Film Trailer and Poster Analysis

Key Conventions of this Film Poster

- The central image of Leonardo diCaprio in an expensive looking suit would appeal to the target audience of 65%  men and 35% woman between the ages of 20-35 who aspire to be rich and probably like this popular Hollywood actor.

- The title is in black and yellow which is in synergy with the fact that this film is based in Wall Street which is in New York, an American state popular for its black and yellow cabs.This would definitely appeal to the target audience who want to see stylish men in New York partying as part of a comedy film all about money and lavish lifestyles.

- The secondary image is of an office full of semi-naked women and money seemingly falling from the ceiling in a film based around the concept of a man getting rich in Wolf Street. This would be pleasing for the target audience who want to see partying, hot woman, money and criminals as this is a comedy, action movie involving lots of money and costly lifestyles.

- Leonardo diCaprio is smiling whilst directly looking at the camera and almost smirking at us and challenging the person looking at the film poster, this is linked with the character he plays in the film which is a defiant, risk-taking man who makes a lot of money from a life of crime in the film. This would appeal the target audience because he directly addresses the reader which makes it seem as if they have a personal relationship with Leonardo diCaprio and is in his character of a rich criminal.

- The name of the popular director, Martin Scorsese and famous actor Leonardo diCaprio are central in this film poster and are used to advertise the film because it features two admired people in the cinema world. This appeals to the target audience because they obviously know who these two people are as 'movie-watchers' and this would attract them to buy a ticket to watch this film.

Key Conventions of this Film Trailer

- The institutional details of the film are shown around the middle of the trailer in which Leonardo diCaprio and Jonah Hill are all mentioned with 'Academy Award Nominee' above their name instantly telling the audience that a lot of money was spent on this film. This would appeal to the target audience because both these actors specialise in action, comedy films such as 21 Jump Street and Inception.

- Many jumpcuts are used throughout the trailer to show the key and the best moments within the film such as scenes of Leonardo diCaprio on a lavish boat, having a party in his office and in what looks to be a meeting.This is effective because it shows a couple of sides to this film, making money at Wall Street and then spending the millions he makes on hot women, Italian sport cars and many many parties. This would appeal to the male side of the target audience because in an action, comedy film they want to see fast cars, hot women and famous actors making money illegally which is all shown within the trailer, this tells the audience that the film contains the classic action, comedy content that they are interested in.

- There are many fast shots shown in this film trailer showing fast cars and hot women, this could suggest to the audience that the film is fast-paced and full of tension and excitement which is the exact message that this specific genre of films would want to send in its trailers.

- The title and release date are shown at the end of the film trailer, this is good because it should be the last thing the audience sees so it stick in their mind which is crucial to ALL films as they must be an amazing hit in the opening weekend otherwise not enough profit will be made.

- The non-diegetic music used in this film trailer is extremely fast and is like a classic hip-hop song (which are usually linked to crime, similarly to this film). The music could say something about the film to the audience, maybe suggesting how fast-paced and full of excitement the movie is.

- Many non-diegetic sounds are used in this trailer, one of which is the author of the book version of this film (Jordan Belfort) talking about how much money he made in the previous year (49 million) and he cockily expresses his anger that he did not make 52 million to make it 1 million per week. This seems extremely arrogant and humorous to the audience which would also attract them to watch this film. A short part of the trailer is of Leonardo diCaprio directly speaking to the audience about making money which also shows how significant money is in this film, which would appeal to the target audience who like to see unethically made money in an action, comedy film.

- The diegetic sound used in this trailer are mainly the sound of characters making arrogant remarks and of people partying and unnecessarily making loud noises, this also portrays a successful image to the audience about the film which shows the film is all about money, crime, hot women and fast cars which is exactly what the target audience want to see.

The Wolf of Wall Street Case Study

Your chosen movie

1) What film have you chosen?

I have chosen The Wolf of Wall Street which features Leonardo diCaprio and popular film director Martin Scorsese.

2) Why did you choose this film in particular?

I chose The Wolf of Wall Street because there are many things to analyse within the film poster and trailer such as the iconography of gold watches and semi-naked woman in the background. It is also an interesting film because of its content about a poor man who gets lucky with a new job and makes million of dollars and starts hosting parties and getting drunk. This movie is based on a novel written by Jordan Belfort.

Institutional background

1) What was the film studio or production company behind your chosen film? E.g. Warner Brothers, Paramount etc.

The production company behind The Wolf of Wall Street was Red Granite Pictures and Paramount Pictures.

2) Who was the distributor for the theatrical release of the film in the UK?

The distributor for the theatrical release of The Wolf of Wall Street in the UK was Univeral Pictures International.

No brand loyalty

1) What genre does your chosen film fit into?

The genre of The Wolf of Wall Street is a Comedy film.

2) How can you tell it fits that genre?

I can tell that The Wolf of Wall Street is a comedy film because of the funny actions and remarks the main character (Leonardo diCaprio) does or says such as throwing a glass of alcohol into a garden and walking into an office full of semi-naked woman and a monkey which would be considered quite humorous and random.

3) Is your chosen movie a sequel?

No, my chosen movie is not a sequel and does not have any sequels as yet.

3b) If No, are previous films by the writer, director or star mentioned in the trailer?

No previous films by the director or actor are mentioned, however it is stated that the movie is based on a book written by Jordan Belfort.

It’s all a matter of timing

1) What was the UK release date for your chosen film?

The UK release date for my chosen film was the 25th December 2013 (Christmas Day).

2) When did the first trailer appear on YouTube for your movie? Find the earliest example you can and embed it in your blog.

The first Wolf of Wall Street trailer appeared on YouTube on the 16th June 2013 (5 months prior to release) by Paramount Pictures.



3) What other examples of marketing (teaser trailers, main trailers, newspaper or TV interviews etc.) can you find for your chosen film from before the film’s release date?

No teaser trailer, newspaper article or TV interview was found however the main trailer was released 5 months prior to release which is mentioned above.

It’s a social thing

1) What was the word-of-mouth like for your chosen film? 

The average rating for The Wolf of Wall Street was 8.3, which is quite a high rating. Some people thought that the movie was hilarious and had a great plot while others stated that the film is way too long and the plot was all about drinking, sex and the use of drugs which people found boring and one person even said that he had slept through some of it.

2) Find three quotes (no more than 25 words each) from user reviews of your movie to create a picture of what the public reaction to the film has been.

"I've always thought that there must be a very good reason for a movie to last 3 hours. Wolf of wall street does last 3 hours but there no shadow of a good reason for it. It could have lasted 1 hour and it would have been already too long."

"Martin Scorsese has done it again. His newest and most refreshing effort he's contributed to the world of cinema in years, The Wolf of Wall Street is a roaring thrill ride that is both absolutely hilarious and meticulously constructed."

"I am not against showing drugs or sex or money in a movie, if it helps the plot. But in this case, it didn't. It was 2 hours of absolute useless display of all the possible debaucheries on earth, without them helping in building up the characters."


Risky business

1) What was the original budget for your chosen film?

The original budget for The Wolf of Wall Street was $100 million at the time.

2) How much money did the film make in the opening weekend?

The Wolf of Wall Street made $18,361,000 in its opening weekend.

3) How much money has the film made in total?

In total, The Wolf of Wall Street made $116,900,000.

Stars in their eyes

1) What films has the director previously directed? Are they in the same or similar genres?

Martin Scorsese is widely regarded as one of the most influential film-makers in cinema history, he previously directed Hugo (Adventure), Shutter Island (psychological) and The Aviator (Drama). This suggests that he has directed a wide range of genres of films.

2) Who is the main star in the film?

The main star of the film was Leonardo diCaprio.

3) What other films has the main star appeared in? Are any of the films similar to the one you are researching?

Leonardo diCaprio has previously acted in many films including the Box Office hit Titanic (Romance), Inception (Sci-Fi Thriller) and Django Unchained (Western Action). These films suggest that he has also acted in a wide range of genre of films, similarly to Martin Scorsese.

4) Are the stars or the director or writer mentioned in the trailer for the film?

Yes, Leonardo diCaprio, Martin Scorsese and Jordan Belfort are all mentioned in the trailer.

Thank You for Reading!

Genre and NCIS

Film Trailer: Ted
Genre: Comedy (2013)
Evidence (NCIS): This film is a comedy film with a little bit of romance, the usual iconography I would expect is hot women, sex scenes, funny and unrealistic situations that make the movie funny. There is also one dramatic breakthrough in the middle of the film which is resolved at the end which is also something I would expect. The setting is in America, in a casual area. There is a goofy and unrealistic character involved which is the teddy bear who makes lot of references to sex, nudity and drugs which makes the film a comedy since it a teddy bear

Film Trailer: The Conjuring
Genre: Horror (2013)
Evidence (NCIS): This film is a horror film that involves a dead witch, this is quite expected iconography as witches aren't real and because it is a classic scary character. The setting I would expect and is shown in this film is a new house that it found to be haunted early in the film. The conjuring could be described as a mockumentary as is it meant to be a documentary about a haunted house but is not a real story. This is made obvious with the 'fake' use of handheld cameras. There is a hot woman that dies and a frightening character that is not revealed but only in glimpses making the film a horror story.

Film Trailer: The Whole Ten Yards
Genre: Action (2013)
Evidence (NCIS): This film is a classic action film that involves fast cars, drug references, hot women and a villain that obviously gets killed at the end of the film. The hero of the film is victorious in the end and he drives, fast cars whilst doing what looks to be impossible which makes this film an action film. Lots of hot woman are involved in this film and classically the hero and the hot women get married at the end of the film