Trailer Analysis - Action

Trailer analysis

Taken

At the beginning of the trailer there is silence as the production titles come up on screen almost to get them out of the way now so they don't interfere with the rest of the trailer and make it lose momentum at any point. The first word is the diegetic dialogue of the daughter saying "dad" signalling this will be a family orientated action film, focused mainly on the relationship between the father and the daughter. Some spooky non-diegetic music starts, its slow and eerie and builds the tension as the backstory for the film is set before the action can begin - as the audience you wonder what is going to happen to this girl. A dramatic pulse changes the pace of the trailer, it's no longer happy and exciting, the audience can tell something bad is going to happen any second - the music turns far more dark and sinister as things start to go wrong, it builds slowly in tempo ending with her screaming (a conventional sound for horror or thriller films but not usually for action so subverts from action trailer conventions). Softer, sadder  piano music then sets in, not to distract from the dramatic monologue given by the main character on screen - dramatic flashes, short very faced paced montage of clips appear on screen giving the audience incredibly short glimpses of what the film has to offer (violence, torture, guns etc). The music is highly suspenseful, pick up tempo as gets more dramatic, building to the climax where he delivers the famous lines - "I will find you and I will kill you" (the tag line on the film poster). This is also inter-cut with lots of other lines for dramatic effect like "where is she?!", in the montage there is also the sound of explosions, cut shots and glass breaking all conventional in action trailers. The dramatic pause comes right near end of the trailer after the montage rather than cutting in just before the end before the trailer reaches it's climax and supports the idea that, like with the film production titles, the film makers don't want anything to interfere and just want to show how action packed this film is. Heavy breathing  and a heartbeat can be heard at the end of the trailer building suspense and although not conventional of action trailers, are conventional for thriller trailers which is this films other genre.

After the production titles the first shot is of the dad, rather than an establishing shot of the setting which is conventional for action trailers meaning this trailer subverts from conventions and signifies that this man is more important than any setting he could be in, alternatively because at this point in the trailer they haven't gone anywhere and are just at home there could be no need to establish where they are as it's no where important. Supporting this idea is a following long shot establishing the new setting  - Paris, now that they're actually going somewhere interesting and to a place that is of importance to the plot it is shown in a long shot, also it's shown so the audience don't get lost and have a clear view of what's going on. A close up shot of the phone suggests that it's very important, maybe because it becomes helpful in finding her later on or maybe because of the conversation she has as she is able to let her father know that she is likely to be kidnapped. A low angle shot of the 'bad guys' as they enter the house shows them to be high in power and ruthless as they look down upon others, also as it's a close up shot you can only see the black of their shoes and trousers which is mysterious as it hides  lot about them. The shots of the girl are always close up shots to emphasise her emotions and the fear in her eyes, whereas the shots of the dad are only medium shots suggesting he's not as scared and his facial expressions aren't as important as he's not the one about to be kidnapped. After the girl has been taken there's another close up shot of one of the 'bad guy's' yet this time it's of part of his face - possibly to show he is human so may have compassion for the man who begs for his daughter to be freed but as it's a close up it suggests there's a lot we still don't know about him and there's a lot he's hiding. There are also several close up shots of dramatic things like guns, hands tied to a chair, violent beatings, car chases, knives, blood, tears - giving the audiences glimpses of what they look for in an action film and conforming to conventions.. A low angle shot of the dad as he beats someone in a car whilst yelling "where is she" suggests he has all the power and the skills but maybe be unable to find his daughter as these people are too good for him to take down. There is a low angle shot of him as he delivers his dramatic monologue suggesting he thinks he has the power and is in control of the situation and could also be foreshadowing that although it may seem like he has power throughout the movie (as it seems he does in the trailer as his monologue is shot from a low angle) he will be unsuccessful in getting his daughter back, just the same as he is unsuccessful in talking the antagonist round to setting his daughter free in the trailer. The shot starts as a medium shot but zooms in throughout the trailer until it's a close up shot - this could suggest he is the most important thing now so we only need to see him, it could also be trying to emphasise the importance of the phone he has in his hand and the phone call he's making, it could also be to show his facial expressions and emotions how his daughter has been taken. Alternatively it could be showing how the audience have grown closer to him as they start to wonder what they would do in a situation like this and are excited to see if he manages to save her.

The opening trailer shows this to be a family centered affair and the audience could be mistaken for thinking this was going to be a drama film but even though the following scenes at the airport etc are all happy the music is a clear indicator that there's something not right here and something bad is going to happen. A dramatic flash before shots of him and her on the phone are shown but they are placed side by side rather than cut in sequence one after another showing how they're a team, just like they were at the start of the trailer, even though they are all these miles apart. A three shot of him, her and the 'bad guy' appears on screen before she is dragged away suggesting the 'bad guy' tears them apart. There is one continuous long fast paced montage of shots of the dad's dramatic monologue inter-cut with action, torture, violence, beatings as well as some of the dramatic parts of the story told - for instance the fact they have 96 hours to get her back before she will probably be dead. The action and suspense increase as the trailer goes on with more dramatic lines being delivered and more explosions, blood, glass shattering, violent shots shown as the trailer reaches it's climax. The names are shown at the end after all the action in the montage rather than inter-cut with the action as seen in other trailers reinforcing the idea again that the film makers want nothing to interfere with the action and cause the trailer to lose any momentum.

The films production titles are shown in silence at the beginning which is different to other trailers, possibly subverting from conventions, the bright colours and high key lighting as the family meet connote that their lives are happy, the daughters colourful clothing implies she is pure and innocent. The white house the daughter and her friend stay in symbolises their innocence and the fact they haven't done anything wrong, it is also a great contrast to the black clothing the 'bad guys' wear and shows the two extremes of good and bad as these poor girls are targeted. The dad also wears a black jumper suggesting he may have a dark past and be the reason why his daughter and friend are being targeted, alternatively it could be showing how he will have to become as dark and merciless as the 'bad guys' if he wants to stand any chance of finding his daughter again. The colourful sparkles on the daughter's jacket reinforces the idea of her innocence and youth and causes the audience to empathise with her. The beard on the 'bad guy' suggests he isn't clean cut and could suggest he may make mistakes, it also connotes there's something sinister about him and conforms to conventions as many old fashioned villains had facial hair. Later in the trailer the dad is still wearing black supporting the idea he has to become as violent and ruthless as the 'bad guys' to win his daughter back - it's a contrast to what he wore at the beginning of the trailer which was far lighter in colour and showed he was a good man who was family loving and had put his violent past behind him. The mum's white dressing gown symbolises her innocence in all this as it's likely the daughter was taken because of something the dad did and the mother has done nothing and may end up losing her daughter forever - this causes the audience to empathise with her. The film titles are in white on a black background, just like the house was white and the 'bad guys' where dressed in black and could be symbolising the conventional good vs bad that appears in all action films.