Trailer Analysis - Gravity

Gravity is a Science fiction Thriller, released in 2013, had a budget of $100 million and made a box office of $716 million.

A great scene is set to grab audience’s attention by the establishing long shot of the earth from out of space, telling us where the film is set. As we hear a male voiceover referring to the view, possibly indicating a POV shot, as if we are there with the man. With the diegetic voiceover growing into a conversation between two people, no clear narration is used to tell the story during the trailer leaves the viewers hungry to find out more.

The conversation creates enigma between the audiences as they don’t get to know the characters much more, although suspense is build and persuasion to watching the film is also involved as the audience realise they are involved between this conversation.

With a variety of shots being taken ranging from long to medium close ups to extreme close up on both the characters. A convention of the trailer is used with titles being placed between shots alongside conversation creating narrative exhibition. Only witnessing space in the trailer a post modern atmosphere is set with a clear sci-fi genre shown. Jean Baudrillard’s Hyper reality can be brought into this as all filmed is CGI but audience thinks it’s real, but it’s not. With amazing effects to create this look real, soft non diegetic music is used throughout the trailer is used, while reaching Todorov’s theory of equilibrium, a disruption is caused to create tension at which the music stops to bring out the diegetic sound out. With the shots of the explosion are accompanied by loud diegetic sounds of discomfort. The panicked atmosphere is toughened by the overstated diegetic sound of the female astronaut hyperventilating.

This creates the scene for the female astronaut as the weaker character (princess in Propp’s character theory) who needs saving by the protagonist which we don’t find out. With her being blown into space, different types of shots are used to imply the speed of all the disruptions happening in, without being able to absorb much in, placing us in space and worries us if they will survive, wanting us to watch the film. As the female character continues to shout in discomfort, the pace of the trailer does not slow down, as the disaster hasn’t ended. At this moment titles begin to appear on screen showing us that producers from previous known films have created this movie which would attract a larger audience base to go watch the film.