Francis Evdokimov

TRAILER – TAKEN.

1. Camera, (shot size, angle, movement) –

The opening shot of the trailer; we witness a man holding a present, giving the audience the interpretation that this movie revolves around this character. A medium shot is used in order for the audience to gain understanding and become familiar with the character. After this shot, a close up of the man and his daughter is shown in order to present his love and affection for her, and shows the value of this significant person to him. A quick slow motion edit has been used to long out the hug, once more giving the impression of how valued his daughter is to him. During the scene in which the daughter is taken, the audience are shown specifically close shots mainly of the daughter and the father in which effectively show their non verbal communication and reaction to the event taking place. This is effective as it creates a tense and unstable atmosphere for the audience and they are made to feel as if they were experiencing the same situation.

2. Lighting

The lighting in this trailer has been used very effectively in order to create suspense and an atmosphere. The film trailer starts off with bright colours and all round front lighting. The front lighting portrays a happy, calm and peaceful environment, which is complemented by the NVC (Non-verbal communication) of the characters, showing similar expressions. However the lighting drastically change, causing a much more tense and uncertain atmosphere. This is shown when the

main character takes a picture of his daughter, in colour, who is at the airport and leaving on holiday with possibly her best friend, and a sudden flash of Black and white appears. This change in colour questions ‘whether that will be the last ever photograph of his daughter?’ Or ‘the dawn of bad events to come?’. However the flash of black and white may also represent the camera flash, once more giving the idea that this may be the last photograph taken of the daughter when she was in safe hands, but now leaving the country, no longer. Whatever the meaning of the change in lighting, this scene tells the audience that no longer is the daughter safe and in the near future something bad will happen. The colour black in the flash of black and white may represent as intimidating,

Francis Evdokimov

unfriendly and unapproachable because of the power it exudes. Therefor giving an insight to how this nice holiday may turn sour for both the main character and his daughter. The black gives of the feeling of unfriendly and travelling to a foreign country, the daughter and the antagonist are far away from each other to be able to help in any way. This is similarly done with the next two shots, once more giving the view that this may be a holiday of hell for his daughter. The plane is also shot so that it looks far away and is going the different direction from the cars, signalling there is no way back now for his daughter.

Setting and props -

The setting of this movie is based for majority of the time in France. This is done because the daughter of the former spy was invited to a holiday there but becomes a victim of an organisation who sell girls as prostitutes. In the trailer we do not specifically know exactly where most of the movie unfolds apart from obviously being in France, shown by the Eifel tower. However the movie trailer does represent the setting in a scary manner, by presenting them in dark lighting, mostly low key and underside. Props are also very effectively used. The camera towards the start of the trailer as mentioned before, gave the image that, that may be the last picture of her, and creating this tragic mood. This kind of message would be strongly received by the audience as they would understand that bad things where going to happen to his daughter, and that the picture taken may be the last one of her in good health or even alive. Other props such as a gun are used which may highlight his former career and the level he will go to find his missing daughter. The gun also shows that he is not a force to mess with and that taking his daughter in the first place was never a good idea, not that the protagonists knew. The phone in the scene where the daughter is kidnapped is also very effective in showing how little information and a phone call can help him track down the protagonists. The phone call also creates a very frightening atmosphere as the audience receive a point of view aspect of the situation she is in. Therefore the phone is a very effective prop which created a high climatic atmosphere. The phone is also a very big party in which the antagonist has confrontation with the protagonist in which the former spy presents himself as a man not to mess with and fully determined to find his daughter and the kidnappers. The confrontation has also become a well-known speech, familiar to all.

Francis Evdokimov

3. character action

Character action is very well acted out by the characters in this trailer in order to give an insight to their role and the type of character they are e.g. vulnerable, soft, determined … From the start of the trailer we receive the understanding that the daughter is a fathers girl, and that the father is very protective of her, therefore she being vulnerable without him. The father also being a former spy seems much more composed in the scene in which she is abducted. As seen in the image, her NVC shows signs of stress, fearfulness, and vulnerability. However the father is seen much more composed and ready in the fact that these next few moments are the most important for him to have an understanding of what he will be up against. The father is also seen as a very determined, tough character willing to

go extreme heights in order to reach his goal of finding his taken daughter. This is seen in most part of the trailer and especially his personality and characteristics are shown when he points his gun and screams “Where is she?” clearly showing his desperation and unwillingness to give up in the search of his daughter. His actions also in the movie trailer are shown to be very strong and passionate in the sense that he will go through many obstacles and life threatening actions to save his daughter. This is shown in a quick shot of a huge explosion, which signifies the height of his goal and whether it was him who set it off or another obstacle.

Francis Evdokimov

4. Costume and make up

As seen on the right, the costume for the daughter is a red cardigan and a flowered patterned dress. The colour red may symbolise that she is in insecure and is vulnerable to danger. This can also be implied through the flowered patterned, as it may be seen ‘soft’ and not very masculine. Once more the flowers may also represent an easy target, as flowers them selves are not strong plants. The flower can also be a representation of herself, being good looking but rather soft and insecure, needing protection (father). The former spy however starts the trailer dressed casual/smart to portray himself being a retired former spy, and the costume may represent how he is relaxed and not in the business anymore. However as soon as the kidnap pig scene occurs, we see a whole different costume chosen. As seen on the right, he wears all black, darkly coloured costume. Black implies self-control and discipline, independence and determination, giving an impression of authority, leadership and power. This successfully represents the character we will later see in the trailer. A man determined to find his daughter and will go to extreme lengths in order to do so. Black colour also infers the unknown, and this being the case for the protagonists as they are unaware of his past, and capabilities.

The audience also get a glimpse of the antagonists costume during his search for his daughter. This costume he once more wears black coloured clothing but a leather jacket. Leather jackets imply a tough, hard man, and someone not to mess with. Leather jackets also connote to bikers, and bikers once more have this representation of being hard men, who you would not want to stand up to or get in the way of.

Francis Evdokimov

5. editing (pace transitions)

In this movie trailer we get a glimpse of very fast action paced transitions in which are hard to keep up with and portray the many situations and obstacles the antagonist has to face in order to find his taken daughter. To the start of the trailer the audience experience slow paced editing which may show the worth of his daughter and his close bond to her. However once she leaves on holiday the cuts start to become more edgy and less easy to follow with. This is purposely done in order to show the rapid reality of his daughter’s situation. This is done by the shots being cut from one angle to another but keeping the scene set. This can be seen in the group of photos down below. The pace is very quick switching from one angle to another and crosscutting in the same time to show the quick response of the father in this drastic reality. The cross cuts add to the quick pace of the actually situation and the use of these cuts may express the tense and unstable situation the daughter is in. Once the daughter is taken, in the trailer the audience are faced with the antagonist with confronting the kidnapper, and whilst the talk, there are many fast paced cross cuts to the antagonist in action, expressing the troubles and the great heights he will go to save his daughter. These quick paced cuts show many kinds of actions preformed from fighting, to explosions and other violent related actions. May show rapidity of the former spy and how brutal he can be. May also show the long and hard journey to find his daughter.

Francis Evdokimov

6. film format - HD black and white, sepia etc).

The film trailer is shot in HD. There isn’t much change in the film format however there is one occasion where the format changes from normal colour to black and white. As already mentioned this is seen during the scene in which the retired spy takes a picture of his daughter and her friend going into the airport. This as said before, may mean this could be the last photograph of the daughter.

7. sound (music – non diegetic, diegetic)

Dialogue is key in this film trailer. The main character (former spy) has a long conversation on the phone with his daughter’s kidnapper. During this conversation, we see many cross cuts to different situations and actions taken by him. He talks about his skills, and this is performed in the many cuts during this speech. The skills he mentions are backed up by future shots of him whilst searching for his daughter. “I have a particular set of skills” which is then followed by screams of a man most likely tied up to chair, once more using the echoed effect, to show this never ending pain and how serious the antagonist is. When the daughter is having a conversation with her father, a faint but peaceful non diegetic sound is used in order to present a harmless and stable environment. However as soon as the picture is taken a strong tense and uncomfortable non diegetic sound takes over, signalling the start of bad events and tragedy. Echo is used very effectively to portray the screams of his daughter through the phone. The screams are echoed which produce a feeling of never ending pain. The echo may also represent how the father has the screams constantly running through his head, as if scarring him.