(300: Trailer Analysis) (war/action)

Trailer Analysis: 300

Audience

The film 300 is targeted at mostly male audiences above the age of 15 because there is lots of strong bloody violence which is more suited for male audiences because it includes war. This film will aim to target a male audience because they are more likely to go and watch a film which is about war and violence. This film was given a age rating of 15 because it included graphic battle sequences throughout with some strong language and some sexuality/nudity.

Voice overs

During the trailer there is a person who is speaking over the clips talking about the story line which involves Spartans fighting against different types of enemies who are trying to take over the land which the Spartans are currently controlling.

Key points
Some key points which will need to be taken when watching the trailer would be the fact that the film is set within the 480BC in Greece. This means that in this time period there will be old fashioned fighting due to the fact that in this time period they are fighting each other with swords and arrows, which means that the wars are going to be more bloody because the fighting is in close combat because shields and swords were the most effective weapons used in this period of time.

Conversations
The conversations used in this trailer were effective because the characters were talking to each other about what they should do and by saying what they need to do to make sure that they are able to protect them selves from the waves of invaders which are trying to take over the land which they are living in. The conversations in this trailer also help the audience to understand the story line because the characters in the film are talking about what is happening as well as who they are, this allows the audience to get a better understanding on how the story is going to escalate.

Dramatic camera shots and angles
The dramatic shots and angles in this trailer are very effective and well used because it helps to draw the audience into the film and to make them forget about every day life helping them become emerged in the film. The dramatic low angle medium camera shot towards the end of the trailer where a Spartan soldier is jumping over some enemies is effective because it creates a dramatic scene in the trailer where it makes the audiences feel that they are about to be attacked by the soldier. This dramatic low angle camera shot makes the warrior look powerful because the low angle makes him more threatening and gives him more power over the audience and other characters in the film because it makes it look like that we are looking up at him and that he is looking down at us.

Music to create atmosphere

The dramatic music at the start of the trailer is used to create tension because the film involves lots of violence and fighting which is dramatic and helps to build tension throughout the film. This music used also links to the clips which are playing in the trailer because at the start there is lighting and thunder which is timed well with the dark music which is being played. The loud bangs and crashes which are played during the first part of the trailer between each change of scene is very effective because it helps to create even more tension at the start of the trailer.

Film titles

The film title was made in blood which suggests that there is going to be large amounts of fighting scenes in the film, as well other titles are appeared to be in a bloody text which suggests that there is going to be large amounts of death, violence and blood spill during the film. Another interesting thing about the titles was that the opening Warner Bros, Legendary Pictures and Virtual Studios logos were changed to make it look like they were made from stone and appear in front of a brown cloudy sky. This suggests that they have thought clearly on how they want to present the titles through out the trailer.  

Trailer climax
The climax of the trailer is effective because it shows the audience a Spartan warrior jumping over a large amount of enemies with his sword which is about to aim downwards and kill whoever is underneath him. This is also effective because it makes you sit on the edge of your seat because you feel like he is about to land on you the audience, this climax is also effective because it leaves the audience wondering what is about to happen to that person and if the 300 Spartan warriors are going to beat the 1 million enemy warriors.

Mise-en-scene

The film is set in the battle of Thermopylae which was in September 480BC in Greece, which in this period of time there are Spartans and Persians which are big rivals who want to destroy each other. the costumes worn in this trailer is effective because it appeals to the audience due to the fact that they are able to recognise what they are wearing, especially when the armour and weapons are easily recognisable due to history books and films.

Camera

The camera shots used in this trailer for 300 are very effective because of the different shots which were used, for example the close ups used in the trailer were effective because it showed the characters facial expressions which showed you how the character is feeling and what they might be planning or even feeling. The use of the long shots in the trailer are effective because it shows you the setting and location of where some parts of the film is going to be set which makes the audience connect with the area where the film is set, this also allows the audience to lose there self within the trailer because they can imagine them selves being apart of the area.

Editing
The use of the editing for the productions at the start of the trailer are effective because they are using fades which make the titles disappear and appear with the next one, the fading to black at the end of the productions is effective because it separates the different scenes which tells the audience that the setting is changing. Editing was also used in the trailer when there was cuts between each different camera shots which sped up when the music got faster, this allowed the scenes to be more intense especially towards the end of the trailer where the action scenes are taking pace making it more interesting and appealing to watch. 

Sound

The sound during the trailer was very good and effective because it matched with parts of the scenes, for example when the screen goes black the music stops and you are able to hear a loud crash and or bang which stops and leads to the next scene where the music continues. The music is also timed really well with parts of the trailer, for example the lightning strikes go in sync with the loud bangs from the music which makes the setting more intense, as well it helps to build tension throughout the rest of the trailer.
Genre indicators

This trailer is a good genre indicator because the trailer gives the audience a lot of information about the film. For example during the trailer you are able to see that this film is based on war which can be seen due to the fact that this trailer includes lots of fighting and war images, this trailer also gives the audience the indicator that this film is going to be based on war because it includes Spartans who are warriors which will do anything to protect the area which they live in. Overall this trailer gives you the indication that this film is a war genre due to the fact that this film is based on a real war which happened in the time period of the 480BC.

Unique selling point

The unique selling point in this trailer for the film 300 is that the actors in this film are well known. For example the actor Gerard Butler is one of the main characters which appears in this film, this makes him a unique selling point for the film because he is a popular well known Hollywood actor who has stared in many popular films to this date. Another unique selling point in this film is the fact that this film is produced by Warner Brothers which is one of the most popular film producers in the world. One last selling point of this film is that it is based on a book which was produced in 1998 which lead to the film 300 being made a couple of years later.

Comparison to other trailers of the same genre

In comparison to other war films this one is different because this film is not based on a modern war, for example the usual war films that we are use to see are based on more recent events like world war 1 and 2. This is where film makers feel more comfortable making theses films because they have information and documentations about what occurred during theses events, this means that the film 300 is based more on hear say because as the event happen such a long time ago the story would of been changed throughout time. This means that film makers who worked on this filmed would of had to dramatise some parts of the film because they wouldn't of had the correct information due to the fact that the story is thousands of years old.