Homefront Trailer Analysis

• The trailer begins with an establishing shot of what seems to be a suburban county area helping to establish the min setting of this film. The lighting is very light and uplifting giving the start of the trailer a sense of happiness and peacefulness. The music at the beginning of the trailer is also very calm and relaxing helping to give off a calming atmosphere at the start of the trailer.

• The trailer also establishes two main actors, the dad Phil Broker (Jason Statham) and his daughter Maddy Broker (Izabela Vidovic), through the camera quickly panning across them and then fading into a close up shot of both of them.

• Within the next part of the trailer, Maddy Broker is seen playing in the school playground whereby the lighting is still bright and uplifting and the music still sounds calming and relaxed. The camera shows a close up shot of Maddy which is done to show her facial expression which seems upset and innocent. The music soon stops, when Maddy punches the bully in the stomach, and there is a loud thumping noise to address the punch. This helps to show her frustration and anger.

• The parents of the bully are soon shown to be Gator (James Franco) and Cassie Bodine (Kate Bosworth). Within the next scene there is slow motion whereby it shows in the trailer Phil Broker and Cassie Bodine’s eye contact. It is exaggerated through the use of slow motion and no music so show the importance and suggests that a war between the pair of them has just begun.

• The trailer then goes very dark in terms of lighting in that it connotes that the storyline is taking a turn for the worse and that main events are about to take place. There is importance put on Gators tattoo in the way that it lights up directly in front of the camera to show emphasis. The tattoo is of an alligator. Alligators are sly in the way that they hunt their prey. This is a connotation for the way in which James Franco goes into their house uninvited. It is also a connotation for the way James Franco attacks him and his daughter – alligators attack quickly when their prey is unaware.

• There are lots of shots that follow that show many different scenes within the film all with some significance. They help to suggest the next part of the trailers action in terms of the fact that the shots are quickly shown.

• Within the petrol station in the next scene shows Phil Broker starting a fight with some men. The music stops and there is emphasis on the noise of the punches he throws. There is also emphasis on the noise when Phil Broker crashes the man head against the car window. This connotes what is to come in the rest of the film trailer. It is used to build up tension and increase suspense.

• Soon we discover that Gator at his family and friends are involved with the making and selling of drugs. Natural make up on the ‘villains’ suggest that they don’t want to look like the villains. They want to seem like ordinary people.

• We are then shown a short but happy and uplifting scene. However I think this is done to foreshadow that something really bad is about to happen to Maddy as it shows her and Phil Broker, her dad, very happy together.

• Whilst there is still ‘happy birthday’ being sung to Maddy in the background music, it shows Gator and his friends and family about to break into Phil brokers house with lots of weapons. The lighting is dark to give off the creepy and foreshadow the coming events. The shots are fast and you cannot really tell what exactly is going on which is done so that the trailer doesn’t give too much away.

• The scene then suddenly slows down when it is Phil Broker and his daughter suggesting some significance here. It is a close up shot and is done to portray that they think that this could be the last time they see each other or are with each other again.

• The next scenes are fast paced shots and show the action and thrill that takes place within the film. The music emphasises the violence and lighting is overall dark to portray the evil in it.

• The main actors and actresses names are then shown in bold lettering on the screen, then followed by a close up shot of them. This is done because they are famous and well know actors and actresses and may result in audiences coming to watch the film knowing that they are in it not based on the storyline and/or genre of the film.

• Suddenly the music goes back to how it was at the start, very calming and relaxing. However the action taking place is the complete opposite. Juxtaposition has taken places within this part of the film trailer. It is when Maddy is being taken away from her father and he can see her getting taken away from him.

• The final scenes in the trailer show Maddy in the boat she has been kidnapped in, with her screaming but you cannot hear what she is saying, only the music which symbolises that the dad cannot hear what she is saying but knows that she wants him to rescue her.• It then shows that Maddy has

been able to ring her father explaining how scared she is, and ends with Phil Broker with a close up of him walking towards the camera to start his search for Maddy. This helps to show how he is feeling through the camera movements as it is hand held here so it isn’t smooth.