Analysing the trailer of Monster.
Monster is a film about the first and most well known female serial killer, Aileen Wuornos, who killed 7 customers while working as a prostitute in the late 80's in America. The movie is well known more so for the transformation Charlize Theron went through in order to become Aileen. The trailer shows how Aileen progresses into a killer. The mis en scene is a particularly important part in this trailer, as many people are interested in how well Theron has been transformed into a low class, unnattractive serial killer. (She is, of course, generally seen as a beautiful woman, sometimes a sex object.) As she gets older, the frame gets larger. There's a close up on her hand while she's looking for customers indicating she's a prostitute. There is also non-diegetic sound of gunshots which insist she has in fact killed someone. There are many close-ups meaning the film involves a lot of emotion throughout the movie. The acting is focused on in this trailer. There is no need for any 'spectacle' or clever editing as the portrayals of each character is the most important thing in this trailer. The non-diegetic sound is music. The mood of the music is quite saddening and the main character narrating what is happening. The narrative is an insight into the mind of Aileen and her reasons for doing these things. It's showing how a person with generally good morals can turn into something truly horrific. The introduction of the character Selby links in with the visual of Christina Ricci's name, implying that this is her character. Overall, we can tell the movie is telling the story of a low-class, grungy murderer, what led them to such acts and how they are treated after they've commited the murder.
Analysing the trailer of American Psycho.
The movie American Psycho is a thriller/black comedy, it combines serious issues such as mental illness and psychotic behaviour with comical situations and narrative. The trailer makes it clear that both of these factors are indeed a huge part of the movie. The quick cuts suggest that it is a fast paced movie, filled with a wide variety of emotions, none of which are displayed by the protagonist. He is shown to be a cold-hearted non human monster. The text used to describe Patrick Bateman's day has an outdate 80's look, implying it is set in the 80's. The mis en scene also shows this. The costumes worn by the men, their hair, mixed with the dialogue show they are the stereotypical middle class 'yuppies' living in 1980's America. It is clear they have money, they are of a high status and have a sense of arrogance about them. In none of the clips does Bateman show any emotion other than happiness. When we see this mixed with him violently killing people, we know the title indeed refers to him.
