ACTION TRAILERS- Batman vs Superman

Here is a link to the Batman vs Superman trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eX_iASz1Si8

For our trailer, we concluded that we wanted to go with an action movie. Action movies have a very versatile approach, where we can all incorporate different kinds of props, characters, clothing and a lot of exciting and thrilling scenes. With our opening two minutes from last year, we went with a thriller, which has many similarities to an action, which helps to give us a head start with out selected genre. I wanted to analyse the new Batman vs Superman film, as i feel the camera work and use of CGI will be extremely helpful during the filming of our trailer.

The trailer begins with an establishing shot of a skyline of a city. It is night time in the shot, so there is a minimal amount that we can see on the screen. There is no soundtrack at this moment, however there is a rocket/aeroplane typed object that is soaring in the sky. It has a large surface area, and appears powerful and dominating. As the rocket soars across the sky, the camera pans around it, making the audience feel part of the action. It also allows the audience to see what exactly the aeroplane is, to help introduce the idea of modern technology into the film. Through a fade to black, the audience are presented with two people inside of the rocket. The gentlemen is old and is wearing glasses and a jumper with padding on the shoulder. Through an over the shoulder shot, we can see that this gentlemen is actually controlling the aircraft. This conforms to the stereotype of elderly people being wise and knowledgeable, as this aircraft appears highly difficult to control throughout the sky. We are then introduced to one of the main characters in the entire trailer. The elderly gentlemen states diegetically "Why don't i drop you off on the second?" The air craft then halts, and the camera zooms out to a wide angle. We then see Batman jump out of the aircraft and onto the front. Batman is all in black ( hence bats). The colour black connotes danger, wealth,power and death, which puts him in a superior position in the trailer, and almost appear slightly heroic. Through a medium shot, Batman then jumps through a glass building into a room. We hear the sound effect of glass being shattered which conforms to an action movie. It adds excitement and a thrilling atmosphere to the audience, as pushing your whole body through a glass ceiling isn't an every day act that any normal human being can do. The audience can then hear a a thud, and then a fade to black. This creates suspense to the audience as it makes them question what is going to happen next. The thud is loud and pounding, almost like a gun shot. The fact that the editing then fades to a black screen, it means that the audience are unable to see what is going on, which adds even more suspense to the scene. The black screen then fades, and we are presenting with a camera pan of many men holding heavy guns all pointing at the same area. The audience are unable to see what the men are pointing at which adds a greater deal of suspense as it must be something powerful due to the sheer volume of guns being pointed. There is then a huge thud, and Batman storms through the middle of all the men armed with guns. All the men are pushed backwards due to his powerful entrance into the room. This reinforces Batman's powerful presence and Ora, and puts him in a protagonist position in the trailer. After Batman has stormed into the room, the audience are then presented with the main action in the trailer. Batman and all these men start fighting. The fighting is aggressive and violent, with men being slung into the wall, to bones being crushed and shattered by Batman himself. Again, Batman's power fullness is accentuated here, as he has beaten all these men just on his own. The use of sound effects here is effective in adding an action vibe to the trailer. The use of thuds, bangs, screams and screeches helps to make the audience feel scared and captivated by all the action. Action feels are usually aimed a male audience, due to the sheer amount of violence and boystrous behavior presented in action films.  We are then presented with an over the shoulder/long shot of a dark figure standing up, a large building in the background and superman being on the floor in the background. When a character is standing over another character it makes them seem more powerful and dominating. It makes the audience feel more connected to that character due to their powerful position in the film. The weather in the scene is raining, which could also bring in the idea of pathetic fallacy ( weather effecting the mood). Raining is commonly seen more negatively, which suggests that the scene is going to go more downhill than up.... The screen then fades to black again, which seems to be a regular occurrence in the trailer, which helps to make the trailer flow. We then hear a non-diegetic, deep voice say "He has the power to wipe out the entire human race..." This is a very alarming sentence and will help to make the audience feel on edge and captivated into the film. We then hear a thud, and a clip of Superman turning around in slow motion. The use of the slow motion is effective, as it makes the audience more fixed onto the action in the film. It makes them feel like they are part of the movie, and get a sense of what it would be like to be in that characters shoes. 

We then see a car chase which is a common convention that is expected to be seen in an action movie. The car chase corresponds with the soundtrack played over the top. The soundtrack is upbeat, with a drum and a rhythmic tune being played. A drum adds an aggressive vibe to the trailer and the tune is fast-paced which corresponds with the speed of the cars. The cars in the chase are sports cars and are both black. They are sleek looking, with bright lights,large tires and a large engine (By the sounds of it). Car chases add excitement to the audience as it brings the idea of "Who's going to win?" typed scenario to trailer, which again, adds suspense. The screen then jump cuts to titles stating "THIS YEAR" which gives the audience an indication of when the film is going to be released. Batman and Superman are both very well known characters, and the fact that they are now in a film together, already gives the film a unique selling point. The film is also part of a franchise, which helps to manage the expectations of the fans. We then see a long shot of a tunnel, with three armed soldiers on either side. At the end of the tunnel in the middle of the sides of soldiers, we can see Superman. The lighting in the tunnel is low key, which adds a mysterious vibe to the scene. However, there is more light being projected onto Superman which helps to make him seem more important. The soldier's on either side almost look like they are bowing towards Superman which makes him seem dominating. Around the borders of the frame, it is dark, which almost makes it look like an eye, which suggests that someone or something is watching them. The use of a tunnel in the scene is effective, as there is never many people in a tunnel setting, which sets the idea of secrecy and mystery to the audience. 


We then see a long shot of Superman lifting up a heavy weapon/aeroplane typed object. The object is almost ten times the size of Superman which makes him seem really strong and dominating. He is wearing his signature costume , consisting of the blue one piece, and a red cape. The colour red can symbolsises power and royalty, which are connotations that the audience are expected to relate to superman. The background of this shot is slightly unclear, as there is a lot of smoke and fire. The use of fire and explosions in actions films brings excitement to the audience. The music here becomes silent as Superman is holding the extremely large object which makes the audience feel suspense as its almost like something is about to happen once the music returns to the trailer. We then see a medium/three shot of Batman, Superman and a girl in the middle. The girl appears powerful, as she wears a shield and sword, which subverts to the stereotype of women,as they are seen as the weaker sex between males and females. She has a headpiece on her head, which adds a unique twist to her character. In the background of the shot, there is flames and fire which makes the scene seem dangerous but also slightly exciting. Batman and the girl are armed, which suggests that a fight or battle is about to begin. This is happening towards the end of trailer, which makes the audience be on a cliff hanger, which engages them and also persuades them to watch the film when it is released. 

I really enjoyed analysing this trailer. As it was released this year it means that many people are already interested in the film, which makes it easier to write about. Superman and Batman are both well known, popular characters int he non fiction world, which makes the trailer even more exciting to write about.