CHARACTERSMichael Caine plays a cheeky, cockney, charismatic character, that has all the characteristics of an anti-hero. He is ruthless and mischievous, however the audience roots for him, due to his loveable nature. This is very typical with postmodern films as they break the rules of normal film conventions, such as Propp’s character theory. Expanding on this, he does not fit comfortably in the protagonist “hero” category, however, he doesn’t fit into the antagonist “villain” either because his character traits seem to be a mixture of both.

Noël Coward plays the main “helper” who is older and more experienced than the main character. The trailer shows the audience that he helps the anti hero from the inside. His authority is shown very clearly from the trailer, as he is being praised by numerous people.

Being a British Crime film, the antagonist “villain” is inevitably the authority. The typical bad guy is common in crime films, due to theses types of films being narrated around the criminals point of view. The choice of antagonist may also be meta- narrative as it could have been a passive aggressive “two fingers up” at the law, due to social situations that occurred at the time of the film.

The trailer shows the audience the team of “helpers” that will accompany the anti hero on his quest. It’s very common to have a gang of helpers in crime films instead of having the convention one helper in other genres of film. There is a huge comedic atmosphere with the different type of characters, chosen to help the anti-hero, which would be a selling point for people to go and see the whole film.

NARRATIVE STRUCTURE

This non linear trailer starts in the action, in order to intrigue the audience. It’s fast pace and exciting car chase gives no clue as to what the main plot is, but purely captures the attention of the audience. This type of trailer is postmodern as it creates mystery and uncertainty.

The case (or “quest”) is then revealed when the anti-hero watches a film explaining what the ‘Italian Job’ is. This gives the trailer some structure and enables the audience to understand what the film is about. It is then made known to the audience that the original man for the job died before he was able to carry out the deed.

The characters are then introduced to the audience, to give some information about each characters personality and purpose. This is usual for crime films to do as it provides the trailer with some information without giving to much of the narrative away.

MISE-EN-SCENE: PROPS AND COSTUMESThroughout the trailer, the Mini Cooper appears several

times. This prop gives the film a comedic atmosphere as it is almost paying pastiche to Britain, due to Mini Coopers being an iconic British symbol. The trailer has a very patriotic feel to it, and is shown through the props and characters, as the anti-hero has a tendency to say “bloody” a lot, which is seen to be a very British word.

The costumes worn reflect s through intertextuality the fashion at the time at which the film was created (1969). In saying this, suits are worn to demonstrate power and authority, especially by the mafia. Tommy guns are used as props to combine the classic American gangster style, with the British Crime feel of the film.

The characters also wear disguises in order to transfer the money. These props and costumes help to create a better cover up, and change depending on the role that they need to play.

MISE-EN-SCENE: LOCATIONS AND LIGHTINGThe film was filmed in Italy, and therefore the

majority of the trailer shows Italian towns and countryside. However, the trailer focuses mainly on car stunts and so does not show any establishing shots of the locations.

Due to the film being centred around car stunts and chases, the locations chosen for the trailer are very unique, such as sewage pipes. This lets the audience know that the film will be very action packed and exciting, thus purposely choosing the most thrilling scenes.

The trailer provides lots of different lightings, there is low key lighting to provide a more mysterious and dangerous atmosphere, as well as natural lighting to make the scenes feel more realistic.

CAMERA SHOTS, ANGLES AND MOVEMENTSThis establishing shot shows the audience the level of disruption the

group of criminals cause, as they create a traffic jam on a very large scale. This is a hyper reality disturbance , as it over exaggerates the damage created by the main characters.

Low angles are used throughout to establish which characters have the power and control over certain situations. This is typical in lots of films in a variety of genres.

The Point of View shot creates a sense of panic and disorientation which helps to apply a more dramatic trailer, because it’s as if the audience in in the car, as well as the other characters.

This panning shot of the car on fire, whilst rolling down the cliff emphasises the action that can be expected in the full film. It is also a type of hyper reality, as the explosions are purposely exaggerated to appeal to the male audience, who are stereotypically seen to enjoy violence and explosions.

SOUND AND EDITING

•There is a voice over which helps to distinguish the main plot to the audience by asking “What is the Italian Job?” this gives some clarity as it helps to give the trailer some narrative structure without giving to much of the narrative away.

•The British national anthem plays, to not only show how patriotic the film is, but to create pastiche, as the national anthem is often played to honour the country and Queen, however in this trailer it’s used to honour the criminals, and so juxtaposing and misusing it’s original purpose.

This style of editing gives the trailer a more post modern feel to it, as it is a style of split screen. It acts as a denouement to the trailer therefore bringing some sort of conclusion as to what the film will bring.

The title of the film continuously appears throughout the trailer. This is an advertising device, to remind the audience what the film is called, and thus making the audience more likely to go and see the full film.

AUDIENCE