The Road
The film’s title looks quite bold and serious. It uses a
serif font, and a black background with white text, connoting that this film is
dark and that it deals with subject matter which isn’t cheery or uplifting. The
title appears only once near the end of the trailer, with institutional
information following this. You can see a slight smudge at the bottom of the
text, which connotes one of the films messages of humanity ruining the earth
that god gave them. The straight line could connote that all of humanity is now
equal after it has brought itself to the brink of destruction.
The Hero is the Father, which is a character type heavily
present in post-apocalyptic films. Films such as Book of Eli and Mad Max have a
hero who is a wanderer trying to survive and perhaps make a difference to the
world. His son is the helper, who assists his father on his quest to get to the
southern coast as it will be safer. This is again extremely common in this
genre, as in films such as Book of Eli and I Am Legend; the hero has some sort
of companion who helps them escape danger. Eli has a girl who helps him escape
from her Dad’s base, and in I Am Legend Will Smith’s dog gives him a friend and
companion in a world where everyone is dead.
The character type of the villain is also shown such as the
African American or long haired guy who steals his son. These are also present
in many of these films, as in Book of Eli, there is an old man seeking the
bible that Eli has, and wants to take it by force.
The location and setting is very important to a
post-apocalyptic film such as The Road. Locations have been chosen to reflect
that the world is dying due to an unknown cataclysm. In addition, as the film
is about a long journey, variety is also important as we see forests, houses
and even a beach. The locations have also had grey filters and some special
effects to make it even more miserable and dreary looking.
The style and pace of the edits is mostly slow, showing
panoramic shots which are interspersed with action, such as a flare gun being
shot which heightens the tension of the trailer. Transitions such as fades and
static are used for these. They will usually show a few shots from the same
scene, and then cut to another scene to show variety. The scenes are then
interspersed with text screens that will show one word that links with what the
film is about, such as “search” and “move”. This kind of editing is very common
as it tries to sell the film as best it can. A good example of the this is the
second half of the trailer which ramps up the action and pace, by using a
faster tempo soundtrack, and montage like editing.
In this genre of film, typically the narrative will be
established by showing that the world is war torn, or ravaged by a natural
disaster. Additionally, a hero and a companion go on a journey to accomplish
something, usually to get to safety from the dangerous post-apocalyptic world.
Many will show dialogue that is quite emotional or thought provoking, to do
with surviving at the end of the world. They will then also show action scenes
that make modern audiences go to see a film.
The ominous beats of drums are used to start each shot at
the beginning, which builds tension at the start of the trailer. They are then
used again at the end of the trailer, as it focuses more on the action scenes,
and the beat of the drums is in time with jump cuts and quick fades – a key
selling point for a lot of modern films.
An ambient soundtrack is used next in the trailer, which is
used in time with the text screens used to explain the narrative and key themes
the film will tackle; namely, the issue of survival in a post-apocalyptic
setting. The mood of the music is very sparse and delicate; perhaps connoting
the world is on the brink of destruction. A further use of music is the violin
screeching used to connote danger, as the long haired man tries to kidnap the
young boy.
Static is used at the start to show disruption in between
the credits and this is then followed by lightning strikes and more static, as
well as non-diegetic sounds of news announcements over a montage of different
catastrophes across the world.
The dialogue is used to show the relationship between the
man and his Son, and that they are close and will work together to achieve
their goal. The dialogue also gives narrative exposition as they say “how many
people are left” “In the world? Not very many” and this establishes the genre
as well.
Story is established through some
hermeneutic codes such as “why is everyone in the world dead?” and “who are
these characters and what are their motives for survival?” These are common
questions in this genre and its framework. Proairetic codes also feature, which
ask more basic questions such as “who will survive?” when the gun is shown, as
multiple other survivors are then shown throughout the trailer.
In the dialogue, the father refers to “the coast” and that
he will do “whatever it takes” to get there. This draws us in and raises
several questions, seeing as this is obviously a major plot point or some sort
of equilibrium will be made when/if they get there. The most obvious question
raised is “will they get there?” which is the main reason to see the film.
The semantic codes such as the binary opposites of safety
and danger play a big part in this trailer – several indoor environments are
contrasted with dangerous outdoor locations, filled with possible ‘villains’.
A male audience is definitely the primary demographic here,
this could be further split into two categories of teenage males who would
mostly go for the action scenes, and adult males who would go more for the
thought provoking narrative – “what would happen if the world ended?” The Road
does show emotion and personal problems in the trailer, so it could be said to
be widening its audience to a female demographic who are into more romantic or
coming of age films.
The institutional information of “From Cormic Mcarthy Author
of No Country For Old Men” shows the audience that the film is based on another
novel by a critically acclaimed writer, which establishes credibility and makes
the audience think this will definitely be a good film, as a previous film that
was based on this novel is well known and did well at the box office.
The trailers USP would definitely be the more emotive side
of it, with the man and his son talking and helping each other. Not many films
of this genre would dare to do such a thing, as this may alienate its key
demographic of males who want all action and no story. The Road does, however,
strike a nice balance between an emotional and seemingly engaging narrative,
and gritty action excitement.
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