True Grit

When I was little I used to love watching old western films, with actors like John Wayne and Clint Eastwood, with my dad.  So, when the Coen Brothers, some of my favorite directors, released the trailer for their film True Grit I was very excited to see what they had done.

“Mr. Cogburn, in your four years as U.S. marshal, how many men have you shot?” is the line with which the trailer begins; a cold line that informs the audience as to what exactly True Grit will be; a classic good guys versus bad guys western.  Rooster Cogburn, famously portrayed by John Wayne in the original film, responds “shot, or kiiled?” Within seconds its clears that Rooster Cogburn is the same no nonsense lawman as the original, and Jeff Bridges can pull it off.  You can only imagine that the Coen Brothers wanted an exceptionally talented actor to fill the shoes of someone as legendary as John Wayne and I believe they hit a home run with Jeff Bridges; “Hitchcock pointed out; once a role has been cast, especially with a personality star, the essence of the fictional character is already established” (282). Jeff Bridges is someone who has proven himself, in such films as The Big Lebowski and Crazy Heart, to be a versatile actor capable of portraying just about anyone with extreme detail.  Within 45 seconds of the trailer beginning the audience has already been introduced to two more celebrities; Matt Damon, who has won an Academy Award, and Josh Brolin, who has been nominated from an Academy Award.  The creators of this trailer obviously sought to highlight the impressive billing of the film.  By highlighting the impressive cast so quickly, the trailer is drawing a certain level of intrigue because of the credibility they have established with their well-rounded cast.

Many of the scenes of the trailer feature classic depictions associated with the old West, like a rather mysterious Indian riding toward Bridges or four men being hung in a small town.  The Coen Brothers are two people who, like Jeff Bridges, pay very close attention to the details and that is something that this trailer is wise to highlight, as “when you present your argument, you want to appear authoritative and credible” (456).  Of course, any western film isn’t short of action and the trailer makes certain to make that clear.  The trailer has snippets of conversation talking about how the girl, Maddie Ross, is trying to find the man who killed her father as Johnny Cash, a American icon, is playing “God’s Gonna Cut You Down;” framing a tale of anger and revenge that is bound to see the score settled.   

The original True Grit is an iconic film, and the trailer for the Coen Brothers attempt seeks to establish the rapport of their film by highlighting the experience present in their cast; and with a cast starring Bridges, Damon and Brolin I see that to be a wise strategy. The trailer also seeks to ensure the viewers that the film will be in an authentic western experience; something that I believe is made very clear. 

So,  In conclusion I’m going to have to give this trailer four out of five buckets of popcorn.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CUiCu-zuAgM

Les Misérables

Even though Les Misérables is not out yet, it is highly anticipated. The Broadway musical Les Misérables, a musical based on a book of the same name, has been made into a movie before, but never with the original storyline as well as the original music incorporated into the film. The trailer gives a surprisingly little amount of information into the plotline of the movie unless the person already knows the story. Since there is very little plotline revealed, one of the intended audiences is most likely individuals who have read the book or seen the play before. In addition, the trailer does very well to pull in the general population by use of ethos and pathos.

One way the trailer catches the attention of those who already know what the movie will be about, is by the use of music. The song playing throughout the trailer is titled, “I Dreamed a Dream” and is one of the most popular and well-known songs from the musical. A large percentage of musical enthusiasts who heard about the casting choices were extremely worried that these well-known actors would not be able to perform to the vocal levels that they thought necessary. By previewing Anne Hathaway beautifully singing the beloved song, most of those fears were eliminated. Since the movie cannot do well if only musical lovers go see it, the movie production team also worked into the trailer reasons for others to come see their film. They used big name actors in the cast including Hugh Jackman, Russell Crowe, Anne Hathaway, and Amanda Seyfried. By showing their names and faces multiple times throughout the trailer, more people are likely to go see it just because of the specific actors in it. Louis Giannetti states in his book, Understanding Movies that, “Casting a movie is almost an art in itself” (279). One might think, “Well if it’s good enough for Wolverine and The Gladiator to act in, it has to be good enough for me to go see!” In addition to casting popular actors, the director of the film, Tom Hooper, is an Academy Award Winner for his previous work. Academy Awards are not handed out lightly and people will recognize that. Some will be persuaded to go see the film merely because the director has won prestigious awards for his work before.
But aside from the casting and production team choices, the trailer itself is intriguing enough to reel people in. The genre portrayed would be both drama and musical. The very first scene with a man walking alone during a brightly colored sunset references the fact that this movie will be about one man’s journey and how he will try to overcome all of the obstacles put in front of him. But even though the first two clips might feel hopeful, the rest of the trailer has a very dark, gloomy, and somber feel to it. Individuals know going in that it will obviously not be the happy go lucky film of the year. Based on the trailer, they can expect to see heartbreak and suffering throughout the film. Because no one likes to see children hurt, the scene where the little girl is crying and scared is sure to pull at the heartstrings of individuals. And in addition to the multiple scenes of people crying in the trailer, and the rain pouring down in numerous clips, the specific use of dulled out blacks and greys gives the trailer a mood of sadness and depression. Giannetti states that, “Color tends to be a subconscious element in film… they tend to accept color passively, permitting it to suggest moods rather than objects” (22). The dark colors that dominate the trailer are there predominantly to suggest that this movie is going to be intense and sad.
 But even with all of the evidence pointing toward the fact that this movie is about dreams being crushed, in the final seconds the words “The Dream Lives” flash across the screen leaving the audience filled with hope that just maybe this movie won’t be all gloom and doom, but about redemption and hope for the future. It tugs at people’s emotions saying that even if at first it feels like your dream has been lost, don’t give up. It convinces people to go see the movie to see how the characters achieved their dreams. Even though one might not know exactly what the movie is going to be about from the trailer, it still manages to get people’s attention and effectively convince them to go see the movie.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xk5UStefYmE

The Possession

I chose to analyze the movie trailer for the movie The Possession. From the trailer, it can be inferred that this movie belongs to the genre of horror. It targets audiences that prefer horror movies, since there seem to be a lot of scary scenes, such as when the creatures are seen flying into the girl’s mouth. There are a couple of action scenes in the trailer too, for instance, when the girl stabs her father’s hand with a fork. The movie can also attract people that are into the medical field because various scenes in the trailer show the girl going to the doctor and getting tested, so those people might want to see if there are any medical complications with the girl. The special effects may attract an audience as well.

This trailer utilizes various rhetorical devices to convince the audience to watch the movie. When I first watched the trailer, what caught my attention were the words “based on a true story.” This is an example of the trailer trying to establish its credibility, or ethos, in order to get people to be interested in the movie. I know I am. Another thing that I noticed in the trailer were the names of the production companies, Lionsgate and Ghost House Pictures. Lionsgate has made some good movies in the past, such as Crash, and the Ghost House pictures company is known for making horror movies. So ethos is used again in the trailer thorough these names to capture the curiosity of the audience. According to Andrea A. Lunsford, John J. Ruszkiewicz, and Keith Walters in Everything’s an Argument, establishing credibility is important because “audiences pay attention to ethos” (53) and therefore will be more likely to watch the movie if they have “respect” (53) for the directors of the movie. That is what the trailer is trying to do. In addition, the actors in this movie do not seem that recognizable to me and so ethos is used once more by the trailer because more people might be tempted to watch the movie since they do not have a particular typecast for the actors. According to Louis Giannetti in Understanding Movies, this means that the actors cannot be “identified with a label,” (279) as to what type of acting they should do or the type of movie they should star in, due to the fact that they might not be that well known yet. So the audience can see the actors in any type role or movie.

The use of pathos is also evident in the trailer. For example, special effects in the trailer create suspense and fear, which might be scary for some of the audience members, but other people might be curious to find out what will happen in the movie. A scene that stood out to me was when the girl is looking down her throat and she sees two fingers coming out. That scene startled me, but I also want to see the movie more due to that. It seems that the movie will have interesting special effects. The use of color and lighting is another instance in which pathos is observed in the trailer. This helps in trying to persuade the audience to watch the movie since “color tends to be… strongly emotional in its appeal” (Giannetti 22). In the beginning of the trailer, the colors are bright, the music is soft, and the family seems happy. There are no action or scary scenes at this point either. Then as the trailer progresses, the colors darken and special effects are used to create the scary scenes. The music gets louder and higher pitched as well. The girl’s acting becomes darker too. An image I remember from the trailer is the girl standing in a room with her head down, but the whole scene is red. It is a bit creepy, but the use of the color red “suggest[s] aggressiveness, violence, and stimulation” (Giannetti 22). It captured my attention.

I thought this was an effective trailer. It did a good job of utilizing ethos and pathos to convince the audience to watch the movie and some people might watch the movie due to the fact that this movie is based on a true story. Logos would be coming into play here since that is the reasoning behind their motive to watch the movie.

Link to the Movie Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0gBeG31fX40

Rating: 

Sweeney Todd

            Sweeney Todd is not a movie for the faint of heart; it is not a movie to which you’d take a child on a day off from school. The trailer for Sweeney Todd shows that the movie is a musical thriller from beginning to end.

After analyzing the trailer, I realize the importance of the statement, “You only have one chance to make a first impression.” When at a movie, I sit in the theater, watch the trailers, and give my friend thumbs up or down, already deciding to see the movie or not. As an avid Johnny Depp fan, I instantly fell in love with the trailer and the idea of the movie. I identified a logical appeal in which the trailer wasn’t aimed to be realistic, as the setting is old London and the costumes are old fashioned. I also experienced an emotional appeal when men unjustly tore Sweeney Todd from his family, sympathizing with the character and seeking revenge on those men who did Sweeney wrong. Additionally, I experienced fear, visualizing myself in the barber chair as Sweeney Todd prepares to slit my throat.

However, I noticed a great appeal to ethos in the credibility of the production companies, the easy actor recognition, and the typecasting prevalent. At the beginning of the trailer, the logos for Warner Brothers and DreamWorks pop up. In Everything’s an Argument by Lunsford and Ruszkiewicz, the authors discuss how company symbols convey authority and provide credibility that the trailer is well done and the movie is worth seeing (456). Both companies have the reputation of producing good movies, so the audience trusts their money will be well spent.

In addition, there are many recognizable actors, such as Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham Carter, Alan Rickman, and Timothy Spall and a recognizable director, Tim Burton. Many say these actors are typecasted, as Depp, Carter, Rickman and Spall have all acted in edgy, sketchy, mischievous roles in their recent films. Louis Giannetti discusses in Understanding Movies how typecasting began when “characters tended toward allegorical types rather than unique individuals and often were even identified with a label” (279). Along with their movie roles, the three actors have edgy personalities off screen, furthermore adding to the realism of their character in the dark movie. Furthermore supplementing ethos in the trailer is the fact that movie stars in Hollywood “attract the loyalty of both men and women,” and I believe this is why Tim Burton casted the actors as his characters (Giannetti 257). Depp, Carter, Rickman and Spall all have large fan followings, raising their ability to be cast and credibility as an actor. Lastly, Tim Burton has a large fan following. It is no wonder so many people awaited the release of this movie.

The genre of this movie becomes very apparent as the two-minute teaser progresses. The trailer has eerie, almost intense, music playing the entire time, setting the tone as a thriller musical. In addition to the music, the audience witnesses the musical theme when Johnny Depp sings to the villagers in London, inviting them to visit his barbershop. The thriller aspect comes from the rapid scene changes, building the anticipation for when Sweeney Todd claims his next victim. Through the use of digital effects at the end of the trailer, the audience deduces the musical thriller will be a bloodbath, although there is little blood.

However, the most important part of a trailer is the overall quality, and Sweeney Todd had a marvelous trailer, emphasizing color rather than comedy, music, thrill, or action. Research shows people “tend to accept color passively, permitting it to suggest moods” (Giannetti 22). The emphasis on color and the quality of the effects and costuming set the mood. This is seen in the trailer at the beginning, as vibrant colors and a halo effect display the happier past, only to quickly switch to dark sepia colors for the present in the movie. The dark colors are used for symbolic purposes “to desaturate [colors], especially if the subject matter is sober or grim” (Giannetti 24). All the vibrant, colorful scenes in the trailer display a happy past or dream, whereas the dark colors symbolize a dark, almost dystopian reality, focused on the corruption of society and want for revenge on those who did you wrong. Although color appears to be the main focus of the trailer, the rapidly changing scenes, in addition to the fast music, add to the intensity and the thrill of watching the serial killer, demon barber of Fleet Street.

In conclusion, though the quality of the Sweeney Todd trailer is fantastic, the trailer falls short in persuasive appeal, stemming from a small target audience. This trailer would appeal to musical theater junkies, thrill seekers, and maybe even Harry Potter fans, as three of the four main actors had significant roles in Harry Potter. This movie is not suited to those who are squeamish with blood or do not have a strong stomach. For the target audience, the trailer is effective and persuasive, but the trailer and the movie are not for all. Although I am not a big thriller fan, I wanted to see it…but hey! Maybe my Johnny Depp obsession makes me biased!

Watch the trailer at:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L_hgrfZVlJA

Forrest Gump

With over $677 million in sales, it is easy to say that Robert Zemeckis’ Forrest Gump drew large crowds, but can any of this success be linked to the trailer?

The three-minute trailer is a collection of scenes from the movie, and one should be able to infer that the film follows a character named Forrest Gump and documents his life from early childhood through adulthood. Although not much of the plot is revealed, the trailer shows clips of some of the movie’s most important scenes. Pathos and emotions are drawn up through scenes such as the one in which Forrest is running in front of the car as the boys are throwing rocks at him, or the one in which Forrest talks to his mother as she is sick in bed, or even just the brief shot at the end with Jenny in tears. I believe these scenes demonstrate that this film will be full of strong storyline and heavy emotions. As Andrea A. Lunsford and John J. Ruszkiewicz state in Everything’s an Argument ,“sometimes images have the power to persuade by sheer pathos” and I believe this trailer’s shots do just that (452). My heart breaks as I watch him being chased by the bullies and I find it endearing to see him describe Jenny with a smile on his face; these scenes draw up emotions inside me and invite me to see the film for more.

Ethos is also used towards the end of the trailer when the narrator announces, “Paramount Pictures presents Tom Hanks, Robin Wright, Gary Sinise and Sally Field, a film by Robert Zemeckis.” These recognizable names are called to the viewer’s attention in hopes to add credibility. With Zemeckis’ success in Back to the Future and The Polar Express and Hanks’ multiple Academy and Emmy Awards, the powerhouses behind this film should lead the viewer to trust the quality. Viewers “give the [actors] they know a hearing they might not automatically grant to a stranger or someone who hasn’t earned their respect or affection” (Lunsford, Ruszkiewicz 57). Just as readers are more likely to trust a credited source, viewers are more likely to watch a movie from an acclaimed director and award-winning stars.

When analyzing the effectiveness of a movie trailer, it is vital to consider whom it is targeting and how it appeals to those viewers. With its dramatic scenes and rich plot, I believe this trailer is targeting fans of dramas and any movie-goers that enjoy a rich storyline. For anyone who’s passionate about love stories or appreciative of life lessons, this trailer should be appealing. I personally have always been a huge fan of sappy love stories and vivid melodramas, so this trailer’s cut to many emotional scenes is incredibly alluring to me.

While I did not view the trailer before seeing the movie for the first time, I believe that this trailer has made a relatively effective argument. Where it lacks in action or glamour, it is rich in emotion and principles. I believe it very effectively uses both pathos and ethos. I do think that it might be targeting a limited audience and it could be more effective to a wider range of people if it had more action scenes or humorous lines, but I do believe that it was effective towards its target audience.

So after much analysis, I give this trailer a rating of…(drumroll please)…4 bags of buttery popcorn.

Trailer Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uPIEn0M8su0

He's Just Not That Into You

          This romantic comedy immediately begins to affect the viewer’s emotions in its first scene.  Almost every girl, including myself, grew up being told that a boy picks on you because he likes you.  Now I don’t know if this is true or not, but that thought is forever in the back of your mind as you go into middle school and on further to high school.  The trailer immediately draws the attention of women specifically. It shows the subject of love through comedy and what girl doesn’t love a good romantic comedy??

 The trailer connects with the viewer by showing the complicated side to dating.  It illustrations women getting nervous and not knowing what to say, technology’s complicated role and the mind games that seem to always play a part.  It draws in an audience that has had a crush, dated and/or been rejected. Sounds like just about everyone! Although romantic comedies tend to attract a more feminine audience, the trailer depicts many scenes from the men’s point of view.  In doing so, men may focus more on the comedy side of the movie. 

My favorite movie genre is romantic comedy. Although that alone could convince me to go to this movie, the trailer did a fantastic job in connecting with the viewer as much as possible.  One strong attribute of the movie is the wide variety of actors.  In Understanding Movies, Louis Giannetti explains that, “Once a role has been cast, especially with a personality star, the essence of the fictional character is already established” (282). In the trailer of He’s Just Not That Into You, the viewer can get a vague idea of what the characters are like by the actors chosen for the parts. Bradley Cooper could bring in a vast majority of women because of his good looks and past roles, while Scarlett Johansson does the same for many men. 

In Everything’s an Argument, Andrea A. Lunsford states that, “We actively shape what we see and have learned to see things according to their meanings within our culture" (446).  Visual elements of the movie trailer help support their goals of bringing in a wider variety of people.   Each actress, being famous, shows a different type of woman.  Visually, there is a busty blonde who begins to fall for a married man and an uptight married woman that feels her marriage slipping. They didn’t forget the confused red head that takes every action into consideration, as well as the journalist who cannot seem to technologically organize her life.  Each woman can somehow relate to one of these characters whether it’s through their looks or the status of their relationships with me. Many women see one of the roles as something they’ve experience at one point.

With each role of these women, there is a complimenting male role.  By showing many different types of relationship from the men’s point of view, men are not stuck watching a movie all about women.  Romantic comedies often only attract women and the trailer, in my opinion, did a good job attracting a wide variety of audiences. While it has a direct effect on women, it did show the men’s side of each story as well.  

Trailer:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tVlqVHKn2dg