Keeping it Reel: The Wolf of Wall Street Trailer

The Wolf of Wall Street, a name alone that brings curiosity and excitement to any trailer viewer’s head when reading the title. This is a movie filled with good-looking people, drugs, sex, alcohol, and LOTS of money, the perfect combination to keep any audience begging for more in this action packed comedy.

Right from the beginning the audience’s attention is drawn in through the use of ethos and pathos when the words “From the academy award winning director Martin Scorsese” and “Academy Award nominee Leonardo DiCaprio, Academy Award nominee Jonah Hill and Matthew McConaughey” flash before the viewer’s eyes, initially drawing in the viewers to want to see the movie as a result of the director and actors. If that is not enough, every clip of the trailer is filled with actors always wearing expensive clothes and suits, riding around in fast cars and enormous yachts sitting in the beautiful ocean water, and men always holding hundred dollar bills with beautiful women by their side wearing the finest jewelry. And if that is not enough to excite the audience, at almost every moment it is a party with lots of drinking either inside the office or at a multi-million dollar house and pool filled with money hungry men and men hungry women, creating a fantasy world that almost every person would die to live in. All of this brings credibility to the actors and movie as the viewer is drawn in further and further every moment as the trailer goes on.

If the fantasy world does not get the audience excited, the use of pathos in the trailer forces the audience’s emotions to be nothing but excited and wanting to see more. As the trailer opens, the audience’s ear is drawn to the fast pace beating of drums from a song by Kanye West. “The faster the tempo of sound, the greater the tension produced in the listening” (Understanding Movies: Sound, 208). This tension creates an energetic atmosphere where the viewer cannot take their glued eyes off of the screen. At the end of the trailer, the music goes silent and it is only Matthew McConaughey humming and beating his chest and Leonardo DiCaprio also joining in, creating a comedy feel after all for the excitement and action.

The color gold is also found every time in the background whenever text is brought up. “Color tends to be a subconscious element in film. It’s strongly emotional in its appeal, expressive and atmospheric rather than intellectual” (Understanding Movies: Color, 22). The color gold subconsciously makes the viewer think about wealth and money, which is exactly what the trailer is trying to portray. When the text and gold background is not being seen, the screen is filled with bright vibrant colors that can only create the emotion of excitement in the viewer’s mind. The end closes with the movie title “The Wolf of Wall Street” written in large bold letters with a gold background.

In the end, I believe this trailer portrays an effective argument, making The Wolf of Wall Street a must see movie.