1. What does this film trailer tell us about the institutions involved?

Within trailers, the distribution company’s brand name and logo are always shown, in order to create a sense of synergy for the film as with the distribution company itself. If the distribution company has a great reputation with the films that they distribute and market, the film is considered more likely for box office success and rankings. The big six, as they are known, include MGM, Paramount, Warner Brothers, Disney, Universal and Columbia Pictures, and these films distribute the most amount of films each year and gross billions around the world, but mainly domestically (in America), unless the film appeals to a global audience; in this case, globally.

The film trailers released by the distribution companies, in order to gain a buzz for the film before it is released, holds information that will hold relevance to the distribution company in one way or another. This may include:

- The reputation of the distribution company, such as film history, including classics or possible film confrontations, depending on the content being shown within the trailer, and the target audiences age - The style of the film, which may relate to the style of previous films distributed by the company, with the help of reputable crew members including directors, cinematographers, producers and even actors - The genre of the film, which may be iconic/ used specifically, or even greatly, by the distribution company within its history and present film productions -The budget of the film, in terms of special effects or VFX, which may suggest the capital and financing availability for production, for the distribution company to invest in - The type of films that the company distribute, which all-in-all helps to identify what films the company may specialise in, also depending on their global reputation and target audience

Certain distribution companies specialise in a specific target audience, and distribute films which are suitable for the target audience to watch. Disney for example distribute films with U-12 ratings, due to their target audience being children and families, as opposed to Warner Bros. that specialise in distributing a range of age ratings, but predominantly (opposed to the past, from subsidiaries of Warner Bros. creating and distributing family-friendly films and shows, such as Looney Tunes) 12-18’s. A lot of film viewers expect to see certain content and themes from films which are distributed by these large conglomerate companies. But why? Is it because of the expectations from previous films that the companies own?

The trailer that I will be talking about is ‘The Departed’, which is owned by Warner Bros. They have had an incredible era of cinematic masterpieces, and they are still continuing their journey of showing a diverse range of films with a mixture of genre and themes. Serious films that they own include Full metal jacket, Bonnie and Clyde, The shining, Once upon a time in America, Goodfellas, JFK, Malcolm X, Heat, Training day and Argo. Other films include, Batman, True romance, The matrix, The prestige, I am legend and Interstellar, which are all critically acclaimed films with mature and adult themes. From the films that were selected, I am able to identify the target audience range in which the institution mainly specialises in, which is 15 (Batman) to 18 (Once upon a time in America). Not only are these films classic, but they are also from great directors, from Tim Burton to Sergio Leone. This helps to suggest that the institution obtains a range of films with importance, due to the experience and styles of such incredible directors along the way.

Moving on, ‘The Departed’ was made in 2006, and is owned by Warner Bros. The film is violent, contains bad language and also mild forms of drug use. These themes are adult suited. Within the trailer, we are able to see a mixture of confrontation, such as fights, violent and anxious behaviour, and also props such as guns, connoting danger and death. The institution certainly don’t mind showing these scenes within the trailer, especially considering previous films that have been released showing content like this (or even more violent). They purposely intended to show these scenes to attract the primary target audience of male adults, as violence is considered a masculine theme. Films that are violent tend to be directed by directors who have a greater level of

experience with filmmaking, possibly suggesting that The Departed is a film with such an experienced director who is able to successfully make a Crime genre movie. Furthermore, the director was Martin Scorsese, who, within American cinema, is an icon with such an incredible career within the film industry. They use his name to increase likeability of the trailer, overall for the film.

Martin Scorsese’s name was mentioned (purposely by Warner Bros.) in order to enhance the style and expectations of this film; with classic movies such as Goodfellas and Raging Bull, this would surely increase the range of people to watch the film, solely based on who directed the film. He has an incredible reputation. A few of his previous films were also owned by Warner Bros. creating a long-term symbiotic relationship. Previous films include The aviator, After hours and Goodfellas; critically acclaimed films. With such an appreciated reputation by the public, the trailer mentioned the directors’ name to suggest that the film hold quality, which may attract more people into watching it, especially with its themes and genre, which Martin Scorsese is used to creating.

THE DEPARTED: 2006 MEAN STREETS: 1975

When comparing the two images showing guns, between The Departed and Mean Streets, we are able to identify the difference between subtle and purposefulness of showing the gun fully opposed to it being fairly hidden. When Mean Streets was released in 1975, Warner Bros. didn’t show a lot of guns or weapons within the trailer, possibly due to it being considered as quite controversial. In comparison to The Departed by the same director 31 years later, a close-up is used to make the gun fill the screen, which makes it more likely to be seen and instantly recognisable, opposed to the fairly hidden gun which appears out of nowhere. This helps to suggest that Warner Bros. as an institution don’t mind showing more connotations of violence and harm, due to the nature of the genre, the key themes that are introduced within the film and the trailers, but also the expectations of modern day cinema; greater action. They aim to give the audience what they want.

The form of violence between the two images from the trailers show differences, not only in pace, but also in camera shots. We see a close-up of the antagonist, suggesting his violent nature through him hitting the table. As it is just him in the close-up, it enhances his power over the scene. In comparison, we see a two shot from Mean Streets in order to show more of the characters, suggesting possible differences of personalities and characteristic features. Relating this to the institution, due to the growing demand of action between good and bad within cinema, Warner Bros. are showing a lot more of the antagonist within The Departed; the audience like to see differences between characters, but as we see him in the one-shot, it suggests his power. Warner Bros. aim to show differences between good and bad, which the audience admire with its master plot.

Warner Bros. intend to show more violence within their movies, due to the target audience desiring themes of violence and physical confrontation. In Mean Streets, there wasn’t as much violence, in comparison to The Departed (the trailer of it) which showed a greater level of violence, which was intended upon in order to match the directors’ style but also the requirements of what the target audience like to see. Warner Bros. did this to make the film more likeable. They intend to make their audience members happy. The trailer of The Departed tells me about the institution that they are not afraid to hold back on content shown; they want to show as much thematic scenes as possible to help please the films’ audience.

In conclusion, the trailer of The Departed helps me to understand about Warner Bros. that they like to please the audience by offering them a range of items within the trailer, including appropriate action, thematic content, experience and well ranked directors and also, content that the audience would like, even stereotypically in fact. They try to show as much as possible that the target audience would like to see, which is exactly why they are considered outstanding film distributor.