Analysing the trailer for the Muppets

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1204342/

Institution Reference

• The institution reference of the film is Disney.• This already gives the audience ideas and suggestions

of what the film will be about. Disney are commonly known to make comedic family films suggesting that the film will be a comedy for family viewing.

Shot types• One of the opening shots is a two person shot of Kermit

and Miss Piggy looking at each other. Because these two are commonly known and seen as a couple, this suggests romance will be one of the films themes attracting a rom-com audience. This is because Disney have already insinuated the comedy element.

Mise-en-scene and sound• The narration sound here is ‘Searching for Love’. This

backs up and strengthens the connotations of romance.

• The mise-en-scene element is the fact that the shot is in black and white which has a romantic feel in itself.

Inter-titles• Inter-titles are used to introduce the characters.• This helps the audience build up a relationship with characters, but

because some of the characters are so famous, such as the two below, it will make them want to go and see it because it relates to their previous relationships with the characters and because they would be aware and interested in the characters. (Uses and Gratifications Theory).

• The font used makes the characters appear more sophisticated and is used as a juxtaposition against their well known silly and comical nature.

Link to marketing campaign• In the marketing campaign, the Muppets parodied

other film trailers in their own teaser trailers.• They parody themselves in the trailer. This adds comic

value attracting a comedy audience, but also links back to the marketing campaign as it relates to them because it shows them something they would be familiar with.

Follow up Inter-titles• In the follow up inter-titles they parody all of

the films they have already parodied using fonts.

• These are intetextual references that will attract a wider audience because it will attract the fans of what it’s referencing.

Sound• At this point in the film the music stops so the

sound effect of Fozzy’s ‘fart shoes’ are heard. This strengthens the sound effect of his shoes but also makes it seem more funny as the comedic element is being emphasised and strengthened.

Self-parody• The trailer uses a technique called ‘self-parody’

where it mocks itself in the film to draw a comedic response. This entices the audience to go and see the film because the comedic element makes the film seem more funny.

Title card

• The ‘M’ in ‘Muppet’s is green which is a connotation and reference to Kermit the Frog. This helps link the title card in with the film as it is referencing a film character. The green also stands out against black text and white background drawing attention into the green putting the image of Kermit in the audience’s mind.

Edit• The pace of the edit opens up quite fast to

make the film seem more fast paced and exciting.

• The pace slows down during the ‘self-parody’ so the audience can take in every characters personal reaction and take the comedic value from each character’s response.

• The pace remains slightly faster but not fast-paced to emphasise and help show the comedy by making the funny shots last longer.

Shot types

• Most of the shots used are medium-close-ups or just a close-up which gives the audience more of a chance to build a relationship with the character as it is more up close and personal.

• Most depth-of-fields used are deep which doesn’t really allow any of the characters to stand out by a focus means. This allows the audience to get more acquainted with the setting of the film.