Sci-Fi movies in particular have a way of
truly captivating an audience. The typically employ lots of action but also an
intriguing storyline. This blog will be analyzing the rhetorical devices used in
the movie trailer for After Earth.
Before images of
the movie are even put on the screen, the very first thing you experience is
the sound of human breathing. I believe that this already has audiences
connected. The sound of breathing is something we all can identify with. At
this moment in time, we already want to know more, specifically, who is
breathing? This is an effective use of pathos within the first few seconds of
the trailer. Breathing is the only thing that can be heard, and that type of
silence draws you in to what you are about to be shown.
Now we get the
image and it’s of an older man and a young boy. They both have on breathing
masks and the man is calming down the child by getting him to breathe. Logos
and pathos are used here. Logically the way the characters are placed and the
emotion in the eyes of the characters hints that this is a father-son relationship.
The fact that the actor’s faces are recognizable also helps formulate this
conclusion. If we didn’t notice immediately, then a few seconds later we see
that the actors are Will Smith and his Son Jaden Smith. After the scene where
the spacecraft crashes, we can see that this will not be a movie suitable for
kids. It has a very serious tone in its music and voice narration provided by
Mr. Smith. This movie is much more suited for young adults and up. The creators
of this film did a good job making the film not gender specific. The two
characters and their unknown surroundings on screen make an intriguing
storyline, which will most likely not draw in one gender more than the other to
the theaters.
Many audiences
know that Will Smith and his son Jaden played father and son in the movie, The Pursuit of Happyness. As a duo they
already have a track record, and if viewers liked their chemistry, they would
be inclined to see this film. As the trailer continues audiences are introduced
to a beautiful and lush environment. Everything’s
and Argument by Lunsford and Ruszkiewicz says, “Your choice of
color—especially for backgrounds—can make a statement about your taste,
personality, and common sense” (pg.338). Color plays a significant role in this
trailer as it tries to envelop audiences with its lush greens, blues, and rich
browns. These colors leave specific impressions on the audience when put on
screen. This is pathos at work.
Ethos is included
the least out of the rhetorical devices used in this film but it is present and
significant. The trailer doesn’t show any on screen dialogue save 3 minor
exceptions, but relies heavily on the narration of Will Smith. His narration is
mainly advice and guidance to his son. This appeals to our ethics because we
can identify with the parenting aspect of this film. Jaden’s Smith character is
a maturing boy who needs guidance. Children and parents alike can identify with
the role of a parent and can easily side with what Will Smith tells his son,
considering their circumstance. “But if we are going to survive this, we must
realize that fear is not real. It is a product of thoughts you create. Do not
misunderstand me. Danger is very real. But fear is a choice (After Earth,film)”. These words are
extremely powerful. They are examples of logos and ethos. Audiences can connect
with the lesson Will Smith’s character is trying to teach his son. They can see
the morals being taught to Jaden Smith and this further attaches them to the
story despite its rather vague nature.
This trailer
effectively argues that the unknown is fierce and dangerous, and can only be
taken on by the strong-willed and the fearless.
After Earth looks like it will be a beautiful movie with an intriguing
story. Although it captures a large audience, it is definitely not suitable fro
children. Due to this, After Earth
gets 2 out of 3 tickets.
\
No comments:
Post a Comment