Cinderella

Generic Codes

The mise-en-scene in this trailer shows it is set in a small Kingdom. Kenneth Brannaugh is the director and it stars Lily James as Cinderella, Richard Madden as Prince "Kit" Charming, Helena Bonham Carter as the Fairy Godmother and Cate Blanchett as the evil step mother. Lily James is famous for starring in Downton Abbey therefore the power balance has shifted from her playing an upper class role to a servant maid. Richard Madden is famous for playing Rob Stark "The King Of The North" in HBO's Game Of Thrones therefore the audience are presented with a sense of familiarity as he is playing a similar role, one of royalty and power. The director is Kenneth Brannaugh, a man who has starred in Shakespearean classics therefore him being the director implies to the audience this film is going to be a fairytale classic. The story follows the classic fairytale having two stepsisters Gisella and Anastasia however it breaks the storyline by making Ella and Kit meet prior to the ball, abandoning the "love at first sight" theme. It is set in a small Kingdom which adds to the fantasy. The costume also emphasises the genre of the film; elegant and extravagant ballgowns, vast castles and pristine make up.The music in this trailer intertwines. Initially it is "Above and Beyond" by Audiomachine which is a minor key track highlighting Ella's unfortunate life including scenes of both her parents dying. However, once Prince Kit has been introduced the music changes to "Aeon" by Nick Harnett and Juliet Lyons, a more uplifting and momentous track giving the audience a sense of hope foreshadowing a twist of fate.

Narrative Codes

The binary opposition identified here is Kind Vs Evil. Cinderella carries her mother's last words to her "have courage and be kind" throughout the film.

Todorov's theory is also identified in the trailer. The equilibrium being Kit needs to marry and find a Queen for his Kingdom having being pressured to marry another Monarch in a different kingdom . The disruption happens when he meets, what he calls "a good, honest, country girl"in a forest, is attracted to her but knows nothing about her. The recognition is when he decides to host a ball in the palace and invites all the fair maidens of the land to track her down. The new equilibrium happens when she does in fact go to the ball and he does find her. 

The enigmas throughout this trailer are "does she find Prince Charming?" and "Will she ever escape from the evil step mother?"

The plot of this film is simple. A happy young girl loses her mother due to sickness at a very young age. She grows close to her father but he works away therefore he marries a widow to keep his daughter company whilst he is away. She brings her two spoilt daughters with her, the complete opposite of his daughter who is described as "having more kindness in your little finger than most possess in their entire body." Unfortunately the father dies and the young girl is left orphaned. She is now faced with being dehumanised by her new family being forced to live in the attic with rats and being their servant maid. She looks for an escape in the forest and meets a young man oblivious to the fact he is the prince. He tries desperately to find her again not knowing a single fact about her and hosts a ball in his palace in search for his new wife in hopes she will return. The evil stepmother forbids her to leave the house and this is when she meets her fairy godmother who disguises her enabling her to go to the ball without being recognised. She meets the prince and dances with him but when the clock strikes 12 all her disguises will fade therefore she leaves the prince and forgets her famous glass shoe. He finds the shoe and begins to knock on every house in the land to see who the shoe fits.

Technical & Audio Codes

The shot types in this trailer are mostly mid shots, excluding when young Ella has to say goodbye to her mother. The kingdom is framed in most shots emphasising the kingdom and the theme of fantasy fairytale. There is a lot of crosscutting editing in this trailer from the ball to her home life, especially the frequent flashbacks to her final conversation with her mother. The trailer cuts to each shot by fading to black, almost as if the audience is blinking and another moment has passed. A voice over of her dad is played as non diegetic sound throughout the trailer. Diegetic sound includes dialogue between her and her mother and the horse galloping through the woods. The colours used in this trailer are all bright colours with great warmth, foreshadowing the ending to the film.