to steal the money that they are transporting. But if only it could be so easy…
The question that I decided to answer is question #4: What are the different messages, either obvious or subtle, that can be read in the media text? Firstly, as soon as the trailer starts, the images are shown very quickly and sound effects dramatize these fast images. I thought that this gave the effect that this movie was going to be a very fast passed action flick as I said before. One of the messages that I thought was quite subtle was that it is never too late to go back on your decisions. The main character decides to steal money in order to be able to pay his house but then does a complete 180 when he realizes that people will get hurt in the process. A less obvious message that is portrayed is that we should not be influenced to do illegal things even when times are tough. We all go through tough times at one point in our lives yet none of us are robbing banks or stealing millions of dollars from GARDA trucks!
http://www.apple.com/trailers/miramax/sin_city/480_dwightr_2.html
The trailer I have chosen is from the movie Sin City. The trailer is narrative in style and uses stylistic vocabulary from the graphic novel on which the movie is based. The 30 second clip tells the story of two groups fighting for power in the fictional Sin City: “those who rule the streets and those who rule everything”. The audience is led to understand that up until now there has been a shaky truce between the two groups, but that the truce is now in jeopardy and that all hell is about to break lose…
The core question from Jeff Share that I will answer is “What are the different messages in the media text?” The first message that I got from the trailer was the dark and menacing tone of the movie which leads the audience to expect a movie filled with violence and gore. The selective use of color and high contrast (black and white) in the trailer evokes drama, suspense, and tension. Another message that is fairly obvious is the theme of female empowerment because you see how a gang of street-wise women is banding together to fight for their survival (rather than relying on men to do so). Ironically this message is somewhat counterbalanced by a hypersexualized gyrating Jessica Alba. A more subtle message is the idea that even in an underworld filled with scum of the earth, heroes are still present (although they may not be the archetypal heroes portrayed in comic books).
I chose the trailer for the movie “The Blair Witch Project (1999)”. I have never seen the movie but the trailer is definitely worth discussing!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pfnXbXKi2-s
(this youtube clip includes 2 trailers for the film, but I am only discussing the first one.)
The trailer is only 40 seconds long and for 35 of those seconds, the screen is black. Eerie sounds can be heard in the background while a white paragraph of text explains that 3 friends mysteriously disappeared while filming a documentary. The text then reveals that the documentary footage was found. We then hear the choked, heaving voice of a young woman who is apologizing to the mothers of her friends. The final 5 seconds of the trailer show a shot of her terror-stricken face, lit with only a flashlight. Her final words, “I’m so scared” put an end to the trailer.
4. What are the different messages, either obvious or subtle, that can be read in the media text?
There is no doubt that the audience is intrigued after viewing this short trailer. The story seems mysterious, cold, haunted and the trailer definitely sends a message of helplessness and despair. The blackness of the screen blinds the audience and leaves them with a sense of wariness about the unknown. When I was watching it, I was worried that something would jump out and scare me. The face of the terrorized girl gives rise to a sense of suffering, something that transcends merely being afraid. Her suffering, we assume to be caused by something dreadful, is amplified by the guilt she feels from putting her friends in such a dangerous position. The trailer is effective because it leaves room for the imagination. There is an infinite number of possibilities and by nature, we curious humans strive to find out more.
The trailer I have chosen is Chris Nolan’s the Dark Knight. Before even watching the trailer we know this is an action movie based on the Batman franchise. The two minute trailer starts out with the antagonist, The Joker, who is explaining how he feels about Batman. However, the trailer waits one minute until they actually show The Joker which leaves the audience in suspense to see the appearance of the newest villain. We then find ourselves in a dark world filled with explosions and lots more action. The Batman franchise has been around for many decades and has been a cultural icon. With a character that once started out as a superhero, The Dark Knight turns our protagonist into a darker character who is much more complex then the average superhero.
Link to the trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8jqq4j52Fb4
The question I will be answering is Shares question 6: Who or what group is benefiting and who or what group is suffering from this media text?
I have always been a batman fan because I would watch the TV show with my father as well as go watch all the movies from the franchise at the theatre. I loved the action and suspense that the characters offered. Therefore, I believe this demonstrates that the groups who will mostly benefit from this media text are those who have an interest in superhero movies as well as action movies and to those who have an understanding of the past Batman movies. I believe that the groups who will suffer from this media text will be those who do not enjoy action movies. The general audience is presumably male, as are most action movies. However, what changed the target audience for this film was the death of one of the main and most important characters, Heath Ledger as The Joker. His death was tragic, but it also helped the film tremendously with an audience who wanted to see the actor in one of his last roles. I believe it made a strong impact on our culture due to the fact that it was probably the first time people anticipated a film for the antagonist. The trailer was actually changed so that we would not see the joker right away to give the target audience a feeling of suspense. This approach, I think, was highly effective because the movie was then anticipated by both genders and all age groups.
A trailer that I have recently seen that has caught my attention is the one for The Lovely Bones. In the preview we see that a young girl is murdered but her spirit remains on Earth. She tries to help her family solve her murder and catch the man who killed her. The murderer is very creepy and we see him trying to lure her sister in the same way as he did her. Her sister is very aware of the killer and tries to warn the detective but nothing can be done without any evidence. Her sister goes looking for evidence in the man’s home but he catches her. The trailer ends with screaming and a scene in the hospital.
The question I chose to examine is number 5: Why was the media text created and why was it sent? The media (trailer) was created in order to promote the film. It was sent to create a buzz amongst people to encourage them to go see the movie. Overall, the trailer was made to lure people to the theatre to watch the movie. The suspense and mystery at the end of the trailer were created to have people question what happens next in the plot. People will, therefore, buy tickets to get an answer to the questions asked after watching the trailer.
The trailer I have chosen is from the movie The Notebook. I chose this trailer because I love the emotion that it portrays. No matter how many times I watch this trailer there are so any mixed emotions in my mind. The trailer shows the love story of two people whose families do not approve of their love affair. It begins with the story of how they met and goes on to explain the details that drove them apart. It is a sad trailer yet filled with hopes and dreams
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S3G3fILPQAU
The question I chose to answer is: What are the different messages that can be read in the media text?
Throughout the trailer the obvious message is love. Throughout everything the characters have been through, their endless love does not stop shining through. Another message I see is that of Hope. Towards the end of the trailer, it shows that they have difficulty keeping their relationship alive yet, there is always hope in their eyes. In watching this trailer, I see a story that is filled with ideas that truly touch the heart, maing the movie a sure success!
The trailer I have chosen is Darren Aronofsky’s 2008 Oscar nominated film, The Wrestler. When I first heard about The Wrestler, I was initially quite surprised to see that a film focused around the sports entertainment world that is professional wrestling was actually being made into a Hollywood mainstream film. I was surprised due to the fact that many people look at wrestling in a very negative light. Yet, based on the trailer which, I briefly summarize below, we see very few wrestling scenes. The film focuses more on the drama and life that an aging grappler encounters when his career is on the down swing.
The two and half minutes trailer begins with visuals of the main character, Randy “The Ram” Robinson, preparing for a match. Following short visuals of very few wrestling scenes, we are shown scenes that document the life of an old time professional wrestler, which is both tragic and true. We see Randy working part time at a grocery store, attempting to find a love outside of the ring, taking a crack at reconnecting with his estranged daughter that he barely saw grow up, while at the same time trying to make it to the top once again in the wrestling world.
Link to trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=61-GFxjTyV0
The question I will be discussing is Share’s 5th question (Why was the media text created and why was it sent) in relation to the linked trailer above. After viewing this trailer, I think that this film was created to showcase and document the life that many wrestlers face once their star has fallen. Throughout the trailer, we see the heart ache and pain that Randy is suffering, not within the ring, but rather outside of it. I believe that this media text was created in order to open the eyes of individuals that may look at wrestling as a circus act and more or less “fake”. Given that it is “fake” to many, the pain and heartache is very real, both in and outside of the ring. This trailer and the film itself is an attempt to show not only fans of wrestling, but also the ordinary person the life outside of a wrestling ring.
The trailer I have chosen is Disney’s The Princess and the Frog. The first half of the trailer is showing all the most famous classic Disney movies of the past, introducing this new movie that will have all the aspects of our favorite Disney memories such as, singing, dancing, and magical kisses. Then it introduces the new story of a princess who meets a frog and how one kiss will turn him back into a prince, however not everything goes as planned and the rest of the trailer shows them on an enchanted Disney adventure together full of music and new Disney characters.
For this trailer I have chosen to implement Share’s question number 1, which is what contexts affect the message of the media text?
Being an animated Disney movie it is very clearly geared towards families and children and the previews and trailers were mainly placed on television channels and as movie previews that are mainly viewed by a younger audience. What I noticed though were the clips at the beginning of the past Disney movies. These movies were viewed by my generation and older and therefore are triggering memories of someone my age to think about the love we had for those films. The trailer seemed to be split into two sections, one being the beginning clips of old Disney films and the second being a brief story of the new movie. This attracts two separate audiences by using two different ways of capturing our attention. The voice over at the beginning was also very intriguing as well as the music, capturing your attention forcing you to think about how magical the Disney experience is.
I have seen this movie and thought it was amazing simply because it brought back aspects of old Disney classics as well as a very funny heartwarming story. I really enjoyed that there were many jokes and comments during the film that were more at an adult level, giving others besides children a good experience as well.
link to trailer http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9xOPH02ozbE
The trailer I will be focusing on will be “It’s complicated” with Meryl Streep, Alec Baldwin and Steve Martin. I will be exploring Share’s second question; “how is the media text put together”.
Link to trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mt-l1liNjk0
In the very beginning of this trailer, we see the two main characters, Jane and Jake. They are sitting together at a bar, and Jake says how he is happy to see Jane. Then, we get to hear a little about Jane, and what she things about her ex, hearing different passages from the movie. Then, it is Jake’s turn, as many different scenes are shown. At the end of their little description, we get the point of the movie as they start dancing together and finally leading to seeing them both in bed, with the song “then it’s all a bit of history repeating”. So basically, we understand that they are having an affair with each other. They really chose a great way of illustrating the main story in the trailer with the use of this song. The trailer also shows how Jane and Jake are with each other by showing different clips from the movie. We see Jane as being the very pessimistic person as Jake is the opposite; optimistic. Throughout this trailer, we also get to meet another main character in the movie; Adam. By the way they have presented him in the movie, we know that it is Jane’s boyfriend and how mature he is, as they show him at work. We also get the same with the introduction of Jake’s wife, who is much younger than he is. The trailer shows her wearing a very small shirt and walking in slow motion in order to show how she is a very beautiful and sexy woman.
The movie trailer i have chosen is for the film Valentine’s Day. I chose this film because, yes i will admit these types of movies are my guilty pleasure. It is a comedy that encompasses all of the cliches surrounding Valentine’s day. It also seems to have a great cast of actors including: Julia Roberts, Ashton Kutcher, Jamie Foxx,Jennifer Garner, Jessica Biel, Jessica Alba , Bradley Cooper and many others.
This trailer actually made me want to go watch the movie, now whether i will be disappointed or not in February i’ll have to wait and see. However the trailer was able to give me a look into the lives of about 10 strangers who are all searching out for something different from love on Valentine’s Day.
link to the trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jSS-QPdiiiY
The question i have chosen to answer regarding this trailer was question number 5 :Why was the media text created and why was it sent?
It seems to be pretty obvious as to why this media text was created. In part i believe it was made to entertain however i also think that it was made to shine some light into the insecurities some girls have and the fantasies surrounding a regular day called Valentine’s Day. We seem to have been programmed to make a big deal out of a day like any other not to mention for some girls it seems to be the end of the world to be alone on Valentine’s Day. However, i think that this movie will show them that such is not the case. I think this movie will be a great laugh for all on Valentine’s Day and i hope it will live up to the trailer.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YNzzCN4dVFA
The film trailer I chose is the one for Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist. The trailer introduces us to Nick, a sensitive musician who’s bad at relationships, and Norah, a protective friend who plays by the rules. They meet at one of Nick’s concerts, and a night of chaos and fun in New York City ensues. There is rock alternative music playing, some cute but funny lines, and the catchphrase “every night has a soundtrack”.
This trailer appealed to me because I related to their story. Throughout high school and college, I used to go see underground punk, ska and rock alternative shows in Montreal. This trailer brought back so many memories of funny characters I’ve met, weird adventures that happened to me and excellent bands I got to hear- I had to see this movie!
As for the Share question, I chose to find the different subtle/obvious messages in the media text (#4). Some of the obvious messages in the trailer are spontaneity, hope and adventure. The sentence: “when plans get changed, the possibilities are infinite” is spliced throughout scenes of the trailer. Viewers might get the feeling that this type of impulsive journey might is so possible it just happen to them. I can also notes more subtle messages in this trailer, such as straying from the mainstream to discover unique, fascinating and obscure cultures (like concerts in alleyways and warehouses). I’m not sure if this is the subtle message the major motion picture company intended on me seeing…but with my experience, it’s how I’ll interpret it!
For Q #2, and the TV show Glee.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_n4LYdl1SbM
I found the TV trailer (I hope we can do TV…) for the new show Glee’s second season to be put together quite well, considering what the show is actually about. The trailer contains all those things that mainstream audiences want to see, while emphaszing the geeky quality to a humourous point that it doesn’t seem so ‘uncool’ to watch a musical show. I’m only going to mention the two songs inserted into the trailer, and how they were put together.
The first song is Gold Digger (West ft. Foxx), which was an outrageously unusual song for the show in the 1st season. However, it was almost genious to include it since it’s such a popular song which almost anyone between the ages of 10-25 can sing along to! That audience is now tuned in… and doesn’t feel so lame about it. Kanye is legit – and Glee’s got it.
The 2nd song, Somebody to Love (Queen, duh), is a song known to almost every audience, ever, even if they don’t want to know it – and even if they don’t like it, the ability to sing along makes it that much more interesting! The show is a geeky comedy, full of geeks, but the trailer uses two extremely well known and mainstream songs to hook mainstream audiences.
I watch the show, and the popular songs that everyone knows the lyrics to makes it that much more fun. The trailer emphasizes this, in using two famous songs from two COMPLETELY different genres to attract a more broad audience.
Question 5, “Why was the media text created and why was it sent?”
The trailer that I chose to focus on was Avatar. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cRdxXPV9GNQ&feature=related
The trailer starts off with a zoomed-in image of the main character’s eyes. This immediately grabbed my attention and got me interested. Then you hear someone say, “I’d like to talk to you about a fresh start on a new world.” An image of the Earth is shown, followed by a clip of the “new world.” The trailer continues to have a narrative-like voiceover that clearly tells the audience what the movie is all about.
I believe that the media text was created to open people’s eyes to something new that has never been seen before. As Avatar is an action-filled, science-fiction movie, it is very entertaining and eye-catching due to all the graphics that were created. Although there have been movies about aliens and such, I have never seen a movie like Avatar where the the characters are soo clear, defined, and unique. I really enjoyed watching the trailer as it truly gave a full preview of the movie.
The movie trailer I chose is Shutter Island. Here is the link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5iaYLCiq5RM
Question 5: “Why was the media text created and why was it sent?”
This trailer begins with the main character, Leonardo DiCaprio arriving at the institution where they keep the most dangerous and insane people on Shutter Island. He must give all his weapons (his gun) to the officer before entering, therefore, he is left without defense. As the two men are walking through the main gates there is a “crazy” woman putting her finger on her mouth and telling them to shhh…
After, we see quick flashes of different people living in this institution for the viewers to get a glimpse of what type of people are there. DiCaprio then meets with a woman and tells her that he must ask her a few questions… she hand him a notebook and inside it is written “RUN”. It is then quite obvious for the viewers to note that something is wrong…
I believe that this media text was created to get the viewers to feel for the main characters and try to figure out what is happening in this institution. Afterwards, there are more quick flashes where we see the main character going crazy and maybe becoming one of the residents of the institution. We see that he is having hallucinations and that his mind is making him believe things that are maybe not real. The trailer concludes with DiCaprio walking through the institution and someone jumps on him. This media text was surely created to intrigue the viewers about what is going to happen to the main character after the resident jumps on him, is he part of the institution now? Is he going crazy and imagining everything? Can he leave the institution, or is he trapped? These are all questions the viewer surely wants answers to, therefore, will go see the film. This trailer was sent to grasp the attention of the viewers by only offering a few clips of the main events happening in the institution and to create a sympathy for Leonardo that now seems trapped in this crazy place.
The trailer that I have chosen for my blog is from the movie “Nine” (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y_5_lzags3I). At the beginning of the trailer, the entire screen, is black, except for one small door, which a man walks through. There is a church bell tolling slowly in the background, and then a man walks through the door. The trailer revolves around one man, and many women. There is dancing throughout the trailer, and the way that the clips are edited make the trailer seem extremely hectic and fast paced at times.Throughout the trailer, the music is an Italian opera piece, however when mixed with the images and the way that they are edited together, it sounds extremely mysterious, and the audience cannot tell exactly what is occurring.
Share’s question that I have chosen to answer is number 5, why was the media text created and why was it sent? The trailer was created and sent to audiences to promote the movie, and to persuade them to watch it. Through the lighting and the way that the trailer portrays people and objects, the trailer is extremely mysterious, and the object is to produce enough intrigue in the audience for them to want to watch the movie. As I watched the trailer, it reminded me of the movie Chicago, and when I looked up the movie online, it was the same director as Chicago. I think that this similarity is intentional, as the trailer is so reminiscent of Chicago that it seems to be appealing to the Chicago fans.
Hey guys, for the blog I’m going to talk about two very different trailers from the same movie “Meet The Spartans”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QA9YvbFuGgc – Trailer 2
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t4x-EHPkKis – Official Trailer
Out of those two which would you find the most tempting? I I were to take a guess I’d go with #2. For the first 30-40sec, no one would have guessed it was a comedy spoof (one genre I enjoy) over the official.
In Trailer #2 – it starts out with spartans warriors laying down their weapons, and it said there were 300 of them fighting for a cause and kicking their enemies in the pit of death, until the comedy kicks in about 0:37 sec.
Trailer 1 – was an honest description of the movie…I’m still bummed out they never showed the Donald Trump seen, they only showed it in the deleted scenes, of course they never have them unless u bought the DVD.
Trailer 2 was good, as the first 30 seconds is all you need to see the movie.
Im gonna try and answer question Who or what group is benefiting and who or what group is suffering from this media text?
When you sit down and watch the 1 and half hour film, the prime group that is targeted are the people that like spoofs and come for a good laugh. They could be any age, that like that sort of movies like the Scary Movie series. I was hooked because it’s a type of movie I’d want to go see. And it was current to when Britney Spears shaved her head. Groups who suffer from this film are the people that wouldn’t like this type of film, or have only seen the first 30 seconds of trailer, and didn’t realize it was a spoof film. They did a great job in tricking the audience
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sSLc64JGbDE&feature=popular
The trailer I have chosen is from the movie Invictus. It is inspired by a true story and is set in South Africa. The story seems to be about politics, the game of rugby and Mandela’s political courage. The trailer shows that Mandela wants to unite his country, something that was said to be the impossible, using the South African rugby team full of white men. Mandela’s mission is to inspire everyone around by having the team win the world cup, with the help of the captain played by Matt Damon.
I still haven’t seen this movie but it looks appealing to me just because I played rugby for 4 years and because I am interested in seeing the game scenes! Though I love inspirational sports stories and have no interest in politics, this move looks like a good one!
I will be answering question #6: Who or what group is benefiting and who or what group is suffering from this media text?
I think that the media text was created to educate the public about Mandela’s wisdom and his political courage. Since it clearly stated in the trailer that it was based on a true story, the viewers who will benefit from this are those who are interested in our world’s history and how we came to be what we are today. Invictus is a movie drawn to politics, therefore younger viewers would not be interested in this movie at all. The younger ones who will go will be the ones like me, who just want to see it because their interested more in the sports (rugby) aspect of it than the politics aspect. I for one think that most youth are not interested about politics because they are not educated enough about it to understand it, but for the ones that do, and enjoy sports as well, they will definitely benefit from this movie. With this said, I think that the target audience would be from the ages of 16 years old and up. There doesn’t seem to be any love story present at all in this movie, so viewers, especially women and girls, would not benefit from seeing Invictus if they are interested in romance. I think of those interested, most would be men and boys, just because the trailer seemed to be dominated by men, and the sport of rugby itself is very violent, therefore appealing and benefiting mostly to men/boys rather than women/girls.
The trailer I decided to use was the Nip/Tuck Trailer, a plastic surgery show based in Los Angeles. The opening theme begins with a hand and a red marker drawing perforated lines over a manikin’s body. Then you see them fully, but there is still the red lines being drawn over their bodies. After this, they cut to a view of the manikins being packaged. They all look the same and they are all perfect. Finally we see a manikin in the foreground with Los Angeles in the background. Also throughout the whole opening there are slight movements of the manikins, for example, one’s hand twitches and another’s eyes open, as if they are coming to life. The music at the beginning of the opening seems surreal until the words are introduced, and depicts exactly what the show is about. The last image seen is of a face from the nose down, yet there is a big difference; it is a human face. Ironically the last words of the song are, “a perfect lie”.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7q-lSTCfqTA
The question I will be addressing will be Share’s 4th question, what are the different messages, either obvious or subtle, that can be read in the media text?
I think that this trailer is very obvious once you get to know the show and what it is about, but at the same time for someone who has never seen the show before, they might not know exactly what is going on. The opening theme depicts very obviously that many people will go through the impossible to be perfect and most of all look perfect and flawless. Nowadays, in our society, being like others and following trends, whether they are good or bad, is a very popular issue in the media. This is also the primary topic throughout the show. Plastic surgery is seen as the key to all problems, and without it there is no chance, but this is not true. Seeing everyone in Hollywood and being influenced by it is exactly what the Nip /Tuck opening tries to show. The image of packaging the manikins in boxes and having them all look the same is a portrayal of what we see in the media all the time. Many people are influences by this and it seems many have been brainwashed. Consequently, the latest fashion trends need to be followed, the right weight needs to be attained and keeping up is most important. Everyone wants to look like the perfect person or the perfect model and this is what Nip/Tuck fuels itself on; our society that believes that true happiness resides in perfection.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wFMHlvVNMa0&feature=channel
The trailer that I picked is for “Valentine’s Day”. When I was at the movies and saw this trailer I know that I wanted to see this movie. I like sappy love stories even though we all know that the ending is going to be.
This trailer starts off with Ashton Kutcher doing a voice narrative. He starts off saying that “valentines is going to come whether we like it or not” and from the looks of the rest of the trailer some of the characters tear its arrival and others embrace it. Ashton Kutcher continues to narrate the “Hallmark” definition of what the day represents while we get a glimpse into the life of some of the well know characters that appear in this movie some of whom are in relationships and others that are single.
This movie is packed with all the big names in Hollywood including Jennifer Garner, Bradly Cooper, Eric Dane (Gray’s Anatomy), Patrick Dempsey (Gray’s Anatomy), Taylor Laudtner (twilight), Julia Roberts, George Lopez and about 15 others.
I picked Jeff Share’s prompt “How is the media text put together?” This Trailer was strategically designed at the beginning they have Ashton Kutcher narrating. He has a voice that many people young or old will recognize. They edited enough of the story line into the trailer that we got to see many of the famous faces hat are in the movie making the viewing think that if all these big names are in the movie it must be good. The theme of the movie, Valentines Day, id one that many have a love hate relation with so the audience can relate with what they are seeing in the trailer. The music that they have incorporated with the trailer is the Black Eyed Peas’s “Tonight is going to be a good night” giving me the impression that this movie will probably have a happy ending.
Movies with big names like this often fall flat on their face but I was trill hooked by the trailer so I will let you all know how it is once it comes out.
I actually chose the trailer for a movie that I thought was without a doubt the most anticipated movie of last year; New Moon. Being a huge Twilight fan and having read all of the books, the movie already had very very high expectations of it, not only by me, but by the media altogether. I remember having seen the trailer a long time before the movie came out. I remember actually wondering if I had actually missed the premiere of the movie because it seemed like it had been SO long since it was first advertised in the media. Of course however, with expectations such as these, people are definitely creating a huge vulnerability for disappointment…
The question I chose is number 5; why was the media text created and why was it sent? Although the trailer does seem to give away a lot of the plot, a large part of the audience does consist of people who have read the book and therefore already know the story. Obviously this trailer was created in order to give the audience a “sneak peak” at what was to come and to warn them that the release date will soon be coming. However, I also think the trailer was made to persuade the audience that the story still exists. With all the media surrounding the movie I was beginning to think that the movie was solely about the characters. For example, certain people were starting groups which meant they were either on team Edward or team Jacob. When the main point of going to see the movie for many people is to see Taylor Lautner shirtless, it kind of takes away from the main point of seeing a movie, which should be the storyline. Seeing as the movie starts off with a familiar scene with Edward and Bella seemingly in love, it attempts to remind us of this. However, by the time the trailer is over on youtube, we are again bombarded by the sexuality that has been plugged into this movie by the media by being asked, “Who would you rather date?”. I don’t think this media text was created for this purpose, but by all of the media surrounding it in general. I think this was created and sent to give us an overly detailed example of what we will see and attempt to convince many different people to see it by including a little bit of romance and action (even though there was hardly any actual action in the movie itself! ).
Sorry the link is: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KYBF3HKzrmE
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rLlpabVRnyc
The trailer I have chosen is from the movie “Brothers”. It begins with a funeral taking place, displaying a picture of a young, 30-something Marine who we assume is dead. The next few shots are of his wife, two young daughters and brother who are deeply saddened by the Marine’s shocking death, and desperately trying to cope with everyday life while in mourning. The brother eventually begins to take the role of caretaker to the wife and children, and a romance begins to develop between the Marine’s brother and wife. Suddenly, we find out that the Marine is actually not dead and returns home to his family, where he begins to suspect something happened between his brother and wife while he was away at war. Chaos then ensues.
I will answer Share’s second question: “How is the media text put together?” Firstly, the audience can immediately tell this is a dramatic and emotional movie right from the start of the trailer. In the first half, the use of slow, soft pop/rock music during the characters’ mourning process tries to elicit an emotional response from the audience. The many shots of the characters crying and expressing frustration try to receive empathy from the audience, and the instances where the brother and wife are interacting in a happy setting make viewers want to root for their relationship. In the second half of the trailer, the music immediately changes when the audience finds out that the Marine is still alive. Mystery develops in the shots of the Marine fighting at war and a voice-over of his wife asking him what happened to him at war that is causing him to be so closed-off from his family. Tension is felt by the audience when the Marine’s daughters are hostile towards him, while the sound effects and quick flashes of shots at the end of the trailer build up suspense when the Marine violently confronts his brother and wife of a supposed affair.
From the trailer, “Babel” it is evident that the movie contains many types of characters with their own specific story. The trailer also demonstrates a variety of different cultures in different settings. For instance, it appears as though Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchet are visiting Morocco. We also see places like Japan and Mexico in the trailer, which may insinuate that this movie may have something to do with different ways of life and the barrier of language between people. For instance, at one point in the trailer, we see Brad Pitt having difficulty getting help because he did not know the language of Morocco. The trailer also gives the viewer the knowledge that all the characters in the movie are connected to each other in some way.
I chose question #5. Why was the media text created and why was it sent?
Considering that the movie includes different types of people from different areas of the world it may entice different cultures to go out and see the movie. The trailer also hints that there may be a connection between the characters, which increases curiosity as what kind of relationships the characters will have with one another. People may also be intrigued with this movie due to the theme of terrorism which is a common theme we see in our world today.
I put the wrong link!
This is the movie trailer for Invictus:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RZY8c_a_dlQ
Hi everyone,
The trailer I have chosen is for the movie The Ugly Truth.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1g5QNpucNMw&NR=1
The trailer begins in a television studio. The producer (Katherine Heigl) is told that she will have to work with a sexist-macho man (Gerald Butler) animating a late night TV show. She doesn’t like to have him on the show and he is sure he knows everything about men so they make a pact. If he helps her get the man she wants he stays on the show, if not he is out. Then we see multiple scenes of Katherine Heigl dressed up and acting like a sex symbol to try and flirt with her surgeon neighbour. Even though most people can figure out how the story will end by looking at the trailer, why do people go and watch it?
The question I chose for this trailer is: How is the media text put together?
There is a lot of montage to make sentences follow up. If you look at the trailer in slow motion, it happens very often that multiple lines of different scenes are put together to form sentences. Also, disrespectful words (bitch, sucker…) are used in the trailer to shock and attract a certain category of persons. There are a lot of images but contrarily to many action movie trailers, also a lot of sentences and words and expressions. I think the trailer is trying to sell as much love and sexual emotion to the audience by showing a love story through shocking scenes.
See you all on Monday!
sorry here’s the link!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vJIec2Lp_3o
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=joCwQ2pjfjw
I will be answering question #6.
I have chosen the movie “The Last Song”. The trailer starts with a dad writing to his daughter explaining how the divorce between himself and her mother was merely two people growing apart and that she should not have any hard feelings towards anyone. The girl is going to stay with her father for the summer and we see right away that she is unhappy with this turn of events. The girl seems to be going through something in her life although the specifics are not made extremely clear. The trailer shows early on that this is a movie based on a Nicholas Sparks book and that people who enjoyed the notebook would enjoy this movie as well. There seems to be a nice mix of humor as well as drama. Although Miley Cyrus is not someone I completely enjoy watching on television, I do want to see this movie because of the fact that it is based on a book written by my favourite author.
This seems to be the type of movie that a group of girls or a mother-daughter duo might go see. The fact that it is based on the novel written by Nicholas Sparks will appeal to his audience of readers. As I had mentioned above, those who have read and seen the Notebook would probably enjoy this movie as they are both based on novels written by the same author and have the same love story feel to them. The fact that the main character is played by Miley Cyrus will appeal to the tween generation who listen to her music and watch her shows and movies since her music is also featured in the trailer. Those who do not like this actress may choose not to see this movie based on that fact alone. Personally, I will see this movie because I really enjoyed the book and would like to see how the movie version turned out although I am not 100% optimistic for it.
A movie trailer that had instantly caught my attention was from the Quebecois film from director Denis Villeneuve, “Polytechnique”.
Having already known the story behind this tragedy, I felt immediately connected to the movie.
Within the first few seconds of the “Sex and the City” preview, fans of the hit HBO series are instantly hooked with the familiar scenes of New York City. The preview reminisces the last six seasons of the series while providing audience members with anticipation for the continuation of the fabulous four.
For this trailer, I will be answering and discussing, “How is the media text is put together”. The “Sex and the City” movie was made as a final closing to the television series. The preview was intended for and caught the attention of the millions of dedicated fans all over the world. Familiar storylines were presented while leaving fans with the numerous unanswered questions of “what happened?”
During the two minutes and 24 second preview, audience members were familiarized with the on-going storyline and reconnected with the characters. Within the first few seconds, viewers are presented with the beloved on-again-off-again couple, Carrie Bradshaw and Mr. Big with their plans of marriage; as well as the fab. four dressed in style. The preview is set-up to present the audience with familiarity and excitement of the continuation. As a dedicated fan of “Sex and the City” it was a must that I saw the movie, the day it hit theaters.
To add, it was certainly not a disappointment!
Sex and the City Preview:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jo0Hkaft7Nc&feature=related
A movie trailer that had instantly caught my attention was from the Quebecois film and from director Denis Villeneuve, “Polytechnique”.
By having already known about the story behind this tragedy, I felt immediately connected to the movie. For those of which who do not know the story; on December 6th, 1989 a man named Marc Lepine entered the Montreal school called “Polytechnique”, which is an engineering school affiliated with Universite de Montreal. He first decided to go into a classroom with a rifle as he separated the men from the women, later asked the men to leave the classroom and he shot all of the women after claiming to hate “feminism”. He continued shooting all women in his path and after twenty minutes, he decided to commit suicide. This tragedy caused fourteen deaths, all being women, 10 injured women and 4 injured men as well as the killers own death.
I chose question 2: “How is the media text put together?” Finding the question that I wished to address with this trailer was extremely difficult since there are many important factors linked to this story such as hatred towards feminism and addressing a true story that is a very important aspect of Quebecois history. Although after considering that I am supposed to depict the trailer, I realized that the best aspect to depict is how the trailer is actually made.
This trailer is made in a different manner than usual where the most interesting aspect is how there is absolutely no dialogue included in it. The entire trailer has music in the background while watching images and reading very few but important lines that mark this incredible story. For many Quebecois, the first line, “Montreal, December 6, 1989″, would definitely ring a bell and would remind us about this horrible tragedy. The trailer also appeals to the individuals that are not necessarily from Quebec or do not know the story since the images portrayed clearly explain the story. Starting from the images of students going into their classes, getting ready to be lectured from their professors as well as showing images of the shooter being lonely and clearly having something on his mind, being troubled about doing something and finally seeing him with a rifle in the school and being in front of a bunch of girls with a gun.
Another interesting aspect to consider is the music being used in the background. The trailer begins with a quiet and peaceful piece interpreted by the guitar; the music is relaxing and portrays excellently the images being shown, the normal and habitual everyday environment. It eventually shifts to a more upbeat tempo or a quicker rhythm by including the drums while showing the shooter walking through the school and clearly having something terrible on his mind. As soon as we begin to see the shooter holding his rifle and being in front of the nine women in a classroom, the music rises and becomes louder as more instruments are involved. The tension in the music builds ever more throughout the trailer.
Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H0_bmNH6o0g
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5eKYyD14d_0
The trailer is selected was from a recent movie titled “Food Inc.” I actually just came across the trailer, and since it was a movie that I wanted to see I figured I would watch the trailer again and really take the time to consider the subtle and evident messages that this small excerpt is demonstrating. The trailer is a collection of various clips from the movie. Some show clips of farms that would be listed under the category of factory farming, while other clips demonstrate prestine grocery stores full of food and beverage choices for the consumer. There are small excerpts of interviews from farmers, government bureaucrats, and average consumers. The clip commences with throwing a bunch of statistics at the viewer. Most of the statistics and complementary information is anti-governmental and anti-corportation. The portion of the trailer that I focused in on for this assignment was the last portion, where the information that is provided to the viewer has much motivational connotations. The provided information is geared towards impressing on the viewer that this film is going to demonstrate how disgraceful mass food production is, and that by simply making better choices in relation to food consumation, we as a society can postively change the current situation. The trailer depcits this by using upbeat, fast-paced music, flashing motivational sayings such as “you have the power” and “you can make a change.” They then use clips of interviews where people insist that it is up to the commom people to make changes, which will then change government regualtions. They have also used clips of people buying fresh fruits and vegetables at a local supermarket.
I have selected question #4. The clip tries to imply that all farms are like the ones that they have depicted in the movie. They have decided to use clips that show pig and cattle farms that are overcrowded and dirty. They have also to set up a scenario of us versus them. It is basically the general population versus government bureaucrats. It tries to imply that it is the fault of the government that the farming situation has gotten so out of control and that these people are our dietary enemies. They have even included a clip of cartooned male government workers decescending on a farm. This is trying to imply that the workers are there trying to make more of a profit. So, the obvious messages of the film are that farms and the over-ommcericialization of farms has negatively altered the manner in which we eat and therefore puts our health at risk.. The second evdient message is that it is the government’s fault and that the only way to change the current situation is if we as a western community come together and make better choices.
There are a few subtle messages that I picked out. The first one that was that all of the farmers that were interviewed fit into this typical stereotype of a red-neck farmer. All of the farmers had southern accents, and all of them were depicted in ways that made them out to be money hungry animals killers. One of the clips even had one of the farmers says, “it smells like money,” because he was smelling the excriments of the animals. This tries to depict the farmer as only equating animals with money. This is not true of all farms, and it is incorrect to associate the purchase of meat at the grocery store with the idea that the meat is only coming from such suppliers.
The other thing I noticed was the fact that all of the farmers as well as all of the experts whom were interviewed were male and white. Also, the only interview from a common everyday person in this clip is of a discussion with a hispanic woman and her daughter. They have edited the interview in such a way that you see her eating a hamuburger and talking about the fact that she doesn’t buy too much fruit because it costs too much. Her facts may be right, but I was not a fan of the way they depicted the common person. They have made her the spokesperson for all that is wrong with the general consumer and have targeted her in a way that makes it look like we should wag our finger at her. I am sure that she had many great things to add to the discussion, but they have edited the information and interviews in such ways so they can get their point across. They have also made it seem as though the solution to the problems of factory farming, animals inhjected with hormones and cross contamination is so easy. In fact, it is not as easy as just simply consuming more fruits and vegeatbles and buying local. Although such incentives may help tremendously yet such problem are not so easily solved.
Now that I have once again viewed the trailer, I am actually more motivated to see the movie. My best friend has seen the movie, and she said that it actually did affect her and made her reconsider her dietary choices. However, she was not totally converted and her hesitations were based on the scences of cruelty towards the animals and were not based on the anti-government campaign. The statistics about grocery store chains were interesting and brought forth a topic I would want to investigate in more detail. This is the type of movie I would show in a classroom, because such topics would bring forth alot of discussions and good points of debate.
I would like to talk about the trailer for the movie, “The Blind Side”. The trailer starts off with a mother waking up her son. It comes across as the stereotypical “perfect” family – beautiful home, family portraits, family dinners, etc. The trailer then switches over to images of a black teenager (Mike). In the background is the voice of a school administrator taking about his unfortunate past. The son from the start of the trailer (who is much younger than Mike) decides to talk to him one day, by giving him advice on how to talk to people. When the mother (Sandra Bullock) notices them talking, she starts to take interest in Mike. After finding him walking alone in the rain one night without any proper clothing, she invites him to stay with them. The rest of the trailer shows the family welcoming him into their home in order to help him. They get Mike involved with football in order to allow him to get a scholarship into college.
For Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=khtBvQdxta4
The trailer is effective for several reasons. It definitely tells a story which engages the audience. Second, Sandra Bullock looks super hot (haha) and the music selection was very appropriate. The two songs used are “how to save a life” by the Fray and “pieces” by Red.
The trailer is also appealing because the film stars Tim McGraw, a well known country artist who is not known for being an actor. As a result, it appeals to people with an entirely different taste of music who may see the movie for the sole reason of seeing him act.
By incorporating football into the film, they are trying to appeal to more of a male audience, since this type of film usually attracts the average woman.
The question I am going to address is 6. Unfortunately, Mike is African american and as a result, the movie is stereotypical in the sense that the black kid is poor and from a bad home whereas the white family is wealthy and happy. However, the movie is not completely unrealistic. There are many families willing to take in individuals who are struggling and have nowhere to go. This makes the Caucasian family look good and preferable. As a result, it benefits white families, whereas degrades black families.
Unfortunately, the film does give black people the stereotype of having a low socio-economic status, however I believe this is done for the benefit of the film, as it makes the point stronger.
Overall, I enjoyed the trailer and the movie. There was a good balance of humor to compliment the serious, emotional tone.
#4 What are different messages, either obvious or subtle, that can be read in the media text?
The trailer I decided to analyze was for the 2000 movie “Unbreakable” featuring Bruce Willis and Samuel L. Jackson. According to IFC.com (Voices of Independent Culture), this is the 19th best trailer of all time. It can be found at http://www.ifc.com/news/2009/06/50-greatest-trailers.php?page=33
The trailer fades in from black, to a disoriented middle-aged man sitting on an examining room table. A doctor walks towards him. His voice is heard over the scenes as it fades to the same man sitting on a train. In a cautious voice the viewer hears the doctor tell the man where he is and ask, “Where were you sitting on the train?”
“Against the window…” the viewers find out.
“In the passenger car?” the doctor pursues. The man confirms.
With each question the doctor becomes more intrigued, and the man more confused. The man walks from the room and joins his family as a multitude of people stare. Still audible above the trailer, the man asks the doctor, “Why are you looking at me like that?” He is the sole survivor of a devastating train crash and walks away unscathed. Cameras flash in his face as he leaves the hospital.
Fading in and out of scenes to heart-beat like music Samuel L. Jackson tells the man he needs to find out why he is still alive; the destiny for which he was born. Cut to the release date of the film, and an advertisement for the movie www. are you unbreakable .com; emphasis is placed on each of these word.
The trailer relies on suspense and intrigue to draw its viewers in. The message it is sending out by doing this is: We will get people to pay to see this movie because they are curious. In a way, the trailer is tantalizing the audience, presenting an incredible situation and asking the audience, through the voice of Samuel L. Jackson, to make sense of the situation. The media text asks the audience to think about and discern the destiny of this unbreakable man. Leaving out pertinent information that the viewer needs to make sense of the confusing, the media producers are sure to draw in a curious audience.
At the same time while fading in and out through black the media makers have the viewers stream in and out of the consciousness of the main character and also, metaphorically, their own. It has the viewer question the possible and impossible and what is real or a dream. The end of the trailer, where Jackson talks of destiny and life purpose suggests that the viewer question their own. The final flash to the website asking the viewer, “Are you unbreakable?” connects the viewer to main character, having him/her wonder if they too would be the sole survivor of a train crash; if they to we’re as special as he is.
The trailer I watched is Quentin Tarantino’s Inglorious Basterds which you can easily find on http://www.youtbe.com. The trailer is funny and extremely violent. Brad Pitt who’s playing the role of a Colonel in the British army is forming a motley crew of eight soldiers to eliminate Nazis in very sadistic ways to make an impression and scare the Nazis. Brad Pitt’s character with his funny Tennessee accent is giving a briefing to his soldiers explaining the goal of their mission under images of rough killings, gun shooting and blood splashing. The action is set in occupied France during the second World War.
The question I will use for this trailer is : 5. Why was the media created and why was it sent?
The trailer was obviously created for economic reasons since it is a publicity to promote the movie Inglorious basterds. The trailer is well done since it really focuses on the target audience: blood thirsty and action addicted young to middle-age man. The trailer really gives you the tone of the movie: there is going to be some blood, jokes, action and entertainment. In brief, very Quentin Tarantinoish. The trailer is so good and since I am in the target audience I went to rent the movie after I finished watching the trailer for this assignment.
The trailer I picked is from the movie Confessions of a Shopaholic. I have read the whole series of books, and I remember when seeing this trailer that I really needed to see this movie. I realize now however that it has multiple messages embedded in it. The trailer begins with a little girl, Rebecca, who admires women who shop. One can then see her grow up into a shopaholic; an ignorant woman who is obsessed with spending on useless material goods and who then goes into a large amount of debt and “plays” the man she ends up falling in love with in order to get over her debts. Coincidentally, the trailer is played out in a way that she overcomes her debt when she meets Luke, her love interest.
I have chosen Share’s question #4: What are different messages?
First and foremost, Rebecca is portrayed as ignorant and silly. She rarely makes any common sense when she speaks, and she needs many people to help her stop shopping and spending money. This portrays women as impulsive individuals who love to shop and who have a lack of common sense to be aware of their spending limit. It also portrays women as needing a man to save them. As the trailer portrays it, Rebecca would have never gotten out of debt if it weren’t for Luke. In turn, this may incite young women to spend large sums of money on material goods, and last but not least wait for prince charming.
I chose the trailer to new movie “Valentine’s day” which comes out appropriately on February 12th. The trailer can be found here at http://www.valentinesdaymovie.com/. “Valentine’s Day it comes every year, like it or not. It’s the day where your love life is put on display. It’s always a chance for romance or disaster”. I think this narration, done by Ashton Kutcher, definitely sums up what this movie is going to be about. Of course, it is a “chick flick”. The trailer in itself does not portray too much of a plot other than this, but of course has the prospective of being good due to its all star cast (i.e. Julia Roberts, Patrick Dempsey, Anne Hathaway, Bradley Cooper, Eric Dane, Hector Elizondo, Jennifer Garner and many more). I must admit that I will definitely be going to see this movie (I was sold when I saw Patrick Dempsey and Erica Dane… also known as Mc Dreamy and McSteamy! Yes I love Grey’s Anatomy).
I chose to answer question #6 Who or what group is benefiting and who or what group is suffering from this media text?
“Comes a day in the life of love”. For Valentine’s Day, it is a rather bittersweet day. For some it is all about being with the one(s) you love. For others, it is anger, disappointment, romance, hype, engagement and other various things. Therefore this movie definitely appeals to a certain audience. Because those in relationships will most likely enjoy this film and go see it with their significant other (just as I will make my boyfriend suffer through this?). For those who are not in relationships or have recently suffered from heartbreak, this movie may just another reminder of that stupid day. Valentine’s Day over the years has definitely become commercial and industry driven. Therefore, those who have fallen pray to this will definitely benefit from seeing this movie and enjoy it. Another group in particular is females, as this is definitely a chick flick that many girls might also go see with their girl friends. Those who are suffering from this media would definitely those who feel angst when it comes to all those mushy feelings and also guys. I strongly believe that it won’t be very common to see a group of guys going to see this movie. Of course, this is all subjective but more often than not, these are the types of people who will go see this movie or not for that matter.
The trailer for the lovely bones is a very powerful trailer. According to the sixth question, the people who are benefitting from this trailer are the people who read the book and cannot wait to watch the movie. As well people who are into suspense since the trailer is full of suspense. This trailer is not benefitting people who may be disturbed by the topic of a rapist to little girls. From reading chapter 2, it is evident that the media does affect people and it’s influence is not something to be ignored. Many children get their first source of knowledge through media, which is why it is not neutral, and should not be ignored in school. For example, the chapter states how children learn more through the media than they do in their own classroom. If they are so affected by the media, than they should be taught how to analyze the media.
Being the hopeless romantic that I am, I chose to view the trailer for the upcoming movie Valentines Day. It is a movie about a several different people from Los Angeles and how their lives come together on Valentines Day in a sweet romantic comedy type of way.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jSS-QPdiiiY
I have chosen to use Share’s first question that asks “what contexts affect the message of the media text?
The way the trailer is set up is that it shows short snip-its of each of the characters lives; some of them are business people, some of them students, some of them even children who are experiencing love for the first time. There are one or two lines given from each of the various settings with each of the different characters. The first handful of characters reveal lines that are humorous; a teenage girl, for example, explains to her grandparents that “it isn’t like I am going to spend the rest of my life sleeping with only one person. Only crazy people do that!”. About halfway through the trailer, however, the cut off bits of script begin to switch from comical to romantic. Ashton Kutcher, for example, exclaims that “love is the only shocking act left on the planet,”. Another huge element to this trailer is the portrayal of all of the famous actors and actresses that star in the film; Ashton Kutcher, Jamie Foxx, Jessica Alba, etc. Each of the short scenes that I described before really focuses on these famous people with close ups of their faces, and their names largely printed on the screen.
I personally will admit that I have written the date that this movie is coming out on my calendar and plan to be there for the first showing. That said, I love romantic comedies around Valentines Day because I have a boyfriend and can compare all of the wonderful things that he has done to the cute things that the boyfriends in the film do. For those who are going through a break-up, or who are bitterly wounded by the fact that they don’t have a boyfriend on Valentines Day, the movie trailer may appear completely different. When I laugh at the sweet and comical bits of script in the trailer, they may cringe and turn of the TV.
The fact that many highly paid actors are also in the film may turn off those who are into more independent films or who are against the ridiculous incomes of some big celebrities like Julia Roberts and Anna Hathaway; I, on the other hand, love the big celebs and can’t believe how many of them are in this film.
Poor boyfriends and husbands who are dragged to this movie on Valentines Day may also be another group of people for whom the message of this trailer is not quite as sweet and romantic as I view it to be.
The film trailer that I chose was “Youth in Revolt”, with Michael Cera as the main character. In the trailer for this film we can see that Michael Cera is a young awkward teenager, who is interested in a good-looking girl. The problem for Cera is that he has the persona of a “good guy” and thinks that he cannot get his girl prospect unless he develops a “bad boy” persona. Through this trailer we can see that Cera goes through great lengths to put on his bad boy persona, by getting himself into all sorts of trouble.
I chose to answer question number 4 (What are the different messages, either obvious or subtle, that can be read in the media text?) I think the message that is trying to be displayed in this trailer is that boys are more likely to get a girl that they are interested in, if they put on a “bad boy” persona, since many girls are generally into that. Another obvious message that they are displaying is that, it doesn’t come easy to be the “bad boy” and that you can get into all kinds of trouble.
The trailer I chose is “Elf”, starring Will Ferrell. It sets up the story of a man, who travels to New York City to be reunited with his estranged father after spending the first thirty odd years of his live in the North Pole being raised as an elf. The trailer shows clips of his attempt to adjust to normal civilized life and the adventures he encounters along the way.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zfPw55iMXqk
The question I am answering is number 5. Why was the media text created and why was it sent?
Obviously given that it is a Christmas movie, the trailer is very fun, light-hearted and doesn’t take itself too seriously. The movie is strictly mean to entertain. Where it differs from other holiday or Christmas movies, is its target audience. The trailer doesn’t portray the film strictly as a children’s movie. For those that have seen the movie, there is no shortage of fantasy elements to this film such as Elves and Santa Claus to keep the children entertained. However, the trailer itself focuses on the adult relationships that exist between the characters. In my opinion this is attempt to appeal to an older demographic. Furthermore, the trailer showcases the terrific cast that has been assembled for this film. The majority of the actors, notably Will Ferrell and James Caan, are renown for appearing it more adult oriented films. I know I was really drawn to the film because I enjoy Christmas movies, however the trailer really appealed to me because of the cast, specifically Will Ferrell, whose movies I’ve always enjoyed.
The movie trailer that I have chosen was for my all time favorite movie,” A Walk to Remember”. The trailer begins by introducing the main characters of the film, Landon Carter and Jamie Sullivan. In Landon’s introduction the audience sees that Landon is a popular but rebellious teenager, who according to the narrator of the trailer, is heading nowhere fast. He is shown crashing a car, and forcing a person to jump off a high platform into water in the middle of the night, all while police sirens are heard. Then we see the introduction of Jamie Sullivan, a shy and timid Christian girl, who does not have many friends and is proud of who she is. The trailer continues by showing the two very different people forced to come together and struggle with their feelings when they have realized that they have fallen in love with one another and cannot hide it or stay away from it. The audience sees that Jamie changes Landon from a rebellious teenager who does not have his priorities in tact, to a responsible and caring man.
Share’s question that I will address is number 2, How is the media text put together?
The trailer was put together in away that was very intriguing and made the audience want to go see the movie and see how the love story turns out. The plot is laid out from the start of the film, but does not give away too much of the story. The trailer portrays the film as if it was your average love story, of two people who come from different backgrounds and with different lifestyles, falling in love. However this is not the case. The trailer shows that there is more to come and that it is not just like every film. Through out the trailer, the narrator reinforces the suspense. The tone in his voice gives off a vibe to the audience that there is more to the story than what you are seeing in the trailer, which is true. He puts the audience at the edge of their seats and makes them want more. He is leading the audience along the way and painting a picture for the audience of who the characters are, and what their roles are in the story.
In addition to the narrator in the trailer, there are words that are shown on the screen, making the clips more powerful and strengthening it.
In the background of the trailer there is also music that is played. The music is of the songs that are in the film and that were made for the film. The Character Jamie Sullivan, played by Mandy Moore, sings one of the songs for the movie. The songs that are played are very catchy and after seeing the film even once, when hearing the songs on the radio, you will know exactly what movie it is from.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V96uhfQ0×9A
The movie trailer that I have chosen is “The last song“ a movie that in which Miley Cirus stars. The movie is not out yet, I have seen the trailer in theatres and I was very touched by it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YX71-TU5ZiI
The question I chose to answer is #4: What are the different messages, either obvious or subtle, that can be read in the media text?
I think the message is clearly stated throughout the entire trailer. this particular movie deals with topics that are extremely up to date; divorce. The message is addressed to the teen generation whose parents are either divorced or separated, in order to make them realize that they are not alon facing this particular situation. a message of hope is also depicted in this trailer, without giving too much away we can easily guess that the parents in this movie might end up getting back together. This movies deals with several issues that a typical teenager struggles with on a daily basis; relationships, breakups etc. the movie trailer is explict but at the same time still keeps you hanging and makes you strive for more. It is a movie that I believe a lot of teenagers will be ale to relate to, as it stars one of the most popular teen star; miley cirus but most importantly as it covers topics that are touching , with which we can relate.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AUJ6cxWdZwA
Black Hawk Down Trailer is designed to capture the audience’s attention through intense action and fantastic speeches. In producing a “based on a true story” movies, especially one in which the story is so well known, there is little need to cause curiosity in the audience. They elect to include components of the captivating speeches given by Hollywood superstars like Josh Hartnett and Eric Bana.
4. What are the different messages, either obvious or subtle, that can be read in the media text?
In watching the trailer, the movie is obviously American and quickly demonstrates the important involvement of US in their mission. Like many other pro-American movies, the message in the trailer for Black Hawk Down obviously illustrates a notion that the American’s are here to save the day. When the speech that concludes the trailer is played, it leaves the audience with the thought that the soldiers who participated in the Battle of Mogadishu were heroes. There is no doubt that their bravery and valor is particularly impressive given the events that took place, but the selection of words used in a trailer send those watching a message.
Finally the clips chosen indicate that the battle staged had the American army greatly over-matched and would have to overcome greatness to successfully accomplish their mission.
Certainly one of the best movies from a cinematographic point of view and exceptionally captivating!
The movie trailer I chose is for the movie “enchanted”. The first time I saw the trailer I remember being excited since I am Disney fans as well as a huge Patrick Dempsey or Mcdreamy fan. Those two put together was to do it for me enough for me. However, when I stumbled across this extended trailer ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QNsMZuYim4U ), containing some short clips of interviews of the cast members, the movies ulterior goal became clear to me. The director, Kevin Lima states in a clip that “what [he] tried to do is hook them in the “traditional” Disney way, and surprise them”. This tells us that the film was intended for the original Disney film audience (children and families) but a comedy as well since the film can also be interpreted as a parody of other Disney films.
Initially, the original trailer I saw begins with a movie montage of all Disney’s old classical movies, it then moves on to describing how unique this movie is since it is both animated and in real life. The movie nevertheless, still adheres to the traditional Disney story of a princess falling in love with her perfect prince, only this time in New York City. While watching the movie I couldn’t help but notice all the obvious and subtle ways the film makes references to other Disney movies. Many Disney characters from various movies are in it, and there are many hidden references like the peppers on the pizza shaped as Mickey’s ears. This movie has ingenious marketing and is basically a 107 minute trailer to all Disney movies. To answer the question: Who or what group is benefiting and who or what group is suffering from this media text? I would say all typical Disney fans (children and families) as well as people who enjoy comedies will benefit from seeing this film as I did. As for what group is suffering? Perhaps the parents who are now probably being pestered into seeing or buying all the other Disney movies by their children.
The trailer that I decided to focus my response on is “Avatar” by director James Cameron.
The film is centred on the adventures of the main character, Jake Sully, a military man bound to a wheel chair. Jake is recruited for a mission to go to a distant planet called Pandora, where the people of Earth are waging a war against the native peoples known as the Na’vi. In order to best infiltrate Pandora, the military has the Avatar Program, where humans can take control of a genetically engineered human/Na’vi hybrid. The reason the human race is coming to Pandora is to mine a mineral worth millions on Earth that can save them from their current energy crisis.
6. Who or what group is benefiting and who or what group is suffering from this media text?
My first impression of this trailer was of instant intrigue and a real desire to go out and see it. The exciting background music, the incredible visual effects, and the action-packed sequences and hints of a forbidden love were impossible to ignore. But after really paying close attention to the characters and to the implied plotline, I realized that this movie is eerily similar to the first ‘white man’ coming to North America and encountering Native Americans.
The white man is portrayed as a money hungry, selfish and violent race that wants nothing more than to increase their own gain. In doing so, a peaceful native tribe is being forced from their home and engaged in war since they happen to be settled on a rich deposit of a mineral that could save the Earth from its present energy crisis. I dislike the portrayal of the native people, known as the Na’vi, as being inferior with their limited arms (only bows and arrows) as compared to the guns and machines the white military men possess. The Na’vi are referred to as being ‘weak’ and ‘savages’ who are ‘hard to kill’. The trailer also appears to imply that a white man is the hero, and joins the Na’vi to save them (apparently they could not do so on their own). I believe that both of these stereotypes are unsettling; I am upset with the inferences towards the native peoples, and also the suggestion that white people believe themselves to be superior and entitled to whatever they please. In this way, I believe that both these groups of people are suffering from this media text.
Perhaps some will take this movie as it appears to be: an epic James Cameron film that is visually mind-blowing and action-packed with plenty of explosions and mixed in with some love interests. I unfortunately cannot ignore the unsettling underlying stereotypes.
Watch the trailer and see what you think: http://www.avatarmovie.com/index.html
The movie trailer I chose is “When In Rome”, which is a film that is supposed to be released this month.
It is evdent from the get go that the genre of the movie is a romantic comedy. That said, it is no surprise that generally speaking, women are the ones who are looking forward to its release. After finding out her ex is engaged after running into him at an event taking place in her very cosmopolitan New York life, we sense that Beth, the main character, becomes somewhat keen on finding romance herself. Luckily for her, she is headed to Europe–Rome, to be exact–to attend her sister’s wedding. When in Rome, she visits the “Fontana di Amore” (which, in reality, is Fontana di Trevi, or the Trevi Fountain). Since legend has it that each time you throw a coin in the water, you are granted one wish, she reasons that for every coin she fishes out of the fountain, the owner of the coin’s luck may eventually rub off on her.
However, she soon finds out that instead, each person’s coin she steals from the fountain will have the owner fall under a love spell in which they miraculously fall head over heels in love with her!
To answer the question “What are the different messages that can be read in the media text (either obvious or subtle)?”, I will start off by remarking on how the strong correlation between love and Rome, supposed to be the “Most magical city on earth”, is highlighted throughout the trailer, and presumably, the entire film itself. The plot reinforces this westernized, clichéd idea that when you visit Rome, and especially hisorical landmarks such as “Fontana di Amore” in the film, you are bound to fall in love. This, I would say, is a subtle, yet obvious message that can be interpreted after seeing this trailer merely once or twice.
In addition, we see the beautiful scenery that Rome has to offer a great deal in the 3:30 minute long trailer. It goes without saying that the trailer is a huge marketing tool for the tourism industry in Rome. Shots of the Colosseum, the infamous Trevi fountain, and many more eye pleasing sights will probably have many viewers planning their next trip to Italy!
Having visited Rome this past summer, I feel like seeing this movie will be like reminiscing about all of Rome’s splendor–next time I go though, I’ll be sure to steal a coin from the Fountain…I’ll let you know what happens
WHEN IN ROME trailer:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JHS7EyzszeU
I chose the trailer of the upcoming film Dear John, starring Amanda Seyfried and Channing Tatum. Here is the link to the trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E3nA9AG1AWk
The trailer begins by demonstrating how John (Tatum) and Savannah (Seyfried) meet for the first time. As Savannah is on a dock by the beach, her purse falls into the water. John jumps in to get her purse and they then exchange their name to one another, The chemistry is clearly shown in this first scene because they share a laugh and their eyes are glowing, It is obvious that this is a romantic film. The trailer continues by showing different scenes of the two characters together. Then in bolded font it says Author of “The Notebook”. Finally, the drama begins; John has to leave for military duty and this is where the letters to “Dear John” begin. The trailer shows happy, sad, and dramatic moments.
I chose to focus on Share’s 6th prompt: Who or what group is benefiting and who or what group is suffering from this media text?
Clearly from the sign posted on the trailer stating “Author of The Notebook”, it shows that this film is directed to fans of The Notebook and/or Nicholas Sparks. The film is a typical dramatic romance movie probably geared more toward women or sensitive men. It’s the movie that every man’s spouse will force him to watch. It is also a film where they should provide boxes of tissue when one enters the theatre. In my opinion, this trailer is captivating the attention of its targeted audience; that being especially me.
The trailer I chose to watch was for “New York I Love You”. The title alone made me want to go see the movie, since I do have a particular fondness for that city, but after watching the trailer, it made me want to see it on it’s releasing date.
Within the first 30 seconds, we have a pretty rough idea on what the movie is about: love. Not really a sappy, kind of melodramatic story of love, rather a more real, gritty love. The text says “in a city of millions”, so we are automatically drawn to the fact that it’s a city, a very faced paced lifestyle that leaves opportunity for many things, hence the various shots of time lapses throughout the city. Also within the 30 seconds, we see a vast variety of different people with different cultural backgrounds and ethnicity such as a Jewish woman, an Indian man, a Black man, and a Brit. This trailer is trying to reach people of all ages, as there is an age range from a young girl to a very old couple. Each story shown in the trailer has a different feel, due to the fact they are directed by different people. The short clips really reflect each directors personal feelings on love stories, romance etc. The sound clips we hear over the trailer, like “why am I so nervous” and “little moments on the sidewalk” all pertain to romance, romantic feelings etc, which add and strongly effect the general feeling of the trailer. I also find that the trailer portrays New York City as a character on its own. It’s very real, as it houses both happy and miserable love stories. It gives personality that no other city can give.
Even from the short trailer you can tell that each story within the film has it’s own auteur type of feeling, from the camera work all the way down to the lighting.
The obvious message would be that no matter how different the culture or background of a person, there is one link that ties everybody together: love. Its message is that love brings everybody together, and that we can all feel it and show it in many ways.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5katNrnYb8U
Law Abiding Citizen – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w87UlINbcWE
Click to enjoy the trailer in HD
This had to be one of my top picks of 2009. I must say I was quite impressed with the message this movie leaves its audience pertaining our justice system. The reality behind it, as displayed in the actual movie, can lead to potentially destructive and shocking events.
That being said, Share’ fourth question in: 4. What are the different messages, either obvious or subtle, that can be read in the media text?
There appears to be, in this trailer, a subtle yet obvious reference to the corruption which takes place behind closed doors of our established judicial system. We witness the pain of a father having lost his daughter and wife to a horrible crime which is about to be misinterpreted by the court of law. The trailer manages to portray the imperfectness of justice, the flaws of the system, and the life-changing consequences a judge’ right/wrong evaluation or decision can lead to. Some may sense the need to share the revenge the father opts for. Others may realize that, or even relate to situations where the smallest formality could ruin a whole case and lead to wrongful verdicts. The media here sends all these messages; these unfortunate realities which real people face everyday. The intent is to grasp one’s attention, possibly sensitize them to the harshness of this field.
The scenes chosen in the trailer help enhance this message that is being sent across through breath taking explosions and well timed, well structured one-liners.
To all who haven’t seen this movie yet, the action is a little bit exaggerated, but I found the concept to be extremely ingenious and captivating. It is one of those movies that will make you think deeply… Enjoy!
The trailer I’m choosing is–to be neutral, not part of a franchise I already liked–for a movie to be released soon called “Kick-Ass.”
4. What are the different messages, either obvious or subtle, that can be read in the media text?
In the trailer, a teenager’s voiceover narration poses the question: Why haven’t more people tried to be superheroes?
The voiceover continues to glorify the idea of being a superhero while the visual action focuses on a costumed man standing on a high rise, plastic wings painfully reminiscent of Icarus attached to his arms. The man jumps, falls, and apparently dies by smashing viciously into a cab parked on the street. The voiceover, claiming that the man who jumped was not him, but instead “an Armenian man with a history of mental health problems.”
The trailer goes on to show the real narrator: a curly-haired, Michael Cera-type teenage boy chatting with his equally unremarkable friends about being superheroes.
The premise seems to unfold: as he convinces himself that superheroes do not need powers, the teen dons a homemade costume that includes a color-coordinated ski mask, jump suit, and two batons wrapped in electrical tape. At least one of his other friends joins in and has a gun. A preadolescent girl character is introduced and a middle-aged man, all dressed and acting like superheroes. Joan Jett’s “Bad Reputation” playing in the background suggests that, unlike in traditional superhero stories, these characters are likely to accrue dishonor rather than honor through their actions.
Some of the messages that are obvious are that 1. the movie is intended as comedy, 2. and it is more oriented toward males.
There are more subtle messages. The first is the contrast between the portrayal of traditional comic book heroes on film (more for action or an awe-inspiring effect), and the portrayal of these new characters (for comedic effect). Traditional heroes, like Superman, Batman, and Spider-man, tend to be good-looking, strong, intelligent, and islands of sanity amidst chaos. By contrast, the “Kick-Ass” characters seem to be unattractive or average-looking, weak, impulsive, and, as the opening of the trailer implied, crazy.
This would suggest that deviance from the attractive twenty-something (usually male) paradigm of a superhero is absurd to the point of comedy. More comedy at the expense of unattractive or average-looking males is the reinforcement of the stereotype that these males do not relinquish the hold of superheroes on the imagination that most people do in childhood.
Despite these messages, the movie superficially seems to be promoting inclusive superheroism by changing the 20-something attractive male paradigm.
Ninja Assassin and The New Moon are the two movies that I have watched recently. Although I watched the movie trailer of Ninja Assassin after I watched the actual movie, I thought it was interesting how my thoughts toward the movie changed positively.
Ninja Assassin is a movie about a Ninja who betrayed his clan, and who now is being followed by his clan, who are sent to kill the Ninja (the main character).
You can see the movie trailer at :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KdZa8E7pQAQ
Im going to answer question 6. Who or what group is benefiting?
Ninja Assassin has been watched by many Koreans or Asian fans of Rain, the main characher (Ninja), in the movie Ninja Assassin. I, too, have watched this movie because I heard that Rain is the main character, even though I didn’t see the trailer and didn’t know what the story will be about. I believe that for Koreans, they wanted this movie to be a chance that will help Korea be more known.
I personally didn’t like the movie. It was too violent and I thought there wasn’t a story to it. However, after the movie I watched the trailer and it was good. If I watched the trailer before watching the movie, I would have wanted to watch it even though Rain wasn’t the main characher.
In a movie, I believe that the main characher is the most important person; people tend to watch a movie that has a main character who is from their country. Some countries benefit from having a movie that shows their country.
The trailer I chose for this blog is for the film “The Virgin Suicides” by Sofia Coppola, based on a novel of the same name. To begin with, I have seen this movie countless times and it is on my all-time favourite film list; I can’t seem to get tired of watching it. There are numerous reasons for that, and aside of the obvious ones, like the fact that I have read and loved the book, I remember that the second I started watching the trailer for this film a few years ago, I fell in love with it and had to absolutely watch it.
The question I will focus on is question 2; “How is the media text put together?”
The trailer begins with hauntingly beautiful music (for example “Highschool Lover” by Air) ; a slow and mellow beat and scenes from the film intertwined with handwritten sentences to reveal more about the film to the viewer. As it progresses, the tension that occurs in the film is shown by the use of faster-paced music (the very often heard Right Here, Right Now by Fatboy Slim) creating a sense of uneasiness and discomfort. Although video and audio play an important role in delivering the message in this trailer, it is a mixture of the editing and coordination between the images and music that make the film and trailer entrancing.
I am a very visually-oriented person, and at the risk of sounding shallow, aesthetics in film are very important to me. What first drew me into this film was the dreamy, summer-like mood in which it takes place and the warm nostalgic feelings it evokes. The time and setting of the film, a sleepy town in the seventies are shown in fast-paced shots in the beginning and are welcoming, but have that hint of mystery, most probably because of the cooler colours than the ones that are used in most of the other scenes. What is truly beautiful about that film, is a mixture of the colours, the music and the addition of a handwritten narration that gives it just the right amount of information, without telling too much of the story. I absolutely love this trailer, as well as the film and I think the trailer is very accurate, without giving out too much information.
The movie trailer I chose to analyze was “Inglorious Bastards”.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5sQhTVz5IjQ
Inglorious bastards has an edgy feel to the movie. The contexts of the movie trailer from 10 seconds to 40 seconds is extremely catchy and exhilarating. In the 30 seconds of the trailer the audience sees American army forces in a proud and strong manner getting recruited to find Nazis hidden in France to kill them. We learn that the Lieutenant, (Brad Pitt) needs eight soldiers to go with him into France disguised as civilians. There mission: to murder Nazis. They are going to find members of the national socialist party that “conquered Europe to murder torture intimidation and terror,” as Brad Pitt puts it. This units goal is to do the same to them.
The question I chose to analyze is: What contexts affect the message of the media text?
The media Text is displayed through a splattered gun shot with blood behind the text. The blood is a blackish-red color. Because the blood is predominantly black, it gives a message to the audience that the blood is old or evil.
The following are words that appear on the screen in the 30 seconds watched:
“Once upon a time” – tells the audience that it is a fairy tale or that the story is not real
“ In Nazi-occupied France” – Tells the audience where the story will be taken place
“Activate” – tells the audience that the army troops are beginning something with force
“infiltrate” – tells the audience that the soldiers are on a mission to gain access to something that is rightfully theirs
“Exterminate” – tells the audience that they are going to kill
This movie is a great action-thriller and it is also has some humor to it. I would recommend people to see it.
I am dealing with questions 4 and 5 in my trailer response.
“Cover your eyes America! Run for your lives!” warns the American beatnik writer, William Burrough’s in the trailer for David Cronenberg’s film adaptation of “Naked Lunch”. The trailer is like a time capsule, capturing the thin nasally voice of Burroughs as he narrates the moral fallout from the original publication of his book back in the 1959. “Now thirty years later,” (the film was released in 1991), the decadent, bizarre tale of heroin addiction, polysexuality and insect themed hallucinations is brought to the big screen in all its fascinatingly morbid detail. The trailer, then, is more then just a summary of the film’s highlights, it serves as a continuity between the original novel and the film version of the novel. This film, like the novel, is a subversive interpretation of American culture, counteracting the prevailing myths of technological progress and optimal health with images of gaunt pale faces and the gooey pulsation of giant insects. Frankly, as the only fan I know of this movie, I am very pleased to be able to share the trailer with an accessible and critical audience.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rd6VlYgvDqo
The trailer I have selected for this blog is from the movie “The Lovely Bones” (www.lovelybones.com). This trailer starts off with a short introduction to the main character Suzy Salmon. The viewer is oriented to very short descriptions of who Suzy Salmon is (a 14 year-old daughter and sister) and what she is interested in (school, a boy) and circles back to her murder (the main point of the story) and her body that was never found. Throughout the short trailer the viewer is caught in this emotional roller-coaster of drama and fantasy as Suzy narrates her predicament of being murdered yet also caught in the “in between.” She describes this place as her own perfect world, however is still haunted by her murderer. Throughout the trailer the viewer sees her parents struggle with the death of their daughter and the father’s attempt to uncover the clues to what really happened to his daughter. Near the end, the viewer is shown glimpses of a man who looks to be the killer and how the sister gets involved by going through this strangers house to find some answers and at the end we are left with the man running in the house trying to find the source of the noise, yet never knowing if the sister was found or not.
I chose Share’s 5th question, “Why was the media text created and why was it sent?” As a consumer who thoroughly enjoys certain television shows and movies, I feel that this particular movie could have been created for many different types of people and for various reasons. Particularly I feel this movie was intended for particular audiences, perhaps those who are attracted to suspense and thriller type movies. Maybe even those who like action movies. When I noticed that the movie involved fantasy type imagery, I realized other consumers who like that sort of scene could enjoy this film as well. I found the trailer to this movie very riveting and deeply compelling from the start to the end. The viewer is exposed to a sweet, young girl who is murdered and avenged by her sister and father. In the meantime we see the murdered girl caught in this wonderful “in between” world trying to find ways to help her family members uncover the truth about her death. The suspense of the movie and the beautiful animated imagery mesh well together compelling the viewer to continue watching and also uncover for themselves what truly happened.
This movie encompasses notions of death, murder, love, loss, regret, hate and family but to name a few. Overarching ideas of life and death as well as afterlife are also illustrated. This film was created and sent to expose these notions just mentioned and did so in an original story with imagery and visual effects that captivated the viewer the way it seldom has before. Another movie that comes to mind similar in concept is “What Dreams May Come.” Both films have great visual effects talking about family, death and loss. What makes “The Lovely Bones” film stand out is murder. This I feel intrigues the viewer even more because of the ugly nature of this crime and the abrupt way one can leave their family. The message I understood from this film is that like media, things are not as transparent as they seem and two sides or more always exist to a story. The idea is to never fail at uncovering truths. The way the-trailer was designed around family, and loss is a great way to reel in people who have families, parents, and those who have lost family members. In the end, the struggle is to continue fighting for truth.
The movie trailer I chose was Valentine’s day.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F5Z_iirNjOY&feature=related
The movie is about different people’s experiences during Valentine’s Day. The trailer shows small parts of each characters living amazing or awful experiences during the celebration of Valentine’s Day.
The question I chose to answer is: “How is the media text put together?”
First, the music chosen set very well the mood of the movie. For example, the trailer features the popular song I got a feeling by Black Eyed Peas. The trailer starts with a narrator speaking about the different situations that could arise during Valentine’s Day. At the same time, the viewer can see shorts snips of different characters’ experiences during Valentine’s Day. In the longer version of the trailer, each character describes, in one word, what is Valentine’s Day for them. At the end, the trailer display the numerous famous actors and actresses playing in this movie which will for sure influence many people in their decision to go see this movie.
The trailer of this movie definitely attracts women and teenagers. Many young girls will want to go see this movie because the singer Taylor Swift and the actor Taylor Lautner are seen in the trailer. The trailer gives a lot of information but still gives me the desire to go see it.
I decided to write about the trailer of the movie Avatar because I really enjoyed watching it. In the first seconds of the trailer, the plot of the movie is quickly laid out. We can see the main character, an ex-marine in a wheel chair, landing on a newly discovered planet called Pandora. We are rapidly introduced to the indigenous nation that is already established on the planet. There are also two groups of humans on Pandora, a group of soldiers and a group of scientists. The soldiers are there to harness pandora’s soil, on which the indigenous nation is living, to exploit its metal mines. The scientists are there to study the planet and its native people, seeking to ensure diplomatic relations. The main character is being influenced by both parties to help them achieve their goals, which are obviously not compatible.
The question I chose to answer was Share’s question #3. What are the different ways the media text could be understood? I am under the impression this trailor was constructed to attract the broadest audience possible. There are so many different ways this media text could be understood, depending on what the listener is looking for.
After watching the trailor, Avatar can certainly be perceived as an action movie. We can see various clips of action scenes where we are literally bombarded with fast pace images of machine fights, guns, robots, planes, and explosions. On the other hand, it can also be understood, based on the preview, that Avatar is a science fiction movie. We are clearly presented with images and dialogue of a scientific nature. We can see high tech equipment in a science lab, as well as encounters with unknown animals and avatars, a virtual form of life. One could also believe this is a movie for the special effects amateurs. The trailor presents many scenes where it’s clear that this movie has a large budget, capable of presenting a very high quality picture and state of the art special effects. Finally, throughout the trailer, we can understand that there will also be love and passion in this movie. We can see the two main characters in various scenes where it can be understood that a romantic relationship is developing.
Expectations are very high after viewing such a condensed trailer, there are so many different ways the media text could be understood. It seems the author wanted to make sure nobody was left out, that all types of audience would be compelled to watch the film after seeing the trailer. In my opinion, expectations were met, the movie is everything it promises to be.
I noticed that a couple of people responded to the Transformers 1 trailer, I felt the need to point out that there are girls that simply do not fit the mold of “women’s taste in movies”. I think that Transformers was one of the greatest movies I have ever seen and I think that I left the movie theatre more in love with Meghan Fox than the gentleman that I went to go see the film with!
The trailer that I chose was for the James Cameron film, Avatar, that came out in December 2009. Since this movie was arguably the most expensive film ever created, it had an immense amount of publicity and many trailers. The one I chose is about 2 minutes long and exhibits “war of the worlds” type footage between humans and the “avatar people” on another planet. The music is exciting, we see the main character transform into his avatar and we see the humans trying to destroy the inhabitants of this planet. I actually saw the movie in IMAX 3D when it first came out and I was blown away at how phenomenal and creative it was. It amazed me that the film attracted such a wide audience, children, adults, men and women. I believe that only a truly excellent film can attract such a diverse fan base. I am going to respond to Share’s 3rd question “What are the different ways the media text could be understood?” Perhaps I am able to have more insight into the different ways the trailer could be understood as a result of seeing the movie, but here goes…
I think that for people who are just looking to be entertained by a high-budget film, the movie is seen as an action movie that will excite its viewers. If the movie is understood in this manner, then the audience is simply watching passively, as the characters interact with one another for entertainment’s sake.
For movie buffs who love special effects and cinematography, the movie is a ground breaking, beautiful film with stunning imagery. The world that the film takes place in is a magical place, the floating mountains, depicted in the trailer, are unbelievable as of course, are the avatars. For these people, it will be amazing to see what this computer generated world looks like and they will be blown away!
From a critical thinker’s point of view, the movie is so much more than just a love story during a war between the two species. The story reflects the many times throughout history where one population felt superior to another and felt that they could take advantage of the weaker group.
Regardless of how you interpret or understand the trailer… go see this film, it will knock your socks off!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d1_JBMrrYw8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bpra9OEw6nQ
What are the different messages?
I chose to write about the trailer to “Revolutionary Road”. Leonardo Dicaprio plays a man living a life that is decent, but not enough. Having had plans to travel, they ended up like the majority of other people and settling down in the suburbs because they had children. Especially in the 1950s, aborting a child was taboo. Kate Winslett feels suffocated and this is seen in the trailer. She was prepared for a life of excitement and travel, and is losing heart settling for the same routine of a life she didn’t want.
The trailer is snapshots of their relationship and life. The music changes according to the build up of her basically losing her mind in that sort of life. I’ve seen the movie an I think one of the most important messages is to expose the audience to a character (Kate Winslett) that wants more from life than ‘the norm’. Have your first child, buy a house in the suburbs, stay at home mom, and a father who works a job that is nowhere near stimulating.
Another message is that it shows the socioeconomic effects of a woman getting pregnant. We are lucky that there are many options here (but it still happens), but in other countries pregnancy can result in a woman becoming ‘trapped’ not only by her man but by the ‘typical’ and ‘normal’ life that goes with it. The movie was really good there’s a twist at the end that gives it an incredible effect.
The trailer that I have chosen is BEERFEST!! This trailer exhibits everything most men want to see in a movie. We see men training for a kind of beer Olympics. There are men from different nationalities drinking and competing in beer games versus other men from different countries. At the same time there are VERY VERY attractive women with half their chest showing cheering them on! The images and emotions that the trailer is eliciting to the audience e is that if you like beer and beautiful women this movie is for you. There is practically no story line except that there are many hotties with European accents.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ZBJxhjqUgs
The question I will be answering is Share number 6 Who or what group is benefiting and who or what group is suffering from this media text? The group of audience that this movie is targeting are guys of almost any age. All young teenage boys think about are “melons”, after watching this trailer this seems like the type of movie that would be full of topless women. When I was working at the movie theatre all I saw was men ranging from all ages, that were lined up to watch this movie. I’m pretty sure that once I saw a couple of men that were at least 100 years old. I guess they were looking to see some fresh meat! I believe that the groups that will be suffering from this movie would be the dedicated married women who are married to husbands that have just finished watching this movie and are planning on imitating what they have just seen. This movie seems like the type of stuff a bunch of men would go out and copy. These husbands would come home plastered and won’t even know what happened. Poor woman who are married to these jerks!
Where the Wild Things Are Trailer 1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gxvtpqhHlX4
4. What are the different messages, either obvious or subtle, that can be read in the media text?
Where the Wild Things Are is a feature length film based on a 30 some-odd page picture book. It is a book that many, including myself, hold as a treasured element of childhood. The trailer takes images of a boy in class and going off to a forest in a furry costume with a crown, to be surrounded by monsters. There are many clips of the boy running, both in the real world and in the imaginary world.
This trailer is aimed at people who know the book. This subtle message is conveyed in the very first scene: a young boy wakes up and looks around to see fur, horns, and the face of a monster. The face is an unmistakable representation for anyone who has seen the illustrations in the book. This evokes childhood ideas and memories. The image of the Wild Thing is unlikely to cause any emotional response in someone unfamiliar with the book. The trailer also states that the movie is “From one of the most beloved books of all time” – to get this point across not-so-subtly. This sends the message of the intended audience – the trailer is meant to be interpreted from the point of view of audiences who are familiar with the characters.
The central message of the trailer is conveyed in the song choice, Arcade Fire’s Wake Up. This is a very emotional song about growing up and loss of innocence with lyrics like: Children, don’t grow up; our bodies get bigger but our hearts get torn up; and Now that I’m older, my heart is colder; and I can see that it’s a lie. Without this song, the trailer wouldn’t have such an emotional impact. By bringing up childhood memories with images and by using a song about the loss of childhood innocence and pleasures, this trailer pulls at the heartstrings of anyone who longs for the carefree days of childhood.
The trailer’s power is its ability to create emotions in the viewers by bringing up ideas of childhood. The message of the trailer, displayed in text without subtlety: Inside all of us is HOPE, FEAR, ADVENTURE; Inside all of us is a WILD THING. Read: even though being a grown-up sucks, there’s still a little bit of what we used to be inside us so we can still enjoy some things, like this movie.
I forgot to mention the relevance of the clips of the boy running! It seems to subtly send the message of running away from the cares and responsibilities of growing up.
The trailer I chose to talk about is “Human Trafficking.” Human Trafficking is a movie about the fastest growing industry today… human slavery. It shows the ways in which these traffickers use persuasive tricks such as: pretending to be a model agency, simply to fool these innocent girls into going away with them and living the life of a famous model in the United States of America. They look for “easy” targets, abduct them and sell them for sex. The movie follows the story of three or four different girls who were sold into this world and really gives us an idea of how they are forced to live. The film is based on true events, through the eyes of a girl who was actually saved. I chose to talk about why this media text was created and why it was sent.
Like I said before, human trafficking is one if the fastest growing industries in the world today. I know of a lot of charities and events that help and try to fight human trafficking in places like India. What I was not aware of was the fact that girls are being sold for sex right here in North America. I think this media text was created and sent out to warn the world that this is an issue in our society and that unless we fight and try to at least help one person we are making a difference. The film captivates how naïve girls can be; it shows that it is important to think before we act. Although it is so difficult to know what their intentions are, it is important to at least question everything before leaving for a model agency or leaving with a guy you think you’re in love with. This media was sent out to open people’s eyes and to stop any ignorant attitudes towards this topic because it is one of the most serious and disgusting parts of life and it is killing innocence all around the world.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1-YlugUoDVE&feature=related
I chose to present the trailer for the movie “The Lovely Bones” which recently came out in theatres. The title itself seemed a bit vague and therefore intriguing to me. In the trailer, we see that it is about a girl who was murdered by a man in her neighbourhood. You are introduced right away to what seems to be a possible suspect. The viewer is introduced to the idea of Susie, the dead girl, as becoming come kind of ghost after her death and who is trapped, or stuck for the moment, in some kind of “in between” world, as her little brother puts it in the trailer. You get the sense that Susie is trying to get in touch with her father through this different world to try and tell him who her murderer is.
For this trailer, I will be looking at prompt 4. This movie seems to be suspense and brings forth many different, messages or ideas. For intense, the idea of life after death, or ghosts, is very apparent in this trailer. Susie is stuck in her own perfect world, as she explains, but can’t put behind her the pain her murder caused her, so she’s stuck and cannot move on. The trailer presents us with fantasy-like images of what this “perfect world” may be. She is stuck in the “in between” as her brother puts it in the trailer, and this idea of the in between is a possible explanation for what happens to a person when they die. Also, the trailer introduces the idea of spirits living among humans. The trailer presents us with the strong bond between Susie and her father, before and after death. They are shown creating things, or sharing a similar hobby in the first couple of scenes in the trailer. The idea of a father’s dedication and love for his daughter seems to be a strong message in this film.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ikUWKi0W5_g
The movie trailer I have chosen is based on my favorite book, The Lovely Bones. The trailer begins with a young girl looking very happy and smiley. From the first sixteen seconds of the trailer you can tell she is close with her family and is like every other little girl. She is shown crushing over a boy and having fun on her bicycle. Narration then begins with the voice of the little girl. She announces that her name is Salmon, like the fish. The music then gets darker and she states,” I was fourteen years old when i was murdered.” The trailer then takes a turn, creating suspense with darker lightening and more serious scenes. For three seconds writing appears in the middle of the screen saying, “From Award Winning Director, Peter Jackson.” We are then presented with scenes of police and her mother and father crying while an announcement is made that her daughter was not found. The trailer then shows that the young girl, Susy Salmon is watching her family from heaven. The music and the scenes then get more intense and faster paced, rather then slow and calm like it was before. We are shown that the family and the police are eager to find Susy’s murderer and struggle along the way. The trailer then gets more suspenseful when Susy’s sister is seen breaking into her murderers house and the murder finds her.
The question i have chosen to answer is: How is the media text put together?
The trailer was put together in a way that is very intriguing and suspenseful. Even before i realized that this trailer was for the movie, The Lovely Bones, I was so excited and couldn’t wait to see it. The movie has very famous actors in it, making it very appealing and making people more inclined to see it. The cast includes scar nominee Mark Wahlberg and Oscar winners Rachel Weisz and Susan Sarandon, along with Stanley Tucci, Michael Imperioli and Oscar nominee Saoirse Ronan.
The trailer was plotted out kind-of like the book, where the narrator is the young girl who was murdered. The beginning of the trailer shows scenes of love and happiness, then quickly turns around to suspenseful music and more suspenseful scenes. The murderer is portrayed as very creepy, lonely and weird. The trailer depicts many themes such as love, happiness, suspense, murder and hope. The trailer only shows quick glimpses of many important scenes making the audience crave more and more. The trailer ends with the murderer catching Susy’s sister in his house, while the scenes start to speed up alot faster. The scenes seem to get scarier and scarier. The murderer is then shown slamming a door to a basement. This scene made me wonder what is down there (in the basement), if he killed Susy’s sister and if he is going to get caught. Overall, the trailer was very powerful and made me really want to see it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ikUWKi0W5_g
The film trailer that appealed to me is for the upcoming second Sex and the City movie. The trailer starts off with classic scenes of New York City while the very fitting song “Empire State of Mind” by Jay Z and Alicia Keys plays in the background. Much like Lisa Morello’s response to the first Sex and the City movie trailer, fans are equally enticed with the familiar scenes of New York City for the second trailer. The audience is then reintroduced to the shows four central characters as Carrie Bradshaw naturally narrates that the film takes place two years from where it last let off. The classic theme song then plays, as scenes from the new movie play.
I chose to answer Share’s question, “How is the media text put together?” The media text was first of all created to promote the release of the movie. It is directed to the widespread fan base of the HBO series and intended to capture their attention. It was cleverly created in such a way that it leaves the audience wanting to see more. Very little is revealed about what the new movie is about. Scenes of the girls in a desert leave the audience wondering what possible scenario their beloved characters are now in. The media text was created to tease the fans of this series in such a way that they just have to go see the movie once it’s released. With lots of glitter, fashion and suspense, this trailer will definitely have millions of girls going to see the movie.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XKQ5yRFkBnE
The trailer I have chosen is for the movie The Lovely Bones. The Lovely Bones is probably one of my favorite books, and now it has recently come out as a movie! I am excited to see it, yet anxious at the same time. The trailer gives me goose bumps every time I see it on television. It starts off by putting the viwer into context. You see a little girl interacting with her famliy, and doing very normal things. Then the viwer is introduced to the notion that this little girl, Susy Salmon, was murdered when she was 12 years old. The viewer then discovers that the Susy is obsvering her familyu from heaven, her spirit roams Earth. She attempts to help her family, especially her father, find her murderer. Then you see that her sister feels like she knows who the murderer is, but her father doesn’t believe her. So she sneaks into the man’s house to get evidence, however she gets caught. The trailer leaves the viewer in suspense about what the sister’s fate is.
The question I decided to deal with is #5: Why was the media text created and why was it sent? Well firstly, like all other trailers, this one was created to promote the movie that it features. Evidently, after watching this suspense filled trailer it is meant to encourage the viewers to go see the film, so that they can find out the outcome. I think that most trailers have very specific goals. Movie trailers all have purposes, which are to peak the viewers interest, so that they will go see the movie, and the producers will make money. In this case, the trailer was very interesting and grabbed my attention, but mainly because I have read the book, and I know the amazing story line.
The movie trailer I choose is “My Sister’s Keeper” and I choose question two: How is the media text put together?
The trailer is about a family with a daughter who has cancer and her sister who was specifically born to help with her sister’s disease.
The trailer starts off with images of happy children and a happy family. While these images are being shown the main character, a child, is narrating with some faint laughing in the background. She discusses how she was ‘engineered’ to save her sister’s life. Following the child’s narration, her father starts to talk over the various images of their family’s life. He discusses how he has a great family and they enjoy all the normal day-to-day happiness’s of a family life. Then, as the images and narrating continue, the mood changes from happy to sad. The father discusses how there are cracks in his family’s life and how hard it is to have a sick child. Images of the sick sister and other depressing images are shown. The style of how the story is shown then changes to clips from the movie that describe how the ‘engineered’ little girl does not want to give up her kidney. She is attempting to sue her parents because of the act they wish her to do. Then it turns the focus from the little girl to her sick older sister. Images and clips from the movie are shown of family fighting because of issues relating to her. Then the father starts to narrate again. While these negative clips are being shown the father says how the things that tore their family apart, ended up bringing them closer together. Then happier clips, such as the sister with cancer going out to a dance with a date and their family happy again together, are shown. The trailer ends with the tile of the movie and the two sisters smiling, as well as, similar to how it started, with a faint child’s laugh.
This trailer is full of emotions. It’s filed with happiness, then sadness, then anger, then happiness again, and then sadness and happiness at the same time. Images and clips from the movie, text, music, and narration all take part in creating this media text. This trailer displays that the movie is definitely going to be a tearjerker.
Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Nzl50a86DM
I chose the movie trailer of the new Disney movie The Princess and the Frog because I love Disney classics and I am always interested to see what children are watching.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QtUlMWUShV0&feature=PlayList&p=3177D751D5936090&index=36
During the two minutes and a half trailer, we get a glimpse at all the main characters of the movie as well as the plot. We learn that a prince has been turned into a frog by the evil doctor Facilier. Just like in the classic tale, the frog as to be kissed to turn human again, but in this movie the complete opposite happens: princess Tiana is turned into a frog too.
In this blog, I will explore Share’s question #2: How is the media text put together?
The trailer begins by going over the top four Disney movies: Aladdin, Beauty and The Beast, The Little Mermaid, and The Lion King. This leads to the assumption that if you liked any of these movies, you will enjoy this one too. Or, put differently, that The Princess and the Frog is of the same quality as the best classics of Disney. Being a fan of the four movies presented, I was already eager to go see this new Disney movie after the first 30 seconds or so of the trailer.
Then, The Princess and the Frog is introduced with a drawing of the beautiful princess Tiana that comes to life, as the text says: “Walt Disney Pictures brings a classic tale to life”. It is engaging for young girls to see a beautiful princess right away, because their deepest wish (for most of them) is to become one of them. Also, it will be even more inviting for young black girls, since they can easily identify with princess Tiana (who is a young black woman).
From then on, it’s humour all along the trailer. Princess Tiana jumps back and falls into toys when she hears the frog speaking back to her, she smashes down the frog with a book, etc. Children will be thrilled to watch these short funny scenes, and humour is definitely the key to success. People love to laugh, and therefore the movie is appealing to everyone who wants to have a good time. Through the short explanations of how the prince was turned into a frog, images of the evil character of the movie show that there is nothing really scary about this imaginative and original doctor Facilier – nothing children will have nightmares about anyway.
Following this short explanation, the frog finally convinces Tiana to kiss him, but everything is not as it’s supposed to be: Tiana turns into a frog instead of the other way around. Again, the funny reactions of the characters make this “dramatic” situation much less dramatic for the audience. Finally, we get glimpses at the secondary characters and settings of the movie accompanied by magical music at which the only reaction you can have is to feel amazed by what you see. This crescendo of amazement dazes off with a quote from the movie from Mama Odie (old funny woman) saying: “It’s gonna be good!”
It all ends with the presenter’s voice repeating the title of the movie – so that it is well imprinted in our minds – and announcing when the movie is coming out.
To conclude, the trailer of The Princess and the Frog is pure delight from beginning to end, just like the movie. It does exactly what it’s supposed to do: selling this new Disney production and making it as attractive as possible so that the audience is charmed even before actually watching the movie. It is definitely another one from Disney that I will remember, and that will be seen and enjoyed by many children.
3. What are the different ways the media text could be understood?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AIzbwV7on6Q
Slumdog Millionaire
The trailer for the award-winning film Slumdog Millionaire had many messages that could be interpreted in various ways by different audiences. The trailer starts with the scene of the protagonist, Jamal Malik, sitting in the “hotseat” of Who Wants to be a Millionaire in Mumbai, India, a country well-known for its poverty and hardships.
The trailer’s captions asks the question, “Jamal is one question away from winning 20 million rupees, how did he do it? Did he a) cheat; b) lucky; c) genious or d) destiny?”
The trailer features uplifting music, alongside clips of the protagonist in his childhood in scenes of poverty, tragedy, adventure, friendship, love and destiny. It portrays the stereotypes of those who live in poor, third-world countries. There is a scene in the trailer where the host asks Jamal “what could a Slumdog possibly know?” This further reinforces the stereotype. The trailer sends the message that no matter how impoverished one might be, no matter how high the odds are stacked against someone, the odds can still be beaten.
The other important message in the trailer is how Western culture is further embedding itself into Eastern society. This is evident in the “rags-to-riches” concept, with a new take on classic fairytales. Furthermore, we see a Western pop-culture icon, Who Wants to be a Millionaire being very popular in India.
The trailer I chose to look at was 2009’s My Sister’s Keeper (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=17sIyLOm0Xc) . I remember going to the movies with a friend to watch Pixar’s Up when the trailer started playing. By the end of the 2 minutes and 30 seconds trailer, I was tearing up and my friend started asking if I was okay. The film is actually based on a book written by Jodi Picoult and needless to say, I went out and bought the book right away and vowed to myself I would only watch the movie after I had finished reading the book.
The question I want to address is question number 4: What are the different messages, either obvious or subtle, that can be read in the media text?
Surely there were others like me who enjoyed the trailer so much and thought: hey I should go out and buy the book. When I did get around to buying the book (around a couple of days after I had seen the trailer), the book was already out with a new book cover advertising the upcoming movie itself! We are able to conclude from this that the movie was also geared towards making profit off people who have not yet read the book and have greatly enjoyed or anticipated the movie (Share’s 6th prompt—who is the media benefiting?). Aside from the extra marketing for the book, I found that the trailer mainly pulled on our emotional strings due to the question of ethics it promoted. At the beginning of the trailer, we clearly hear a girl saying: “Most babies are accidents—not me. I was engineered, born to save my sister’s life.” There is a very American feel to the trailer—right and freedom, not the mention the young girl suing her parents for the right to her own body. It promotes this image of self-perseverance, both from the little girl and her sick sister. At the beginning we are introduced to a family who laughs and has fun together, however, upon further information given, we are told that there is a desperately sick daughter who needs a kidney from her younger sister. Needless to say, there is some kind of family drama that is sellable to the public: a mother who wants to save one of her daughters so badly that she willingly created another daughter in hopes of using her body to save the other.
I chose the Concept #4: What are the different messages, either obvious or subtle, that can be read in the media text?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ikUWKi0W5_g
Recently I saw a trailer that really captivated my interest and which I believe will be a good movie. The Lovely Bones is a movie based on a book by Alice Sebold. The trailer begins by introducing the average middle class American family from the 70’s of which the main character is part of. Then we find out that the protagonist (Suzy) is murdered but that she is not really dead but in “limbo” because her killer has not been brought to justice. Her family, then, takes it into their own hands to uncover the mystery of her death.
Certain aspects strike me right from the beginning, the idealistic depiction of the American ideal family, both parents are still together (and good looking), they have close ties with relatives etc. Another “stereotype” if you will is the inadequacy of the police force. Whenever there is this kind of “taking matters into your own hands” kind of movie it is always because the detectives or police are unable to properly or effectively do their job, and of course don’t listen to the intuitions of the victim’s family.
Secondly, I noticed the sequence of emotions that the trailer evokes. In the beginning, the depiction of this family makes you feel at ease and makes you connect with the characters. Then once she is dead there is this sense of amazement and wonder from this “limbo” world that she is in which. Then in the third part of the trailer, its all about uncovering the mystery and suspense which is what makes people ultimately get up and pay 10$ to go to see the movie. It is in a sense a manipulation of the senses to get you to see it.
Subliminal messages, and emotional manipulation or not, I still think this looks like an amazing movie, and it has had wonderful reviews so I still intend to go see it.
The movie trailer I decided to look at for the purpose of this blog is Revolutionary Road Official Trailer 2008. The music is somber and the message is clear! The trailer opens with a young couple talking about going back to Paris because “people are alive there…” the screen then goes black and opens on a typical suburban house. The rest of the trailer goes on to show this couple living the “typical” suburban life. You see clips of people all dressed the same walking in the direction, and a mom posing with her children for a picture at a birthday. About half way through the trailer the frustration of the main characters is clear. The father is caught in a job he can’t stand because he has to support his family and the wife feels trapped in the role of a traditional stay at home mother. Comments about how they have fallen for “the idea you need to settle down and resign from life” make it clear that the message of this movie is based on the idea of being trapped in suburbia, and living a typical life for the simple reason that it is expected of them.
The trailer I have chosen is for “Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone”. This is an oldie I know and while all the trailers for the Harry Potter franchise cause me to almost have a heart attack from pure excitement, nothing compares to the first as it was the one that started it all. The first one is especially important as it began with the theme song that starts off oh so quietly and builds momentum throughout the trailer and also becomes the song that is recognized to be from theses films (just as a Coca- Cola font) by people all around the world. Share’s sixth prompt is what I will be referring to.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r0l69GtEaa0&feature=fvw
This first trailer is imperative as it is setting the bar for six other movies to come and not only has to appeal to fans of the books, but movie goers as well. People who have read the book need to be impressed at how the magical world and characters they have come to love on paper has sprung to life on the screen and is unlike anything they could have ever imaged. At the same time, this trailer also has the job of converting those who had never read the book or heard of it (because they must have been living under a rock in 1999) and creating the need for them to either read the book and watch the movie, or simply go out and watch the movie and become fans. As a fan of the books, we can see Harry the orphan escape his mean aunt and uncle in the mesmerizing scene of the countless flying envelope scene and attend the magical school where mischief, friendships, and identity await him. As a newcomer the wonderful world of Harry Potter, many of the same conclusions can be reached but with a higher level of mystery and wonder.
This movie trailer would most defiantly be benefiting fans of the novel who have been long awaiting a chance to see the magic jump from the page and imaginations onto a big screen. The overwhelming popularity of J.K Rowling’s series is what prompted the films so it only makes sense that fans of the novel would be the target audience for the trailer. At the same time, given that this is the trailer for the first film and not the fifth or sixth, it is also the chance for new fans to jump on board and not be lost in confusion of the plot lines and characters. This trailer is also benefiting children and adolescents as these groups are generally believed to be Harry Potter’s target audience. On the other hand, because most of these fans are kids, that means they need a parent to take them to the theater which does not benefit them if they have no such desire to watch giant dogs and flying brooms (example: my dad).
I have chosen to analyse Weinstein Company’s A Single Man using Share’s question: what are the different messages, either obvious or subtle, that can be read in the media text?
I saw this trailer for the first time when I was looking for one to use for the purposes of this assignment. So the first time I watched it I was looking at it with a critical eye trying to piece together what messages were being sent rather than focusing on the overall plot of the film. As a result, I was left wondering what it was actually about as the trailer was a montage of subdued coloured images from the 1960’s. The series of images followed a man, with no dialogue, infused with the occasional accent of blue. There were flashes of a gun, water, a beautiful woman, a child in blue, thick NHS glasses, and a dancing couple. The music in the background in conjunction with these images gave a sense of suspense as if there was a build up of emotion waiting for an emotional climax.
I think this fits nicely into Share’s discussion of how “different people experience the same media message differently” as each viewer would look at the clips and would be intrigued for different reason and assume different theories about the movie. I definitely got the sense that someone was going to be killed, but who exactly remained unclear, whilst my friend perceived the plot as a twisted heterosexual romance thriller. This feeling of confusion and anticipation about the pieces of the plot seemed intentional. Even though we had different interpretations, we both agreed the main character was under some sort of intense pressure and we were both curious as to what it was. This leads into the belief that “media are organised to gain profit.”
Another message that seemed obvious was the importance of Colin Firth’s role. The trailer made mention of his critically acclaimed performance three times and his name and face were both prominent throughout the entire clip. The quality of acting and high profile actors was highly emphasize which is yet another way to convince people to go see this movie.
It was not until I saw the featurette that I realised that the story was about a man who had recently lost his male partner and was considering committing suicide. It was here that I realised that the film was based on a famous novel and the need for links between the images would have not been necessary for some who was a fan of the author or had the read the book. Yet again this
I watched the trailer again and saw the one 2 second clip of two men together in the entire trailer. I saw too for the first time the connection between the blue accents, the water and focus on the man and then the world from the man’s perspective. Now I am curious about whether the water and the alleged suicide are connected. Once I had more context for the film, I could see how the more subtle message of an isolated man was under pressure and trying to feel connected before his own death. Here again Share’s assertion that the audience’s different interpretations helps us to be media literate holds true.
http://www.apple.com/trailers/weinstein/asingleman/
The Last Song Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=joCwQ2pjfjw
Share’s question: What are the different messages, either obvious or subtle, that can be read in the media text?
Description of the trailer: The movie trailer I chose is “The Last Song”, a movie based on the novel by Nicholas Sparks. The movie is about a teenager named Ronnie, played by Miley Cyrus, who goes to spend the summer with her father who has been long divorced from her mother. In the first few shots of the trailer, we see Ronnie’s father sitting at a piano and shortly after we learn that Ronnie was accepted into Julliard but that she is refusing to go. It is clear that Ronnie and her father haven’t seen each other often over the years because he seems to know nothing about her. As the summer goes by, Ronnie finds herself falling in love for the first time with a local boy and starts to become closer with her father since she has no one else to confide in. The father is confused about his feelings towards his ex wife and when he realizes that his children want them to get back together, his feelings for her start to grow again even though she is about to remarry.
Answer to Share’s question: There are very obvious messages introduced in the trailer, one is about second chances: we see a family that has been torn apart try to mend itself. This message would certainly speak to a large audience considering the rate of divorce in North America.
Another is about first loves: we see Ronnie and the local boy falling for each other, we see the happiness when they are at the beginning of the trailer and see that there will be some tough decisions for them to make when the summer comes to an end. We see a fight scene between Ronnie’s love interest and another boy, we see Ronnie run into her mother’s arms at another point and Ronnie running away from the local boy after she over hears one of his conversations with her father.
One of the more hidden messages might be the title of the film. We hear the background music is sung by Cyrus, so we assume that she has been accepted into Julliard for her singing talents but the title of the movie makes us think that her dream, or maybe her father’s dream, will end there. I think we have come to expect sad love stories from Nicholas Sparks after “The Notebook”.
The movie trailer I chose for this week’s blog is Law Abidizing CItizen. This movie is about a man who decides to take justice into his own hands after the killer of his wife and daughter gets away with murder. His vengeance threatens not only the man who allowed mercy to supersede justice, but also the system and the city.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rA10RDU9quU
What are the different messages, either obvious or subtle, that can be read in the media text?
This trailer well depicted the obvious fact that there is corruption in our justice system and what it can lead to, especially for a father who has just lost everything. The short scenes in the trailer show how furious this man is with the justice system and that he simply wants change. It’s also interesting that he makes it seem as if he is not the vigilante, but rather he is the good guy trying to fix the corrupt system.
As Patrice mentioned in a previous blog on this same trailer, the media’s intent is to grasp the viewer’s attention and to make him/her more sensitive to the harshness of the field.
AMAZING movie for those who have not seen it yet! Even better than the trailer. It really makes you think twice about our justice system.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6YjSIvmNjT8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V9yFyIYcdZs&feature=related
As I read this week’s blog question, for some reason the movie “Mean Girls” popped into my head. I have seen this popular movie, that was released in 2004 many times but I have never seen the trailer before and I must say that this is one of the most accurate trailers I have seen to this day. The first link posted is the actual trailer and the second is a much shorter advertisement for the video that I found both funny and informative. The trailer for this film is essentially a 2 and a half minute version of the film. The trailer begins with the introduction of the film’s main character, the ‘new girl’ Cady Heron, the supporting characters are then introduced and the finally the plot is revealed. Cady, decided to take down the mean clique at her new school with the help of her 2 new friends, but soon she becomes a ‘mean girl’ and looses track of her goals. The plot and characters are depicted in the trailer perfectly, showing many of the movies funny scenes to do so and draw in viewers.
For this trailer I have decided to examine Share’s 5th question: Why was the media text created and why was it sent?
This movie trailer was obviously created and sent in order to promote the movie and draw in an audience. This particular film did so through the use of comedy. This trailer includes many of the funniest scenes in the movie and so that is how the creators of this trailer decided to endorse this movie. The trailer is essentially a mini version of the movie, because after watching it we know the plot line and the characters, so if people are interested in the trailer, they will want to see the full movie. In relation to the film, I feel that it was created in order to expose how fake and devious ‘girl world’ is. Although I am well aware that this film was mainly created for entertainment purposes, I feel that there are many messages in this film to learn from. At the end of the movie there is peace in ‘girl world’ because all the backstabbing is resolved. I think this is the point of this movie and why it was created, so adolescent girls could see how awful all the gossip is and that things could be peaceful without all the stereotypes and gossiping that comes along with High School life.
I chose the movir trailer of District 9. I was really anxious to watch this movie because the trailer was very open ended and didn’t really give enough information to trully understand the plot. it did however give you enough information to spark your curiosity and pull you in, making you want to knoe more.
This trailer makes the movie look like a documentary as they question a woman and what is believed to be an alien. They go on to give the message, either through words or images, that aliens are living among the people. You see the ghetto in which the aliens live and the agency that deals with the aliens first hand. Throughout the trailer, you understand that the humans have control over the aliens and that the aliens are not pleased with this. The agency goes into the aliens “houses” and examine the thigns that they have. One of the agency members is then sprayed in the face with one of this alien tools and we see that he has a bad reaction, however the trailer leaves you in suspence as to what happens to this member of the agency.
When discussing this trailer, I will be looking at question 4 for the Share book. When watching this trailer, many different messages hit you. Firstly, the fact that the trailer resembles a documentary makes the audience believe that this is a true event. The when you see that there is aliens involved, you realize that this is a science fiction movie. However, the way that the trailer is presented and the way that they talk of these aliens, it made me think of the holocaust as they have gathered all these aliens and fenced them off from the rest of the world where they are then degraded and treated very poorly. This message makes you feel bad for the aliens as they are seen as the victims in this movie. However, as the trailer continues, you see the aliens attacking the agency members and you begin to see that they are a threat to the humans that are occupying the same city. From these scenes,you begin to understand why the humans set them apart from the rest and try and control them the way that they do. This then makes you feel bad for the humans that most live with constant fear and for the members that must work directly with the aliens as they risk their lives. Finally, when they show the scene when the member gets sprayed in the face, the audience believes that something is going to happen to this man. This leaves you to think that maybe there is a reason that these aliens are the way they are and maybe this product has something to do with what they have become. Since they leave us in suspence as to what happens to the man, the audience is left with mixed messages as to what this product is, why they had it and what it does to humans. Is this a weapon? Are the aliens trying to kill of the human population? Is it a form of medication? Do they aliens like a life that is much like the humans in the way that they wish to care and protect their loved ones? Is it a material that will transform humans into aliens? Or will it transform aliens into humans? Only the movie will tell and this is why so many people were drawn to it because they had many unanswered questions after seeing this trailer. In my eyes, that is what a good trailer is all about.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d6PDlMggROA&feature=fvst
The movie trailer i chose is Valentine’s Day. This moviw is about a number of people and how they are dealing with valentine’s day. Throughout the trailer they discuss the meaning of this holiday and how it should be celebrated.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D0BMk04_ojg&feature=PlayList&p=B9E29A648EB12D74&playnext=1&playnext_from=PL&index=31
For this blog I chose to answer to question number 6 from Share’s list: Who or what group is benefiting and who or what group is suffering from this media text?
By watching this trailer, one can see that the group of people benefitting from this trailer are people who are in a relationship and the people who are suffering from it are the people who are not in a relationship. For one thing, people who are not in a relationship are less likely to go watch a movie based on the only holiday of the year dedicated to couples. It benefits couples because it gives them something to do on Valentines day seing as how the movie is set to premiere in the month of february. However, i do believe that those who don’t have a significant other will go watch the movie but will defintely go in with a negative and pessimistic attitude towards where as those who are in arelationship will go in with a more optimistic point of view. I also think that this movie is one more way to commercialise this holiday because it will simply encourage people to celebrate Valentine’s Day.
I chose the Robin Hood trailer for this blog and I will analyze it in light of the fourth question “What are the different messages, either obvious or subtle, that can be read in the media text?”
The trailer begins with a compilation of images that move quickly across the screen instilling fear, anxiety, lust and curiosity in the viewer. There are images of a forest and men in armor on horses or on foot ready for battle. There is an image of a wolf walking through a pile up of dead soldiers in the forest. There is an image of someone stitching something. That one is quite creepy in my opinion. Among these images they also cut to ones that show a woman undressing and then sitting half naked in her room, on her bed suddenly hearing a noise and becoming afraid. The trailer jumps from the scary forest scenes to the lusty ones with the woman. The music that plays in the background is basically just a beeping sound that creates suspense in the viewer.
After the compilation of scenes the trailer mentions that this is a movie by Ridley Scott, the director of the Gladiator. Then it goes to a scene of armored men about to engage in battle on a beach during which they show Russell Crowe coming up from underwater with his sword raised, engaged in an endless scream that seems to signify he’s ready for battle. The music picks up also. It is a death metal song playing in the background. They continue showing scenes of battle, of men dying, of arrows being thrown (because that’s what Robin Hood did really, he fought with a bow and arrow). The trailer is quite reminiscent of the movie the Gladiator.
There are more scenes of women as well. One in which they show Cathe Blanchet’s face, one in which her and Russell Crow are about to kiss and another of a completely different woman who is getting her head pulled back by a soldier on horse.
The trailer also cuts away from the scenes a couple of times and marks the following headings on the screen. “The story behind the legend” and “ The hero behind the outlaw”. Right before the second heading there is a picture of Robin Hood with a bow and arrow. Following the heading there is
one of a mountain of gold coins, then one of the woman getting her head pulled back by the man on the horse and then one of Russell on a horse about to fight. These images summarize the story of Robin Hood fairly well for me. After these there is a scene again reminiscent of Gladiator where Russell Crowe is kneeling beside a dead man, closes his eyes and says “Rise and rise again till’ [?] become alliance”. It is quite poetic and Russell Crowe’s voice seems modest and strong. It is a very appealing statement.
The final scene of the trailer is really well done also. It finally states that the movie is “Robin Hood. Then the last image is one of Russell Crowe holding a bow and arrow. The camera first puts in focus Russell’s hand holding the arrow while Russell’s face is blurred. Then it switches focus from the hand and arrow to Russell Crowe’s blood-stained intense looking face.
“What are the different messages, either obvious or subtle, that can be read in the media text?” There are two messages that stood out for me in this trailer. The first one was tells people to glorify violence. It portrays the story of Robin Hood in a much more violent way. The fact that the movie is done by the director of the Gladiator with the same main actor (i.e. Russell Crowe) has a lot to do with the appeal of the violence in this movie, one which is told to children and is never this cruel and bloody.
The second message I got from this trailer was that women are not very useful really. All they are portrayed as are, beautiful creatures to be looked at. They are sexual objects, they are weaker than men. They will get abused and must therefore be protected by man. This trailer sends the message that women are inferior to men.
When I came across the trailer for the film “Crash” featuring Sandra Bullock, Terrence Howard and many other well-known actors, for the first time about 5 years ago, it immediately appealed to me.
The film is about the different lives of various groups of people living in Los Angeles and how, one day, their lives collide in both a physical and an emotional manner. The trailer introduces the obvious theme of the movie: social injustice and interconnectedness.
I will be dealing with question number 3.
My situation is different in comparison to most other blog submissions on this page. The funny thing is, I watched the entire film in high school before watching the trailer. Afterwards, as I watched the trailer I was amazed at how the editors were capable of showing the most salient parts of the film whilst maintaining a certain level of suspense and uncertainty about what is really going on. Like most trailers, the four minute video preview for Crash is a compilation of short attention-grabbing scenes from the film. I believe this trailer is the most appealing to me because I was convinced to see the movie for a second time. The trailer was put together in a way that creates an underlying theme of injustice or inequality. In this case, the media could be understood in different ways. The movie is about various groups and the racial tension that follows each group. Therefore the trailer allows for different people to relate to it accordingly. For example, a scene in the film deals with police harassment. While one may be able to relate to the victim in this scene, someone who works in the police force may be able to relate to the antagonist. The film is interesting because it constantly deals with this notion of role-playing.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RqJvWsOIix4&feature=related
“The Wolfman” The second theatrical trailer:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a0QWF1PpeMY
I wanted to respond to The Wolfman directed by Joe Johnston and stars Benicio del Toro, Anthony Hopkins, Hugo Weaving and Emily Blunt, with music by Danny Elfman. I want to discuss Share’s second question, “How is the media text put together?” Personally I think the key element is the music. I think the music is the initial catch, and then the dark style and tone of the movie would be a further catch. I think this trailer is set up to appeal to fans of the horror movie genre, as well as people who enjoy the bizarre.One of the reasons I chose this trailer was because I felt it could be including with some of the other clips we looked at last class, like True Blood for example.
Inglorious Bastards (2009) Theatrical Trailor:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5sQhTVz5IjQ
I chose this film because I thought it had great images which could mean a lot of different things. The media which is being portrayed can be meaningful in several different ways. What I mean by that is that it sends a message to those who enjoy suspense, terror, cruelty, torture, intimidation, and murder. It’s a film that I have not yet seen, but I can already outline what the film is all about by simply watching the trailor.
It begins with Brad Pitt (one of the ‘Bastards’) leading his army of 7 men, to exterminate the Germans in Nazi-occupied France. This theatrical trailor depicts media in different ways, which is one of the questions Share discusses, that can be understood as either those who enjoy movies that are behind enemy lines, and those who are interested in the history of the events that happened during World War II. Personally, by watching the trailor, I am intrigued and have an interest in historical films about the past. However, this message could also send out negative issues or topics to those who have been affected by the Second World War or those who feel as though it is a sensitive subject. It was a period in time where much cruely and terror was involved. The characters illustrate a lot of anger, distress, and hatred.
This type of media can be understood as either possitive or negative. Ultimately, which ever side one takes, that person will understand the media in a totally different context. To me, the media text represents something historical and interesting to me to learn about.
One of the movie trailer that stroke me the most was “Precious”, based on the novel “Push” by Shappire.During the first 30 seconds,you can see an “ugly” ,fat ,black girl who projects her dream life as she would like it to be(a rich,famous actress,light skin boyfriend…).The trailer begins with horrible scenes of that 16 years old black girl getting beaten by her mother and rape by her step father and giving birth to her second child.The images are raw and even in the movie itself,the langague is very offensive and there is lot of violence.
This movie surely pictures a sad reality that many teenagers might be living in the slums of the United States,where most children are dependant of welfare and their families are falling apart due to poverty and other issues.
I will be dealing with question # 3:
What are the different ways media text can be understood?
This trailer does not present a lot of text.It is accompanied by an R&B song .The few words that appears on the screen are :”Life is rich,life is hard ,life is painful ,life is precious.”These few words don’t have two meanings.They represent the reality of the movie and are aimed to captivate the attention of the audience.The editors try to convey a strong and powerful message of hope,which says no matter one may be going through,you must hold on to life because it is a precious gift from God.It is a message of hope.The word “precious” is repeated twice ,as if the editors wanted to put an emphasis on this specific word.The text is really clear,the font used is appropriate for the audience (which is mostly teenagers and young adults).The audio-visual aspect of the trailer is very important and would completely change the initial meaning if it was not put together this way.
Concerning the movie “The Hangover,” the trailor is simple enough in that it is comprised of a series of mini clips of a group of men who are abviously attempting to get over a seious hangover and trying to remember what happened the night before.
The trailer I viewed was done in such a way that it illustrates this group’s dilemna. When looking at the second question “How is the media text put together?”, the viewer can observe that the trailor is made in a specific way so as to entice the audience to identify with the men’s loss of memory. Although an evening of drinking rarely results in a complete memory loss by a whole group of friends, the audience can disregard this farfetched component of the film by getting lost in the hilarity of various, otehrwise impossible, situations displayed onscreen. The trailor shows enough of every situation – Ed Helms having lost a tooth and a baby being inexplicably found in the closet – to intice the viewer to wonder about the final outcome and the mystery that is the road travelled of this poor clueless clan. Even though the mini-situations are seemingly life altering – like when Ed Helms notices his grand-mother’s ring on a stranger’s finger – they are not portrayed in a way that concerns the audience with a gloomy and dreary ending. This trailor does its best to express an airy mood by appealing to a feeling of next-morning buyer’s remorse yet without having a hint of the desastrous side-effect conclusion.
La bande annonce que j’ai choisit est celle du tout récent film Avatar. Ce film illustre l’histoire d’humains dans plusieurs centaine d’années qui sont en recherche d’énergie sur une planète lointaine et qui font la découverte d’un peuple fascinant. La bande annonce réussis à attirer notre attention en exposant de beau décor de cette planète inconnu qui semble très riche en nature avec l’aide de couleurs très voyantes. Elle expose de même la guerre contre l’environnement et à la fois les bénéfices de la nature.
Par la suite, la question que j’ai choisit de répondre est la question 6 soit : «Who or what group is benefiting and who or what group is suffering from this media text?» Tout d’abord, les groupes qui bénéficie de cette bande annonce sont les personnes qui sont ont à cœur l’environnement et qui vivent pour la protéger. En effet, les quelques secondes que nous démontrent cette bande annonce affiche les beautés de la nature et à quel point elle peut subvenir à tout nos besoins. Elle affiche aussi à son tour une façon de visionner la vie et de l’interpréter qui est totalement différentes de la manière dont nous vivons à ce jour et qui met en valeur l’importance de l’environnement dans notre quotidien. Par la suite, les groupes que l’on peut considérer comme pouvant souffrir de ce film sont certainement les entreprises d’énergie que ce soit nucléaire, pétrolière ou électrique. En effet, la plupart de ces compagnies jouent un grand rôle dans la pollution de notre planète et dans la bande annonce, seulement qu’avec les images et les effets sonores, on peut déduire que ceux-ci sont considérer comme étant les «méchants» de ce film. On apprendra aussi plus tard que plusieurs personnes vont développer une certain sentiment d’appréhension face à ceux-ci.
Alright, I know it’s way to late and nobody is going to read this but I have to do it anyway, so here it is!
The trailer I chose is from a movie called “The Wolfman”. It is a remake of the horror classic from the 40’s. I chose this movie, because I just love werewolfs! I don’t know why, I just love them since I’m a little kid and I think that movie will do them justice compared to what twilight did to them. Damn you twilight!!!
The action is situated in England during what appears to be the begining or the mid 20th century. The main character is returning home after a long exile, because his brother was thorn to pieces by a mysterious beast (aka a werwolf… didn’t see that one coming did you!?) The guy run around the countryside in search of the big bad wolf. Gets bitten, becomes the wolfman and this is where the fun begins! After that, we see him beeing captured and experimented on until he unleashes the beast within and butcher a whole lot a people.
4. What are the different messages, either obvious or subtle, that can be read in the media text?
There is no subtlety here, this is pure horror and drama entwined for your sole amusment. The movie promises action packed scenes, drama that will make you hold your breath untill the end and with out a doubt a cheesy love story. However, I think to wolfman is a methaphor for the beast that we, humans, all have inside. I think it represents our primal nature. It makes us realize that even with all our technology and our civilized ways, we are still animals.
Here is the link enjoy! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VS02xaTIdRI
Like many others who posted on this blog I too believe that there was a lot of emphasis on Canada, its victims and it’s involvement in Haiti after the devastating earthquake. I found that there weren’t many voices of Haitian people or officials heard. Their stories were told by Canadians. The messages that we receive about the devastating event and its aftermath is told through Canadian eyes so far.
I read an article about it in the “Journal de Montreal” on Friday, I watched the news coverage on the 24 Haitian orphans that arrived in Canada and on the brief meeting Foreign Affairs Minister Lawrence Canon gave today regarding the meeting that will take place in Montreal on Monday to plan the reconstruction of Haiti. The previous was covered by CBC NN today. I also watched an online coverage of Canon briefing on CTV news.
In all three news reports there was a lot of emphasis on Canada’s involvement in aiding Haiti as well as on the Canadian casualties and victims in Haiti due to the earthquake.
However the images they show is of the devastating effects that it has had on Haiti and it’s people. Most of the pictures I saw in the newspaper are of Haitians in a devastating state. They are sad and emotional yet I find it funny that we put these pictures and don’t hear their stories. No, instead they have little headers under the pictures stating something like: This Haitian woman is screaming in pain as the Red Cross medical team tries to heal her. (that’s not exactly what it said word for word, but that was the message). Such messages make the Haitian people victims with no voices and us their rescuers.
During the CBC new report they would interrupt to play music clips of Dave Matthews and others that sang at George Clooney’s telethon fundraiser. They music was emotionally sad but inspirational with songs like “We shall overcome”. After those clips the news would switch back to Foreign Affairs Minister Lawrence Canon discussing the reconstruction of Haiti. Again I got the impression that the Haitian people victims and that we shall be their saviors.
In regards to issues of race, I think the messages the media sends through its texts, pictures and music and the way they are put together, is somewhat racist, in that it strips the Haitian people of their voices, possibly their dignity and places the white Canadian man above them as their savior. (the pictures usually portray white males as the rescue team members)