The bourne legacy trailer analysis
- 1. THE BOURNE LEGACY http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1194173/
- 2. Film title • The films title is The Bourne Legacy. This is the fourth film in a franchise of ‘Bourne’ films. This will be known by the majority of the trailers audience as the previous Bourne films have been very successful with all three in total grossing 660,712,000.
- 3. Film title information • The title ‘The Bourne Legacy’ appears once at the end of the trailer. The title comes together like jigsaw pieces coming together and goes from being slightly blurry to more clear which could suggest an Enigma code (Barthes theory) and that the film is a mystery film where the audience have to piece things together from the narrative to figure out the story. This Enigma code is used as a way to create tension as the title is in a san serif font which implies seriousness but modernity as appropriate for an action-based thriller. The white text on the black background reinforces this serious theme.
- 4. Titles • ‘There was never just one’ is the first title to appear. This title is uncovered as the image above it wipes away off the screen which could be reinforcing the idea of an Enigma code as just the title is being uncovered maybe the story will be uncovered during the film. It is in a san serif font and is white on a black background which would reinforce the idea of a serious theme to the film. The title is small in relation to the screen size so it is most likely just there to inform and not to have a huge impact on the audience. The second title ‘on August 10’ is shown in the same font and same background but it is uncovered as white lines go across it. The next two titles ‘The Legacy’ and ‘lives on’ are also shown in the same way. The date of the films release is then repeated at the end to try and keep it in the viewers mind as well as building anticipation whilst giving useful information. This repetition of title fonts and styles is to emphasize a consistent theme to the film.
- 5. Website and social networking • At the end of the trailer the website address is shown which may encourage viewers to find out more about the film if they are considering watching it. There is also Facebook page there as this is a popular website which many people are part of and so may become interested in the film by joining a Bourne Legacy group or liking a page. Friends of people who have liked this page may then become interested as well. These are examples of synergy and bi- directional promotion.
- 6. The hero • At the beginning we assume Kenneth Gibson is the ‘hero’ in the film. We find out his name through a narrative where he is asked who he is but later on he is called Aaron Cross and at the end the woman calls him Harry which causes an Enigma/mystery for the audience as he is being called different names and this may encourage them to delve further into the film. The audience assumes he is the hero because most of the events in the trailer revolve around him and what he is doing or what is happening to him. The hero is represented in a conventional way for this type of thriller/mystery film as he is involved in a lot of action and violence and this is common in these kind of films. The actor Jeremy Renner is a rising star with recently successful films which he has starred in or co-starred in being Mission Impossible, The Avengers and The Hurt Locker but the film is not sold on his star appeal but rather the popularity of the Bourne franchise.
- 7. The false hero/villain • Near the beginning this false hero seems as if he is on the hero’s side and could be a ‘helper’ as he talks with and encourages the ‘hero’ but later on he is portrayed as a false hero and he is in fact the main villain and antagonist to the hero. This is revealed as he says ‘we will burn the program to the ground’ and from this the audience assumes the hero will be hurt as he seemed to be part of the program from all the tests done on him at the start of the trailer. The audience have a shared knowledge that this attack to the hero would be morally wrong so assume he is the villain. This is not conventional as usually the audience have to wait until they have watched the film until they find out about a false hero as it is a twist in the films plot and is not usually revealed in the trailer. This could be a Unique Selling Point of the film. The villain seems to have a big team behind him whereas the hero is alone which would make the audience empathize with the hero.
- 8. • This isolation has been a feature of the Bourne films and is emphasized as it fulfils the audiences expectations whilst we don’t know how he will overcome these odds. As Steve Neale says, successful genre films are based on repetition and difference.
- 9. The ‘princess’ or damsel in distress • At first the woman seems to be on the side of the villains and is doing experiments on the hero but towards the end it is shown that she becomes with the hero as they become closer. The princess is portrayed as being vulnerable as she needs to be saved by the hero twice but also she does seem active, confident and capable herself as well though as she is also often in the heart of the action alongside the hero. This is the conventional way for a princess to be portrayed in these films. The audience would usually assume that their relationship will follow Propp’s theory and they will be together once the hero has defeated the villain but on the knowledge that previous Bourne films don’t have a happy ending they cannot assume this . This relationship also makes sure that the film has romantic elements which will open it up to a new audience.
- 10. Proppian characters • In thriller/ action/ mystery films the most common characters are heroes, villains and princesses all of which are in this film.
- 11. Location/setting • The location of the film varies from science labs where experiments are being done to offices with high-tech computers and there are scenes where the ‘hero’ is in hot countries as well as arctic, snowy countries. The high-tech computers and labs suggest this is a modern and top quality film. There is a binary opposition between the hero and the villains location as the hero always seems to be out in the middle of the action in different places being hunted whereas the main villains are always in offices or computer rooms hiding behind the computers and using them to hunt the hero. This hunting of the hero shows that this is an action film. From these locations and the hero being chased around you are supposed to guess the story behind the narrative you are given (Semantic Code).
- 12. Colours/Lighting • Throughout the lighting is predominately chiaroscuro (low-key, high contrast) which is typical for mystery films which this is. However as the trailer goes on the key of the clips become brighter and clearer to see which could suggest an enigma code to the film and the story becomes clearer as the film goes along. The lighting of the company logo ‘Universal’ is also in chiaroscuro lighting to fit with the theme of the film. Companies often alter there logos to fit the film type. The colours used are predominately black and white to reinforce the binary opposition of good and evil and the battle between these two.
- 13. Camera shots and editing • There are lots of over-the-shoulder shots to show conversation between people (mainly the heroes conversations and the villains conversations.) Also there are quite a few tracking shots which is common in modern action films as it makes the audience feel a part of the action. The trailer is shown in a montage edit of clips which is typical for this action genre of film. There are many fade to black edits after scenes to highlight the mystery element to the film. There are a few different establishing shots to show the film is not just set in one place. The editing is fast-paced to fit the genre of an action film. The montage edit and fast-pace edits are conventional for modern action film trailers.
- 14. Sound • There is diegetic narrative from the film used as a sort of voiceover for the trailer throughout to give you an idea of the story of the film. This narrative is also used to establish relationships between characters such as the princess and the hero. A non-diegetic fast-tempo drumbeat is used to fit with the fast-paced editing and emphasize the feeling of fast-paced action. This drumbeat also creates a tense, serious mood in line with the films serious theme aiming to keep you on the edge of your seat showing that this film has thriller elements. Foley-effects are used to emphasize the sound of the hero’s punches in the fight scenes to portray him as a typical ‘action hero’ common in modern action films. Foley effects are also used to emphasize the sounds of gun shots, motorbike sounds and car chases to anchor the feeling of an action theme to the film.
- 15. Story being created • The story being created here is that our hero is trying to be contained because if he is not he will find out the truth about himself. This is done through Barthes’ Hermeneutic Code and Proairectic Code as a mystery is created because the audience wonders why the hero is being hunted and action is used to show he is fighting the villains off and they are trying to stop him. The Symbolic Code is also used as there are binary opposites which are the hero and the villain.
- 16. Who is the audience? • This film is aimed at people above the age of 13 and interested in thriller/action/mystery films. Although the film does contain romantic elements it is not a main part of the film but it is just there as it is common in modern action films as a way to end the film that the hero and princess end up together (Propps theory).