Camera angle, movement, position
The trailer starts with a blank screen. The new line cinema logo then fades in, stays on screen for a few seconds and then fades back out. A gold band then fades in which stretches horizontally across the screen, this is an extreme close-up of the ring, but it is not clear at this point. Fire then spreads across this band and leaves engraved letters behind. The camera is gradually zooming out away from the ring, revealing more and more until eventually we can see a red sky in the background and the ring is completely visible. Lightning strikes and we can now see the ring is turning in mid-air in slow motion. Light bounces off it creating a small glare. Lightning strikes again. The ring continues to become further away from the camera as is still zooms out, turning in the air. Throughout this there is a voice over of man, which I will explain in detail under the sound heading. There is then another lightning strike and the ring begins to fall gradually down, still in slow motion. The camera follows this, no longer zooming out. A hand then reaches out from off screen to grab the ring, then pulls it back so it is no longer visible. This shot fades quickly to black and then slowly back in again to an extreme close up of the hand opening to reveal the ring lying in the palm. The camera zooms in even further so the ring takes up the majority of the screen. Light bounces off it again, but this time is glares out to cover the entire screen, not allowing us to see the ring. This light then shrinks back down to allow us to see the ring again, but this time through the middle of it is a battle field. This gives a direct relation to the ring and what we can see in it. The camera still continues to zoom until the extreme long shot of the battle field takes up the entire screen. We can now see clearly the hill tops and the army running across the shot. The sky is grey and cloudy, and lightning strikes again. This shot then cuts to a medium close-up of the army running in metal armour. This allows us to see the characters more clearly, and we can now see they aren't human. This shot then cuts to a human man with a beard in armour. Fans will recognise this character as Aragorn. He throws something on fire directly at the camera, increasing in size as it comes closer. He is also looking straight out at us. This puts the audience feel part of the action. The speed of this is slowed down for dramatic effect, whereas the shot of the battle field and army was in full speed. The audience can tell Aragorn in the protagonist because of how he looks powerful and the way this shot is put after the shot of the antagonist army, it is as if he is fighting them. Cut to an extreme close-up of a person's fingers turning the ring, the light still shining off it. This then fades quickly to a low angle shot of of a misty dark dirt road where men in black hooded capes riding black horses fly in slow motion past the camera. Again because of how close they come to the camera, the audience feels part of the action. The slow motion also creates a dramatic effect. This shot then fades quickly to a medium long shot of a man kneeling down in front of another man, as if to show respect. They are stood on a platform surrounded by people in a vast landscape. This then cuts to a medium close up of a man with a long white hair and beard who stamps down a staff with a bright blue flash. He is looking at the camera, again involving the audience. This then cuts back to the extreme close up of the fingers holding the ring; there is then a very bright glare off the ring. Another fast fade to an extreme close-up of eyes holding the ring in front of them. The shot is shallow focus, first the eyes are clear and then as these become out of focus the ring becomes clear. There is then a cross fade to a group of men in long shot at a reasonably high angle trekking across a snowy mountain. Again this shot is in a vast landscape, which we have seen throughout the trailer. There is then another cross fade to monsters, trolls and other creatures in medium close-up. This shot in angled so we can see down the line, allowing to see the vast amount of them. This seems to be the front line of the army we saw at the beginning of the trailer. Another cross fade to a bird's eye view shot of a woman laying on a bed in a forest. leaves falling down from above on to her. Her eyes are closed, so we wonder if she is perhaps dead. This shot then fades to a medium long shot of a man in a white cloak throwing another man across the room without even touching him. His hands are stretched out so we can tell he is doing this. This then cuts to a medium close-up of a group of four hobbits, two some of the main characters, in cloaks and with swords backing away looking frightened and worried. We can tell they are small because the shot is slightly high angle. There is then a medium close up of the men in black cloaks on horses again, racing forward in slow motion. The camera is directly in front of them. There is then a shot zooming in to close-up of Gandalf looking up, his hair blowing back. This shot is high angle which gives the impression what he is looking up at is where the audience have been placed. There is then another medium close-up of Aragorn running in slow motion with a sword, again creating a dramatic effect. This shot is shallow focus, he is clear and we can't see the people behind him. This draws our attention directly towards him. Suddenly this shot zooms out very quickly and we see the shot inside the ring again, like before. It is as if we have seen a vision from the ring. The ring keeps spinning further and further away in to the darkness, like the trailer is reversing on itself back to the beginning. The ring keeps getting further away until the shot is just black. This then fades in to a close-up of an elf woman with very pale skin and light hair. The camera tilts slightly upwards towards her which gives her a sense of authority, or someone to admire. Light shines from behind her making her appear angelic. There is then a cross fade from this shot to Frodo also in a medium close up, but this time the camera is tilted slightly downwards, making him look small and fragile, creating a contrast of power between the two characters, like a mother and child. He listens intently to her as the camera zooms in slightly, bringing us closer and closer to the moment. This shot fades out, apart from the glint in his eye which remains on the black screen. This small light suddenly flares out and then back in to reveal the film title "The Lord" and then "Ofthe Rings" fades in. The camera zooms out gradually away from the text. This shot then fades out and then we see medium long shot of Gandalf walking through across a hill towards the camera, a line of men following him. The shot is slightly in slow motion, creating the effect of time and allowing the audience to take in the characters that pass. After Gandalf appears the camera pans slightly upwards and Gandalf moves down the hill to reveal Orlando Bloom in costume as Legolas. He has elf ears so we can also tell he is a fantasy creature. The names of the series of films appear with the releasedates as the men appear and pass. The camera pans down slightly to show Frodo and his friends passing. The camera then moves slightly forward and the last hobbit leads a horse past. The camera continues to move forward and another man appears, the camera then slowly moving up closer to his face. The last man who walks past is Aragorn. By him being last he seems to be one of the most important characters, perhaps an audience favourite He moves past and the shot fades to black. "One" then appears on screen, but the letters are spaced out. This suggests the phrase identifying the ring "the one ring". The rest of the letters then appear to reveal that "one" was letters from the credits. The camera gradually zooms in and then this text fades out. The final shot is a flash of light that shines across the screen, leaving behind the words "you will find adventure".
Sound
The sound is particularly important in this trailer, especially the music which makes the trailer very dramatic. The first sound we hear is the quiet shouting from what sounds like a large crowd of people as the screen is still black at the beginning. This shouting gets gradually louder as we see more of the ring. We are not sure where the sound is coming from, but we can tell it is probably diegetic. There is also a loud diegetic whooshing sound as the fire spread round the ring to engrave the words. After this there is a voice over of a man with a deep voice "One ring to rule them all", non-diegetic sound. Once we can see the sky and lightning strikes, we hear the diegetic sound of it followed by thunder, creating a dramatic effect. The man speaks again "One ring to fight them", the shouting is still getting louder, building tension. He speaks again "one ring to bring them", by repeating similar lines the audience can tell he is building up to something. As the ring begins to fall back down he says "And in the darkness find them", the hand then reaching and grabbing the ring. The ring is being made to sound very important and serious, the use of "one" suggesting it is very different from any other ring. The shouting is very loud now as we see the extreme close-up of the hand opening. The flash that glares of the ring makes a flash/whoosh sound that adds to effect. Once we see the shot through the ring, we can see the shouting is coming from the army. The sky is grey and cloudy and lightning strikes again with another sound effect of thunder and lightning. Dramatic choir music also starts here which is commonly used in film trailers. This music continues over the next shots with no diegetic sounds. There is then the voice over of the man again as we see the shot of the man kneeling down "Next Christmas". The music continues. The man speaks again at the long shot of men trekking through the snow "The most extraordinary tale ever told", leading on from the previous line he said. He next speaks when we see the medium close-up of the men on black horses "Will come to life", again leading on from the last line. These voice overs are making it very clear to the audience it is the book made in to a film, appealing to and exciting all Lord of The Rings fans. As the camera zooms very quickly out from the ring, the violins screech higher, stopping the music and leaving just a low drone. This drone continues through to the next shots of the elf and Frodo. As the glint in his eye flares out to reveal the film title the flash/whoosh sound is used again, adding to the special effects. The drone continues. As we see the shot of Gandalf, the choir music starts again. But this time it is quiet and just the choir singing, creating a peaceful yet dramatic effect. This music continues right to the end of the trailer. The flash of light that reveals the last title also has the whooshing sound effect, again adding to what we are seeing on screen.
Mise en Scene
The mise en scene of the opening shot creates a dark and dramatic effect. Pathetic fallacy is used through the lighting striking, suggesting something bad is happening. The sky is red and cloudy, the colour suggesting blood and warning. The ring looks bright against this dark background. We can tell from the makeup and costumes of the army we see next that they are not human or set in our time. The vast landscape of hills suggests fantasy or again, that the film is not set in our time. Here the sky is still cloudy and lightning strikes, the storm still building tension and suggesting something bad is happening. When we see Aragorn next he is also in a medieval looking costume, telling us the themes of the film. He appears strong as he throws the fire at the camera and his beard makes him appear manly. The shot of the black horses racing past the camera creates a definite sense of evil and darkness. The shot is at night and there is mist, already creating this effect. The men are also in black hooded cloaks and on black horses. The colour black suggests evil and the audience identifies them as the antagonists. When we see Gandalf he has long grey hair and grey beard which the fans of the book will recognise, but also everyone else will identify him as a wizard becauseof his classic costume. The way he stamps down the staff and there is a blue flash also suggests there is magic. The extreme close up shots we see of the ring make it seems very important as we are seeing the detail over and over again. The way the ring is bought in to focus when we see the eyes looking at it really draws our attention towards it and makes it seem very important and significant. The vast landscapes we see such as the battle field and snowy mountains suggests fantasy because we don't see these scenes everywhere. These are typical landscapes used in this genre of movie, and the way the men trek across the snowy mountain suggests a quest, again fitting in with the film's theme. When we see a bird’s eye shot of the woman lying in the forest she looks very innocent and helpless. She is laying down as leaves fall on her in a long dress, making her look beautiful but also weak unlike the portrayal of of male characters we see such as Gandalf. In the begging of the trailer where the camera zooms in to the ring so we can see the shot of the battle field, and at the end when it zooms out, this suggests the ring has shown us a vision and gives a direct relation to the ring and the fighting. When we see the shot of the female elf mise en scene has been used to create a particular character representation. Firstly, the camera is titles slightly upwards, giving her a sense of power, but not too much for her to look frightening. There is a light shining from behind her and the shot is very bright which makes her appear angelic. We can tell she is an elf because of the noticeable pointed ears which the audience are most likely to identify. The way she speaks is motherly and soft, as if she is talking down to a child, which we then see Frodo as. The shot of Frodo is angled slightly downwards so he looks smaller and less powerful than her. He looks amazed and is listening intently, again giving the mother and child image. When we see all the men pass at the end, they look important in the way they move past in slow motion, some of them stopping to look out of the landscape, making them appear heroic.
Editing
The trailer has been edited to show a variety of action filled shots. The trailer consists of mostly fast fading shots to create a flow between them, without it moving too slowly therefore creating a sense of action and drama. Slow motion has been used a lot to create a dramatic effect and allow us to take in that characters. dramatic choir and orchestra is played through the majority of the trailer adding to the action, and again creating a dramatic effect. Sound effects have also been editied in to make the special effects seem more realistic and striking. The voice over also put in sets the scene for the audience at the begging "One ring..." and also gives them information about the film "Next Christmas". The editing it particularly effective in this trailer and creates a continuous flow with lots of action and excitement throughout.
Narrative
The narrative of the film isn't really shown in this teaser, perhaps because the target audience of fans of the novel will already know it. it mostly focuses on introducing the characters, however it is made very clear that the ring is the main focus. The voice over at the beggining begins to tell the story of the ring and makes it sound very important and serious. "One ring to rule them all" tells the audience the ring has ultimate power. "One ring to fight them" tells them it is able to fight someone, or anyone, but the audience is unsure who is meant by "them". Perhaps by there being no direct adress the audience feels they are being spoken to. "One ring to bring them" again suggesting power, that it can bring anyone to it. "And in the darkness find them" telling the audience they can't hide from it. The use of "darkness" fits in with the mise en scene, creating a very sinister scene. By showing us the battle in the ring, we are told that the ring is causing the fighting. We aren't told what happens throughout the film, but through the representation of characters we can imagine what is going to happen. In nearly every shot in the trailer we see someone with weapons or fighting, showing the audience the controversy caused over the ring. The elf we see at the end talking to Frodo is made to seem a very important part. There is no music so we can hear her clearly, and this shot is separated by the music already have being built up to climax as well as the trailer as the shot zooms out from out of this ring. She says to him "Even the smallest person can change the course of the future". The shot we then see of Frodo tells us it is down to him to save everyone. It's a classic hero story where the main character is small and not the strongest, but ends up saving the day. This also tells the audience Frodo is the main character.
Character representations
The trailer starts with a blank screen. The new line cinema logo then fades in, stays on screen for a few seconds and then fades back out. A gold band then fades in which stretches horizontally across the screen, this is an extreme close-up of the ring, but it is not clear at this point. Fire then spreads across this band and leaves engraved letters behind. The camera is gradually zooming out away from the ring, revealing more and more until eventually we can see a red sky in the background and the ring is completely visible. Lightning strikes and we can now see the ring is turning in mid-air in slow motion. Light bounces off it creating a small glare. Lightning strikes again. The ring continues to become further away from the camera as is still zooms out, turning in the air. Throughout this there is a voice over of man, which I will explain in detail under the sound heading. There is then another lightning strike and the ring begins to fall gradually down, still in slow motion. The camera follows this, no longer zooming out. A hand then reaches out from off screen to grab the ring, then pulls it back so it is no longer visible. This shot fades quickly to black and then slowly back in again to an extreme close up of the hand opening to reveal the ring lying in the palm. The camera zooms in even further so the ring takes up the majority of the screen. Light bounces off it again, but this time is glares out to cover the entire screen, not allowing us to see the ring. This light then shrinks back down to allow us to see the ring again, but this time through the middle of it is a battle field. This gives a direct relation to the ring and what we can see in it. The camera still continues to zoom until the extreme long shot of the battle field takes up the entire screen. We can now see clearly the hill tops and the army running across the shot. The sky is grey and cloudy, and lightning strikes again. This shot then cuts to a medium close-up of the army running in metal armour. This allows us to see the characters more clearly, and we can now see they aren't human. This shot then cuts to a human man with a beard in armour. Fans will recognise this character as Aragorn. He throws something on fire directly at the camera, increasing in size as it comes closer. He is also looking straight out at us. This puts the audience feel part of the action. The speed of this is slowed down for dramatic effect, whereas the shot of the battle field and army was in full speed. The audience can tell Aragorn in the protagonist because of how he looks powerful and the way this shot is put after the shot of the antagonist army, it is as if he is fighting them. Cut to an extreme close-up of a person's fingers turning the ring, the light still shining off it. This then fades quickly to a low angle shot of of a misty dark dirt road where men in black hooded capes riding black horses fly in slow motion past the camera. Again because of how close they come to the camera, the audience feels part of the action. The slow motion also creates a dramatic effect. This shot then fades quickly to a medium long shot of a man kneeling down in front of another man, as if to show respect. They are stood on a platform surrounded by people in a vast landscape. This then cuts to a medium close up of a man with a long white hair and beard who stamps down a staff with a bright blue flash. He is looking at the camera, again involving the audience. This then cuts back to the extreme close up of the fingers holding the ring; there is then a very bright glare off the ring. Another fast fade to an extreme close-up of eyes holding the ring in front of them. The shot is shallow focus, first the eyes are clear and then as these become out of focus the ring becomes clear. There is then a cross fade to a group of men in long shot at a reasonably high angle trekking across a snowy mountain. Again this shot is in a vast landscape, which we have seen throughout the trailer. There is then another cross fade to monsters, trolls and other creatures in medium close-up. This shot in angled so we can see down the line, allowing to see the vast amount of them. This seems to be the front line of the army we saw at the beginning of the trailer. Another cross fade to a bird's eye view shot of a woman laying on a bed in a forest. leaves falling down from above on to her. Her eyes are closed, so we wonder if she is perhaps dead. This shot then fades to a medium long shot of a man in a white cloak throwing another man across the room without even touching him. His hands are stretched out so we can tell he is doing this. This then cuts to a medium close-up of a group of four hobbits, two some of the main characters, in cloaks and with swords backing away looking frightened and worried. We can tell they are small because the shot is slightly high angle. There is then a medium close up of the men in black cloaks on horses again, racing forward in slow motion. The camera is directly in front of them. There is then a shot zooming in to close-up of Gandalf looking up, his hair blowing back. This shot is high angle which gives the impression what he is looking up at is where the audience have been placed. There is then another medium close-up of Aragorn running in slow motion with a sword, again creating a dramatic effect. This shot is shallow focus, he is clear and we can't see the people behind him. This draws our attention directly towards him. Suddenly this shot zooms out very quickly and we see the shot inside the ring again, like before. It is as if we have seen a vision from the ring. The ring keeps spinning further and further away in to the darkness, like the trailer is reversing on itself back to the beginning. The ring keeps getting further away until the shot is just black. This then fades in to a close-up of an elf woman with very pale skin and light hair. The camera tilts slightly upwards towards her which gives her a sense of authority, or someone to admire. Light shines from behind her making her appear angelic. There is then a cross fade from this shot to Frodo also in a medium close up, but this time the camera is tilted slightly downwards, making him look small and fragile, creating a contrast of power between the two characters, like a mother and child. He listens intently to her as the camera zooms in slightly, bringing us closer and closer to the moment. This shot fades out, apart from the glint in his eye which remains on the black screen. This small light suddenly flares out and then back in to reveal the film title "The Lord" and then "Ofthe Rings" fades in. The camera zooms out gradually away from the text. This shot then fades out and then we see medium long shot of Gandalf walking through across a hill towards the camera, a line of men following him. The shot is slightly in slow motion, creating the effect of time and allowing the audience to take in the characters that pass. After Gandalf appears the camera pans slightly upwards and Gandalf moves down the hill to reveal Orlando Bloom in costume as Legolas. He has elf ears so we can also tell he is a fantasy creature. The names of the series of films appear with the releasedates as the men appear and pass. The camera pans down slightly to show Frodo and his friends passing. The camera then moves slightly forward and the last hobbit leads a horse past. The camera continues to move forward and another man appears, the camera then slowly moving up closer to his face. The last man who walks past is Aragorn. By him being last he seems to be one of the most important characters, perhaps an audience favourite He moves past and the shot fades to black. "One" then appears on screen, but the letters are spaced out. This suggests the phrase identifying the ring "the one ring". The rest of the letters then appear to reveal that "one" was letters from the credits. The camera gradually zooms in and then this text fades out. The final shot is a flash of light that shines across the screen, leaving behind the words "you will find adventure".
Sound
The sound is particularly important in this trailer, especially the music which makes the trailer very dramatic. The first sound we hear is the quiet shouting from what sounds like a large crowd of people as the screen is still black at the beginning. This shouting gets gradually louder as we see more of the ring. We are not sure where the sound is coming from, but we can tell it is probably diegetic. There is also a loud diegetic whooshing sound as the fire spread round the ring to engrave the words. After this there is a voice over of a man with a deep voice "One ring to rule them all", non-diegetic sound. Once we can see the sky and lightning strikes, we hear the diegetic sound of it followed by thunder, creating a dramatic effect. The man speaks again "One ring to fight them", the shouting is still getting louder, building tension. He speaks again "one ring to bring them", by repeating similar lines the audience can tell he is building up to something. As the ring begins to fall back down he says "And in the darkness find them", the hand then reaching and grabbing the ring. The ring is being made to sound very important and serious, the use of "one" suggesting it is very different from any other ring. The shouting is very loud now as we see the extreme close-up of the hand opening. The flash that glares of the ring makes a flash/whoosh sound that adds to effect. Once we see the shot through the ring, we can see the shouting is coming from the army. The sky is grey and cloudy and lightning strikes again with another sound effect of thunder and lightning. Dramatic choir music also starts here which is commonly used in film trailers. This music continues over the next shots with no diegetic sounds. There is then the voice over of the man again as we see the shot of the man kneeling down "Next Christmas". The music continues. The man speaks again at the long shot of men trekking through the snow "The most extraordinary tale ever told", leading on from the previous line he said. He next speaks when we see the medium close-up of the men on black horses "Will come to life", again leading on from the last line. These voice overs are making it very clear to the audience it is the book made in to a film, appealing to and exciting all Lord of The Rings fans. As the camera zooms very quickly out from the ring, the violins screech higher, stopping the music and leaving just a low drone. This drone continues through to the next shots of the elf and Frodo. As the glint in his eye flares out to reveal the film title the flash/whoosh sound is used again, adding to the special effects. The drone continues. As we see the shot of Gandalf, the choir music starts again. But this time it is quiet and just the choir singing, creating a peaceful yet dramatic effect. This music continues right to the end of the trailer. The flash of light that reveals the last title also has the whooshing sound effect, again adding to what we are seeing on screen.
Mise en Scene
The mise en scene of the opening shot creates a dark and dramatic effect. Pathetic fallacy is used through the lighting striking, suggesting something bad is happening. The sky is red and cloudy, the colour suggesting blood and warning. The ring looks bright against this dark background. We can tell from the makeup and costumes of the army we see next that they are not human or set in our time. The vast landscape of hills suggests fantasy or again, that the film is not set in our time. Here the sky is still cloudy and lightning strikes, the storm still building tension and suggesting something bad is happening. When we see Aragorn next he is also in a medieval looking costume, telling us the themes of the film. He appears strong as he throws the fire at the camera and his beard makes him appear manly. The shot of the black horses racing past the camera creates a definite sense of evil and darkness. The shot is at night and there is mist, already creating this effect. The men are also in black hooded cloaks and on black horses. The colour black suggests evil and the audience identifies them as the antagonists. When we see Gandalf he has long grey hair and grey beard which the fans of the book will recognise, but also everyone else will identify him as a wizard becauseof his classic costume. The way he stamps down the staff and there is a blue flash also suggests there is magic. The extreme close up shots we see of the ring make it seems very important as we are seeing the detail over and over again. The way the ring is bought in to focus when we see the eyes looking at it really draws our attention towards it and makes it seem very important and significant. The vast landscapes we see such as the battle field and snowy mountains suggests fantasy because we don't see these scenes everywhere. These are typical landscapes used in this genre of movie, and the way the men trek across the snowy mountain suggests a quest, again fitting in with the film's theme. When we see a bird’s eye shot of the woman lying in the forest she looks very innocent and helpless. She is laying down as leaves fall on her in a long dress, making her look beautiful but also weak unlike the portrayal of of male characters we see such as Gandalf. In the begging of the trailer where the camera zooms in to the ring so we can see the shot of the battle field, and at the end when it zooms out, this suggests the ring has shown us a vision and gives a direct relation to the ring and the fighting. When we see the shot of the female elf mise en scene has been used to create a particular character representation. Firstly, the camera is titles slightly upwards, giving her a sense of power, but not too much for her to look frightening. There is a light shining from behind her and the shot is very bright which makes her appear angelic. We can tell she is an elf because of the noticeable pointed ears which the audience are most likely to identify. The way she speaks is motherly and soft, as if she is talking down to a child, which we then see Frodo as. The shot of Frodo is angled slightly downwards so he looks smaller and less powerful than her. He looks amazed and is listening intently, again giving the mother and child image. When we see all the men pass at the end, they look important in the way they move past in slow motion, some of them stopping to look out of the landscape, making them appear heroic.
Editing
The trailer has been edited to show a variety of action filled shots. The trailer consists of mostly fast fading shots to create a flow between them, without it moving too slowly therefore creating a sense of action and drama. Slow motion has been used a lot to create a dramatic effect and allow us to take in that characters. dramatic choir and orchestra is played through the majority of the trailer adding to the action, and again creating a dramatic effect. Sound effects have also been editied in to make the special effects seem more realistic and striking. The voice over also put in sets the scene for the audience at the begging "One ring..." and also gives them information about the film "Next Christmas". The editing it particularly effective in this trailer and creates a continuous flow with lots of action and excitement throughout.
Narrative
The narrative of the film isn't really shown in this teaser, perhaps because the target audience of fans of the novel will already know it. it mostly focuses on introducing the characters, however it is made very clear that the ring is the main focus. The voice over at the beggining begins to tell the story of the ring and makes it sound very important and serious. "One ring to rule them all" tells the audience the ring has ultimate power. "One ring to fight them" tells them it is able to fight someone, or anyone, but the audience is unsure who is meant by "them". Perhaps by there being no direct adress the audience feels they are being spoken to. "One ring to bring them" again suggesting power, that it can bring anyone to it. "And in the darkness find them" telling the audience they can't hide from it. The use of "darkness" fits in with the mise en scene, creating a very sinister scene. By showing us the battle in the ring, we are told that the ring is causing the fighting. We aren't told what happens throughout the film, but through the representation of characters we can imagine what is going to happen. In nearly every shot in the trailer we see someone with weapons or fighting, showing the audience the controversy caused over the ring. The elf we see at the end talking to Frodo is made to seem a very important part. There is no music so we can hear her clearly, and this shot is separated by the music already have being built up to climax as well as the trailer as the shot zooms out from out of this ring. She says to him "Even the smallest person can change the course of the future". The shot we then see of Frodo tells us it is down to him to save everyone. It's a classic hero story where the main character is small and not the strongest, but ends up saving the day. This also tells the audience Frodo is the main character.
Character representations
The first characters we see clearly are the army of trolls and other creatures. Their makeup makes them look ugly and viscious, telling the audience they are antagonists in the story. When we see Aragorn we can tell he is one of the main characters. He looks strong and manly as he throws something on fire directley at the camera, he appears as a hero. We can tell he is a protagonist, perhaps not as clearly when we first see him. But definitley when we see him charging with a sword, because we can tell it is against the antagonist army we saw at the beggining. He is also the last person we see on screen, telling us he is an important perhpas favourite character, but not the main character. This is because he is put in to the montage of shots where as Frodo is but in the extreme close ups with the ring, and a seperate shot where the angelic elf speaks to him. The man in black hodded cloaks on black horses are made to look very evil and mysterious. We can tell straight away they are antagonists because of the way they ride in the dark through the mist. The colour black immediatley suggests evil, and is usually worn by antagonists in films. Frodo is made to seem fragile, like a child. he is small because he is a hobbit, and the high angle shot we see of him and his friends backing away makes them look weak, but as if they are trying to be brave. However we shouldn't underestimate him, as the elf tells him near the end of the trailer. As I mentioned before, this female elf is represented as very angleic, powerful and perfect. The light shines from behind her and the shot is very bright, as if this light is coming from her. Throughout the trailer has been dark, and this is the first very bright shot we see, immediatley telling us she is a protaganist, but also someone that brings hope. The way the camera is titled upwards gives her a sense of authority, but also represents her as a motherly firgure. Gandalf is represented as a wise hero. We know he is powerful because of the way he stamps his staff and releases magic. This shot is similar to the first shot we see of Aragorn, so we know he is another main protagonist. We see a shot of him leading men through the snowy mountains, which tells us they respect him and he is an important figure. At the very end of the trailer where we see the main group of protagonists passing, Gandalf comes first. He stops briefly and peers out across the landscape, making him look powerful and wise. The rest of the men following him, again suggesting he is a leader. Legolas then follows him, also looking heroic, put more perfect and less manly that Aragorn. A dwarf then passes with the hobbits in a group, telling us they stick together, then finally Aragorn passes looking serious and determined.
Titles
The titles only appear at the end of the trailer. The first title we see is after the shot of the elf and Frodo, which is the film title. The first part of the title "The Lord" appears after there is a flash on screen from the glint in Frodo's eye. The second part of the title then fades in underneath "Of the Rings". The next title appear onm screen as all the main characters pass in slow motion, as I mentioned before. The name of each film in the series appears and then the release date. I didn't like how they appeared on screen as they seemed to be in random places and didn't look right with the shot. The first title that appears is "The Fellowship of The Ring" in one corner and "Christmas 2001" in the opposite corner. These then fade out and "The Two Towers" fades fades in and then "Christmas 2002". As we see Aragorn the last film in the sequence appears "The Return of the King" which suggests something about this character. The date then fades in "Christmas 2003" and the entire shot fades to black. We then see "one" spread across the screen, signifying the ring. The gaps between these letters in then filled in with credited people and institutional references, which I think is a clever effect. This then fades out and the next title appears with a flash shooting across the screen revealing the letters "You Will Find Adventure". This directley targets the audience by the use of "you" and makes them feel more involved. The word "adventure" also suggests the audience will feel part of the action once they watch this film, as if the film experience is an adventure in itself. Another title then fades in underneath this "or adventure will find you". This builds excitement and it again directley targets the audience. It also suggests the film has to be watched, or that the film is so huge it will find you, again suggesting you will become part of the movie. These title zoom in slightly, as if they are coming towards us, and then fade out. Some more titles then appear which are the institutional references and the websites. The website http://www.lordoftherings.net/ and then in a box underneath "America Online Key Word: Lord of the Rings" and then below that is "Internet Key Word: Lord of The Rings". Here they are really promoting their website and making use of internet marketing. There is also the New Line Cinema logo again and copyrighting in small print of the bottom of the screen. These titles then fade out with the music playing quietley in the background.
Institutional references and logos
The first institutional reference we see is at the begining of the trailer. The logo for New Line Cinema fades in in it's own shot, and then fades out again. Some other institutional references appear in the shot where we see the names opf credited people, but there are no obvious logos. New Line Cinema seems to be the one that is promoted as the logo is seen again right at the end with the websites.
Number of shots
This teaser trailer has a lot of shots. I counted throughout the trailer and got the figure of 28 shots, including the shots showing just titles. This is a lot of shots, but not as many as the Spiderman teaser I previously analysed. By there being lots of shots showing clips from the film, it suggests to us the narrative but also gives us a glimpse of the action that we then expect to see in the film. There are some shots that are quite long, for example the fist camera shot we see of the ring falling in mid-air. This shot probably isn't from the film, but creates a very dramatic effect.
Titles
The titles only appear at the end of the trailer. The first title we see is after the shot of the elf and Frodo, which is the film title. The first part of the title "The Lord" appears after there is a flash on screen from the glint in Frodo's eye. The second part of the title then fades in underneath "Of the Rings". The next title appear onm screen as all the main characters pass in slow motion, as I mentioned before. The name of each film in the series appears and then the release date. I didn't like how they appeared on screen as they seemed to be in random places and didn't look right with the shot. The first title that appears is "The Fellowship of The Ring" in one corner and "Christmas 2001" in the opposite corner. These then fade out and "The Two Towers" fades fades in and then "Christmas 2002". As we see Aragorn the last film in the sequence appears "The Return of the King" which suggests something about this character. The date then fades in "Christmas 2003" and the entire shot fades to black. We then see "one" spread across the screen, signifying the ring. The gaps between these letters in then filled in with credited people and institutional references, which I think is a clever effect. This then fades out and the next title appears with a flash shooting across the screen revealing the letters "You Will Find Adventure". This directley targets the audience by the use of "you" and makes them feel more involved. The word "adventure" also suggests the audience will feel part of the action once they watch this film, as if the film experience is an adventure in itself. Another title then fades in underneath this "or adventure will find you". This builds excitement and it again directley targets the audience. It also suggests the film has to be watched, or that the film is so huge it will find you, again suggesting you will become part of the movie. These title zoom in slightly, as if they are coming towards us, and then fade out. Some more titles then appear which are the institutional references and the websites. The website http://www.lordoftherings.net/ and then in a box underneath "America Online Key Word: Lord of the Rings" and then below that is "Internet Key Word: Lord of The Rings". Here they are really promoting their website and making use of internet marketing. There is also the New Line Cinema logo again and copyrighting in small print of the bottom of the screen. These titles then fade out with the music playing quietley in the background.
Institutional references and logos
The first institutional reference we see is at the begining of the trailer. The logo for New Line Cinema fades in in it's own shot, and then fades out again. Some other institutional references appear in the shot where we see the names opf credited people, but there are no obvious logos. New Line Cinema seems to be the one that is promoted as the logo is seen again right at the end with the websites.
Number of shots
This teaser trailer has a lot of shots. I counted throughout the trailer and got the figure of 28 shots, including the shots showing just titles. This is a lot of shots, but not as many as the Spiderman teaser I previously analysed. By there being lots of shots showing clips from the film, it suggests to us the narrative but also gives us a glimpse of the action that we then expect to see in the film. There are some shots that are quite long, for example the fist camera shot we see of the ring falling in mid-air. This shot probably isn't from the film, but creates a very dramatic effect.
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