Avatar Trailer

James Cameron and the other creators of Avatar wanted their movie to have an effect on us, and even more than that, they wanted us to pay to go see their movie. I feel like the best way to analyze how a movie works on us would be to see what it is that has convinced us to pay to see that movie in the first place. I decided to take a look at the trailer for Avatar.

http://www.imdb.com/video/screenplay/vi895222297/

The trailer begins with ambient music; we know already that this movie is going to be a sci-fi movie. Then we see eyes opening almost as if it is signifying that this movie is going to awaken and enlighten us. Everything else prior to seeing this movie was nothing; we were asleep until now. There is the sound of a rocket taking off. We now know that we are going to go on an adventure to a far away place. The music in the background now sounds like a heartbeat. This is to make us feel like we are the main character. We are Jake Sully and we have landed on Pandora. Once Jake arrives at the base, we see the amount of technology and this tells the audience that this movie takes place in the future. There is an image of a plane flying by floating rocks. We now know that Pandora is a very strange place that is nothing like Earth. We see an image of the general with a giant claw mark across his face. We now know that Pandora is a dangerous place. We then hear the sound of a vacuum-sealed pod opening. We now know that Jake will be a part of a scientific experiment of sorts. Jake then approaches a giant blue creature inside of a pod filled with liquid. We are uncertain of what is going to happen, but we know it is giong to be awesome. Jake smiles after seeing his avatar and then the ambient music finally ends with a bang, almost as if the door to everything we were once used to is being slammed shut. This is where the action begins. Jake is inside of a pod with wires all around his head and then it shows somewhat of a worm hole. We know that we are entering a very strange place, but we don't know what it is. Jake jerks his eyes open and then we see two large blue hands from what appears to be our point of view. We now know that Jake has become an avatar. Without using any words, the trailer has given us an understanding of what the scientific process to becoming an avatar is. We see Jake as an avatar on a hospital bed. He is moving his feet, and now we know that the possibilities are endless. He jumps up from his bed and bangs the glass with his hand, startling the scientists inside. This is foreshadowing Jake's rebellion against his people. We then hear Jake say the first and only words of the trailer, "This is great." As if we needed any more evidence that this movie is going to be great, Jake has just told us. Now the music actually starts and it is very intense and it still sounds like a heartbeat, only faster. This says that this movie is going to be pulse-pounding and exciting. Then words appear on the screen, "From the director of Titanic". Now we know for a FACT that this movie is going to be good. A plane lands into a very strange jungle. We are in Pandora. Jake is looking around and comes across a very large and very terrifying creature. We now know that Pandora is nothing like Earth, it is scary. He is now being chased by creature. This is telling the audience that there is in fact chase scenes-- one of the requirements for any movie. Then we see the face of a female character-- girls being another requirement. Then we see Neytiri jumping into the air shooting an arrow, showing the audience that, not only is the female attractive, she is a badass and there is violence in this movie. Then we see clips going back and forth of the beauty of Pandora and army men going to battle. This trailer has just made us take the side of the natives of Pandora. We see planes flying, men carrying guns, na'vi and other creatures growling, and na'vi getting on the backs of some sort of pterodactyl. We now know that there is going to be an epic battle between these two groups. As the actions builds, so does the music. It becomes more and more intense as the action becomes more climactic. We then see these pterodactyls attacking the planes and men shooting big guns-- more violence and explosions!! We then see Neytiri crying, which means there is also emotion in this movie. Women now have a reason to see it. More violence and explosions, and then the trailer ends with a clip of Jake and Neytiri leaning in for a kiss. There is a love story amongst all of this violence?! The audience is thinking "I need to see this movie what is it called?!" Then there is a title screen which reads, "Avatar".

The creators of this movie have just successfully brought together clips from a two-hour movie into a two-minute clip and shown the audience what the movie is about and that is has everything that a person looks for in a movie. There is an interesting story line, there is a sense of wonder, it is futuristic, there are chase scenes, violence, pretty girls, explosions, emotion, and a love story. They want the viewer to know that this movie appeals to everyone. More importantly, they have just used your own wants and desires to entice you to spend money on seeing this movie.