Mad Max is an Australian dystopian action film directed by George Miller, produced by Byron Kennedy, and starring Mel Gibson as "Mad" Max Rockatansky, Joanne Samuel, Hugh Keays-Byrne, Steve Bisley, Tim Burns, and Roger Ward. This film has a high amount of conventions expected to be in an action film, which will pay a huge influence for when we are creating our own production. There is a lot of car explosions, fighting, killing and car chases which all contribute to a heavy and intense action film to keep the audience engaged and captivated into the trailer.
The trailer opens with a medium shot of a guy slamming two heavy, metal doors open. He is running away from something that is behind him. However, as the camera is behind him, it also looks like he is running away from the audience, which helps make them feel part of all the action. As the doors slam open, there is a loud "thud" sound effect placed in the trailer. This is also the first sound that the audience here, so it's likley to make them jump. ( It made me jump) This engages the audience even more, as being fearful, can actually be intriguing. We then see him continuing to run away, as the camera is panning behind him. The camera then circulates around the man. This is effective as we are able to see what he looks like as well as the location that he is in. He is wearing normal trousers with a dirty brown top. He has rope/string wrapped around his head to secure his mouth, which stops him from being able to talk. His hands are also chained together in handcuffs. This gives the audience an indication that he had been captured and imprisoned and is now trying to escape. The lighting in this location is dark and low key. This makes the scene seem mysterious and have an ominous atmosphere, which engages the audience even more. It looks like they are underground, due to the brick like walls and dark wholes and edges around the room. We then see around six men chasing the prisoner which is a stereotypical convention expected to be seen in an action movie. Chases create anticipation which helps the audience feel on edge which in conclusion makes them feel a part of the film. The people that he is being chased by appear weird and unusual. They have white faces with no tops on and trousers. They almost appear alien like which adds a unique twist to the film. It makes them seem out of the ordinary, so that the audience can see something different rather than ordinary humans all the time. The music here is very up-beat and fast paced, so it corresponds with the footage shown on screen, which further intrigues the audience. We then hear a non diegetic voice stating "In this wasteland, i am the one who runs from both the living and the dead." This voice is very sinister and deep,so deep that it actually echoes. The echoing also further highlights the idea that they are underground which means that they cannot be seen creating a mysterious vibe. The word "Wasteland" is used, which suggests that they are living in an distopian place, where there is no people or life about. The chase around the tunnels continues, as the prisoner jumps over cars and around sharp corners as these people attempt to catch him. The editing is extremely effective here. The editing is really fast paced, which makes the chase seem really over the top and intense. The editing gets so fast of all the turns that the prisoner is making, that it becomes blurry to the audience. The voice then stops, and the screen fades to black. When a screen fades to black in a film, the audience cannot see anything, which adds even more suspense and anticipation to the trailer. Then we wear another sound effect of a "Thud" and two doors open again. This shows almost a story line, as this happened at the very beginning of the trailer as well. It almost suggests that there is no way out, and that it is almost like a maze or labyrinth. However, once the two doors open, the prisoner is shocked to see that he is extremely up high, and when he walks out, he is standing on the top of an extremely high cliff. This adds even more suspense to the audience as he is so far from the ground.
I really enjoyed analysing Mad Max as if feel that is showed a more diverse perspective of action films compared to Fast and Furious for example. This is because it has abnormal looking people and weapons that show a unique style to the trailer.The prisoner notices that the soldiers are still chasing, thus he has to make a quick decision of weather to jump or be captured. There is a large hook hanging from a rope just in front of the prisoner. He decided to jump and is now hanging from a random rope in the middle of no where. The long shot allows the audience to see the location of where the film is set. Although having said that, there isn't much to comment on. The location seems like some kind of dessert, as there is no greenery, people or buildings, just sand and land for miles. This creates the idea of mystery, as its clear that there are weird people there as he has just been running from them. The fact that the prisoner is jumping out from such a height creates suspense and anticipation towards the audience. It makes them think "Will he survive?" This thought is actually kind of ironic, because as the prisoner jumps towards the hook, the screen fades to black (again creating suspense) we hear the deep, echoed voice state "Survive", which again creates a link between life and death.
We then see close up shots of various people shooting guns. Weapons and gadgets are also another convention expected to be seen in action films as they have the potential to kill really easily. In this close up shot, the gun is covering the individuals face,meaning we cannot work out their facial expressions or how they are being presented. This adds a mysterious and edgy vibe towards the audience. We then hear the same deep voice say aggressively "THIS IS MY LAND!" This cements the idea of territory. Territory if often a reason for fighting and battles in films, as when people try to take over something that is not theirs, it often triggers wars, (which we guess is the reasoning for the guy escaping.) We then see a close up shot of a very scary and unappealing person/thing. It has blonde hair which is long, and the skin is dirty with brown patches around the forehead. The eyebrows are not visible, but there are black patches around the upper eye area. There is a large lower mask which consists of very large teeth, and two tusk looking things. This abnormal looking creature appears slightly terrifying and something you wouldn't want to mess with. The individual then speaks saying again "THIS IS MY LAND" in which it now becomes apparent to the audience that this is the person that was talking previously in the trailer. The voice now makes sense to the audience, as having a large lower mask, would definitely adjust the way that you're speaking... Having a scary and abnormal creature in an action film helps to keep the audience engaged as it adds a sense of diversity to the film. In the background of the medium shot we are able to see two men. One of the men is shirtless with a large weapon on the front, and what looks like a weapon on his back as well. This adds even more anticipation to the audience. We then see a long shot of two cars out in the sandy dessert. The cars look extreamly different to an ordinary vehicle. They are covered in spikes and tall spears on the back of them. They are a dusty brown colour which adds a negative vibe to the scene. The long shot allows the audience to examine the cars and the people all at one perspective which makes them understand the shot on an easier level, as there is no fast paced editing in this part of the trailer.
We then see a birds eye view of the guy inside a prison cell. The birds eye view is effective as it makes the cell and the individual seem much smaller. When people in films are seen on a much smaller scale, it makes them seem inferior and subservient which makes the audience sympathise with him. On the editing side of things, this character is given prevalence which also emphasises the sympathy that the audience feel towards him. We then see two guys fighting. The camera is panning around them at a 180 degree angle, which is effective as the audience are able to see a the full picture of all the action that is taking place. The fighting is aggressive and violent, with punches being thrown here and there, and knives and sharp objects trying to be pierced into one another. This aggressive nature conforms to the conventions of an action film. Action films are supposed to have violent scenes in them as it keeps them on edge and involved in the film. Towards the end of the trailer we see a close up shot of the prisoner looking at the camera. This is effective as it makes the audience seem like he is looking at them-again making them feel part of the film. The screen then dips to black and the credits are shown on the screen. I feel that the ending of the trailer is really effective and involves lots of techniques that we could use during the process of our trailer. I feel that having a character look directly into the camera helps to interact with the audience. Good trailer are trailers that the audience can feel a part of, and i feel that this film does it well.
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