Wednesday 14 April 2021

Q block - textual analysis - No Time To Die trailer


Analyse the genre conventions of this trailer, and explore how have they changed over time

Introduction

  • Definition - Genre conventions refer to the typical elements which make up a genre.
  • Argument - Genre is essential, as it allows audiences to understand the ideologies of the producer before even watching a film, and it allows producers to create media products more effectively. However, sticking to genre conventions can limit creativity and can be boring for audiences.
  • Context: film trailers are used to appeal to potential audiences, ad to attract people who may not normally engage with the featured genre.

Plan

Generic paradigms

Action film: diegetic sound, loud, fast paced, exciting, explosions

Thriller: MES of guns and violence

Guns function as a proairetic code, suggesting violence 

Range of beautiful women, hegemonically attractive

Disfigured, disabled villain. Reinforces binary opposition between good and evil

Attractive women: male gaze

Action scenes, acts of violence, car chase

Conventional action thriller

Todorovian narrative: disruption and equilibrium 

Violence is used as a spectacle for the target audience

Male, heterosexual, middle aged target audience (but mass audience)

Must target mass audience! Pre-existing audience

Star appeal

Lexis 'die': proairetic code. Aggressive and violence, clear genre convention

Steve Neal: repetition and difference

Content 

Point

No Time to Die is a highly conventional action film, and contains many key paradigmatic features of the action genre.

Evidence

  • Fast paced editing creates a sense of excitement and engagement for the audience
  • MES of expensive, luxurious cars is symbolic of danger and luxury, and conforms to action genre conventions
  • The use of loud, aggressive and exciting diegetic sounds positions the audience in an exciting mode of address
  • Pleonastic sound: exaggerated and overly loud
  • MES of protagonist's clothing is symbolic of his middle class status. Provides escapism to target working class audience
  • Hand held M/S tracking the protagonist. Immersive mode of address for the audience
  • L/S of bond riding up staircase, combined w/ high key lighting conveys magnitude of situation
  • Luxurious, almost fantastical settings appeal to a working class audience
  • Hegemonically attractive and 'exotic' women again are used to provide pleasure to a heterosexual male audience. MES of the actor's high cut dress is symbolic of sex and sexuality