LO1: Analysis of Promos P1 M1 D1

LO1: Understanding the purpose of Audio visual promos.

1. music videos
Music video one:

The first music video I have chosen to analyse is "Mr brightside" By the American rock band "the Killers". This music video was produced in 2004 by oil factory inc and was directed by Sophie Muller.

The video focuses on showing the performers playing the music while also containing a loose narrative revolving around the three characters we see interacting with each other these being the lead singer of the band, the woman with white hair and he man wearing the red and black jacket.

The narrative of the video centres around the anxiety which the protagonist/ lead singer is experiencing. The apprehensiveness of the lead is shown to the viewer via the frantic crosscutting and other continuity techniques. editing as well as the characters body language which sows a lot of him adjusting his suit, looking down and  away from the audience who the band is supposedly performing to. This works directly against the idea of an ideal self role for the lead singer as that it makes the viewer feel epithetic towards the subject instead of envious. 

I would say that the audience for this music video would be people of ages 18 and up as that it contains mature Themes and likely wouldn't be understood by a young audience. While I think that these are The people who would be attracted to this video I believe that it would be produced for people aged 18 - 35 as that it was important for the band to cement itself with a young audience if they wanted to stay relevant. As well as this I believe that the targeting of this audience can be seen In the music video itself as that it contains content that would be relatable for people of this age bracket more than any other such as jealousy.  

There is a wide use of camera work in order to show the narrative/ story of the music video. This is because camera work can be used to show emotion very well. Some examples of this use of camerawork would be the shot beginning at 0:28 in the video which coincides with the precourus of the song. This shot is of great interest to me as that this part of the song is describing a hypothetical scenario which makes him feel anxious. The shot that Muller decided to use with this section of the song zooms in on the band while they are playing this section of the song giving the impression of them feeling powerless and anxious about the situation that they are being put in. This type of shot is also used at 0:31 and 1:09. 
As well as this Muller has also used the types of camera work to shape meanings in her video such as at 2:19 and 3:09 where there are two close-ups used in order to show the differing emotions of the antagonist and protagonist. I have inserted these below: 


As can be seen from these shots the director has gone out of their way to make the protagonist look anxious while also making the antagonist look prideful. As well as this it can be seen in this shot that the antagonist has sweat on his skin while the protagonist has very clear, dry and smooth skin. This is something that could only have been show with a close up such as this shot and goes a very long way in emphasising their different characters. 



As well as camera work the video also uses a large amount of non continuity editing in order to show the connection between the protagonist and the woman wearing the blue dress (who is seemingly the love interest who the song is about.) The editing has to be non continuity as that there are shots of the band playing the song laced throuout the whole piece which makes the story presented non linear. 

The most telling piece of editing in the video is the montage sequence which takes place between 2:01 and 2:27. This sequence makes use of dizzyingly short shots which serve to show the racing in the protagonists mind throughout the story. The intensity of the shot shots only seems to subside with the shot of the protagonist and love interest on the balcony. I believe that this section of the video is themes important in showing the message that the writer of the song Brandon Flowers was attempting to create. 


The video does not use any titles or graphics as that it is following a narrative and it does not fit into the bombastic type of music that typically employs name cards or graphics.

Music video two:



The next music video which I have chosen to analyse is "Tinder" by rapper "Pitbull" and pop singer "Ke$ha" The video came out in 2013 and was directed by David Rousseau who also directed music videos for acts such as Lil Wayne and Magic!

This video caters to the typical conventions of rap/ hi hop music videos containing men wearing expensive clothing and women dancing and wearing very Little. The two stars of the video (pitbull and ke$ha) are used to convey a ideal self/ ideal partner character to the viewer. This is done by making them appear to be above a normal person (whether by virtue of their large wealth or sexual desirability.)

The women in the video are shown to be very submissive to the men, dancing for their enjoyment. This also connotes one of the large themes in the music videos of Hip hop/ rap songs which is the portrayal of a very patriarchal power structure between the people of in the video. This is very common in the music videos of this genre as that it appeals directly to the mainly young, male target audience (13-35).

There is only one graphic which I have noticed in this video which reads "Its goin' down" which is the opening line to the chorus.  


This video seems to make itself appealing o a viewer via voyeurism (the enjoyment of looking at something.) This is one of the four elements that Andrew Goodwin states are what make music videos pleasurable to view for audiences. Voyeurism is also related to "fetishism" which Laura Mulvey outlines in her "male gaze" theory. The ideas of his being used would likely fit with the young male audience who (I feel) is who the video was made for this can be seen via the difference in clothing worn b the male star as compared to the female. While Pitbull wears suits and shirts Kesha wears crop tops and jean shorts.
As well as Voyeurism this fits with the idea for creating an ideal self/ ideal partner within the music video in orer to give the people more appeal. This has been done with both Pibull and kesha with the first being portrayed as rich and powerful while kesha is shown as being sexually apealing to the young- male audience.

The editing is used ignorer to covay the fast paced and lighthearted tone of the video/song as well as to keep the relatively young audience interested in the music. The fast pace editing also helps to keep a sense of pace in the promo. 

2. Film Trailers. 

Trailer one: "Dunkirk"

The first film trailer I have chosen to analyse is that for Christopher Nolan's 2017 film "Dunkirk."

The trailer i have examined here uses many titiles and graphics in order to convay the tone of the film. 
All of the logos follow a consistant house style in order to fit the same style as the logo of the film itself. All of the text is overlayed with an image othe the beach with the horizon being in the centre. The use of a consistamt housestyle creates ssynergy within the trailer and  all of the other marketing. 
The content of the graphics show two well known film studios Syncopy and Warner Bros
A major selling point of this film is clearly the fact that it was directed by Christopher Nolan.This is shown in the fact that his name is given at the start as well as the names of some of the other films he has created. 
The titles also give a very basic overview of the story to the viewer that being "When 400,000 men couldn't get home -  Home came to them". This helps the viewer to understand what exactly s going on if they are unfamiliar with the story.

the tone of this trailer is very dark, taking advantage of low key lighting and many angled shots to emphasise the feelings of powerlessness which the characters are experiancing . I would say that the target audience for this film would be people in their mid to late teens and older who have an interest in history. The film's tone is convayed via the use of short shots which are transitioned in jump cuts. The trailer does not seem to follow any continus structure as that shots from many different parts of the film are used 
The narrative of the film is shown to be the story of the Dunkirk retreat a well known event in British history) however it is shown via the main protaganist's point of view.
The non digetic sound in this trailer is very interesting to me. While usually a trailer will feature an extract of the films soundtrack as well as sound effects during transitions to buid tension, this trailer uses a ticking noise which connotes the sense of impending doom that will likely be of prevolance In the main film. As well as this the sound of a ticking clock gradually becomes overpowered by some of the digetic sounds such as explosions and characters shouting. This emphisises the chaos of the war as well as the importance of time within the narritive which is also show with the line of dialouge "Every hour the enemy pushes closer."  

The trailer makes a lot of use of camera work in order to shape meanings. For example many of the shots such as the ones at 0:26, 1,44 and 0:15 are taken from a high angle. Using angles in filming is a great way to show power dynamics. If a shot is taken from a low angle that is usually meant to cannot their dominance and power in a situation whereas if a shot is taken from a high angle it can be used to show powerlessness and weakness. It is probable than Nolan decided to use this high angled shot in order to show how powerless the solders at Dunkirk at the time would have been,. In contrast to this the planes (which were the main threats to the solders in this scene) are shown at 0:20 from a low angle indicating the power which they held over the situation. 

Editing is likely the thing that I found to be of most impact with this trailer. The trailer makes use of an interesting technique wherein the the visuals are synced to the ticking of a clock. This gives the audience a feeling of unease as that the ticking gradually becomes faster and is subsequently drowned out by quickly edited shots of the films action sequences. The unease of this technique fits perfectly with the trailers dark and ominous themes. 
As well as the clock ticking it is clear to me that the trailer is edited to be non linear. This is very important as that the audience will not pay to see the film when it comes out if they understand exactly what will happen in the film. This make the trailer a far more effective product.  




In conclusion I feel that this film attracts its target audiance through the use of its dark tone, setting of the story and ambiguity surrounding the final fate of the protaganist we were intoduced to.

Trailer two :The Emoji Movie"

My second trailer is that of the "Emoji movie" Which was a Sony pictures animation directed by Tony Leondis in 2017.

This trailer uses a large amount of titles and graphics in order to establish its premise to the audience who are very young (4 - 12.) For example the title of the film appears at the beginning and end of the trailer and the titles that read "Discovering who you are... is an adventure... beyond words" Help to establish the narrative to this young viewer base. 

This trailer is very different to the Dunkirk one as that it is attempting to reach a much different target audience. Where the first trailer seems to be targeting people who are in their mid to late teens and older this one seems to be far more catered towards children. This is shown in the bright colours, uses of frantic crosscutting (in order to keep this audience interested) and use of a narrator in the first part o the video in order to set up the premise for the film.
The trailer begins with a short preview of the advertisement that is 5 seconds long and shows the main moment from the trailer (that being the main character failing to fulfil his purpose which begins the main narrative) as well as the title. This appeals to the main target audience as that the advertisements main distribution method was via youtube where adverts are skippable after 5 seconds. Therefore the title in the beginning is justified to target the films audience.

The trailers style is typical of tse made fr children, taking advantage f fast cuts and brigt colours to keep he Young audience interested in te film the company wants them to see.

The narrative shown in this trailer is that here is a "secret world inside your phone" where the cartoon messaging components called "Emojis" live. This society is completely devoted to preforming the function which they were assigned at birth meaning that there is no room for personal expression or emotion other than the emoji's designated one for example if it is a sad emoji it must always be sad and if int is a "Meh Emoji" such as the main character Jean then they are never allowed to show any emotion other than cold impassiveness. However Jean, our titular lead does not conform to this societal view and on his first day preforming as an emoji has a breakdown which ruins the text that the owner of the phone is trying send. This leads Jean as well as the Hand emoji and Jailbreak (a hacker emoji) on a quest to stay alive as the all powerful overlords of the emoji's world attempt to kill them for their indiscretion. 

                                                

Audio visual 5 - Drunk driving Psa "Local Legends"

Unlike the other Psa's i have written about tis one seems to be far More aimed to entertain while also informing rather than to promote anything. The message that was being portrayed in the advert was that it is wrong t sand by and let someone dink and drive however tis is very different to may PSAs of his variety as that it as quite a lighteared tone and portrays its message in a humorous way. This can be seen in the exchange between the man and boy arguing about wherther he should drive or not. 

The video uses crossctting to show the difference beteen someone who is menatlly aware enough to drive and the drunk people coming out of the party. The inital conflict of interest ,that being the first older mans inital reluctance to talk to the younger men. This nervousness is shown via the high angle of the shots of this man in relation to the  low angled shots of the second. The angle of the shot helps  

2. Inform (e.g Public service videos)

This product is a PSA made by The Sandy Hook Promise hoping to spread awareness about the school shooting epidemic in the United States of America. The video aims to target school pupils in the united states as that these are the people most at risk from the issue being presented in the video. In order to target these people the video uses the conventions of a short film about an American high school however the message of the video is explained at the end. The Evan PSA was released exclusively on youtube however, as its popularity rose it was also featured on the websites of many news providers.

The video is attempting to mislead the audience through the use of high key lighting in order to create a happy/ upbeat atmosphere. This creates contrast to the true nature of the video. I find this interesting as that it is a great example of how production techniques can be used against an audience, creaing a narrative which is not actually what the viewer should be focused on. This is done with such elements as lighting, depth of field and music. These conventions are usually used to create the scene for an American high school film which is quite a common genre. The use of the conventions helps to further emphasise the message of the video as that there are no overall dark themes to the piece. This makes the viewer understand that gun violence is not something that is easy to foresee if you're not looking for it. 



Documentary: 



The purpose of a documentary is quite unique among other forms of audio visual promo. While it aims to entertain a viewer it also seeks to educate and inform on whatever the subject of discussion is. For this reason the final product takes some elements from film and TV in order to make what is being shown in the piece more interesting. 
In this BBC David Attenborough documentary for example, which discusses a virus which infects insects, there are some shots that Arc and are in slow motion which serve both purposes. For informing and educating the shots allow the audience member to see the effects of the virus in more detail while also giving the presenter more time to explain the effects of the virus. In terms of entertaining shots like this are used in many other media products such as within action sequences in films such as "The Matrix." The shots are extreme close ups as that the animals that Attenborough is talking about are so small that the effects of this virus would hardly be visible to a human eye if seen in the wild. 


Comparisons (Distinction. section):

While both of the music videos I have chosen are for songs which centre around themes of sexuality, I feel that the music video for mr brightside attempts to portray these themes in a far different way than the other. The dancing of the women within with the chorus of the song seems to parody the overtly sexual themes of music videos which contain similar sequences. As opposed to this the video for Tinder seems to be the exact type overt voyeurism that the first is parodying. 

Another large difference between the two videos which I have analys3ed is the lighting which helps the director to convey a mood or tone for their video. This is such an important distinction between the two as that the lighting is very high- key in the video for "tinder" while it is quite low- key in the "Mr. Brightside" video. This helps to distinguish the upbeat atmosphere of the tinder music video to the dark, anxiety ridden view of the protagonist in Mr. Brightside.

The films being promoted in the trailers which I have discussed differ vastly from each other as that they are catering to different target audiences. The Emoji movie is clearly meant to appeal to children. 

The first trailer, that for Dunkirk Builds up tension for the audience to get hooked and invested in the characters who we are shown via the use of quick transitions and fast pased editing which builds up the atmosphere of danger and suspense. As opposed to this the trailer for the emoji movie allows scenes to play out for a long time in order to allow the young audience to understand the story that the film will present. The film is clearly shown to be aimed at a young audience when the visual styles of each are compared to each other for example where Nolan makes use of lowkey lighting and rather graphic violence, Leondis chooses to use high key environments and lighthearted comedy to reach its audience.

Both of the informative PSAs that I analysed aim to deal with dark themes which revolve around death.  The first PSA “Local Legends” uses humour to show the issue from a light-hearted standpoint without deteriorating the seriousness of drink driving in the process. The aim is to show people that they shouldn’t be afraid of challenging people who are about to drive drunk and instead to offer them a lift. Another central theme is to specifically that older people shouldn’t feel afraid to talk to young people when they know that they are putting themselves in danger. This differs greatly from the “Evan” PSA which uses a very dark themes as that the message is that people need to be aware of the signs that someone may be planning a violent attack.

The difference in the use of camera work and editing is a also vey apparent in the film trailers which I have studies. While the Dunkirk trailer seems to be much more focused on showing the tensioned filled shots of people talking, running or shooting at each other. This means that there are some shots in the trailer which are quite long (up to a couple of seconds) The tension is also shown through the use of the multitude of close up shots. In stark contrast to Dunkirk is the trailer for The Emoji Movie's use of these elements which are seemingly only used to keep the interest of the very young, easily distracted audience of the film. This difference is shon in the quick editing and use of relatively simple shot reverse shot conversational camerawork structure in the scenes used in the trailer where two characters are talking. 

The most apparent differences come when comparing the different products to each other for example the difference in camera work and editing between the film trailer and music video for "Mr Brightside" are very apparent. Firstly the camera seems to move a lot more in the music video with it quickly zooming in an out of the the several characters and using closeups so that they can show a large amount of emotion in very little lime. The film trailer's camerawork is much more subtle with the shots showing power dynamics through the angles used. 
Editing between these two different mediums is also far different as that the music video is attempting to tell a full story or just show the different star personas dancing or singing while the trailer is attempting to hint at a narrative in order to make the viewer want to purchase th full product. This means that while videos such as the video for "Mr brightside" have a conclusive ending the trailer for "Dunkirk" and "The Emoji Movie" leave the final fate of their characters ambiguous as not to ruin the narrative of the final film. 

Another interesting contrast is the difference between the informative promos that have looked at and the documentary. These are very different as that the promos are attempting to persuade the viewer to change their life in someway such as making sure that people don't drink and drive or make sure they watch for the signs of gun violence while the documentary simply wants to educate the viewer on some element of the world around them. The difference in purpose is apparent in the way hat they attempted to convey their message. The PSAs often make use of shock value in order to show what the consequences of the issue they are attempting to prevent. This can be seen most clearly in the "Evan" PSA where the viewer is shown the beginning of a school shooting near the end in order to shock them. In contrast to this the Attenborough piece which I studied contained nothing shocking at all but did include cinematic elements in order to keep the audience interested.