'About Time' trailer Analysis

The trailer is immediately introduced by its rating by the MBAA; About Time is rated R, which hints at the somewhat violent, and sexual scenes included. About time is a romantic comedy-drama about a young man who has inherited the ability to time travel of which he uses to relive moments of his life and attempt to improve the quality of his future. Surprisingly for a movie trailer much of the plot is revealed, the trailer seems to be a microcosm of the overall film hence it follows Todorov's narrative theory in that there is an equilibrium, shots of a new year party, time following its natural course, followed by the disequilibrium or disturbance which occurs when the narrative starts jumping back and forth, also when repercussions of this time travel arise. He realises that he cannot time travel without putting his life in turmoil, without erasing a fragment of his life or changing it in some form. The entirety of his life depends on creating a future with the woman he loves, hence the genre of About time being a romantic comedy-drama. The new equilibrium is restored in the end as the tempo increases and it appears that there was a happy ending, as expected of the romantic genre.

The voice over introduces the protagonist straight away, 'My name's Tim'. He establishes that the year is significant to his life which intrigues the audience as they question why. This links with Barthes enigma code as the audience attempt to unravel the reasoning and significance of this in relation to the plot. The party atmosphere is shot in deep focus meaning everything in the shot has clarity, to suggest the lively jovial mood of New Year. The tension builds up as the pop music is broken by an intense sound effect which ends as the frame freezes. This point is momentous as it appears that the last words 'Happy new year' set up the rest of the story, therefore it could be said, in terms of structure, that this part of the trailer is a preface to the plot or story. A wipe transition follows as the film production company, Universal, is introduced. Universal is one of the major film producers in the world and part of the Big 6. It has enormous financial power at its disposal which may suggest to the audience that the film has a big budget which is mistakenly synonymous with quality actors and texts in general.
Working Title is an internationally recognised British film producer. This means that About Time has a specifically British audience who are able to identify with the genre. The film's main protagonist 'Bill Nighy' is a typical British actor for Working Title films. His presence as a renowned British actor can mean that it is not crucial that the plot is notably enigmatic as the target audience for this type of film would be more concerned with the actors and being able to relate to the genre. For example, in reference to the Uses and Gratifications theory, from this trailer the target audience would be provoked to watch this film to gain an element of escapism or to connect with a character or their experience, most commonly for emotional pleasures linked to the romantic genre. The target audience would also be drawn in by the mention of 'from the producers of Love Actually and Notting Hill' laid on a pastel pink mottled background redolent of romanticism.

While the production logo's appear dialogue overlaps introducing a second main character, Tim's father while an establishing shot is used of the house, cross cutting to the conversation between the two characters. The fatherly figure is standing while Tim is sitting on he couch, the camera cuts back and forth through the use of low and high angle shots so distinguish the relationship of the two characters. A pivotal point of the story, his father telling him he can travel in time, is marked by silence which is significant as the frame exists of nothing but the shot of his father and the dialogue which sets off the rest of the narrative. After this point there is sense of confusion in the truth of this statement, fast paced editing us used to emphasise this as the camera cuts back and forth between the conversation. The camera cuts to the wardrobe scene and shows close up shots of Tim's fists clenching and eyes closing in sync with the dialogue which is giving these instructions. There is juxtapositioning of the lighting as the camera cuts from the light living area to the dark cupboard, this could be suggesting that the world he is entering from this point is dark, hinting at the power of the gift he has been given and the complications it may bring.

The rate of frames per second increases to create the sense of time travel, the camera is out of focus and blurs some of the frames; a lot of special effects have been added which create an almost warped effect, this may disorientate the viewer. This starkly contrasts with the clarity of the party scenes at the beginning. The shot cuts back to an extreme close up of Tim's eyes, it seems as though a blast of light is released within this shot which reinforces the fact that natural order can be played with. In the next scene the camera dissolves from a medium close up of Tim to a woman who is smiling directly at the camera. As this happens overlaying dialogue from Tim introduces the main theme of the trailer/film, love, if not already hinted at by the producer and the mention of other romantic films produced by them. At this point the third character is introduced, Mary and Tim's first encounter did not go as planned, hence the tension is built by the break in the warm-acoustic sound that was continued from the previous scene. This is comedic and here the viewers can relate to the awkward situation as life is full of unexpectancies such as this. The natural order and course of the trailer, and life, is reversed again as the protagonist rewinds to relive this moment, which is unrealistic.

Although Tim is the main character, he also narrates the trailer, therefore his narration is non-diegetic and the actual words he speaks within the scene are diegetic.

Why is it that the man in this film gets to time travel but the women just gets left behind, unaware. What would a feminist critic have to say about this?
- traditional rom-com relying on the male

series of two shots
transitions
lighting
costume
makeup of girl.

Investigating camera shots and angles

This photo is taken from a Dutch angle. The camera is tilted to create the illusion of a busy environment. It creates a fun atmosphere, the image is transcending the normal, and we can suggest that the person taking the photo is drunk, living the fun city life. The angle has been used for a specific effect, to give the viewer some sense of disorientation. Some of the icons within the shot, such as cars, are warped which draws attention to the urban life further ahead. The warped aspects may also connote that the character is in fact disorientated after partying and in a drunken state.

This is an aerial shot, looking over Dubai. This has been used to establish the setting and to show how vast the city is. This clear view immediately establishes a cosmopolitan environment as being colossal. The tall buildings are emphasised, a main feature used again to exaggerate the immensity of Dubai. This type of angle is frequently used when introducing a place at the start of a film. This establishment is usually followed by a juxtaposition of an angle looking up at the buildings (a worms view/low angle).

This image is a low angle shot, which is reflecting the towering city scrapers. This point of view creates a very intimidating picture for the viewer because they put themselves in the position of the camera; they’re surrounded from both angles by sky-high objects.  

Thomas Carlyle's Great man theory / Zeitgeist theory

Zeitgeist - spirit of the time/moment.
'the intellectual fashion or dominant school of thought that typifies and influences the culture of a particular period in time'. An example of this is modernism (a zeitgeist) which typified and influenced the art, fashion and architecture during the 20th century. This concept contrasts with Thomas Carlyle's Great man theory, a 19th century concept that suggests that history can be explained by the impact of 'great men'/ heroes. These men are thought of as highly influential figures of whom utilize their power to shape the world. Carlyle stated that "The history of the world is but the biography of great men". So rather than history being dependent on a spirits of the time (Zeitgeist) Carlyle suggests that the heroic figures, bestowed by God ultimately - in reference to the 'Divine right of Kings' and the natural order, create historic impact through the use of their great power. Something Carlyle found was that to study these heroic figures was 'profitable' as it helped to reveal ones own 'true nature', is this why we are presented with the heroes of today, for us to acknowledge our inner-self?
American scholar Frederick Adams supports this theory and has investigated the great influence of monarchs. However Herbert Spencer formed a counter argument to this in 1860, he said that these 'great men'; are products of the societies they come from and that the social conditions built even before their lifetime have enabled them to make these powerful actions. This may suggest that our societal value system and culture gives powerful figures such as monarchs the opportunity to make an impact through their actions. Spencer's theory relates more to the Zeitgeist theory in that the society and values that evolve over time, particular periods of time and their culture are what inspire changes and constitute history.

The role of binary opposition in a narrative: Claude Levi Strauss

Claude Levi-Strauss (28th November 1908 - 30th October 2009) was a French anthropologist and ethnologist. His theory relates to Aristotle's statement in the 4th century BC that 'all drama is conflict'; Strauss produced the theory of binary opposition within a narrative. He concluded that binary opposites are how we make sense of the world; he suggests that all narratives are based around this conflict and that the binary opposites are the central climax for any narrative structure. Someone has defined binary opposition as ‘the contrast between two mutually exclusive concepts of things that create conflict and drives a narrative’, for example, love/hate, good/evil, male/female etc. Therefore in a narrative these opposing forces will need to either balance or form some sort of resolution. He argues that the 'savage' mind had the same structures as the 'civilised' mind and that human characteristics are the same everywhere.
- cowboys and indians 
- twilight (poster) 
- Harry Potter good vs evil, class division 

Todorov's narrative theory

Hyper conformity

Hyper conformity is assessed in social psychology regarding the way that we are influenced by a dominant behaviour/attitude of society and how we conform to the ruling social standards as a way to maintain social interactions and a positive reputation. This can result in a demographic becoming ‘hive minded’ where society becomes a single entity and has a collective judgement, way of living, or attitude etc. This is heavily dependent on the way we are targeted by the media and how we are presented with ‘acceptable’ media friendly celebrities via programmes like X-factor and Britain's got talent.
Jean Baudrillard came up with the theory of hyper conformity and suggested that hyper conformed states will eventually implode and fall in on themselves. We can imply that society will rebel against conformity at a certain point as change arises, ideologies may be modified, trends may change and so will the views and attitudes of people for differing reasons.

Americanization

Sight systems clip: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lK_cdkpazjI

The character in the clip is totally immersed in the technology that boundaries are blurred and it is hard to determine what is in fact reality and which is constructed by technology, a false imitation of reality. His sight is being manipulated and producing the hysterical sublime; the character is in a state of hyperreality of which real events and false ones are incomprehensible. Barthes enigma code is present in this clip as the obscurity and hysterical sublime presented makes the content seem out of the ordinary and we as the consumer are puzzled as to what meaning is meant to be relayed here. The symbolic code is also evident in terms of intertextual references, most relating to gaming and making us more aware of the state of the character. Signifiers such as +20 and the sounds of rewards may have a lack of clarity for viewers that are not involved in the advancement of technology. Our awareness of the proliferation of technology we are surrounded by allows us to understand this text; our attention to the current culture helps to build our understanding. Also certain aspects of the conversation we understand to be ambiguous/open to interpretation, however because we understand the cultural code behind the conversation we can make assumptions.
- dominant ideologies
- Immorality
- Metanarrative
- Post modern aspects?
- Too dark to be a parody but pastiche?

Methods of intertextuality:

- Pastiche: 'the imitation of a text’s features by another text. It could be in the same style or feature similar motifs or even be a copy of the original.'
- Homage: The aknowledgement of another text/ Paying tribute to a particular text.
- Parody: imitating a text in a comical way, for example 'scary movie'
- Bricolage: 'Something constructed or created from a diverse range of things.'