Shannon Bulmer

Media

Task 3

Technical Analysis of Film Trailers

Bad Teacher (2011) Comedy The opening of the trailer starts with the production company Columbia which is a well known company, producing many successful films in the past. As soon as this appears on screen, nondiegetic music is cut in, hearing just a shaker instrument.

The first clip is a wide angle shot showing two characters centred in the middle of the shot therefore making it clear they are the ones to watch. You can see two female characters which have very contrasting looks. Their costume of female suits indicates that they have a very well paid job which juxtaposes with the setting they are in, a fast food restaurant, already linking to the comedy genre. The larger female character says You excited for tomorrow? in a very high/sweet voice, representing her type of characteristics.

A cut is used showing a medium close up of the younger female character. This reaction shot shows her reply saying Whats tomorrow, Saturday? again, linking to the comedy genre of witty short sentences. The characteristics of this character i.e. eating with mouth open, elbow on table, low voice, indicates that she subverts the stereotype of a female however presents herself in the stereotypical way of impressing men.

A reaction shot shows us the next character using a medium close up. As you can see from these past two clips that these characters a very different in personalities and appearances. The blonde character is very abrupt/rude in personality however very well presented whereas this character is very shy/timid in personality and the complete opposite in appearance, making it comical that they are hanging round each other. She responds No, its the first day of school referring to the fact that they are both teachers and tomorrow is the blonde characters first day.

Shannon Bulmer

Media

Task 3

A cut is used taking us to a wide angle shot showing the front of the blonde character and the back/side profile of the brown haired character. The gestures of the older lady are using a knife and fork to eat whereas the younger character is using her fingers, again referring to her character being careless and piggish. She replies yeah Im not gonna go to that which makes it funny as it contrasts with the profession of her being a teacher as they are supposed to be respectable role models for the students, linking to the fact she has never grown out of the teen behaviour.

This reaction shot again shows us a medium close up of this character. As you can see from her facial expressions it shows she is shocked as to what the younger character said however not reacting showing that she is scared and intimidated by the younger character.

The same reaction shot and eyeline match is used to again show these characters response. As you can see from the body langue and facial expressions shown in the medium close up you can see she doesnt care, linking to her dialogue saying I dont give a F however before swearing the clip quickly cuts to another.
The next clip shows the beginning of the credits. The colour scheme represents a school chalk board, linking to the title of the film bad teacher. Also the text at this school represents that the majority of the film will be set in the school therefore aiming for teenagers and young adults. Non-diegetic music is cut in along with a sound effect of the traditional American school bell, again setting the location.

Another cut shows us an establishing shot of the school.

Shannon Bulmer

Media

Task 3

As the sound effect of the school bell still ringing, we are shown a wide angle shot of the inside of one of the schools corridors, showing the pupils and two teachers in the middle of them. This shot shows us that is a nice school and all the children get along, maybe foreshadowing that this doesnt continue from the title of the film.
Here is a medium close up showing the previous character sneaking some alcohol in one of her lessons, which automatically shows the audience she isnt the stereotypical teacher. A voice over of another female character (preferably another teacher) says Elizabeth, you shouldnt be teaching which shows that she doesnt hide her behaviour from other members of staff around the school, making it more comical.

A medium close up shot of a few of the pupils in her class show the stereotypical characters you find in a school, for example the geek, the rebel etc which youre able to recognise with their costume and body language. You can see from their facial expressions that Elizabeth behaves like this in front of her pupils. The character of the female voice over is revealed with a medium close up. We can see through costume that this character is a stereotypical teacher, unlike the costume and attitude of Elizabeth. The difference in these two characters could suggest some future issues between the two.

Alongside the continuous voice over, a medium close up shot shows Elizabeth sleeping at her desk whilst the voice over says I cant think of anyone who is less suited to being a teacher. This refers to her costume as well. As you can see she is wearing heels and the majority of her legs are on show, meaning she is wearing a short skirt or shorts. This would be seen as inappropriate clothing as a teacher as it could be a bad role model as well as uncomfortable for male teachers however following on from her act of not caring.

Shannon Bulmer

Media

Task 3

A cut takes us back to the credits. As the credits appear, a sound effect of a board rubber hitting a board is cut in; including different representations of what is seen and heard in a school. The same text and graphology is used, keeping within the colour and design scheme. The one teacher referring to the new employee, Elizabeth.

Straight after, a medium close up of Elizabeth is featured, making it clear to the audience which teacher they are referring to in the text. In the background of the shot we can see three other teachers, all contrasting with Elizabeth in their appearance as well as age, showing that she is the youngest by far.
Another cut takes us to a medium close up shot of the character marking work in her classroom. The gestures of marking the work are very aggressive, linking to the type of character she is. Elizabeths voice over appears over the top following on from the previous clip of her saying I dont need a black board or a classroom to set an example, not necessarily saying she wants to set a good example.
A cut to a point of view shot from Elizabeths perspective shows her writing out stupid on a pupils test paper. This is very comical as it is very different to what teachers are like with their students. Another voice over of Elizabeth says so stupid in an aggressive tone, again showing her frustration with working there, signifying that she doesnt like children making it even funnier as to why she is working there.

A wide angle shot of Elizabeths classroom is shown, showing her standing at the font of the class and all her pupils behind her. You can see that she is aggressively throwing all their work at them whilst shouting morons! again linking to the comedy genre. Featuring this type of behaviour would entertain the audience into wanting to watch more as it is the complete opposite as to what a teacher is like.

Shannon Bulmer

Media

Task 3

Following on from the previous credits, this one uses the same text and colour scheme. They have used a funny pun by including an abbreviation for a swear word as well as using a school grade to represent it. The F being in a different colour to emphasis the pun as well as the trouble of getting an F at school. A cut changes a location within the school, taking us to the canteen. As you can see she is sat on her on therefore indicating that she doesnt get along with the other staff members as well as not wanting to associate her with them. Over the top of this clip, a male voice is introduced saying Elizabeth.
An eyeline match is then used, using a medium close up shot introducing us to the next main character. The costume shows us that he is a P.E teacher as he is in a t-shirt with a whistle around his neck. Being the only teacher to introduce himself to Elizabeth, it shows that her appearance being so different from the other female staff has attracted him, resulting in him asking her out on a date.

Cutting back to the same medium close up shot, we have a reaction and eyeline shot of Elizabeth showing her response asking whether he was still a gym teacher. Over the top of these clips is faint non-diegetic music.

After the male character replies yes the music rapidly comes to a stop and she replies then no which again links back to the short witty comments linking to the comedy genre. Also, this comment could signify that she is some sort of gold digger as she wont go out with him due to his job.

Shannon Bulmer

Media

Task 3

A cut to a wide angle shot of the entrance of the school is featured. You can see the iconic American school bus in the frame, making it clear the audience where the film is set.

Another cut is used taking us back to the previous clip in the fast food setting. By taking us back to this setting it goes on to telling the audience this characters plan whilst working at the school, which is to find the perfect man. This shows us the type of character that she is of being selfish, as well as requesting for a rich husband so that she doesnt have to do anything. Carrying on from the previous clip, the voice over carries on into the clip. Here you can see a medium close up of Elizabeth turning round looking puzzled. Matching with the dialogue as soon as she turns around the lines finding a guy which automatically makes the audience assume that she has just spotted him. A low angled shot is used introducing us to the character which Elizabeth seems to be interested in. As you can see, most audiences would recognise who this actor is (Justin Timberlake) looking completely different to what he is like in real life therefore making this character seem funny, along with it being someone you wouldnt think Elizabeth would find attractive as he looks geeky. A cut takes us back to the same shot of Elizabeth however moving towards the camera, using a dollying shot following her from in front. You can see from the medium close up shot that she is happy in her facial expressions. As she approaches the male character she says hi there whilst flicking her hair around, exaggerating introducing herself to create a comical affect.

Shannon Bulmer

Media

Task 3

A cut to a medium close up, over the shoulder shot shows the two characters meeting for the first time. He introduces himself as Scott. You can see from his costume (suit and tie) that he takes his job seriously unlike Elizabeth. However, from the colours of his blue shirt and patterned tie is shows that he is a quirky character unlike the previous teachers we saw which had bland colours, representing the difference in ages.

Here is a reaction shot, showing a medium close up of Elizabeth responding to Scott. As you can see from her body language her character has totally changed, putting a different persona on to get Scott to be attracted to her showing that she is sly however in a funny way.

A cut to an over the shoulder, reaction shot then shows us Scott replying, introducing himself as the schools new sub making it clear to the audience what sort of position this character plays in the school and what his relationship is towards Elizabeth at this moment.

A close up of Scotts watch is used to emphasis that it is designer therefore very expensive. This links to the previous aim that Elizabeth has of finding herself a rich man that would take care of her. Elizabeths voice over is used whilst this clip is shown, showing that she has noticed his watch i.e. to show what her intentions are to the audience and to start up a longer lasting conversation with him.

Another cut to the same medium close up, over the shoulder shot of Scott appears revealing that the designer of the watch is a family business, meaning that he is very wealthy.

Shannon Bulmer

Media

Task 3

Moving from the previous conversation about the watch being a family busy, a quick cut moves to a different location showing a medium long shot of Scott playing guitar in a bar. A sound effect of a kerching cash machine plays whilst Scott does a waving gesture, using the sound effect to symbolise that he is rich in a comical way.

A cut is then used showing a eyeline match of a medium close up shot of Elizabeth. This shows the audience that after their introduction in the previous clip they begin to spend more time together, seeming like Elizabeths plan is working. Also this shot shows that she has a different personality when she is with him to try and get her way into his wallet.

The sound bridge of this character voice over moves from the previous clip to this one showing a medium close up of her saying I love how his eyes sparkle when he smiles showing that she is also attracted to him however out of his league, making her character even more funnier as the goofy, geeky assistant.

A quick zoom out shows both the assistant and Elizabeth together in the canteen, following on from what the assistant previously said. Although its an American Middle School, they have posters on the wall saying No Drugs in School which again is funny as it contrasts with the pupils which attend the school, as the only trouble is from Elizabeth. Elizabeth replies saying I wanna sit on his f however being interrupted, similar to the first few clips when she was about to swear, therefore indicating that this is a rude comment.

An abrupt cut shows a long shot of the three characters all together. As you can see from the actions, Elizabeth and Scott are high fiving showing the type of relationship which has been created which she has struggled to do with the other staff. Again, this shows the comedy of this film as he interrupts her rude comment by walking in and saying hi guys.

Shannon Bulmer

Media

Task 3

The clip is interrupted by a introduction of nondiegetic music cut in along with credits which are different to the ones featured beforehand. As you can see, the producers have kept with the theme of school when it comes to graphology. For example, at the start of showing the credits, the effect represents unravelling of a crumbled piece of paper, revealing when the film is going to be released. The font of the text represents the font used for typewriting, again linking in with school facilities etc.

It then cuts back to another medium long shot of the two characters talking, going back to the first day they met. Elizabeth starts asking about his wife in a sneaky way by implying he has one instead of asking.

Once Scott starts speaking, it cuts to a medium close up of his face, revealing that he has recently split with his girlfriend.

The same medium close up shot then shows the facial expressions of Elizabeth reacting to what he has said. Linking to the genre, she over exaggerates her facial expressions as he says I just got out of a relationship
A cut is then used taking us to a close up of Scott holding a phone showing Elizabeth a picture of his girlfriend. By having a very good looking girlfriend, it emphasises the comedy as it would annoy Elizabeth that she is attractive as she has to compete. His voice over says she has such a big heart which again emphasise the comedy genre by zooming in on the fact she has large breasts. Once this is announced, the non-diegetic stops to highlight the comical line.

Shannon Bulmer

Media

Task 3

Going back to the same medium close up of Elizabeth, showing a reaction shot. Here she says enormous as well as having an annoyed facial expression referring to the fact she doesnt have any. The one liner makes it funny as she is referring to the size of her breasts not her heart however Scott doesnt know this.

Non-diegetic music is then cut in, up tempo and a rock/bass genre. The clip is a point of view shot from Elizabeths perspective circling celebritys breasts indicating that she is wanting to get breast enlargements to be better than Scotts exgirlfriend.

The next clip is linking from the previous clip showing what she is planning on doing to get Scott. This close up of a jar clearly labels new boobs matching her dialogue if I got a new pair of boobs

Carrying on with the dialogue she says he would be all over me showing that she is going to do all she can do get new breast. As she is speaking about Scott, a medium close up shot of Scott appears, letting the audience know clearly who she is talking about. A cut then takes us to the two female characters walking down the corridor, again their proxemics emphasising their contrasting characters. Here, Elizabeth complain about how expensive getting new breast would cost, with the assistant replying yeah, and you gotta get two of them again, including the one liners which would push for the comedy.

Shannon Bulmer

Media

Task 3

Another cut is used taking us to a different location. The two characters are seen together again showing that underneath Elizabeths tough persona, they are friends. A medium close up is used showing the two in the chair. Youre able to see from their costume of big coats and hats and the snow on the window the time of year it is. Here you can see a shocked looked on both the characters faces after the assistant saying who knows, maybe if you win the bonus having Elizabeth, in shock, pushes her foot on the break, again making it funny.

The same shot shows the outcome of the emergency stop, resulting in the assistant whacking her head on the dashboard. Injury to a person in a comedy film is always exaggerated, making it not look painful for the character so the audience dont feel empathy, just laugh.

As the voice over of the assistant continues over the various shots, a point of view close up from Elizabeths perspective shows a exam paper which is the key to getting the bonus if the children get a good mark, the sum of money being huge afterwards.

A cut to a long shot of both Elizabeth and the other school teacher is followed after. The proxemics of the characters shows that there is tension between the two, representing the competition between the two of who wins the bonus.

A quick cut then takes us to a medium close up of Elizabeth. As you can see her facial expressions show that she is ready to compete, putting on her game face.

Shannon Bulmer

Media

Task 3

Following after is a medium long shot of the other teacher, again showing her game face. By showing the two shots of the characters close up it links to the western theme of a show down, linking to battle.

A medium long shot of Elizabeth is used showing her teaching in her classroom. From her body language it still shows that she is showing bad behaviour, intimating the children showing them who are boss. She says things are going to change around her linking to her needing to have good grades to get the bonus.

A cut to a low angle long shot of Elizabeth is followed after using a gradual zoom. By using the low angle is extenuates her power as well as her body language alongside her voice over saying recess is over turning the school into her own boot camp.
Another cut shows us a medium close up of the previous teacher however having completely different costume on. The costume she is wearing now contrasts with her previous one, looking like a biker. The medium close up shows us her facial expressions, again looking like she is ready to compete against Elizabeth.
As seen previously, the same graphology is used when featuring the credits on screen. Again they have used the iconography which represents a school i.e. the crumbled paper and type writing font. As these sets of credits appear, non-diegetic music cuts in of the instrumental version of beggin by Madcon which then becomes a sound bridge as it continuous throughout the next few clips.

Shannon Bulmer

Media

Task 3

A cut then takes us to a medium close up shot of a billboard. This clip is only shown on screen for not even a second therefore the audience are unable to read what it says on the board, however, a female voice over is cut in saying we are having our car wash this weekend. The pitch of the voice is very high meaning that it symbolises a young girl.
After a panning shot to the right showing a pupil holding up a sign saying car wash a cut then takes us to a medium close up shot of this female pupil, matching the voice over with the face. The costume of this character is very smart wear and dull colours (navy) therefore this represents a teachers pet characteristic, which is a stereotypical personality you find in an American comedy coming of age genre. In this clip this character reveals that their last car wash raised a huge sum of money. We assume that she is talking to Elizabeth as it links to a way in which Elizabeth can raise money for her surgery.

As the pupil says they raised $6000 a cut then takes us to a reaction shot showing a medium close up of Elizabeth. By using the quick cut it emphasises the comedy as it automatically reveals to the audience what her next plan is to earn money. Her body language of having her feet on the table still shows her behaviour hasnt changed, showing characteristics of a stereotypical rebellious teenager at school, juxtaposing the pupil in the previous clip to her.
A cut then shows an establishing shot showing a change in location. By doing this is shows where the car wash is taking place, in the school grounds. Again, you can see on the far left of the frame the iconic yellow school bus, backing up that they are in fact at school. Youre able to see the pupils in the shot, linking to the fact they are the ones doing the work to raise money for a good cause however Elizabeth scams them. This clip appears when Elizabeths voice over cuts in saying lets do this whilst the volume of the sound bridge decreases. A cut to a close up shot of a females leg pushing open a door. We know that it is a female from the costume of the shoe, being a high heel which is stereotypical for a woman. We can assume that it is Elizabeth due to the way she presents herself in the previous clips. This is a funny way of approaching the way the school do the car wash as it implies she isnt going to be provocative for the male staff to receive more cars and earn more money.

Shannon Bulmer

Media

Task 3

Following after we have a medium close up shot of two males which could either be students parents or part of the schools staff. This follows on from my previous point showing the games that Elizabeth is trying to play to earn herself more money, flaunting herself to attract the males.

A medium long shot is then cut in, showing Elizabeth wearing revealing costume i.e. short denim shorts and a tied up shirt. This costume represents the iconic scene in Jessica Simpsons These boots are made for walking car wash scene, doing it as a spoof to make it more comical.

A cut then takes us to a very short snippet of showing a medium close up reaction shot from the male pupils perspective. As you can see from his facial expression that he is also attracted to her, adding to her massive ego, exaggerating the pompous character she is. Another cut then takes us back to the clip of Elizabeth washing a car. This clip includes the transition slow motion which emphasises her actions of being sexy whilst washing the car. Again a long shot is used to capture the whole of her body, focusing on the fact she is wearing tight, revealing costume. A close up shot capturing the back of Elizabeth focuses on the fact she is putting money in her back pocket, highlighting the key element of why she is putting on this extreme persona to try and attract customers. In the background, out of focus, you can see an old man who wants to get his car washed, making it comical.

Shannon Bulmer

Media

Task 3

This medium long shot introduces us to another school teacher, again contrasting appearance wise with Elizabeth. As you can see from her facial expression, this female character is gawping at Elizabeth in envy whilst her costume is bland and unflattering. In the background of the shot your also able to see various pupils looking in the same direction, this signifies that all eyes are on Elizabeth, again showing that she is an attention seeker and very confident with herself.

Whilst this clip is being shown, a voice over of a male character is cut in quoting what a pupils father said about we should have a car wash every weekend. This links in with the clip being shown as it shows her dancing on top of a car bonnet, representing why the male parents want a car wash every weekend.
A cut to a wide angle shot shows a police car and a parents car. As the car is moving a diegetic sound effect of a car horn beeps, symbolising a wolf whistle sequence. The camera tracks where the police car is heading, showing the car crashing into the parents car. This is comical as her actions are a distraction, even to police officers. It also subverts the stereotypical behaviour as a police officer of being strict and scary whereas in this they commit a crime.

The volume of the sound bridge increases once the credits appear on screen. Here you can see the start of introducing the actors featured in the film. In my previous analysis, the introduction of the actors in trailers are also featured around the same time in trailers, towards the end. This is so that it guarantees that the audience wont forget who is in the film. Also, again this film relies on the star system for marketing and distribution as Cameron Diaz is a renowned actress.

A cut then takes us to a medium close up shot of Cameron Diaz playing Elizabeth. This is the normal conventions featured in a trailer as it allows the audience to clearly understand and identify who is what character. This sequence structure of introducing the name of the actor then showing a clip of them afterwards in action is shown also in my previous analysis of The Great Gatsby (2013).

Shannon Bulmer

Media

Task 3

The credits appear after another cut, introducing us to the next main actor Justin Timberlake. Again, Justin Timberlake is a well known singer and actor therefore could be familiarised with the audience, guaranteeing some already dedicated fans.

Again, another clip shows the role that Justin Timberlake plays. This is shown with a medium long shot of his character at a school disco.

Another cut then takes us back to the credits however we know that this will be the last actor introduction because of the use of and. We know that there are more than three characters in this film, however, the producers have carefully picked the three most successful and well known actors to be featured in the trailer to guarantee audiences will come watch, again using the star system to attract the target audience.

Same as the previous clips, a cut is used to show us who Jason Segel plays showing a medium long shot, familiarising the audience with who he is. The sound bridges volume decreases whilst the actor speaks.
The volume of the music (sound bridge) increases when the title of the film appears on screen. The transition used again represents a grade stamp which American teachers use to grade pupils work. This is also represented in the graphology with the bad being in a bold red with a boarder around the outside, symbolising an F stamp. The use of red makes the bad stand out, highlighting the fact that she is a terrible teacher. The teacher is in a plain white, resembling a classrooms chalk and the background design representing the chalk board. All having relevance to a schooling environment.

Shannon Bulmer

Media

Task 3

A cut to a wide angle, establishing shot reveals another location in the school, the gym. This shot shows long shots of all characters, showing the children standing in a military line with Elizabeth standing in front of them to the side, as if they were in the army, referring to her ways of teaching being brutal. The volume of the sound bridge decreases whilst Elizabeth says now who has the answer to my question? You can see that in Elizabeths hand is a ball prop, which could foreshadow what is about to happen to one of the pupils. A cut then shows a medium close up of Elizabeth and a pupil in the background (proxemics). Your able to see by the way Elizabeth is holding her ball that she is willing to throw it to one of the pupils, again showing that her way of teaching is similar to the discipline seen in the forces. The pupil in the same frame is holding a load of balls which could signify that she is Elizabeths slave in the lesson, carrying about her things like a lap dog following her around. You can also see from her facial expression that she is scared/intimidated of Elizabeth.

As Elizabeth says You, chubs a cut reveals who she is talking about, using a medium close up shot. By the one liner it makes it funny as it shows what not to be like if youre a teacher, bullying a pupil. It shows that the children are frightened of her as he responds to her.

The same wide angle establishing shot is used taking us back to the long shots of all the characters in the scene. As you can see from Elizabeths body language and gestures, she is going to throw the ball at him due to him hesitating when she asked him a question.

A medium long shot showing the side profiles of the pupils is cut in shortly after showing her reaction shot of Elizabeth throwing the ball. Linking back to the previous point about pain inflicted on characters in a comical way, it reduces the amount of pain audiences would feel for the audience because the build up to the accident is funny however if this was presented in a drama genre film, audience members would feel empathy towards the hurt character because it is presented in a dramatic way.

Shannon Bulmer

Media

Task 3

The next shot shows the gym teacher showing similar morals in the way of teaching that Elizabeth does. For example, when Elizabeth hits the child with the ball he walks in and addresses the boy seen throwing a ball in this shot as Twilight because of his hair. This is comical as it creates a humorous insult as the Twilight saga, as the appearance of this character is iconic for the film twilight, looking like Edward the vampire. This medium close up shot shows the gym teacher encouraging the boy to throw a ball at Elizabeth, however doing it in a way of reflecting back on how to throw a ball, again showing the comedy genre.

A cut takes us to a medium close up of Elizabeth having pay back. In the background you can hear the pupils chanting hit her showing the change in dynamics once the gym teacher is allowing them to get revenge. The trailer ends with this shot of Elizabeth getting hit in the face. A sound effect of a ball hitting an object is used to emphasis how hard she was hit, abruptly cutting to the next clip.

The same credits appear straight after, advertising extra informational websites about the film. By doing this is grabs the attention of more audience members as it would show inside information about the film, actors, behind the scenes etc, linking in with the promotional ideas.

Another cut shows another clip of the film, showing a conversation between Elizabeth and the gym teacher who previously asks her out on a date. The use of an over the shoulder shot and medium long shot allow us to see the props which are included in the shot for example the gym teachers footballs, symbolising that he is the gym teacher and Elizabeth holding the school year book, asking him to sign it.
To show they are having a conversation, an over the shoulder shot is then used to show the gym teacher responding to what Elizabeth has said. Most comedy trailers end of a comical line to remind the audience what kind of genre the film is, as well as leaving the audience laughing so that they would remember the film and how funny it is. Here, the gym teacher replies hold my balls which again is another pun as the character refers to the footballs, however he previously asked her out on a date so the audience react to the line in a crude way.

Shannon Bulmer

Media

Task 3

The final clip appearing on screen is the release date of when the film will be aired in cinemas. Most trailers end with this information as it will be the last thing that the audience will remember therefore remembering the date of it release.

However, one thing which wasnt featured in the trailer is the Film Classification of the age limits on who can watch the film. By doing this it misleads the audience on who is able to watch the film or not therefore creates disappointment for some audience members if they are too young to watch the film due to inappropriate langue or scenes.