Super 8, directed by JJ Abrams.





TRAILER.

The beginning of this trailer starts with an establishing shot of fields. Diagetic bird calls are heard in the background, which gives it a peaceful feel, luring the audience into a false sense of security. This shot lasts for about 5 seconds before it cuts away to a shot of a speeding train. This shot, along with the loud sounds of the train juxtaposed to the previous shot somewhat startling the audience.

Text then appears on the screen mentioning Area 51, which in urban myths is synonymous with Aliens, UFOs and other phenomena, which could possibly be a hint of this films genre being Sci-fi. A cut away to a close up of flashing red lights, indicates danger to the audience, also they are noticeably railway lights, which link the train to what is happening here. Text again appears on the screen saying “All materials were to be transported to a secure facility in Ohio”. This sentence shows  that whatever was in Area 51 is dangerous as it has to be moved to a “secure facility”, and the use of “were to be” suggests that whatever it was, didn’t make it, building suspense for the audience.

 A long shot of a car breaking through a barrier is a clear indication that it’s going towards danger and it starts driving on the train track, a shot from underneath the car reiterates this danger by showing the train coming straight at it. Stephen Spielberg’s name comes up on the screen, as he is a famous director/producer he will have a pre-determined audience and will attract crowds. It then cuts back to the action as the car hits the train in a head on collision. This can be quite shocking for the audience as it is shown very graphically. A fast cutting rate reveals the carnage of the crash; this shocks the audience with the amount of destruction.

 Then JJ Abrams’ name comes up on screen as the director. He produced the movie Cloverfield so is known to be part of monster/alien movies, which again hints at the Sci-fi genre. It cuts back to the wreckage, the camera slowly panning across the wreckage. This and the slow fade ins and outs add tension for the audience. It cuts to a telephone post slowly falling, the bright lights as it hits the ground are very eye catching and grab even more audience attention. The text “It arrives” appears on screen; the use of the word “it” suggests something other worldly. It cuts to a carriage door and slowly zooms in as something hits the door from the inside. There is no other sound but the banging which draws the focus to this and once again adds more tension as the audience wait to see what’s inside. As the door gets smashed off the camera cuts away and reveals the name of the film Super 8, this leaves the audience with many questions, as they want to see what is inside the carriage.


GENRE.

Not a lot is revealed about the genre but they’re some hints like the mentioning of Area 51 and the fact that JJ Abrams is directing it. I would say that it is a Sci-fi or a monster film.


PLOT.

Not a lot, if anything is revealed about the story line, which is part of the viral marketing campaign for this film.