Remember Me - Trailer Analysis Essay

Remember Me falls under the romantic drama genre, we know this because we see the typical bad boy character who is lost and misunderstood, quite clearly facing many emotional problems that he doesn't want to talk about but is also screaming for help, played by Robert Pattinson. Along with the quirky not so average girl who shares the same qualities, we know that most likely they will fall in love and bring out the best in each other, it's the other elements in the story which make it not the same old blueprint. The trailer begins with no music at all while Rob's character Tyler is getting himself in trouble in dark alleyways before being arrested, the slow grungy guitar playing later kicks in when we are shown him having a disagreement with his father - this is when we are introduced to their rocky relationship. This being the opening scene of the trailer sets the mood for the audience and establishes that character is lost and receives no support from his father, making a connection with the audience and the character.

 Although the music begins very slow and rusty it noticeably gets lighter and happier as the trailer goes on, especially in every plot twist, for example when the girl character Ally is introduced the music instantly lightens up telling the audience that this girl is bringing hope that things will get better for him - this means viewers will like her and be glad that she has come into the story. This progressive change in music is reflected in the lighting, again starting out very dark and and grungy, signifying how low Tyler's life had gotten and how he felt, the lighting also changes and goes significantly brighter when Ally is introduced. Both of these technical codes set the mood for the audience and represent the good things about to happen.

 The shot types used in this trailer include close ups and medium close ups both to show emotion and also when the two characters are in a medium close up shot together it signifies them coming together as one. A montage is used to show the growing relationship between Ally and Tyler and also to show the audience the passing of time, making us feel like we've been around the couple for a long period of time and therefore know them better than anyone else and how close they have become. There is also shot reverse shots used in conversations to show conversations between the two are more meaningful than normal. The narration of the story is omniscient so it keeps the audience informed on whats going on in each characters lives. The parallel narratives in the story of Ally and her troubled relationship with her father, Tyler and his similar relationship with his father and also Tyler's younger sister Caroline who too faces problems of feeling neglected and alone really take the story to another level. Although the father and Caroline are considered stock characters they play an important part in bringing the story along and making the audience feel more emotionally connected.

An action code used is the blowing out of the candles at the very end of the trailer, throughout the trailer we have seen that the girl character Ally enjoys deserts before her meal and we have also seen that Tyler uses birthday cake as a comical way to connect with her - when he blows out the candles all of the lightness and the music immediately stops before we pan out to a view of the city. This is a great way to signify the story will take an abrupt turn and end in a way the audience will not expect. It is great that the trailer does not tell the audience what will happen but instead leaves a cliffhanger in order for people to have to go out and find out what happens.