Trailer Analysis- Bronson

Firstly the trailer opens using the green band rating informing the audience that the trailer is viewable to all ages and wont contain explicit content, however it also states that the actual film has been rated restricted which is the equivalent of an 18 BBFC rating in the United Kingdom, which also informs the audience that the actual film will contain scenes of violence, foul language and sexual content but it will not be shown explicitly in the trailer.

The screen then cuts to black followed by a mid shot of Tom Hardy's character, Charles Bronson, staring at the screen and starting off a monologue which would be used as a narration throughout the trailer. The dark background makes him stand out more as he is lit up by off screen lighting and this identifies him as the main character as he identifies himself as the name of the film and also is the very first actual footage of the film labelling him an important character.

Bronson throughout the trailer will go on to narrate about how he ended up in prison and the editing of the trailer matches what Bronson is describing in most cases such as his decent up bringing, however whilst he is narrating there is a guitar playing in the background that plays in synch with scenes where Bronson is fighting but saying he wasn't bad, highlighting that Bronson believed that his reactions were normal whilst the music intensifies the action making him seem even more violent. Each time we see Bronson punch there is a strum of the guitar and the screen slowly fades to black and to the next shot allowing the image of Bronson fighting to stay in the audiences mind as it is what he was famous for and it also highlights the convention that British films contain a lot of violence.


The production company logo is only on screen for a couple of seconds as it needs to be in the trailer to sell the company however it cant take up too much room as trailers must be short and snappy in order to make their point.


Sound FX are used when Bronson describes his robbery such as a gun shot on the close up of the shotgun and then a cash register sound on the tilt and zoom of the money. The effect of this is adding more depth to the character by making his crime seem more interesting as watching the trailer without the sound makes the crime seem dull as two of the shots of the sequence are just plain stills. However the use of stills makes it appear as if you are looking into Bronson's memory and not footage from the film.



Throughout the trailer the shots of Bronson are primarily from a low angle to emphasise his muscular stature and intimidation factor which he was famous for in reality. Low angle shots are used for the purpose of enlarging a character and so it fits the purpose of the film by conveying Bronson as a larger than life character.



The editing of the text informs the audience of how long Bronson was imprisoned for at the time of release and how many of those were spent in solitary confinement to avoid him being violent. The colour spilling out onto to the screen is representative of Bronson's personality as red has the connotations of anger, violence and blood all of which are central themes to the film and the main character. The actual text is made to appear like concrete which represents the cells that Bronson has spent the majority of his life in.

After the half way point of the trailer the music changes to a classical track which juxtaposes the text on screen which is used to imitate blood splashes on the wall. The effect of this is making Bronson appear violently insane reinforced with a dolly shot of Bronson in a cage singing loudly to himself to annoy the guards.


For the final sequence of the trailer a brass orchestra plays a triumphant tune as a montage begins of clips of Bronson fighting or showing off his intimidating stature through close ups. The sequence makes Bronson appear insane as we see him being dragged away by multiple men whilst he screams and other shots show him half naked pulling manic faces at the camera. All of this help to intrigue the audience into going to watch the full film to see why he acted the way he did and what happened to him because of his violence and insanity.

One of the last shots are of the title which is a mid shot of Bronson with the title of the film underneath him reinforcing the messsage to the audience that the film we solely be about Bronson and his life in prison as it is again set in low key lighting suggesting he is in a cell. The very last shot is of the websitelink for the film where the audience can learn more about the release.



To conclude I feel that the trailer was a success as it gives the audience a glimpse into the narrative of the story without giving too much a way of the plot whilst still being entertaining by containing scenes highlighting Bronson's humorous side and violent side, both of which stem from his manic tendencies.