Wednesday, 6 August 2014

Analysis - James Bond

Previously Unposted

Helloo Bloggers

In one of my double Media Studies lesson, my class was asked to answer 2 exam based questions as homework , but we could start making a plan in class. 



 The questions we had to answer were to analyse the HD OFFICIAL TRAILER FOR SKYFALL. 


     These are the two questions ,and my answer to both: 

    1)      Analyse the extract of the text commenting on the Visual codes, Technical and audio codes and Genre convention.
 When the film trailer is starting the Camera angle is at an extreme close up angle of a man’s eyes. As the camera zooms out you get to see more of the main character and what the film is all about. This is a genre convention code because James Bond is such a well-known film that the character has become a genre all his own.
At the very start of the trailer the scenes/images are flashed on the screen at a very fast pace to show that the film is an action film which is a form of genre convention and the type of editing is called flash cuts. Another genre convention that is shown within this trailer is all the explosions and weapons, which is typical of a James Bond film.
The facial expression of the main character is always set straight and stern which shows that the character is on a mission. The character also does not make eye contact with the camera much. This could hint that the character is so focused on the mission and the mission only and determined to succeed. Some of the other scenes hint that the character is in deep thought and not paying attention to what is going on.
The use of dark colours such as black, dark blue and grey hints that the film is very mysterious and, that there is a mystery to be solved within the film. This also hints at the genre of the film. However the use of white on a dark background shows again that there are secrets within the film and also hints that James Bond is on a secret mission. However there are also bright colours used to maybe show, again, the different location.
The set design throughout the trailer hints that the film is not going to be set in just one location but in a multiple locations. This catches the audience’s attention as it shows that it won’t be the normal James Bond film just set in one location.
Throughout the trailer there are a number of different camera angles/shots that heighten the audience’s interest. Arial/Bird’s eye view shots are used quite a lot within the trailer to show as much of the action as possible without giving too much of the plot away.
The narrative of the film trailer hints at the genre of the film through the different types of scenes that are show. For example there are a lot of scenes with fighting/explosions which hints that the film is going to be an action film. This also shows that it conforms to the normal conventions of an action film.
The trailer also shows the two different types of characters: round and flat. The flat ‘characters are the ‘villains’ that James Bond is seen chasing after/fighting. The round characters are James Bond, ‘M’ and ‘Moneypenny’.

2) Explore representations covered within each of the texts.
 The trailer of Skyfall shows the main character, James Bond, to be very distinguished and sophisticated. It also shows him to be very ‘cool’, even in a crisis and that nothing phases him. It also represents James Bond as being indestructible and not even death can defy him. This also hints at the ethnicity of the film as it is showing that British people are smartly dressed and sophisticated.
The trailer is trying to show that Britain is a great country and that Eastern-European people in general are ‘bad’ and ‘evil’. The trailer does this by making the villain of a foreign ethnicity. It shows that the film is British through the use of the Union Jack on the coffins and the British accents that the characters have. This is a type of representation about ethnicity and national identity. Also the uses of expensive British cars such as the Astin Martin are used to portrey the British culture. The ethnicity is also being represented through the different types of location, such as Shang high, Scotland, and London. This is significant as they are famous landmarks.
Gender is a type of representation that is shown within this film trailer. The scene where James Bond is in a bar and seeming to be drunk/ drinking heavily shows that even a man such as James Bond has weaknesses. 
The type of dress code that the main character always wears hints at his social class. By this I mean that his dress code is always sophisticated and smart which hints that his is part of the high/elite class. 

Another representative that the trailer contains is events. The event that I can identify is that obviously the film that is coming out and also the fact that this film is like no other James Bond film before as they hint that James Bond gets shot and then they use coffins that are covered with the Union Jack, which again hints that something could happen to James Bond.

      This is my first attempt on a trailer analysis.. In my own opinion I think I have managed to give a pretty clear analysis of the trailer :) 



Please Note: The link may not work when clicking on it , so you may need to type it in or alternatively you could type 'hd official skyfall trailer' into YouTube and it is the first video on there :) 

Disclaimer: all written information on this page is mine own individual work.. if you would like to use it as research or for your own coursework  please comment on the post  :) 








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