Two Lovers - Official Trailer [HD] analysis

Before I begin my analysis of the trailer I have to explain that the narrative of the film , is completely different to what the title and the film poster suggest.Yes there are two lovers but the passion and lust that was depicted in the poster seems to be watered down in this film- which differs from the passion we are hoping to convey.However it is always interesting to analyse trailers and see what inspirations we can derive from it.As we are doing a teaser I have only analysed a minute of footage.

(Hi) As she says this piece of short dialogue, her face is quirked in a slanted smile, suggesting that she is perhaps excited or surprised. The use of positioning shows her to be looking away from the camera, so she is not breaking the 4th wall, indicating that she is perhaps detached from the audience, whereas Postmodern films such as 500 days of Summer has the male protagonist Tom looking directly at the camera breaking this fourth wall. The use of lighting here is dark indicating that it is a rough old flat, enhanced by the use of costume, which uses dark colours so that she can blend into the background more effectively , indicating her perhaps sly personalisation. The use of the background behind her I feel has been deliberately chosen so that she is the main focus of the shot, further implemented by the centring of the shot.

You live here right? She asks this in a rhetorical manner , as though she already knows this, using a tag question to support this.The other person whom she is talking to is also in dark clothing which suggests that he or she holds an ambiguous identity. However from my pragmatic knowledge I can deduce that this person is a male from her use of body language e.g. she is leant towards him with her hands outstretched from a far distance, inclining him to step towards her. The use of the long loose blonde hair suggests that as the title aptly suggests she is one of his two lovers, indicating that she perhaps enjoys indulging in dangerous affairs.The male is also turned away from the camera, so that the angling is almost over his shoulder into his point of view of her, which shows intriguing shot composition, as the varaition between the two shows diverse shot types meshed together.

( angelic chorus non diegetic soundtrack)

The use of this title screen is to give the audience the knowledge of what institution is backing the film, although it doesn't appear to be a well known production company ; despite being produced by an American distributor. The use of the institution company is accompanied by an non-digetic angelic chorus, which gives the effect of suggesting there will be elements of purity within it, so perhaps the divide between pure and dangerous e.g. with the whole cheating element. This is something we should take into consideration when looking at soundtracks, so something similar to this would be effective.

( sound bridge of soundtrack still)
The sound then transcends into the next scene creating a sound bridge , further implemented by the fade in which shows that is a different scene rather than a continuum. I really like the idea of sound bridges and I feel that we should inc operate it in ours, dependent on how we construct the script and other contributing factors. The use of location is also important, as this wide shot displays. For example it sets the scene in a busy road, with electric pylons/shops contrasting against the naturalistic beauty of the trees on the path. This shows a typically industrial urban environment embedded in nature, suggesting that is probably a big ' conventional city' although pragmatically you would be able to deduce that it is not 'London' since the Americanised tourist version of it is not shown e.g. red buses

(Hi)
This scene introduces a new woman in a closeup which again obscures the identity of the man which suggests that he is the instigator of the love affair, indicating that he is in control. This is something I would like to incorporate in our production. The slight smile on her face seems to replicate the previous woman's which suggests that perhaps they are very similar in some instances e.g. their behaviour, their mannerisms, they way they interact, speak with him. This is perhaps why he is having an affair with both of them because he cant choose which one he likes best. The use of the dialogue 'hi' is confident and demands surety suggesting that she is not submissive and will not be dominated by the male power.

( is that your bedroom in the back)
This is again another rhetorical question instigated by the female, which she repeated earlier on in the trailer, indicating a theme of repetition.Perhaps she has done this to gain more information about him as a person or perhaps she is hesitant and is attempting to make conversation with him and she can think of nothing else to say.The theme of ambiguity is used once again which allows the audience to be intrigued and engage their attention. The use of location is conventional, set in a household environment, conforming to the conventions of a romantic genre film trailer.The use of body language is also an intriguing feature, clearly emphasised by the positioning towards the door and the pointed finger which reinforces her point, that she made in her interrogative.

( I can see you from my apartment)
undesperate as she doesn't want to give a bad impression.

This closeup/ extreme closeup uses a side angle to significantly highlight his eyes, which gives the audience a further clue as to how he looks, but still the rest of his face is covered, so it continues to give the audience ambiguity and mystery, suggesting that this is typical of his characteristics. The use of the blue light also gives a sense of the abnormal, giving the audience the impression that perhaps he is not all that he seems at first sight.

( our parents want us to meet)
The choice of lexis here suggests that it is serious between them, at least to her it appears so, but the way in which his head is turned away from her disinterested suggests that he does not feel the same way about her- perhaps she is something fun, a person who he can mess around with but not commit to. This far shot is again very dark and gloomy, further implementing the idea of a romantic Drama genre. What I feel we should include in ours is juxtaposition between dark and light shots. For example a bedroom scene with dark dim lighting contrasting against a bright outdoor scene.

(Actually .....)
The transition into this next shot is interesting through the positioning  of her behind the door glancing out cautiously as she tries to observe what is going on perhaps, suggesting that she is eavesdropping. The use of the diegetic dialogue ' actually' makes it an open ended statement as we are unsure of what she is going to say next because of the pragmatical elision that is effectively used.

(.. I wanted us to meet)
It then cuts back to the same shot two frames beforehand, but instead using a closeup shot, completely focusing on her as she tells him ' I wanted us to meet' which again implements how much she likes him despite her unawareness of his infidelity as such. The small smile on her face is apparent while she talks and the device of her blinking infers that she is quite nervous. The use of sepia brown frames with a washed out effect appears to have been used here which could represent her characterisation, that perhaps she is seen as dull and dreary .

( his point of view shot)
This use of a point of view shot is very effective in primarily establishing what he is seeing clearly but it also allows the audience to identify with him, whether they feel emotive ect or feel empathy for him.

'hey'
The colloquial greeting shows how comfortable she is with him as there is no formality between them and her expression is that of pure unbridled joy. They have also blurred the background behind her slightly which gives the sense that it isn't the main focus of the frame, instead because she is at the centre- slightly towards the right, so therefore the camera focuses on her, not what is going on around her.

( are you going to the city)
I really like this shot as it has been paused at a point where, there is a fade in and fade out and as you can see here it includes the next scene within it which gives it an almost abstract artistic effect which I love and I feel we should try and incorporate this in our own film. The characters in the background have also been blurred which seems as though she feels its just them two in the world, they are isolated from the rest of society because of their love for each other.

This is quite a simple yet effective shot as again it demonstrates them being away from the rest of the society as notice how everyone is many steps behind. This also shows the themes of country vs city, suggesting that the mix of these environments are typical in a romantic genre film , so this is something we will have to think of in our own when looking into locations in-depth.

( so Michelle tells me you guys are neighbours)
This shows an informal atmosphere, further emphasised by the colloquial lexis used and the location that it is set in i.e the restaurant. You also get the understanding that this perhaps is her father and he looks directly at the protagonist as though he is trying to search him for faults in case he should hurt his daughter.