1. Analysis of the
American Pie Trailer
Brett Tinnion

2. Camerawork
There is a lot of camerawork through the American Pie trailer for example at
the beginning of the trailer there is an over the shoulder shot of Jim watching
porn this is used because it is comical and also it is stereotypical for teenage
boys to be doing this so therefore including it in the trailer allows for the
audience to quickly associate with the genre of ‘Teen Comedy’ they also do
this because Jim is the main character so it allows for the audience to identify
with the main character.

3. Camerawork
The composition of this shot is there is a wide shot of Jim with his parents
this shows the contrast in ages and also Jim’s parents are standing over Jim
which shows that they are dominant, they have used this in the trailer
because it is funny for the audience as Jim has just been caught
masturbating which is every teenagers worst nightmare so they include
this to show there awkwardness and also to show what is in store for the
audience if they watched the whole film, it is also a situation that the
audience that relate to.

4. Camerawork
Another camerawork technique used is in the school scene when the group of
boys are sitting down this shows the different ‘social areas’ that they are part of
‘Jim’ is shown as a loser’, ‘Finch’ is a nerd, they have used this because it would
appeal to the teenage audience because it is common for there to cliques at
school and this depicts this very well. The shot also emphasises the friendship of
the boys which is relatable to the audience as it is common for teenagers to
have a strong friendship group.

5. Camerawork
There is a wide shot used when Nadia is on Jim’s bed to show Jim ejaculating, this is used
because it is funny and is also a teenagers worst nightmare for this to happen to them
and therefore would make it funny for teenagers to watch as people like to watch other
peoples downfall. Also it is comical and because Nadia is shown as good looking and
popular it is also used to show that because Jim is portrayed as nerdy that he is even
more nerdier than the audience first thought. Shots like these in the trailer are comical
for the audience and therefore would make people want to watch the whole film to see
what else happens.

6. Camerawork
A wide shot is used when Jim is being laughed at when he is walking into school,
there are two sets of teenagers on either side laughing at him which is a
teenagers worst nightmare and there would appeal to teenagers and also is funny
for the audience because we know why they are laughing at him which shows
that this film is a ‘Teen Comedy’
A long shot is also used when Jim is with the apple pie this is to show fully to the
audience what is happening and therefore is very comical in this scene and would
make everyone laugh, he is been told to do this to know ‘what 3rd base feels like’
which also shows teenage peer pressure

7. Editing
Shot reverse shot is used in the trailer for example when the group of boys
are in the library it shows Stifler and then cuts to Jim and then finally to
Stifler this shows the difference in characters for example Stifler is shown as a
jock and Jim is portrayed as a nerd, which would make it appeal to a mass
audience. The sense of pace created by this shot reverse shot also creates the
high pace lifestyle that teenagers live and also shows that what the boys are
talking about is important and comical and what cause problems for the boys.

8. Editing
Cutting is also used in the trailer when Jim is running home to Nadia they have used
this technique as it shows that Jim is in a hurry as he believes he could loose his
virginity to her, and also it is a relatable for teenagers as there is often pressure to loose
your virginity and also it shows the comedy side of the genre as he falls over the
bushes. The editing use also portrays to the audience that Jim is obsessed with sex as he
is running to get home quickly for Nadia, it is a stereotypical view that teenagers are
obsessed with sex and with Jim portraying this view will make Jim relatable to the
audience.

9. Editing
There is also eyeline matches used in the trailer for example when Jim is watching
porn in his bedroom this is used because it is stereotypical for teenage boys to watch
porn and also because it is ‘illegal’ channels porn it makes it funny which makes it stick
to the genre of ‘Teen Comedy’
Eyeline match is also used when Jim is looking at the apple pie this is comical and
therefore backs up the genre of ‘Teen Comedy’ as it shows his thoughts that his
friends have told him about ‘third base’ and also gives a basis for the title ‘American
Pie’

10. Editing
Another editing technique is there text screens that appear throughout the trailer to
describe the storyline and portray even further the ‘Teen Comedy’ drama for example
it says ‘Theres something about’ ‘Being young’ ‘fantasies’ these are used to make them
easy relatable to the audience as they discuss areas of teenage life that are common in
all teenagers.
The texts says ‘There’s something about being young, the fantasies, the technique, the
temptation, the technology, the moves.’

11. Sound
This is the part of the trailer where the porn is playing
There is diegetic sound of the porn at the beginning of the trailer, they have used this
very effectively as it backs up the idea of comedy in ‘Teen Comedies’ as this is awkward
for the audience however it is funny and also they use the sound of the porn because it
is stereotypical for teenagers to watch porn and having Jim doing this makes the film
relatable to teenagers and therefore more people would want to see the film

12. Sound
This is the part of the trailer where the non-diegetic sound ‘Laid’ plays
There is also non-diegetic sound of music playing towards the end of the trailer
the music is up-beat and portrays youthfulness, the music playing is ‘Laid’ this
works well with what is on screen as it shows Jim dancing and there is non-
diegetic sound to show his youthfulness

13. Sound
‘Tomorrow I’ll just be some girl you tell your
‘It’s not a space shuttle launch it’s sex’ ‘My friends call me Nova as in Casanova’
friends about’
There is a lot of dialogue used in the trailer to portray ‘Teen Comedy’ as
they talk about typical teenage things like sex. For example ‘It’s not a
space shuttle launch its sex’ ‘Tomorrow i’ll just be some girls you tell your
friends about’ the peer pressure of ‘Naked European chick in your bed
and you’re not going to do anything about it’ and finally the cringy
statement of ‘my friends call me nova as in casanova’ this portrays the
genre very effectively as it is common for teenages to use cheesy chat up
lines and also for teenagers to peer pressure there friends into do
something, so including these in the trailer make it relatable by teenagers
as they focus on the issues that they face every single day.

14. Sound
‘Brutally honest look at that time in everyones life when we try to hold on to
our dignity’
Finally, the American Pie trailer uses the technique of voice over to bring across the
story line of the film it says ‘Brutally honest look at that time in everyones life when
we try to hold on to our dignity’ by saying ‘everyone’ it suggests that this film is a
film for the mass market as it shows the life of every teenager and also it shows
that it is a comedy because it says ‘Brutally’ which connotes that it will be funny
because it will show the extreme of teenage lives which portrays to the audience
that it will be a comedy film.

15. Mise-en-Scene
There is many props used in the trailer to show that the film is a ‘Teen Comedy’
for example there is the prop of the TV playing porn at the beginning and in the
middle of the trailer there is a prop of a porn magazine with Jim talking to his dad
about ‘women’ this would be incredibly awkward and having the prop of the porn
magazine shows how awkward it would be as they are directly look at naked
females, and also the prop of the TV playing porn is also comical as it is really loud
when the mum and dad walk in, which is every teenagers worse nightmare and
having this in the trailer would allow for the genre to really shine through as it is
stereotypical for teenagers to be looking at porn

16. Mise-en-Scene
The costumes in the trailer also shows the contrast in characters for example at the
beginning Jim is wearing just a tee-shirt whereas his dad is wearing a shirt a tie which
shows the age gap and shows the immaturity of Jim and also costumes is used when they
show them at school, the costumes they wear are just everyday teenage clothing to create
verisilmilitude and would allow the audience to relate to them as they are wearing
clothing that they would wear and would allow them to clearly show it is a ‘Teen Comedy’

17. Mise-en-Scene
There is low key lighting in the trailer when Jim and Nadia are in the
bedroom and when she says ‘touch me Jimmy’ they use this to show
nerves and therefore make it comical for the audience and allow the
situation to be associated with as it is common for teenagers to get
nervous when it comes to having sex. The composition of this shot
shows that Jim is nervous as it shows that Jim is looking at Nadia naked,
and also the mid shot of Jim also shows his nerves because of his facial
expression.

18. Key Findings
I have found many key findings by analysing the American Pie trailer for example I
have learnt that ‘Teen Comedies’ often include crude humour which makes it
comical and relatable for teenagers. The trailer also uses cross cutting between
scenes to create a sense of fast pace and shows that there are many things
involved in a teenagers life. The trailer also showed me that in the genre they often
depict social cliques and is often set in school to make the audience relate to the
characters. The storyline is predominately about relationships which is a key
concept in the teen comedy genre. There is a variety of shots also used in the
trailer to create dominance and nerves and the composition of the shot is
important to show the comical side of the scene and also to show what is going on
in the scene.

19. How does the American Pie trailer
comply with conventions of the genre?
The American Pie trailer complies with conventions of the ‘Teen Comedy’ very effectively for example the actual
storyline of the film and the trailer, is shows that a group of boys want to have sex for the first time which is a
technique used by many films for example Superbad and The Inbetweeners Movie. Also it follows conventions by
locating it predominately at a school which is conventional for most ‘Teen Comedies’ for example Mean Girls, locating
at a school allows for it to be accessible by all teenagers as they have to go to school. Another convention followed is
by showing awkward conversations with your parents about sex, for example when Jim is talking to his dad and when
he is caught masturbating, this is conventional as it is the norm for sons to have ‘the chat’ with there dads and it being
an awkward affair so therefore depicting it allows for it to apply to all teenagers. The comedy side is also conventional,
American Pie uses crude humour which is stereotypical for ‘Teen Comedies’ for example when Jim is having sex with
the apple pie, this is crude and therefore would be really funny for the audience, this is a technique used in many films
for example the Inbetweeners Movie when Neil is humping the girl on the boat. Overall, the American Pie trailer
follows all the conventions of ‘Teen Comedies’ as American Pie is often referred to as the flagship of Teen Comedies.