Film trailer analysis

Dear John Analysis

Dear John is a romantic drama. We chose to analyse this movie trailer as it is very similar to the type of genre and film we wish to create, giving us insights and ideas for our own movie trailer.

Genre

As a literary genre of high culture, romance is a style of heroic prose and verse narrative that was popular in the aristocratic circles of High Medieval and Early Modern Europe.

Dear John’s genre is romantic drama focusing mainly on romance, as the film is based around a couple who fall in love, showing their ups and downs within the relationship.

Media language

There is text used throughout the film trailer to show various twists and emotions presented to the audience through the couple. Non-digetic music is used through the trailer, this encourages the audience into a certain emotion, showing how the characters are feeling emotionally. The audience will be able to establish that this films genre is romance due to the type music and shots used.

Representation

Dear John is represented as a romantic drama due to the events taken place in the film including various twists. John the male character represents a young athletic handsome man, this will attract many females as a reason females enjoy to watch romantic films is because of the attractive male protagonist. Savannah is a representation of a sweet bubbly and cute girl who falls in love with the protagonist, leading to happiness in the film. Savannah is represented to the audience as being cute, therefore this creates the audience to like her character, showing no real antagonist character in the film.

Audience  

Dear John is set to attract an audience ranged between young teens to moderately middle-aged females mainly, attracting females will enforce the males to ‘be dragged’ to the cinema by their ‘wife, girlfriend’ increasing the range of the audience for the film. Dear John’s rating is a very low age rating, this shows the audience that it is a light hearted romantic film at which they can enjoy without having major suspense or action included, leaving the audience with a sense of light romance, dependant on the ending of the film.

·         Opening shot of male main character. Seen as handsome, common in romance films to attract female audiences, one reason as to why they enjoy romance films.

·         Him diving off the pier to save her bag, portraying him as being special, leading onto how they first met. Showing extreme lengths he would go to for her, early on in the trailer.

·         Lots of cuts, between scenes of them together. Trailer mainly showing the couple together portraying their strong love.

·         Light hearted music, bringing a light hearted mood to the audience showing the trailer has being happy and cheerful whilst they are together.

·         Many more cut and jump shots between them being together, with voice over view of a few of their lines ‘2 weeks, that’s all it took for me to fall for you’ giving audience an insight into the plot of the film showing that they fall in love and are happy together.

·         Many of the shots shown at the beginning of the trailer are showing the couple smiling together indicating they are happy together without any twists or troubles leaving the trailer focusing on their relationship.

·         Audience are introduced to another twist within the trailer how the male is part of the special forces ‘special forces huh, your on leave?’ here we learn there is more to the film than just a happy relationship setting the trailer up for many twists to occur in the relationship, leading onto a stronger plot.

·         Romantic setting the couple under the full moon ‘no matter where you are in the world its never bigger than your thumb’ this is then repeated later in the trailer bringing the romance back into the shot showing how they hadn’t forgotten that moment, leaving an object (the moon) help them remember each other.

·         Cut shot to show the female meeting his dad, indicating to the reader that the relationship begins to get serious after meeting the parents showing the audience that they care a lot and love one another.

·         Audience is shown a different side to the male character portraying him as fighting showing him as not having many friends. However it does not seem to bother her, he is portrayed as a tough guy although states ‘you scare me’ to the female indicating he may never have felt like this with another girl before.

·         Romantic scene in the rain, the couple close, they then kiss showing strong affections to the audience, how they are happy together indicating everything is going well.

·         Cut shot where John must go back to the army and fight, creating a twist in the plot as the audience does not know whether he may survive. Many cut shots of the couple holding each other before he leaves, indicating they care deeply about one another and are distraught to the fact he must leave.

·         Once he has left many cut shots showing the couple not together but always shown as writing a letter to one another indicating they are constantly communicating, portraying strong love between the two.

·         In one letter John mentions ‘the moon’ which was an object they had which would lead them to think of the other, showing their love as never forgetting each other.

·         After many shots showing letters sent back and fourth, John comes home and shows them meeting once again, running, jumping, hugging and kissing one another showing strong love between the couple indicating they have missed each other greatly.

·         Once they are reunited, John is yet again sent off by the army, leading onto many shots of crying despair between the couple.

·         This has lead to a major twist in the plot as from here onwards sad music is in the background indicating that it is not all happiness anymore as events have occurred. Many cut shots of each character crying each time they receive a letter indicating to the reader it is not positive news.

·         Many shots showing them as being alone, indicating they are upset as they are alone because they are miles away from each other. Creating a sad effect on the audience.

·         We see John visiting his dad in hospital this indicates that whilst he was away he must have been sick, showing a reason for the many cut shots and scenes of crying whilst John is alone.

·         We no longer see the couple together, yet we still see various letters back and fourth.

·         We once again see the moon as an object of remembrance ‘a lot can happen in 12 months John’ this leaves the audience unsure on whether they ended happily together or not, forcing the audience to purchase the film.

Various shots used

·         Over the shoulder shot – used commonly to show their communication with one another constantly being together.

·         Long shot- used regularly to show the couple as being together.

·         Close-ups – used when receiving letters or when not together, to show the characters emotion.

·         Mid-shots – used commonly when they are together, showing them as being close.

Music

Opening shot begins with cheerful music to set the mood as being happy when they first meet, continuing for a while in the trailer whilst they are happy together.

Changes once news is heard of him leaving, music changes to sad although beat begins to speed up when they are constantly in contact and happy.

He once again must leave, this presents sad music once again, this continues through to the end of the trailer, leaving the audience unaware of the ending.