1. International Trailer
Analysis

2. As well as looking at horror films, I looked at the
advertising campaign for the
new Wolverine film, which is set for release later
this month (26th July for the US and 24th July for
other international markets). This campaign is
extensive, using a variety of social media websites
such as Vine and twitter to display several
different trailers. I will be looking at the
international trailer, and analysing its features, as
well as exploring the background to the film and
by looking at this, it will enable me to discover
components that may inspire me when producing
my own work.

3. ’The Wolverine' is the next film in the 'X-Men' series, following on from X-Men:
The Last Stand which was released in 2006, and acting as a sequel to XMen
Origins: Wolverine. The film focuses on the character of Logan (played by
Australian actor Hugh Jackman) and his fight after he is turned mortal - he is now
more vulnerable than he has ever been before, and the film follows his journey to
overcome this. With a budget of over $100 million dollars, the film has several
exotic locations, including New South Wales in Australian and Tokyo. Hugh
Jackman also played an active role in the production of Wolverine, with his
company Seed Productions (started by Jackman and Deborrah Lee Furness and
their business partner John Palermo).

4. With around 116 cuts over the 2 and a half minutes, this trailer
clearly illustrates the development of trailers since the early
20th century which contained considerably less cuts (King Kong
released in 1935 had only 9 cuts per minute). As well as the
increased pace, the trailer also demonstrates the developments
that have been made in film technology, with the large amount
of CGI that has been used.

5. As with most trailers, this trailer is divided into 3 acts. The first act of the trailer
introduces the main protagonist to the audience. This ends at 0:33 where the ident is
placed, and act two begins. This act gives the audience an idea of the beginning of
the plot of the film, and builds up to act three which starts at 1:20 and here, a twist is
introduced without giving away too much detail of the plot. The build up of tension
would leave the audience’s minds open, and would entice them into wanting to see
the film to see how the characters deal with the problems established in the trailer
(by paying to see it in the cinema).

6. Sound
Sound is an important component of this trailer. At
the beginning, a voice over is heard saying, "Eternity
can be a curse... The losses you have had to suffer... A
man can run out of things to live for..." and this
dialogue directly links to the character of Logan who
is seen on the screen. He is immortal, and has lost
everyone he loves, which in his case means that his
gift of living for eternity has become a ’curse’. This
establishes the scene for the rest of the trailer for the
audience.

7. In the background, a low, deep soundtrack is played
which creates an almost uneasy and unnatural feel.
The music is slow, but the deep sound creates
tension for the audience which builds up to the bar
scene at 0:21. The diagetic sound of the bottle
smashing over his head and the guns being taken out
also creates tension and even though we know that
Logan is immortal, the sound of guns being taken out
and the smash of the bottle have connotations of
danger. The audience is reminded of Logan’s power
when he removes the glass from his cheek and says
"That hurt". We can tell that this comment was
sarcastic due to his tone, which has a slight
humorous effect for the audience, and it is soon
followed by the metallic noise of his claws. This
diagetic sound is almost like a replacement for a
leitmotif for Logan’s character, as the metallic noise
would not be associated with any other Xmen
character. This makes it clear to the audience that
the character of Logan at the beginning of the trailer
is still his Xmen character of Wolverine (the sound
may indicate this to audience members who have
never seen any other films in the Xmen series).

8. The next sound that we hear is the Japanese woman’s dialogue. At this point
of time it is diagetic, as we see her say "I wouldn’t bother with them if I were
you". This allows her next set of dialogue to be non diagetic. As she says "I’ve
been trying to find you for over a year", we recognise her voice again, and so
the clip of her saying this is not necessary for the audience to know it is her
speaking. Her dialogue after this helps set the plot for the audience, “My
employer is dying, he wants to thank you for saving his life." This, paired with
the clip of the plane, shows the audience where the two are going (to visit her
employer).

9. Soon after this, an explosion is seen on screen which accompanies the sound of
an explosion. Again, the diagetic sound lets the audience know of the force at
which it exploded. The woman speaks again, saying "It’s an honour to meet The
Wolverine", which again labels Logan as the famous character of Wolverine to the
audience. Straight after this however, Logan is seen saying "That’s not who I am
any more", which allows the audience to link back to the beginning of the trailer,
where he is not seen as a ’super hero’ as he is when he is Wolverine. More
dialogue is heard after this, "I didn’t send you only to thank you, Logan. I wanted
to repay you", and this would allow the audience to immediately link to the fact
that this must be the employer that the woman was talking about earlier. After a
few further lines of dialogue, the employer is seen, saying "I can make you
mortal." This is very important, as earlier on in the trailer, we were made aware of
the fact that Logan has suffered due to his immortality (through the dialogue).
Again, this thickens the plot to the audience, which would make them interested
to know what happens through the rest of the film.

10. Over the next few seconds, we hear guns being fired, and on screen we see Logan
falling to the ground. This indicates to the audience that Logan might actually be
hurt by the wound, which is unusual: his immortality must have been removed or
limited. The background music builds to a crescendo with the gun shot, which in
turn builds the tension, and soon after an ambient silence is briefly heard which
allows the audience to indicate that something is wrong.
Again, the strange, warped and low noises are heard, this time much louder,
which builds on this uneasy feeling to the trailer. Logan’s dialogue "I’m not healing
like before... What the hell’s happening?" and Logan’s pained scream reassures
the audience’s assumptions. The volume of the music increases in time with a
large fight scene. Diagetic sounds of weapons being yielded and explosions taking
place simply allow the audience to identify with the danger that is posed against
Logan.

11. He speaks again saying, "What they did to me, what I have, can’t be undone",
which allows the audience to make implications that he is talking directly about his
powers. This is followed by a long silence again. The employer then says, "Don’t be
so sure" in a very menacing tone. This small sequence is enough to indicate to the
audience that Logan’s powers will be reversed, and the danger that this poses to
him is very real. The tension built by this entices the audience, and many questions
are left unanswered by this last statement, which would make the viewer want to
see the rest of the film. This statement acts as the 'Button' of the trailer, leaving a
lasting impression in the audience's mind. The title 'The Wolverine' is shown, and a
low almost heartbeat like beat is made. Again, this sound effect would create
intensify the impact of the trailer, and imply that the film is exciting (the sound of a
heart beat has connotations of adrenaline and excitement).

12. Mise en scene is also an important element in all film trailers. The first shot
we see is of mountains, which establishes the scene for the first act of the
trailer. We then see a dark figure, with long hair and a beard, putting on a
coat. This figure is mysterious, and his face is kept in the shadows so the
audience are still unsure of who the figure is (until the bar scene) which keeps
their attention focused on the trailer. Low key lighting is used here which
keeps with the theme of mystery.

13. A hand reaches out to a photograph of a woman, and this paired with the
dialogue "The losses you have had to suffer" implies that this woman might be
dead, and that the woman once meant something to the figure. For any of those
familiar with the Xmen series, the woman could be recognised as ’Jean Grey’, who
Logan once loved (but had to kill on account of her turning evil). The small detail of
the photograph could be considered very important here to those who are maybe
more unfamiliar with Xmen as this would inform them of the past events of the
series. We see the figure putting his head in his hands, again, reinforcing the fact
that he has lost something that was important to him.

14. At 0:24 it is revealed that the mysterious figure is Logan,
however, he is not how he usually looks: his long hair, thick
beard and strange clothing are not the typical
characteristics of Wolverine, and we see (from the fact that
he has enemies even in a small bar) that he is not his usual
heroic self, however at 0:29 we see his claws, reassuring
the audience that he is still Wolverine.
A close up of Logan’s face initiates a flashback sequence,
indicated by Logan’s hair being shown to be short again,
with his iconic side burns. We see several more establishing
shots show the change of scene, as the location has now
changed and so has the time in history. Logan has had a
flashback to Japan in WW2, and we can tell this by the
military uniforms and barbed wire etc. The audience is
being shown how he saved the life of the Japanese
woman’s employer (the flashback links directly to the
dialogue, which thickens the plot of the trailer and gives
the audience an insight into the plot of the film).
After the flashback, we see a car driving through a city, with
many neon lights which sets the scene for modern day
Japan for the audience, and the golden temple scene again
reinforces the setting in Japan. The seemingly expensive
cars and gated house that belongs to the employer
connotates his wealth.

15. As an audience, we also see a lot of computer generated images which add to the
action impact of the trailer. Several explosions are created using CGI as is a scene
in which a woman seems to tear away her own face, and a scene which takes place
on a train. Without the effect of CGI, this trailer may not be as effective, and this
shows the development of technology to date. At 1:35 we see the first line of text
on a black background saying “This year”, again at 1:44 where it says ”When he’s
most vulnerable” and at 1:52 when it says ”He’s most dangerous”. This type of text
is typical of a film trailer, and it is used to let the audience know of small details of
the plot, in order of them to make sense of the trailer.

16. As well as this, the actors themselves play a great part of the trailer: the emotions
of pain, fear and anger that Hugh Jackman expresses makes the whole thing seem
more realistic, and makes the character of Logan easier to sympathise with. When
the audience can feel an emotional connection with characters on screen, it usually
means that they feel more likely to keep their attention focused on the film. After a
shot of Logan looking particularly emotional, the title ’The Wolverine’ is shown. This
links Logan with the label of the Wolverine, and the clear emotion on his face would
leave the audience wondering what had happened to make him feel like that. The
only way to answer this would be to see the film in the cinema. The suspense that is
built up throughout this trailer through it’s mise en scene is very effective in this
way.

17. Cinematography is a big feature throughout this trailer too. The first shot
that we see of this trailer is an establishing shot of the vast, snow covered
mountain range which sets the scene for the first part of the trailer. The close
up of Logan’s hand reaching to the photograph and his face as he puts his head
in his hands at 0:08, when matched with the voice over ("The losses you have
had to suffer"), makes the audience aware of the distress that he has been
through, and accentuates his emotions at this point. At 0:11, a long shot of him
against the backdrop of the mountains shows the scale of the scene, and the
isolation of Logan’s character (which is a contrast to the atmosphere in the
previous Xmen films where Logan is surrounded by other mutants).

18. A shallow focus of someone filming Logan is
seen at 0:14, which creates tension as we
know he is being watched, and again at
0:18, a pulled focus gives the same effect. In
the bar scene later on, we see a mid shot of
a man pulling out a gun: this shot allows the
audience to focus on the object of the gun,
which is a clear connotation of danger, and
through this, it creates tension. A medium
close up of Logan’s face as he pulls the glass
out of his face allows the small details of the
CGI to be shown, which makes the scene
more realistic to viewers. With current
technology, a mid close up could be used in
this way.

19. When the Japanese woman is introduced, we see an over the shoulder shot,
over Logan’s shoulder, as we see her when she says her dialogue, which runs into a
two shot as she walks away. This shows the interaction between the two
characters. After the ident, we see the two characters walking across towards an
aeroplane, and then, an establishing shot of the plane flying is shown. The
audience could then link these two shots together, and assume that the two
actually got on the plane and were travelling. This is an important effect of
cinematography: if a shot is filmed in a certain way, it can be used to actually
influence the way that the audience thinks about certain scenes.

20. When on the plane, Logan has a flashback,
and a close up of his bearded face is used to
show the transition between the present day
and the past. The next shot we see is a close up
of his face, with shorter hair and his signature
side burns which shows the passing of time. An
establishing shot of a military base and a
Japanese soldier allows the audience to identify
this as Japan, and a shot of a huge explosion
creates an assumption that this scene must be
set in WW2. Again, Logan’s mutant power is
made clear here (as he is the same age in this
scene, and also as he protects the Japanese man
from the nuclear blast, Logan heals himself. We
see this in a mid close up, where he seems to be
in pain).

21. At 0:52, we can clearly see that the scene has definitely shifted to the present day,
as a tracking shot of a car through a neon lit city. The neon lights and Japanese
lettering on the signs make it clear to the audience that this is modern day Japan
(as there would have been no neon lighting in the days of WW2). 6 seconds later,
when we see Logan get out of the car with short hair and sideburns, a two shot
with the Japanese woman from earlier on assures us that we are still in the
present day. At 1:03, we see an over the shoulder shot, where Logan is seen over
the shoulder of a figure which is out of focus. This creates mystery for the viewer:
who is the mystery figure? We can recognise his voice from earlier on in the advert
as being the woman’s boss, but we are still unsure of what he looks like. At 0:16
we finally see the man as he says "I can make you mortal", and this is the turning
point for the advert.

22. After this, we see a shot of Logan get shot, and
several cantered angles follows. This creates the
illusion of the disorientation that Logan is suffering
for the viewers, as the unusual angle indicates that
something is very wrong with the situation (we
can see this from the fact that he is being beaten
and hurt, and he doesn’t seem to be healing as
efficiently as before). At 1:34, a close up of Logan’s
face in pain gives across the extremity of his
injuries to the audience. From the close up we can
see the details of his emotion and this makes a
very strong shot. After this shot, a lot of medium
long shots are shown of Logan in fighting scenes,
which show the audience how action packed the
film is. From the medium long shots, we see the
extent of how many enemies Logan has, which
builds tension as we see him fight them all off, and
several medium close ups reveal the anger in his
face.

23. A close up of Logan’s face is the last shot of the trailer. He is hanging off the
side of a building, with a look of pain, sadness and anger in his face, and
making this the last shot of the trailer creates a lasting impression for the
audience of the trailer. The tension created in these last few seconds would
leave the audience shocked and curious as to how he got in that situation,
which would entice them to go and see the film.

24. Editing accompanies cinematography to create a better trailer,
visually. At the beginning of the trailer, we see the first several
shots fade into each other. These transitions allow the shots to
flow more fluidly, rather than simple cuts which may make the
trailer seem less like one whole product. At 0:16, we see the shot
fade to black, which then cuts to a night scene. These are more
effective here, as the fades to black indicate a darker tone to the
trailer. Throughout the trailer, most cuts are very quick, which
allows the audience to feel the build up of tension - the fast pace
of the trailer reflects the action components that the film
contains.

25. At 0:41, when Logan’s flashback begins, we notice a change in the tones of the
film itself: more golden light is seen here, and this is to indicate the shift in
time. The first part of the trailer is darker, and has more blue tones, however
here, we see a sepia filter to the shots (as sepia tones in photography were
common in the earlier 20th century).
At 1:07, we see another flashback of Logan’s, this time, with a woman. There is
another, more golden filter to this shot, and a glow like filter on top of this
creates a soft feel to it. The golden tint, shows that this must again be a
memory from the past, and a the soft feel to it shows that this must be a more
nostalgic and happier memory for Logan (it shows it must be a literal ’Golden
memory’ for him). The immediate shot after this shows the character of Logan
crouching in the dark, in the rain. A blue filter to this shows the binary
opposites of the happiness of his past when compared to the dark and
glumness of his present life.

26. When Logan is shot at 1:19, a slow motion effect is put across in the trailer.
We see this slowing down of time as the indication that the trailer has taken
a new direction, as after the fast cuts of the first half, the slowing down of
the shots is seen as unusual to the audience. We can tell that something is
wrong. Again at 1:21, the close up, cantered angle of Logan’s face has a
strange blurred filter to it. This shows to the audience that he is suffering
pain, as the blurred effect could connote Logan’s blurred vision from the pain
he has experienced from being shot. This effect is seen again at 1:27-1:29 to
produce the same effect.

27. At 1:36, the speed of the cuts quicken once again, and this allows
the audience to experience the fast pace of the action based
scenes of the film. For the ’button’ of the trailer, after the Japanese
man says "Don’t be so sure", the trailer slows down once again.
This creates tension, as the audience really feel the impact of the
entire trailer: after all the action and fast cuts, the last slow shot
gives us time to reflect upon the whole trailer and creates an
atmosphere of suspense.