The rebellious music then continues and leads the viewer into the next scene of the trailer. Here the viewer is faced with a grown-up Jimmy, sauntering into work late and being rebuked for this. It is as if Jimmy hasn’t a care in the world, yet his workplace most definitely does not look like a sport’s ground! It is clear from this that Jimmy gave up on his childhood dream and has found himself working in a dingy, dirty factory doing manual labour, a far cry from playing football. This is clever as it makes the viewer frustrated, it was made clear Jimmy has the skills but has chosen to forget them; the viewer is now left wanting to shake him and remind him of his talent. The audience is hooked as they feel it is their duty to ensure Jimmy “makes it”.
It is in this same scene that the film company play their next card; they introduce the female love interest. Jimmy’s face lights up as an attractive young female walks past the factory workers. Again, coarse language is use, “There’s no way you’ll get your leg over ‘er!” By involving a woman the directors have provided a bit more body to the plot, as in the next scene Jimmy is observed asking this female out on a date. Now, not only is it hoped Jimmy will make it as a footballer, but also that he will succeed in seducing this young female.
Over the next few scenes we observe Jimmy’s steady progression from playing for a small minor league team, to being given the opportunity to try out for Sheffield Utd. We then see Jimmy with the female character being told, “Jimmy, it’s your trial tomorrow, you oughtta make it a quiet night!”
In the next scene Jimmy is ordering a round of whiskies for his colleagues in what appears to be a strip club. This is the complication that the audience has been waiting for. Now, Jimmy’s course is not going to be plain sailing, there is a spanner in the works. The follow scene shows the inevitable, a very hung over Jimmy waking up late for his trail at Sheffield. Jimmy has “blown it”.
Suddenly there is a change in music to a very insistent beat, almost determined. We are shown random snippets of people giving Jimmy a hard time, his lover included: “Is that what you want, strippers and booze?” His old coach, “Potential’s no good if you haven’t got the courage to use it.”
By doing this the directors have drawn the viewer in. The viewer wants to say their own words of encouragement to Jimmy; they really want to see him succeed. By putting this impediment in the way, the viewer has found a reason to watch the film, for it seems there is some drama along the way. This is a clever ploy by the directors.
Then we are shown images of Jimmy training hard again, it looks as though he really did pay attention to everything people told him. Finally in the closing scenes we see the fairytale ending the audience has been expecting since the opening shot; Jimmy scoring the winning goal for Sheffield Utd. He has made it! To reinforce the sport aspect and conclude the trailer “When Saturday Comes” is flashed up on the screen in red and white team colours.
The directors in this trailer have decided to give the main storyline of this film away. By doing this they have taken a gamble. They are hoping that the majority of people will want to watch the film for all of the sub-plots, and for the British comedy of the film. They will not appeal to those who do not like to know the plot in advance, but those who prefer a simple British comedy. This film is very similar to other gritty northern films which have been very successful. Billy Elliot and Brassed Off are examples of such dramas, which are based around the lower working class of northern England. These films appeal to those who are members of the working class themselves, films made by low-budget companies for low-budget families. These types of films have a relatively limited audience, however, as the American audience tend not to appreciate this type of British film. They, instead, prefer the image of the “stiff-upper lip” gentry of the country, whom in real life only populate a very small amount of the country. They prefer the kind of film I will now be analysing, a film such as “Sense & Sensibility”.
“S&S” is most famous as a novel by Jane Austen, not as a film. The novel is a romantic classic, appreciated by many world-wide. The success of the book itself gives a good reflection on the plot, so the film cannot really go far wrong. Already in its favour, “S&S” was directed by Columbia, a well-known and respected big budget film company. It stars Kate Winslet and Hugh Grant, two extremely famous and highly successful film stars alongside other famous names: Alan Rickman, Emma Thompson; in this film no expenses have been spared.
The trailer opens to classical brass music, with a very deep British voiceover: “This year only one motion picture will bring you all the surprises that life and love have to offer.” The image is one of a large estate with a few recognisable faces decked out in typical 1800s costume. The characters are shown prancing gleefully around a perfectly treated lawn, flirtatiously laughing. We are then shown a succession of various shots, with a high percentage of them comic scenes. The genre has been established it is a period romantic comedy. As a contrast to the previous film, “S&S” appears as if it will be a film for the ladies; a “chick-flick”.
Over the next few scenes we see various shots of the sisters courting, and gossiping about their love experiences in their bedrooms. Definitely a film for the girls! We then see a shot of a man atop a horse on a hill shrouded by mist. There appears to be some drama involved, as in the next scene we see him carrying one of the sisters who is dripping wet and shivering. Again, more shots of comedy are shown alongside the romantic sections. The voiceover is back: “Academy award winners, Kate Winslet and Hugh Grant….” Just to reassure anyone who wasn’t sure of the huge names involved, Columbia pictures boasts further of their lead characters.
Over the course of this trailer the directors haven’t revealed very much about the plot at all. The scenes are not in chronological order, and are not shown for long enough to give the plot away.
By doing this the directors have managed to capture the imagination of many viewers and have managed not to tell as much of the plot as the people watching the trailer think they have. Obviously the exception to this is those people that have read the novel, but for them this film will have a different appeal as many people enjoy very much seeing the film adaptation of books.
The directors are confident in the way they have made this trailer as they know the film is guaranteed to be a success. The title itself is well known to many people, they don’t even need to make a trailer really. Just flashing the title and the actors involved would most probably have the same effect.
This is a stark contrast To “WSC” because the directors of that trailer had to give away almost the entire plot to try and entice people to see the film. “S&S” also has the advantage of having an instant appeal to out Atlantic neighbours in America. As I mentioned before, the Americans like to keep an image of the gentry of England, those that talk with the plum-in-the-mouth accent. America is the premiership of all countries to conquer, and if this film is a success over there then it is a guaranteed box-office smash.
Personally I don’t find the trailer for “WSC” successful at all, as I don’t like to know much of the plot before I watch a film. Aside from this the subject seems boring, even though I am an avid football fan myself. The only part of the trailer that appealed to me was the coarse Northern language. I enjoy watching gritty Brit-comedies myself, so I could be tempted to give the film a try for its comedy element. I find the trailer for “S&S” intrigues me much more, but I am most definitely one for the classics- having a large collection of them in my bookcase. There is not much of the plot given away and I appreciate Hugh Grant’s acting. The difficulty in choosing between the effectiveness of these two trailers is that I am instantly biased by the film genres. The topic of “WSC” (talented working-class man achieves premiership success) just does not appeal to me whereas “S&S” (classic romantic comedy with Hugh Grant) interests me greatly.
