Genre Essay

Man of Steel

The costume that Clark Kent wears as Superman is typical of the genre. He wears a spandex costume that shows off and compliments his well kept figure allowing the audience to know that he is strong, visually.The red and blue on the costume are very bold and prominent, this is recognisable to superheroes as they usually wear colours that are well marked, making the hero distinguishable. The vivid colours also may reflect the intensity of their life and personality and shows their power in society. The symbol superman wears is uniform to so many heroes as they all usually have their own symbols that also make them identifiable. The cape quickly allows the audience to know that he is a hero as wearing a cape is not what most people wear day to day.

The character is represented as a normal person at points in the trailer, and a hero at others. The fact we see the same character dressed normally and then dressed up as a hero implicates that he is living a double life, this dual identity is a typical characteristic of a superhero film. This allows the audience to see the normal person behind the costume, causing a connection by allowing us to relate and even wish to be him.

In certain parts of the trailer it uses low key lighting, this is usual of a superhero film. The low key lighting can be used to create suspense or maybe even fear of something that is other worldly. Towards the end we see the superman symbol in darkness but some light from a unknown source shines upon it, this creates a contrast as shadows fall. This makes it seem mysterious as the contrast only highlights certain detail.

There are close ups of his face allowing the audience to focus on him. This allows the audience to almost automatically identify him. We are allowed to see his eyes and the eyes are described as the windows to the soul, allowing us as the audience to create a connection to him as we are placed very close to him, closer than most of the characters in the film. His eyes are squinted and his brows are frowned making him look determined and focused, this allows the audience to believe in him as we see how much he really wants to win.

The trailer appears to be set mostly in a city in modern day America, this is typical of the superhero genre. This will allow the audience to relate as cities are one of the most common places for people to visit and live in. Most people will know of one therefore will be able to relate to the setting.

In the trailer we see a female character and she is being carried by the male superhero, she is also seen at different points in the trailer. This suggests that there may be a romantic interest between the two characters which is typical of a superhero film. This also relates to the theme of love, although the hero is seen mostly alone, he is seen to be physically close to Lois. Suggesting even though he may have other duties saving the ones he loves is a priority.

In this trailer it provides the audience with the binary opposition of Family vs outsider. Although superman is not actually related to the public he is metaphorically their family. He stands by them in times of trouble and there is a sense of togetherness. This can be shown through the close up shot where we see Superman holding hands. In this shot all you can see is the two hands together, this denotes affection, protection and comfort in the most obvious way, as its a very visual sign of what standing by someone is. We also see what we believe to be the villain come in on a spaceship. Space ships are abnormal and mystical but create a sense of fear as we don't know who is on the ship. This shows they are an outsider. The beginning of the trailer where the screen goes static and white noise can be heard can also resemble an outsider, they are trying to break through the barrier of technology and project their message onto the televisions. The fragmented sound with bits of dialogue spilling through can also create intrigue and concern, they are still hiding, we cant see them and the dialogue  is not clear. The concealed identity can make the audience feel eerie and anxious as they don't know what they're dealing with. The more the outsider attacks, the more united everyone else becomes creating a sense of empowerment.

This trailer provides the binary opposition order vs chaos. The non-digetic music starts off quiet and electronic and continues to build into a much more intense orchestral style. This reflects how as the trailer progresses so does the action and disorder. 

self sacrifice

The line of dialogue "the fate of your planet rests in your hands" could be seen as an enigma code, it leaves the audience to think what will happen with the planet? It leaves the audience with a lot of questions that they want answered, it also implies that the planet is in danger which is usual of a superhero film. Because of these two things the audience will watch on so there questions can be answered.

Overall this trailer depicts what is usual of a superhero film with explosions that show the dramatic and intense situations superheros seem to get into and the flying that is specific to someone with powers allowing you to know exactly what genre this is.