The Great Gatsby - Trailer Analysis

This is my analysis of The Great Gatsby, trailer #3.

  The Great Gatsby (2013) is a film adaptation of the 1925 novel by author F. Scott Fitzgerald. The genre is a drama/romance, which the audience can understand by the various medium close up shots of Jay Gatsby and Daisy in intimate situations, as well as the lyrics of the soundtrack such as, "I love you much," and, "Will you still love me when I'm no longer young and beautiful?"  There are elements of drama shown throughout, specifically in the scene where Gatsby loses his temper and screams, "Shut up!" whilst clenching his fist.
  The style/design of the film is one feature that I think attracts an audience. Set in the 'Roaring 20s,' a lot of people will enjoy the film for the historical aspect, and for the fashion period. I also think that the film's soundtrack is a selling point, as it features many popular artists, which help target the younger audience, perhaps 16-25 year olds, as it features artists such as Jay-Z, Lana Del Rey and Florence + The Machine. There is even an inter title at the end of the trailer that lists some of the artists featured in the film, to promote the soundtrack that can be bought separately, again targeting the younger audience. I believe that the film as a whole targets a large, diverse target audience, approximately ranging from 16-45, taking into account the older audience whom enjoy reading the original novel.
  In total, the trailer is two minutes and forty-fie seconds long, which is just over the average time for a film trailer. There is a total of one hundred and forty shots in the trailer, which includes inter titles, and like most films and trailers, the pacing of the cuts increases as the story becomes more tense. The music works well with the shots, and they often cut in time with the music, with a loud, "thump," sound effect, which makes the film appear dramatic. The is a huge range of shots used, from wide establishing shots of Gatsby's mansion to a worm's eye view of Daisy ripping off her pearls overwhelmed with mysterious emotion. This emphasises the diverse range of drama in the film, intriguing the audience as they yearn to learn the story behind the shots. However, a lot of the plot is given away through the shots, such as a wide shot of an unknown woman being hit by a speeding car, as well as a medium shot of a wall that features the shadow of a man with a gun. There are quite a lot of fades used between shots, however these are used with the slower soundtrack, and jump cuts are used with the other two, more upbeat and climatic soundtracks, creating a more gripping atmosphere.
  Part of the film's plot is given away trough diegetic sound, specifically dialogue. The opening line, "Mr. Gatsby, I'd like to know, exactly who are you anyhow?" presents Gatsby as a mysterious character and draws the audience's attention, which makes it a good opening line as it has the audience fixed from the start, and makes them want to watch more of the trailer to learn the identity of Gatsby.
  The character Nick Carraway acts as the narrator in the film, and as the voiceover in the trailer. Nick's voiceover provides an idea of the plot, but most of the dialogue aims to intrigue the audience, such as, "It had gone beyond her.  It had gone beyond everything." This creates more of a climatic atmosphere.
  The line, "Gatsby. He had a grand vision for his life since he was a boy," gives the audience a backstory of the plot, ensuring that they are up-to-date and understand the present storyline and characters.
  Gatsby's dialogue aimed at Daisy, "I'm going to fix things just as they were before, just you and me." provides another backstory (Gatsby and Daisy's previous relationship) but also introduces the conflict between Gatsby and Tom, Daisy's husband.
  Serious drama is then introduced, as Nick says the line, "But I had the uneasy feeling that he was guarding secrets…" This suggests that there are more complications in the story.
  Tom's dialogue in the trailer, "Something ought to be done about a fella like that," is the strongest line in the trailer. It introduces the climatic point and suggests how serious the drama is in the film, as murder/death is involved, and reinforces the tension between Gatsby and Tom. By this point, the audience is aware of the 'love triangle' situation between Gatsby, Daisy and Tom, and is left with a hint of how the story may progress and what it may involve.
  For this trailer, the inter titles are used to promote the film cast and crew rather than the actual film plot. "This Summer," is used to give the audience a general idea of when the film will be released. The  style of the film is also reinforced by the inter titles, as they feature gold, patterned backgrounds that suit the 1920s time period, but also emphasises the extravagant aspect of the film, as the characters are all represented as extremely wealthy.
  The inter title, "From Baz Luhrmann," targets the audience as a unique selling point, as fans of this specific director may be interested in seeing his work. This is similar to the inter title, "Director of Romeo + Juliet, Moulin Rouge," as fans of these two films, or anyone that saw them and enjoyed them, may now be interested in seeing The Great Gatsby.
  The inter titles of the actors in the film are definitely a unique selling point. Leonardo DiCaprio is a definite reason that certain people will see the film, and the fact that he starred in Romeo + Juliet, and has worked with Luhrmann before.
  Carey Mulligan is also used as a unique selling point, as she is seen as quite a prestigious actress and has won multiple awards, which could be a reason for an audience.
  The mise en scene in the trailer is constructed in a very fashionable, stylish and decadent 1920s manner. The wealth of the characters is represented through the wide panning arc of the extravagant parties, large fountains and the mansions, to name a few. It also establishing the city of New York, which implies the geographical location of the film; Manhattan and The Hamptons, in the 1920s, when times were changing, leading to the jazz age, 'speakeasy' time period but also the idea that after the war, women were more independent and the 'flapper' style began to develop and become the new fashion. An example of this is the medium wide shot of Daisy at 1:15, which shows her wearing a short dress that before this new age would have been viewed as extremely inappropriate!
  I believe that the style of the film is the most powerful aspect and selling point of The Great Gatsby, and would be the reason why people would want to see the film. All of the shots are very cinematic and visually stunning, but also maintain the vintage tone that sets the time period.