About Time Trailer Analysis

Genre: Romantic comedy Actors: Domhnall Gleeson Rachel McAdams Bill Nighy Tom Hollander Margot Robbie Director: Richard Curtis Writers: Richard Curtis Cinematography: John Guleserian Editer: Mark Day Studio: Working Title Films Distributor: Universal Pictures Release Date: 8th August 2013 UK 1st November 2013 US Budget: $35million Rating: 12A Institutions: The main two institutions that are involved in About Time are Universal Pictures and Working Title Films. Universal Pictures are a conglomerate with Working Title being the subsidiary. Universal Pictures is one of the six major movie studios and have made many successful films such as Jaws and Jurassic Park and therefore are a highly recognised institution. By Universal Pictures being involved with About Time, it may encourage people to watch the film more due to the fact that they know Universal make successful films. Working Title, being the subsidiary of Universal, have a wide access to studios and distribution rights and therefore may heighten the film. Application of Todorovs theory: Todorovs theory can be applied to most film trailers due to the fact that all narratives should go through the same 5 stages. By watching the About time trailer, I am able to see the variety of actions that take place and the consequences that occur because of them. Below is the application of Todorovs theory to the trailer which best fits. State of equilibrium: Tim is an ordinary boy celebrating New Years like everybody else Disruption of equilibrium: Tim's father tells him that they are able to travel through time Recognition of disruption: Tim releases that he overuses the power and erases the timeline of events Repair of damage of disruption: Tim tries to win Mary back again New state of equilibrium: Tim and Mary get married, have a kid and live happily ever after Application of Propps theory: Propp defined the 8 character functions that appear in films and this can be used when analysing About Time. Although I have only viewed the film trailer, it is clear to identify some of the key character functions that are in the film. All 8 cant be identified as of yet, but some of the ones that are used are: The hero Tim. It is clear to identify that the hero in this film is Tim as he is the one that is seeking something. The donor Tim's dad as he is the one who provides Tim with a magical power. The princess Mary as she acts as the reward for Tim. Ideologies: About Time shows several ideologies throughout the trailer which the audience would be able to pick up on. One of the beliefs/common attitudes that About Time shows is the relationship between Tim and Mary. Their relationship follows the traditional order in which events happen between boyfriends and girlfriends they meet, start to go out, make love, get married and have a child. However, what isnt conventional about their relationship is Tim's use of time travel which he uses so that things go well with Mary, which in the real World, most people wish they could do.

Application of Levi-Strausss theory: Levi-Stauss analysed the way in which we understand certain words and also developed the use of binary opposition in films which is where films have opposites in it. The opposition in films creates conflict and therefore develops the storyline which makes it interesting for the audience to view. Levi-Strauss also stated that narratives have hidden meanings behind them which would be linked to the connotation of the film. There are a range of binary opposites used in About Time such as the main male and female character (Tim & Mary). The use of the male and female characters supports the general gender stereotype that males are more powerful and dominant than females. In the film trailers this is evidentially shown as Tim is the character who has the power and to change things whereas Mary doesnt have the ability to do that. Another binary opposite in the film trailer is the heavy use of Past vs. present/future. The film is heavily focussed upon the use of Tim's ability to travel through time in order for him to have the lifestyle which he wants. It suggests that Tim isnt happy with how the present time is going and instead would rather go back through time so that he can make his life better and more suited for him rather than just letting things happen naturally.

Audience: The audience for About Time would be close to a quadrant audience (12-80), males and females. However, although the film is suitable for both genders, I think that the film would be more suited towards females due to the heavy use of romance and it would also be suited towards couples as they tend to go together to watch romantic films. The age of the audience would have to be those who are at least of 12 years of age as the film is a 12A and those above the age of 12 would be able to follow the storyline unlike those of a younger age. In terms of socio-economic groups, there is no specific group that this film is suited towards as it is open to everyone no matter what their job or income. In terms of psychographic variables, I think the audience is those who are interested in going out to the cinema and socialising with friends. I think they would have good behaviour and like to watch films that are light-hearted or comic. They would have a good outlook on life but can be quite opinionated on the World they live in. Narrative: From the trailer of About Time it is easy to see what the film is about and the audience is able to know the plot of the story. In summary the film is about Tim Lake, 21 years old, who discovers he can travel through time (along with all the men in his family) after his father tells him the night after a disappointing New Year party. Although Tim isnt able to change history, he is able to change what has happened in his own life and what will happen in the future. Tims idea to make his world better is by getting a girlfriend, but he soon realises that his power isnt everything when he accidently erases the timeline and faces the consequences of having to win her over again. The trailer for this film does give away quite a lot of the story which isnt usually common as the institutions like to keep the audience guessing as to what might happen so that they are more likely to watch the film. Although quite a lot of the narrative is given away, I think people would still be interested in watching it to see how the story develops. The institutions must have thought that it was okay to give quite a lot of the narrative away as there may be more to come in the trailer that you havent seen or the key bits in the trailer might influence the audience to watch the film as they look so good. Although a lot is gathered from the trailer it is obvious that that was just a glimpse of the film and there would still be a lot of surprises to come in the film. The structure of the film trailer is good as it is clear to follow the narrative due to the clever use of editing and the selection of cuts used. The equilibrium is easy to follow and due to the use of disequilibrium too, it makes the film looked interesting and shows that there will be conflict or an incident occurring. There is also two film trailers for this film. One of which is shown in the US as it gives a specific date as to when the film will be out to view at the cinema which is http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T7A810duHvw. There is also an international trailer which features different clips of the film compared to the other trailer. The link to the international trailer is http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u2PUMA6nFWk . Representation: About Time features a variety of characters all who represent different people in the real World and some which fit into conventional stereotypes. The relationship between Tim and his father seems very natural and it seems as though they have a close relationship with one another due to the one on one chats that they appear to have. Tim's father seems as though he can confide in his son along with having a joke with him. In terms of Tim's father himself, he follows the conventional stereotype of being the elder character who is a lot wiser than the others and has learnt lessons throughout his life. Tim himself represents himself and stereotypes in a variety of way. Tim character represents the general stereotype of gingers. Gingers are perceived to be weaker and weird compared to everyone else. Along with being pale and freckly, they also tend to be seen as less attractive to females. This stereotype is followed well by Tim as he has to change the past in order for him to receive a kiss on New Years Eve. Tim's age is also an important factor in terms of representation as his father decides to tell him when he is 21 years old that he has the ability to travel through time. This follows the conventional stereotype that younger people are less reliable and can be seen as immature hence the reason Tim's father tells him about the secret when he is 21 as that is an age when he will be more mature and sensible. Genre: About Time has a hybrid genre which is a romantic comedy. There are a variety of genre codes that allow the audience to identify the genre such as the heavy focus upon love, children, passion and scenes of marriage and the use of laughter and witty lines hint that this film is also a comedy. The narrative allows the audience to clearly identify the genre along with the use of settings. There are a variety of settings used as there are many different cuts throughout the film but the range of settings keeps the trailer interesting whilst being able to grasp the concept of the film. The events that take place all relate to the genre and the scene of the wedding is a clear give away that the film is about romance. The iconography and visual elements also help us to identify the genre and the use of the wardrobe is an important element in terms of the magical power that Tim has.

Media Language: The media language in the About Time trailer is crucial as that is what makes the trailer most appealing to the audience. There are many different elements that go in to media language which makes it effective in relation to the trailer: Camera: Throughout the trailer, a wide range of camera shots, angles and movements are used so that it makes in interesting to the audience and would sustain their attention. By using a range of clips, it would give the audience an insight as to what the film may include such as the careful consideration of camera angles and they would know that the film wouldnt be boring as a range of camera types are used. It also allows us to see things from the different characters perspective such as the use of high and low angle shots which shows the audience who may be inferior and superior and the use of point of view shots so that it adds realism to the film. On the next slide, examples of the different types of camera shots used in this trailer are analysed. Mise-en-scene: The mise-en-scene plays a big part in any film trailer but it especially does in About Time because it allows the audience to make sense of the different events that occur such as Mary walking down the aisle dressed elegantly with flowers and bridesmaids behind her. This allows us as an audience to make sense of the narrative. Also, mise-en-scene involves the use of costumes which is important as it allows us to find out more about the character as their clothes give a lot away especially in terms of stereotypes. Marys hair and makeup gives the impression that she is quite natural, pure and innocent as she doesnt wear a lot of it but she takes pride in her appearance at the same time. The lighting is also important in this trailer because a lot of the scenes use high key lighting as there are many happy/lighthearted scenes which heightens the atmosphere. However, when there is a car crash, low key lighting is used to indicate that a bad event has happened and the atmosphere has changed dramatically. Editing: The editing used in the trailer is very effective as the cuts are kept short but long enough to know what's going on in the scene. There are a variety of edits used throughout so that it is kept interesting for the audience but also to keep the trailer moving at a reasonable pace. Some examples of the types of editing used are continuity editing which is used a lot as this allows the narrative to flow smoothly. Ellipsis is probably the main type of editing used in this trailer due to the fact that elements of the narrative are removed so that the action is sped up as the trailer is short for time. Montage editing is used and it is clear to see that because there are a series of shots edited together to show time passing which is what a trailer is there for to give the audience a short glimpse of what to expect. The other main type of editing used in the trailer is the common use of shot/reverse shot used when two characters are having a conversation. Transitions/effects: Throughout the trailer, many different transitions and effects are used to swiftly move the cuts along. The effects used are crucial in relation to the visual elements that lead to the audience grasping the fact that Tim is travelling back in time. The use of inter titles throughout is also a good use of effects/transitions as it means that the audience isnt always focusing on cuts of the movie and in fact the text helps the audience to understand some of the key concepts of the film. Pace: The film trailer is quite fast paced in the sense that the same scene isnt shown for ages. The sound helps to move the trailer along going from happy music to a more sudden, deep tone. The transitions again help with the pace of the film along with the editing so that not too much of the same scene is shown for ages and instead a variety of the film is shown. Sound: There is heavy use of voiceovers in the trailer which is through the voice of Tim. The voiceover in this trailer is very effective as the audience can see the events happening through Tims eyes and it adds character to the trailer as it is one of the actual characters doing the voiceover. Throughout the whole trailer there is normally non-diegetic sound being featured in the use of a soundtrack. Depending on what the trailer is showing, it will depend on the type of music used. Nondiegetic sound is useful in this trailer as it allows us to see when things are good but also when the atmosphere has changed. When there are conversations taking place, non-diegetic sound still tends to be featured but it is toned down a lot so that it is subtly in the background and the main focus is on the dialogue. When Tim and his father are speaking, the background music is a bit more subtle and less upbeat to set the suspense as to what the secret may be. However, when Tim is with Mary the music tends to be fast and joyful as this shows that the atmosphere is good. There is use of a sound bridge when the car crash occurs as the crash of the car fits in with the dramatic drop of the music so that the emphasis is upon the car crash but the audience will be able to tell from the music that something bad has just happened. The dialogue is key in this trailer as it allows the audience to grasp the concept of the comedy side due to the clips shown of conversations with Tim and Mary and also Tim and his father. The romance side is also shown through dialogue and voiceovers such as when Tim says For me it was always going to be about love which immediately shows that the film will be about love. Mood/ambience/atmosphere: There are several moods shown throughout the trailer. The main mood/atmosphere created is a happy one where everything is going well for Tim after he finds out about the use of his power to travel through time. There are several happy scenes such as Tim and Mary getting married, having a kid, having fun together etc. but there are also times where the atmosphere dramatically changes such as the car crash as it is an unexpected event due to the high level of happiness shown throughout the trailer.

This is a clip of a Shot reverse shot between Tim and his father. This shot is a low angle one which suggests that the older character the father is more dominant which could be because of his age and his intelligence.

This is just one of the many examples of the inter titles that this trailer features. A lot of the scenes are broken up by the use of inter titles which is an effective way of editing as it means that there isnt just clips of the film all the way through but inter titles also help speed up the narrative as the trailer is limited in time. The use of inter titles also help explain the film more, rather than it just being words that you need to listen too.
This is a two shot of Tim and Mary and is also from a birds eye view as it is looking from above onto the scene. This is just one of the many scenes that features scenes of comedy. The body language in this photo is very important as it suggests awkwardness which is important as Tim goes back in time to change how this moment went. This is wide angle shot as it allows a lot of the scene to be shown so that it makes sense to the audience. This is one of the many clips that shows scenes of romance which helps the audience to identify the genre. The first shot of Mary is a medium close up. This shot allows us to clearly see the facial expression that Mary has and to the audience it is clear to see that she is smitten and very happy. The head dip in her shoulder implies that she feels young and happy that she has just met a boy. The other shot is a midlong shot of Mary and it enables the audience to see what Mary is wearing as it can help suggest what her character is like. As she is wearing a flowy dress is suggests that she is sweet and innocent but doesnt like to flaunt her figure but at the same time likes to look feminine. The white light in front of Mary suggests purity as though she is walking into heaven or that the light is shining down in front of her to show her innocence and sweetness.

This is a shot of when Tim is in a flashback. The special effects clearly demonstrate to the audience what is happening and this is one of the many clips that show Tim experiencing his flashback in order for him to get things right with his life.

This is a mid shot of Tim and a female character. The shot is from a scene on New Years Eve and is at the time when Tim has used the flashback so that he gets a kiss of this girl. This scene and this shot in particular fits in with the conventional stereotype that men are obsessed with getting girls and therefore Tim travelled back through time just so that he could get a girl.
This is a two shot of Tim & his Father. Again, Tims father is positioned higher than Tim which suggests that his father is more superior. Their body language suggests that they have a close relationship and are comfortable with each other as they are having a quiet discussion.