Analysis of "THE ROAD"
The trailer begins with a wide medium shot of the father covering his son with a blanket. This creates a starting equilibrium that is calm, the father showing care for his young son immediately establishing a paternal relationship between the pair. The light of the fire creates a warm, comfortable feeling, creating a setting of safety and shelter. Although this is juxtaposed with the rubble surrounding them, asking the questions where are they? Why are they there?
At the beginning also we are introduced to the Dietetic sound of simple piano chords, when linked to the visuals of an establishing shot showing a derelict church it creates a spiritual theme. This is continued when a shot shows the father kneeling down in prayer in a low-angled camera shot. This shot gives a sense of the man's importance to the boy, but also his inferiority to God. This inferiority is continued when the next two shots show a lightning strike and a wildfire, which the man cannot control.
Other important scenes include the father and son sitting in the darkness around a small fire, this creates a scene of the fear in the audience and highlights their loneliness in the wilderness. We also see the desolate landscape in which the father and son are travelling though. The abandoned roads, houses and cars suggest an apocalyptic environment, and the lack of other people at this point backs up this theory.
The pace of the trailer is created by the cutting and fades to black used. This trailer does not follow the usual conventions of its similar genre, and instead of creating a build in pace towards the end it varies throughout. The intense shots of running and people at gun point are broken up by more peaceful shots that diffuse the tension of the previous shots. Overall this creates a more positive spin to the trailer, regardless of its genre and style. Being a viewer of the film I can say that the trailer set a much more upbeat feel to the film than it actually is. The film creates themes of loneliness, fear, religion, isolation and death. Whereas the trailer focuses on the more positive aspects and themes like "Carrying the fire within" but does go into these themes briefly.
The target audience for this film is definitely not a family orientated film. It is more aimed at adults maybe 18-25 but it is also aimed at older as maybe fathers can relate to the main character so up to 45 years of age.
Analysis and key consepts of film/ Motion Picture
Along with the trailer I have also watched the film a few times before and so decided to watch it again so I could analyse, and maybe take some ideas from it, as my genre and style are very close to this. In the film they use close ups, especially in falshbacks to give a scene a certain atmospher and feel. For example they use the flashback close up of the fathers hands gently playing the piano. The lighting in these scenes also has a huge impact on the viewer as throughout the movie we adjust to the dark and dull colours of the present day earth, to which we are almost blinded by the smooth, orange light of the flashbacks. This is a feature I would love to mimic in my own production, maybe a character awakens from a dream, starting in the light, and then suddenly awakening to the darkness of his present day environment.
The movie also relys heavily on establishing shots to give the viewer a larger sence of scale in the movie, and the shear destruction that earth has surcomed to. Unfortunately for my trailer, I have no experience in special effects of have the budjet to create large environments to fit the film. Therefore I intend to use it on a smaler scale, and as it is set in a more rural area, I think I will be able to include a few releavant establishing shots, of mountains and electic plylons etc.
The Road also shows of an amazing level of detail, especially in its meis en scene of props and costume. Even basic makup such as dirt and blood are used very effectively, and really create a sense of despiration and fear in the characters. This is another key elemnt I hope I can mimic in my own trailer, the ability to create a sense of a characters history with out showing more than the clothes on their back and dirt covering their face and hands.
There is a very strong representation of light and dark, and even the characters verbaly convey this message "Carrying the flame inside" "and are we still the good guys?" but it is shown most effectively through the use of flame and lighting from the sun.
Analysis and key consepts of film/ Motion Picture
Along with the trailer I have also watched the film a few times before and so decided to watch it again so I could analyse, and maybe take some ideas from it, as my genre and style are very close to this. In the film they use close ups, especially in falshbacks to give a scene a certain atmospher and feel. For example they use the flashback close up of the fathers hands gently playing the piano. The lighting in these scenes also has a huge impact on the viewer as throughout the movie we adjust to the dark and dull colours of the present day earth, to which we are almost blinded by the smooth, orange light of the flashbacks. This is a feature I would love to mimic in my own production, maybe a character awakens from a dream, starting in the light, and then suddenly awakening to the darkness of his present day environment.
The movie also relys heavily on establishing shots to give the viewer a larger sence of scale in the movie, and the shear destruction that earth has surcomed to. Unfortunately for my trailer, I have no experience in special effects of have the budjet to create large environments to fit the film. Therefore I intend to use it on a smaler scale, and as it is set in a more rural area, I think I will be able to include a few releavant establishing shots, of mountains and electic plylons etc.
The Road also shows of an amazing level of detail, especially in its meis en scene of props and costume. Even basic makup such as dirt and blood are used very effectively, and really create a sense of despiration and fear in the characters. This is another key elemnt I hope I can mimic in my own trailer, the ability to create a sense of a characters history with out showing more than the clothes on their back and dirt covering their face and hands.
There is a very strong representation of light and dark, and even the characters verbaly convey this message "Carrying the flame inside" "and are we still the good guys?" but it is shown most effectively through the use of flame and lighting from the sun.
