The Expendables - Trailer Analysis

The link to the Trailer can be found below:

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

'The Expendables' is a classic action film, filled with explosions guns and fights. The idea behind the trailer is to portray this, so that the target audience is aware and go to watch it.

• We a shown in the trailer that there will be action scenes filled with huge explosions and gun fights, and this tells the audience what genre the film is and therefore whether it would suit them. Screen shots of these can be seen below:

• The first thing that you notice when watching the trailer is the amount of big name actors who star in it and will be widely recognised. This is a major selling point of the film and will bring in huge audiences, as a result this is something that the trailer plays on. It wants everyone to know that this is a huge action movie classic where many big name actors come together, many for the first time. We are introduced to the characters one by one using consecutive close ups of their faces. However in all cases only half the face is visible, which adds a mysterious aspect to the film. It is almost saying that these actors are so famous that you only need to see half of their faces to recognise them. I have taken a few screen shots of these close ups and then can be found below.

As you will notice, in each case half of the face in in shadow. This also adds a darker side to the film and promotes the action genre, it gives the audience the impression that they are hiding from something and as a result tension and suspense are built.

• This brings me on to my next point about the lighting within the trailer. It is always quite dark and much of it is at night, which is something often seen in the action genre. As you can see in the following screen shots, it is not very light and is often it the night time.

• Quick cutting and flashes are used throughout the trailer to promote the action genre and to put the audience on edge slightly.
• Another way in which the actors are emphasised during the time is the way in which they are cut together in order to make one long sentence. It is almost shouting out to grab your attention and see who stars in the movie.
• Another thing that this trailer features is the fade to black. This is the case with most film trailers and its purpose is to show a change in time or place within the scenes.
• Throughout the trailer the sound builds and builds as the action on screen becomes more and more tense. This is another classic thing you will notice with films of the action genre, and as a result we quickly learn the genre of the film.