Comparative Textual Analysis This is my textual analysis of three film trailers.

The film trailers I decided to study are Inglorious Basterds (2009), director: Quentin Tarantino, Batman (1989), director: Tim Burton and Se7en, director David Fincher. The film trailers all revolve around similar themes and issues. The films all establish their macro themes and representations using microelements from camera, sound, editing and mise-en-scene. One theme that recurs throughout the film trailers is good vs. evil. The filmmakers have used microelements synergistically to create the themes while incorporating representations of characters. The trailer for Batman (1989) starts with an establishing shot that sets the scene of a dark gloomy city, it is accompanied by diegetic sound of police sirens, traffic and dialogue. The ominous lighting and dark colour scheme create a sense of suspense and mystery. Mise en scene of lighting, costume and makeup are all used to create a macro representation within the narrative of the story, as well as breaking the stereotypical representation of class and status by presenting the hero as the lower status with the use of microelements. The bright lighting used for the Joker almost illuminates his face, exposing him to the audience, whereas the lighting used for Batman is dark and often features behind the subject keeping the characters features hidden and allowing him to remain mysterious. This subverts the audiences expectations, as the hero of the narrative would conventionally be exposed, while the villain would stereotypically cower away from the spotlight. The costume used in the trailer also contrasts the stereotypical view on hero vs. villain. Batmans costume is black, a subdued colour often associated with evil characters, and his uniform is plain except for the iconic bat sign on his chest, this allows him to blend in and camouflage himself in the confines of the dark city. The flamboyant colours used for the Jokers costume along with the make up used draws the audiences attention to the villain, again breaking the stereotype. The use of mise-en-scene allows the filmmaker to create a juxtaposition of audience expectations. Microelements of camera, sound and editing also convey a theme of good vs. evil. One of the last scenes in the trailer creates tension and builds suspense as the diegetic sound of the Jokers laugh is heard as a Batman walks away in a mid shot. The filmmaker uses fast forward editing along with jagged handheld zoom movement into a close up of Batmans reaction, this technique makes the audience feel as though they are experiencing the action first hand and they therefore empathise with Batman, as the diegetic sound used creates an eerie atmosphere. In Se7en the filmmaker uses microelements camera and mise en scene to show the divide in the narrative between good vs. evil. The introduction to the killer sees a lighting/colour scheme change from the naturalistic colours used to show the detectives lives. When the filmmaker introduces an antagonist into the narrative of the trailer he shocks the audience by using a red colour scheme and dark lighting creating a tense atmosphere and subconsciously alerting the audience to the danger of this character, as the colour red connotes blood. The use of the torch (white light) that is used by the character suggests that while the red lighting suggests the danger of the villain, the white, naturalistic lighting of the torch connotes good, it could also be seen as a metaphor for the detective being deeply emerged in the killers world. The filmmaker also uses a long shot of

perhaps the killer brandishing a gun at the detectives, the long shot is used to keep the identity hidden and create intrigue within the audience reaction. This is followed by close ups of the protagonists reactions. This conforms to the stereotype of the heroes being exposed and the villains remaining anonymous/mysterious, which contrasts with the use of microelements and their macro representations in Batman. The filmmaker also presents the theme of power. This is clearly shown through the use of camera shots and angles in the trailer for Se7en. A low angle shot of the older detective at the beginning of the trailer immediately suggests his hierarchy within the pair, however as the trailer continues we see a two-shot of both detectives with a focus pull on the younger detective, this contrasts with the earlier shot and suggests that there is a power struggle within the narrative. The trailer for Inglorious Basterds has a strong theme of good vs. evil due to the context of the time the film is set in (Second World War). The filmmaker uses all four microelements: camera, sound, editing and mise en scene to create macro representations of the characters and narrative. The long shot of the soldier carrying a weapon (baseball bat) reveals the status of the male to his fellow comrades and his enemy, who he clearly dominates with the use of low angle shots. A soundtrack accompanies this scene and as the soldier approaches the prisoner, whose reactions are shown through close ups, tension is built. This is mirrored by the gradually rising tempo and use of drums, which could be described as mimicking the prisoners heart beat (growing panic) or a ritualistic climax to accompany the killing. The soundtrack comes to an end with the mid shot of the baseball bat swinging toward the prisoners head, ending with a jump cut to black. Mid shots of the protagonist are placed strategically throughout the trailer accompanied by sound bridges, this gives the feel that he is narrating/retelling the story. This technique is used to persuade the audience to place their trust in the protagonist and is a clear indication of who the good vs. evil subjects are within the narrative. The juxtaposed editing of the two sides throughout the trailer supports this. Long takes are featured mainly at the beginning of the trailer to build narrative and character representation whereas short takes are found towards the end of the trailer when the good/evil are seen battling each other. The long takes allow the audience to form emotional responses to the good characters while the short takes, which are made up of short bursts of action compacted together to create tension, show the evil characters in all their villainous glory. The mise en scene also adds to characterisation of the two opposing sides. The colour design of the location, costume and lighting for the protagonist and his group of soldiers is a mixture of greens, blues, greys and neutral colours. This suggests a need for them to be camouflaged and shows their isolation from the culture of Germany within the time period of the film. This representation of the heroes being isolated and of a lower class and status due to their ethnicity makes the audience sympathise with the characters. This is again juxtaposed clearly with the colour scheme for the evil characters, the main colour scheme for the Nazi character is red, which relates to the image in Se7en of the red room, the use of this colour is specifically placed in the background to produce a subconscious response to the image, which connotes danger and blood.