Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels Analysis

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The titles that appear in the lock stock and two smoking barrels are not what you would expect from a crime thriller, due to the fact that it takes form as a crime-thriller-comedy hybrid genre, with comedy having an integral role within the narrative of the film. However, they do conform to the thriller genre as they employ typical conventions of the thriller film with the font being accented with shadow lighting effects. The titles are consistent with the time period the film is set in, as the font is clear and modern. It is a minimalistic bold lettering, which has connotations of a “no nonsense” attitude, something which typifies the British “geezer” genre of film. This font is reflective of the conservative, masculine attitude of the main characters in the narrative. It is apparent that the arrangement of the letters is non-standardised, with the letters being placed in what appears to be an unorganised manner, with the letters not being formatted in a straight line. This can also be seen in similar-era films such as ‘Starsky & Hutch’ and ‘Snatch’. The font itself tells us the film will be serious, whilst the non-standardised arrangement of letters hints towards the comedic elements that are present within the film. This arrangement could also relate to the nature of the characters as it is unorganised, which could reflect the possible incompetence of some of the characters, from which comedy will arise. The simplistic design is also very typical of the director Guy Ritchie, which suggests he would have had some input on the idea, his other films use little colour and are clear, which is found in some of his films such as ‘Rock n Rolla’ and again, ‘Snatch’, which reflects not only the genre of film they take, and the nature of the characters in the film, but also the key demographic he is trying to appeal to with his films.




This is the film title as it appears in the trailer. As you can see they are very easy to read, they are bold and stand out and they have a tilted orientation, which is a stylistic feature included to connote comedy, and hint towards the premise of the film. The picture to the left is also quite funny as you wouldn’t expect that to be a serious picture of the typical ‘gangster’. They also have reference to Britain as the background of the with the use of a union jack, this is included to introduce an element of British national identity to make the film appealing to British people, and people who have an interest in British culture and identity. The black background is also powerful as makes the title and graphic juxtapose with the background and highlight the features of the text. A “smoke” effect is included to make the titles more effective allowing them to take in this image fully and allowing the union jack to have a more empirical effect and allows the union jack to be effective without the need to make it large. The ‘pillar’ the characters appear to be stood on is red which is a connotation of blood and danger, things which are both a big part of the film and very common throughout with gun crime, car crashes and gang rivalry. This could be a dexterical symbol that connotes their status, that they have achieved great heights through the shed of blood and violence. The characters have also been edited into a silhouette which has, they provide us with a sense of mystery and we want to match the characters seen in the trailer to the four seen above, this is a technique used to relate to the audience and make them want to watch it. This use of the white colour reiterates the light tone of the film and further demonstrates it as a hybrid comedy genre film.
It has reference to its three part hybrid genre of comedy, crime and thriller throughout and they are entwined and demonstrated effectively. Crime is an integral element of the film with the involvement of weapons, drugs and gang rivalry being common themes throughout. It is also a thriller because the audience is made to feel tension through tense plot devices to evoke tension for the audience. This is evident in the trailer as one gang member is caught by another and held at gun point, and gang members hide in other gang’s houses, which is an area which they are not welcome. A comedic element arises through the apparent “dopiness” and stupidity of the other characters in the film. There is a scene where a character with a perm is shot and the bullet goes straight through his hair leaving behind a hole of smoke, this is a deliberately unrealistic “slapstick” effect to create comedy as it highlights the incompetence of the character being shot. As exaggerated action in accompaniment with “swooshing” is included as a stylistic device to introduce an element of individuality from other films in this genre, as it assumes a pseudo-cartoon style. It relates to other films directed by Guy Ritchie such as ‘Snatch’ with the thriller and crime side which is why I think he found scope to add humour, this is another reason the hybrid genres are very well portrayed.
The film is rated 18 so the audience intended is people over the age of 18. I think this is a suitable age rating for the film, because it includes adult themes such as weapons and drug usage and sexual content. In addition I think people younger than this age such as 14 or 15 would struggle to understand some of the subtexts and underlying meanings of the plotline and because of this will struggle to make sense of the storyline. The film could have to contain these elements in order to be successful so I think the certificate is appropriate.
The trailer appeals to these by showing the more violent, comedic scenes and clearly hinting that the characters are gangsters and involved with the gangster lifestyle. Stereotypically we know this involves weapons, drugs and sexual content mentioned above so it is clear to the audience that the full version will be rated 18. They do widen the appeal of the film with comedy which could also be a bad thing as younger viewers might be tempted to watch it or secretly download it on the computer without parental consent; I would say this is the only negative connotation of the trailer.
Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels had a very unique selling point as it was one of the first successful British gangster crime thrillers at the time it came out in 1998. The fact that comedy and crime had been infused together, but still with its serious tone allowed it to be one of a kind and make it a desirable film to watch. I also think some people would have been able to relate to situations in it throughout or at least hear about the kinds or storylines in everyday conversation, particularly at that time in London as the film also involves lots of modern day issues.
The cast of the film also give it a high reputation and make it very creditable as it includes such actors as Jason Statham and Vinnie Jones. Jason Statham is quite a talented actor so the audience will enjoy watching his performance and he does all his own stunts, another respectable characteristic of an actor. Vinnie Jones is an ex Welsh footballer so he will already have had a largely accumulated fan base through that profession. He is also typically known as a ‘hard man’ so he plays the roll very well. The fact these actors portray the characters perfectly makes this kind of film very successful. In the trailer, the film was regarded as “Fresh, fast and utterly original” by Jonathan Foreman of the New York Post. His compliment will also encourage an audience.

The trailer begins with dialogue from the mouth of Vinnie Jones, he introduces the trailer with “rack them guns up, count the money and put your seat belt on”, and this is diegetic sound. As you can see this tackles the issues of weapons, money and is followed by a humorous comment, neutralising and lightening the mood/situation. As this is the first thing you hear from the trailer before any non-spoken sound you can already get an idea of what the film is going to be like. Music then begins as a guitar chord is strung and a rock riff is layered above it. This runs along with a chase scene were Jason Statham is running away from the police and it provides the action seen on screen with a sense of energy.
In terms of non-diegetic sound, an American narrator then begins to say the reviews it has received over the top of the scene and praise how good it is giving it credibility. This is in direct contrast with the actual film as ‘Lock, Stock’ is very British, but I think buy the narrator having an American accent it mixes it up and makes it less confusing; if the narrator was English it wouldn’t work as well as they would all have similar accents and it would seem quite monotone, America is home to a large culture of film so this also adds to its credibility.
The fast tempo rock soundtrack continues to build to a crescendo throughout as drums and percussion are layered on top, along with bass guitar. This makes us think it will be action packed, full of energy and chaotic throughout with lots of exciting features and scenes as that would fit the soundtrack we are hearing as do the scenes we are shown in the trailer. We also hear diegetic sounds and sound effects of money flickering, guns being reloaded and characters shouting which reassure the audience of what it will be like. Pauses in the narrative speech allow for characters to be introduced or say a few lines from the film, this is a way to tease the audience and leave them on a cliff-hanger which will make them want to watch the film. Halfway through the trailer the first rock song switches to a Classic Brit Pop song by Oasis, this adds credibility as they are a world famous band and it will be another enjoyable part of the trailer for people. Not only this, but fans of Oasis (which would have been millions of people) will be drawn to the film and may become encouraged to see it simply through this feature.

Guy Ritchie Interview

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I read an interview with Guy Ritchie where he was questioned on aspects of the film industry, and how he came to create the genre of his films. It has lots of references to crime which is very appropriate for our own production. I have chosen to do this because Guy Ritchie is the Director of ‘Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels’ which has been the biggest influence on our own production.
I have taken out the most inspiring comments and the ones which relate to our production below.

“England no longer has the identity that we previously understood it to have. It's become international like New York has become international.”

This quote is a particular favourite of mine as it is effective through it's subtlety. It shows how England can act as a blank canvas for many different films. This opportunity allows for
a large amount of creativity to make your production successful and unique.


As you grow older, do you approach criminals less romantically in your movies?
Guy Ritchie: Probably not. No, it's pretty much an objective view of crime on the whole. I try not to be ethical or moral about it. It's simply an observation and commentary on that observation. That sounded relatively intellectual…

As we have criminal activity and behaviour as a key theme in our production, this quote is very relevant to our production. This allowed us to see a professional view on the whole idea of portraying criminals in film. He states that he tries not to be ethical or moral about the situation which gives him scope to produce any kinds of crime and if he avoids these stereotypes it is more realistic.

Have you ever met any sinister underworld members whilst researching your movies?
Guy Ritchie: Absolutely not. The criminal underbelly of society is heavily frowned upon by myself.

Really?
Guy Ritchie: Well, I will say that some of the ideas from past movies are based on things I’ve heard about. Take the pig feeding story in Snatch as an example. That's a cliché of how people disposed of bodies. Since then I've seen it pop up in several movies, but I had met the guy that used to remove the teeth before they chopped them up and gave them to the pigs.

This shows how the crime he implements in his films aren't influenced by his life experiences. He can realise a realistic criminal reality without experiencing it himself which is inspirational and shows that as we are not in contact with the criminal underworld, we can produce something similar.

Was that a scary meeting?

Guy Ritchie: Now he's a grandfather. He's a lovely chap. He gives to charity, he runs his local football team and he looks like your average avuncular generous individual. So sometimes there's nothing exotic about the exoticism of crime. That's kind of interesting in itself – that sometimes people can do what we see as heinous and nefarious acts and to them it's just par for the course.

This shows how, even real life human beings can have contrasting personalities where they might be a violent psychotic in one situation, and in another they might be a caring charity worker. This can be applied to our production as you may think the gangsters are stereotypical ‘hard-men', but they are shown to possess characteristics that would indicate that they are capable of being kind and caring. By keeping the intentions of our criminal characters ambiguous, we can keep the narrative interesting and exciting.

Film Promotion

Film promotion is a method of promotion used in the film industry in order to market a new production by enhancing publicity of a new production created by a film studio. Film studios may invest in expensive advertising campaigns to heighten awareness of a film and maximise film revenue early on in the release cycle. The most commonly used method of advertisement is through the production of trailers. Trailers are very important in the production of the film as they are instantly accessible to all movie-goers, as they are displayed at the beginning of a major film either at a cinema, or at the beginning of a DVD or Blu-ray disc. Trailers are hugely useful towards heightening the appeal of a production as they provide the viewer with the best possible experience of what to expect from the film, without watching the film itself. In a trailer, excerpts from a film are shown in a condensed manner for duration of around 2 and half minutes. This is most probably the most successful type of promotional technique as this method of film promotion is in the form of an audio-visual medium; this is the most useful insight into a film for people who have no previous knowledge of the production in question. It is also notable that the type of trailer for a future film is strategically accompanied with a major film of the same genre. For example, a film company may decide to display a trailer for a new, up and coming thriller film, with another thriller production in order to appeal to their target audience; people who enjoy watching thriller films, this is likely to heighten the popularity of certain films even further.
Another key technique of film promotion is the utilisation of film posters. Modern film posters consist of photographs taken from the film, accompanied by the title of the production, in addition, the name of the director or ‘stars’ that have participated in the creation of the film may be included, in order to appeal to a fan of previous work they have participated in. In certain cases a tagline is included to provide an insight into the tone or premise of the film. For example, in a comedy film, the tag line may consist of a witty remark or joke, a typical convention of the comedy genre, and something that is relevant towards the film. Movie posters are often displayed either inside of cinemas or on the outside of a cinema, to make the advertisement of the trailer easily accessible to film fans. Standees are often displayed in major cinemas in accompaniment with the film posters. Standees are large self-standing structures, usually taking form as a character for the film.
Film distributors may invest funds into television and radio also. It is estimated the Hollywood distributors invest over $4,000,000,000 a year into paid television advertising, which may consist of 30 second television advertisements. Funds may also go into product placement also. Television adverts are hugely successful, as it takes form as an audio-visual medium, whilst being very accessible to a very wide range of people. Film distributors may also invest in product placement, which is a technique which ensures that a film may either be mentioned in another television show in dialogue, or in the form of an on set poster. In addition to this, extended placement may occur, in which extended exposure is provided of the film on entertainment shows, such as popular UK chat shows (The Jonathan Ross Show), or news programmes such as ITN. Exposure may be provided on these shows to the film itself (by showing clips of the film), the stars in the film, or even the director. Film distributors may also utilise the internet in order to promote films. Viral marketing campaigns could be used on the internet in order to promote the film. A notable viral campaign was for ‘The Dark Knight’, a ‘marquee blockbuster’ which was released in 2008, in 2007 a website was produced in which the main tagline for the film was established, “Why so serious?” Also, the website contained a pixelated image, which was de-pixelated with every email sent by fans, the image revealed the release date for the film. This is a clever method of heightening appeal for a film.
In addition to television and the internet being used as a tool for film promotion, paid advertisement may be included in newspapers and magazines. Cross promotion may occur in the original novelisation of a film (e.g. Lord of the Rings); with a new cover jacket displaying the fact the novel has been made into a motion picture. Merchandising is also used as a tool for film promotion with paid co-branding, or co-advertising the film with another product (e.g. Aston Martin and 007). Promotional give-aways are often considered, most commonly with children’s movies (The Rugrats Movie) with special cups, toys and film themed options at fast food chains such as Burger King. Quite often promotional tours are conducted for high scale releases, in which the actors, directors and producers appear for television, radio or magazine interviews, with clips or outtakes from the film being displayed in accompaniment with the interview.
Before large production companies actually set about releasing a ‘marquee’ film, the distributors of the film conduct several types of audience research beforehand. It is estimated that over $1 is spent on audience research alone. Smaller ‘indie’ film producers have a much lower budget than larger ones; so as a result, no audience research is conducted by these companies. Large production companies will carry out seven distinct types of audience research beforehand. Firstly, the film distributor will conduct positioning studies, comparing them to releases at a similar time, this is to see how the film will fare financially, to see if there is much competition from other releases. Film distributors also proceed with test screenings of finished or nearly finished films that they have done. In addition to this, they test audience response to advertising materials. Six weeks before the film is released, tracking studies are conducted of audience awareness of the film. Exit surveys are also produced, which aim to question film goers of their demographic makeup and effectiveness of marketing. The film distributors also go about testing the title of the production in the early stages, with them recording the response to various different titles. Also, concept testing will occur in the developmental phase of a film, even before the film is produced.

The Departed Trailer analysis

The Departed Trailer Analysis

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The title of the film trailer I have chosen to analyse is ‘The Departed’. The title itself suggests a major theme of the film is death, a typical convention of the crime thriller genre, this will be suggested to fans of crime thrillers through this title, thus attracting fans of crime thrillers such as this. This title could also refer to a major character, or characters that die either before or during the course of the film, possibly suggesting the there is a certain importance of this character upon the plot of the film. The title of the film could also refer to someone, who is a friend or family member of one of the characters, dying, or leaving their company, potentially creating a plot for the film, or to create an emotional link for the audience to the character. The Departed could also refer to a departure of normal behaviour of one of the characters, which is the main plotline of the film, in which a police officer is planted within a gang, and a gang member is planted within the police force. The title itself is shown in a blocky san serif font, possibly to reflect the gritty nature of the film and the characters within it. The title is displayed upon a silhouette of a handgun against a musky grey coloured background. The font is coloured blue, something which contrasts with the black colour of the silhouette, and could possibly reflect the cool, level headed nature of the criminal characters in this film. Upon the top of the gun is the skyline of Boston, Massachusetts; the city in which the film is set, a key identifier for the film. The title is designed upon a gun, another key identifier of the crime thriller genre. The combination of these two elements could reflect the gangster’s domination of the city through the use of intimidation and crime, through the use of firearms such as the one pictured within the titles. The film takes the form of an action-thriller film, and this is apparent with many key identifiers of the crime thriller genre being present in the trailer of the film. The trailer consists of fast editing and up tempo music to reflect the tension of the film, and to identify the film as a thriller hybrid genre film. This will appeal to fans of the crime thriller hybrid genre, as they will be able to relate to this style and will identify this as a film of this genre. The image of a gun is also shown repeatedly throughout the trailer. A gun is a prop that is commonly used in crime films, and is a prop which has connotations of violence and vice, this will appeal to fans of crime films. Extreme close ups of money are also shown in the trailer; money is a common theme in crime films, as it is associated with violence and law breaking incidents. Diegetic explosions are also shown within the trailer, this is also a key identifier of the crime thriller genre, as explosions are common devices used in film to bring a climax to building tension or pressure, and tension is a key device of the crime genre. The target audience of the trailer are fans of crime thriller genre films, and it makes effort to appeal to this key demographic by employing typical conventions of the crime thriller genre that are intended to appeal to these fans. It employs typical conventions such as use of firearms, transaction of money, violence and diegetic explosions. Also, “star” film actors are established repeatedly in the trailer, this will attract a larger audience, by attracting people who have enjoyed these actor’s previous roles, or are interested in their general celebrity life that is well documented in news programmes, and entertainment news programmes. This will attract a higher gross revenue, and in turn, a higher profit for the production company. It is clear that the creators of the trailer have tried to differentiate the film from other releases in the crime-thriller genre by establishing the setting of the film as Boston, and the main characters as being of Irish origin, an uncommon feature in American films, and serves to differentiate the film from other crime-thriller releases. This production still manages to appeal to fans of the crime thriller genre by including key conventions of the genre such as fast, energetic cuts, inclusion of violent props such as guns, knives and money. The trailer also employs up-tempo popular music non-diegetically. This serves to reflect the tone and feel of the film, but also serves to distinguish the film from other releases in the crime-thriller genre, by using popular music, this is different to other releases in the genre, of which most employ a musical score which is created specifically for the film. This will make the film appeal to fans of popular music also, and will attract a larger audience. Throughout the trailer, stylised dramatic sounds are played to emphasise and exaggerate the cut between shots The loud sound effect is also used to build tension for the audience, this is a key convention of the crime thriller genre, and is used to make the film suspenseful, which is typical of a thriller film. A popular music soundtrack is played non-diegetically, this is included to introduce rhythm to the narrative and to make the action more exciting, and this is also used to suggest to the audience that the film will contain elements of action during the course of the film. This is also used to appeal to fans of popular music, and rock and roll bands such as “the Rolling Stones” and “Pink Floyd”, this is also used to introduce an element of “coolness” to the narrative, which would make the film more appealing to fans of crime thrillers such as “Lock, stock and two smoking barrels”, as crime films such as this employ similar stylistic features. “Gimme Shelter” by the Rolling Stones is used to reflect the nature of both the plot and characters, as the film has connotations of crime, as lyrics of rape and murder are heard in the song. “Shipping Off to Boston” by Dropkick murphy’s is heard midway through the trailer, this is a song that alludes classic Celtic folk songs, and is typical of Irish culture, this reflects the characters, and their Irish origin, this is to emphasise this, and to differentiate the film from other crime thrillers to make the film stand out. “Comfortably Numb” by Pink Floyd is heard, which is a slower paced song. This is to establish that there are emotional elements to the narrative and plotline in the film, this is accompanied by slow paced editing, this is to establish the film as complex and sophisticated, and to differentiate the film from other less complex films in the thriller genre. Exaggerated sound effects of shotguns being cocked and doors slamming are used in accompaniment with the image of these events, this is used to emphasise the action.

The Incredible Hulk trailer analysis

For A2 media studies I have been analysing the trailer distributed to advertise The Incredible Hulk, a film based upon a character created by Marvel comics. The title in itself is a suggestion towards the tone and content of the film. The title “The Incredible Hulk” suggests that the film will consist of supernatural elements that seek to thrill the audience. When analysing the titles it is noticeable that the designers have deliberately rendered the term hulk in a clear, bold silver font, which is eye catching, drawing the attention of the onlooker. It is also clear that the term Hulk is rendered in capitalised letters, and is large in comparison to the other two words in the titles, “The Incredible”. The title is in great contrast to the pitch black background.
When the trailer begins it is noticeable that the creators of the trailer implemented the trademark logo’s of the companies distributing the film, it is possible that a person who is familiar with the type and quality of the films will be able to predict the quality and feel of the film, as fans of films have come to expect the type of films the production companies produce. The opening shot in the trailer takes form as an extreme long shot of mountainous scenery, coupled with dramatic, suspenseful music that is often associated with the superhero/ action movie genre. The use of this establishes the setting of the film and also provides significance to the surroundings captured in the shot. In the following shot, the main protagonist is established; he is captured displaying a facial expression that suggests that the character is in deep thought. This hints towards the possible ‘thoughtful’ persona of the character. Helicopters are next captured in a medium shot, in unison with further dramatic music; the sound of the helicopter is deliberately enhanced to create a feeling of impeding danger. It is captured in a medium shot so the onlooker can see the scene from the perspective of the people in the helicopter. A male character is then shown inside the helicopter, displaying a sinister, serious facial expression, this leads the audience to believe that this character is quite possibly the main antagonist. The main target audience of the film is males aged 12 to 50. This age range generally applies to the superhero/action hybrid genre. It can also be said that the film will appeal greatly to certain people because the Incredible Hulk franchise is a well established series that has a world wide fan base. Fans of the series will like the film, and thus the trailer will appeal to them this takes form as a unique selling point.

Prom Night trailer analysis

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For A2 media studies I have been conducting a semiotic analysis of the horror film, Prom Night. The title in itself suggests towards an obvious setting for the film, an American High school prom. The title in itself is rather ambiguous in depicting the nature of the film, it does not suggest towards a genre of film that the film is considered part of. The title does suggest the age range of the main characters of the film; it suggests the main characters are high school students which would place them between 17-18 years old. It also tells the person watching that the film takes place at night, a common convention and setting of the horror film genre. The title in itself is displayed in a bold black, sanserif font, with a neon backing. Around the title are drops of red fluid, which could quite possibly represent blood, something which is of great quantity during the film, and is a common identifier of the horror film genre. The background of the title is coloured black, with red sections, something of which supports the presence of blood. High pitched music is heard during the course of the trailer, creating a feel of eerie suspense during the course of the trailer, a typical identifier of the hooror film. In addition, loud noises such as the sound made when someone runs out of a wardrobe are highlighted and exaggerated, creating further suspense and threat. The sound of a heart beat is also played in conjunction with this, something which is consistent with the feelings of fear on behalf of the characters, and also furthers the feeling of drama and emotion. The heart beat speeds up until it resembles high tempo music. This high tempo music is played in conjunction with, fast, flashing lights, which create a terrifying feeling of urgency and mystery for the main characters. It also furthers the feeling of suspense for the onlooker. In addition to this, a shot with a person wielding a switch blade is shown. The sound made when the person draws the blade is highlighted and exaggerated, in conjunction with the sound of a screaming female voice, something which creates a sinister feel. The sound of females screaming is something which is displayed repeatedly throughout the trailer, establishing the genre of the film. The lighting is low key, low contrast, which creates an eerie feel, and is typical of the horror genre.