Katy Jackson

Grave of the Fireflies Trailer Analysis

At first glance this may seem like an odd choice for a trailer analysis as I am not doing animation
and have not decided to do my film in Japanese or with any Japanese culture. However, the use of
the genre alone in this film speaks for itself and I wanted to see and analyse how this was put
across in the trailer. For some context, the film follows the story of two orphaned children who
due to the after math of a World War II bombing have to struggle to survive in the Japanese
countryside. It is a real tear jerker and a good example of a 'tragedy' genre film. In this analysis I
will be able to explore elements of the trailer and see if they live up to the high standards of the
film itself.

The Narrative Structures

The first thing the audience sees are the words 'THEATRICAL TRAILER' (written in Japanese).
This is unconventional of the trailers I've been analysing (mainly American and English ones)
although it may be a normal thing to do in Japan. Alternatively, it could be a different way of
telling the audience a trailer is about to start (instead of having a message from the 'Motion
Picture Association of America' or another board).
The trailer then properly starts with an establishing, long shot
showing a man in uniform sweeping up dirt with the words 'Kobe,
1945' telling us the location and current year. This helps to give
some context so that the audience know where and when the film is
happening. Diegetic, ambient sounds of him sweeping and other
background noises make the scene seem more realistic.
This is followed by a couple of exterior shots where fireflies are
shown for the first time. It is night time so the fireflies can be easily
seen. Non-diegetic incidental music also comes in at this point. As
the fireflies are being shown a girl appears, making the shot a long
shot. An animated inter-title also comes on the screen. Another
character touches the girls shoulder in which the girl responds
positively after seeing him. This suggests to the audience that they
have a good relationship (could be considered an equilibrium).
A bird's eye view shot of a plane flying over a town with black smoke below it clearly tells the
audience there has been some disruption (a disequilibrium). The two characters are then seen
walking around as the disruption occurs.
The next section of the trailer shows the young girl excited to
see her new home located in the countryside. It doesn't look
much like a typical home and is probably just the boys way
(her brother) of making do and having to provide somewhere
for him and his sister to live. The two characters are shown
looking happy going about day to day things in their lives (e.g.
collecting water).
The audience is then reminded of the disruption in the town (due to the war) through a long shot
of some broken down trams.

Katy Jackson

The two main characters (the protagonists) are seen taking off
the lid to reveal many fireflies. This is followed by the main
titles, and a final medium close up of the girl asking why
fireflies had to die so soon. Two more inter titles appear on
screen one after the other, at this point there is no sound
whatsoever. (The non-diegetic music faded out before the girl
started talking).
It is clear to me that the trailer has used a linear narrative as montages don't appear to be a heavy
feature. However, they have done it in a way that doesn't give away what the whole narrative is
but feeds small amounts of information to the audience so they can try and piece together what
the film is about but not know for sure.

How is the genre of the film established?

This trailer uses iconography incredibly well to capture and put
forward the genre of the trailer easily. The genres of this trailer
are war and drama. Many dramatic shots are shown throughout
simply by having lighting or breath-taking landscapes. Icons of
war are also shown, such as remains of bombings, an airplane,
smoke and more.
I wouldn't say the sound in itself establishes the genre although it complements the shots nicely.
The non-diegetic incidental music creates a calming effect which works especially well when
shots of the fireflies are shown.
In my opinion the typography doesn't really do anything to establish the genre either, although it
is bright enough to stand out (by using illuminated letters or/and bright colours).

Audience Pleasure
A trailer like this will only really interest fans of anime as the pleasure from watching it comes
from how pleasing to the eye the animation style is. As well as this it is subtitled so audience
members who don't like reading whilst they are watching a trailer will not enjoy this trailer.
However, let's assume fans of anime and possibly Studio Ghibli's other work choose to watch
this. With this audience I believe they will find pleasure in watching it. Barely anything is given
away from the trailer itself providing a sense of mystery but two of the main characters are shown
allowing the audience to feel as though they are getting to know who is in the film. This balance
of mystery and knowledge leaves the audience informed but wanting to know more.

Production

Katy Jackson

The whole production process is a lot different for an animated film. As I am not doing an
animation I believe it is irrelevant to look into this process. Instead I will apply some things I
usually talking about but not relate them to the actual animating process.
The way the characters are shot is almost exactly the same as real people (medium shots, long
shots, etc), and therefore the lengths of shots vary just like they do in trailers that are not
animated. The only transition evident throughout are cuts which again is the most used in other
trailers. No lighting was used obviously as it's an animation however the fireflies light up shots to
create in some cases a very dramatic effect. Other lighting looks as though it would have been
used if the trailer involved real people (as a change in light can be seen in some shots for
landscapes and characters).

There is no focus pull in any of the shots as it is an animation. The final thing I'd like to point out
in terms of production is how because it's animated the only limit to what they can achieve to be
part of the trailer is their imagination. Therefore, the bird's eye view of the plane flying over the
town with smoke over it is possible (and would be incredibly hard to film if it wasn't animated).

Target Audience
As I've mentioned before people who will be watching this trailer are likely to enjoy anime and
will therefore probably see the film regardless of the trailer's content. In my personal opinion the
most appealing thing about the trailer is the relationship between the brother and sister as this is
something that a large amount of people will be able to relate to. As well as this older generations
may relate to seeing icons of war and is may remind them or their past. This may be another
reason for them to want to go and see the film (or not see the film if it brings back bad
memories).
No antagonist is shown for the audience to recognise and possibly despise. Although, some may
see the war itself representing the antagonist, causing disruption to the lives of many people.
In conclusion, I feel as though this tragedy film was a bit of an odd trailer to analyse. Useful, but
odd. I guess it shows me that some trailers are constructed in ways that aren't so conventional and
possibly appealing to a wide audience. Anime itself is a niche thing that a smaller amount of
people enjoy compared to large budget Hollywood conglomerate films, so the trailer will
consequently be something that a smaller amount of people enjoy. It's also given me some insight
into animated trailers, although I will not be researching this further. I don't think the tragedy side
of the genre is well established in this trailer however, from watching the film myself I know it is
very sad. Overall, not a great trailer, but as I said before, useful to analyse.