Analysis of trailer

1. TRAILER ANALYSIS

2. SHUTTER ISLAND
 In this presentation, I will be analysing the trailer for Shutter Island which
was made in 2009. I will be analysing it for genre, representation of groups,
age, class and gender. For its narrative, talking about its target audience
and lastly, looking at the media language used.

3. Genre
 The genre of this film is a Thriller, which is shown through the media
language used throughout it. You can tell Shutter Island is a thriller because
of the low key lighting which runs throughout the clips shown in the trailer.
The lack of lighting also tells us it is a thriller because we associate the
genre ‘thriller’ with scary, dark, secretive things. Also, Leonardo Dicaprio, a
star famous for romance films, thriller films and highly stylised films, is the
main protagonist in Shutter Island, which shows this film will be a high
concept thriller because of his stereotype of being in them type of film
genres. However, we know there is something dark about his character
because of how he is seen in the trailer and the genre highlights this
because of the cinematography we see, the tracking of Leonardo Dicaprio
signifies his dark persona in the film as we don’t know quite who his
character is because trailers don’t give the important bits away. The fades
to black hint a distortion in the films narrative and it’s as if the shot fades
before we see something else- it is also shown as secretive which is what
we expect from a thriller.

4. Representation Of Gender
 Gender is highly represented in this trailer as it is set in a different time
(1954) and women and children are seen as the weaker characters, we see
this when Leonardo Dicaprio’s character ‘Marshal Teddy Daniels’ Looks at
the older woman who is making a ‘shush’ gesture, she is obviously a
prisoner on the island as she is cuffed. Somehow she shoes power over
Marshal Teddy Daniels because of the gesture and him not reacting in any
way.

5. Representation Of Gender
 We also see another representation of males when we see Marshal
Teddy Daniels with his colleague, they are in their detective suits
stood next to the guards of the institute, the Marshal shows most
dominance as he is wearing his badge and showing it. However
there is a slight role reversal when the guards ask for their
weapons, when the Marshals hand over the weapons, they have
the dominance.

6. Representation Of Age
 There are no clear representations of age in this trailer although there are
children in it. Children seem to be weaker however, this is due to them
being represented as ‘vulnerable.’ As we can see in the screen shot of a
part of the trailer there is what looks like a mother and daughter holding
hands stood in a blazing fire. They have no facial expression which can tell
us that something isn’t right in this shot as if they were in a fire they’d be
yelling… This also hints that the main character (Leonardo Dicaprio) is
unstable in the mind as it’s a ‘vision’ like shot.

7. Narrative
 The protagonist in the movie is Leonardo Dicaprio, we know this because
throughout the trailer we follow him and he appears most. We think the
hero is Leonardo Dicaprio too because he is a marshal. He is going into the
asylum to search for a missing patient.
 Villains- we think the villains are the people in the prison cells, they are very
low key lit so it makes the characters look eerie.

8. Equilibrium & Disruption
 At the start of the trailer we see 2 marshals arriving at an island (as we see
a boat in the mist) and then there’s a fade and after this we see them on
the island entering the asylum gates. They are greeted by security people
who take their weapons.
 Outside of the asylum we see an old lady who looks straight into the
camera and makes the ‘shhh’ gesture. This is eerie and highlights the
thriller genre.
 The disruption comets through the middle of the trailer and we see that a
patient had escaped, the marshals are on the hunt for the missing patient.
 We see peaks in the narrative and one is right at the end where we are left
on a cliff hanger, a patient grabs Leonardo Dicaprio.
 It is important that a trailer NEVER reveals the CLIMAX as this is the whole
point of watching the film. It would immediately spoil the film.

9. Audience
 The audience of this thriller would be 15+ (people aged over 15) as it has
moderate violence (blood, fighting, weapons) and the genre is a thriller,
people ages under 15 may find it too graphic.
 People with an interest in Leonardo Dicaprio also may want to see this
movie just because he is in it.

10. Cinematography, Editing, Sound &
Mise-en-scene
I am going to talk about what Media Language is used in this trailer,
below is a table and I have recorded what I see in the trailer:
Cinematography Editing Sound Mise-en-scene
- Close-up on all
key characters
- Close-up on foot
dragging the gun
away from a man
- Close-ups on
prison people
- Long shot of the
tower and island
- Fades
- Flickering on
needle
(screaming non-diegetic
sound)
- Tilt on needle and
nurse
- Non-diegetic score
(dramatic music
throughout,
becomes louder at
the end)
- Lady ‘shh-ing’
(made more
obvious)
- Buzzing of the
security gates
opening
- Screaming
- Set in an asylum
- House/hall
- -Prison cells
- Asylum island
- Tower
- Twisty stairs