1. The Riot Club (2014) Trailer Analysis Kerry Pether
2. The Bulls Head pub links to alcohol abuse and violence,
stereotypically British named pub. The male characters are stood
together with a direct mode of address, which adheres to the Female
gaze theory by Gamman and Marshment. There is synchronous music
playing, representing the males upper class status. The wide shot
of the characters highlighting their costume. They are wearing old
fashioned suits including waistcoat (all matching) which have
connotations of the characters being affluent and wealthy, as well
as highlighting their unity (It was all me no it was the club)
There are intertitles throughout the trailer, beginning with the
words At the worlds oldest university. This helps to show the
audience that it is set at Oxford University, which is well known
within the media for being upper class, rich and stereotypically
British. The intertitles inform the audience of important narrative
features, including the films main location. The writing which is
used for the intertitles is in black and white, representing the
negative themes within the film (such as violence and alcohol
abuse), and is written in an affluent font, as if to represent the
upper class setting and characters. There is a frame within frame,
low angle shot at the university where the film is set, which
allows the audience to see the large scale of the university, as
well as highlighting its importance within Britain. This shows the
mise-en-scene, and juxtaposes against the negative themes which are
shown throughout the trailer. This could also help to highlight the
binary opposites (Strauss) of the upper class, large university and
the small, lower class pub which we see later on in the
trailer.
3. The next shot highlights once more the two binary opposite
characters (Strauss) as we see an over-the-shoulder shot of the
lower class female character, and the male upper class character.
The mise-en-scene is also evident in this scene, as the university
setting can be seen in the background, having upper class
representations. The differences between the characters become more
evident when the female character says Miles are you posh?, as if
insinuating that she is lower class and looks down on the upper
class character. The wide shot that we see next highlights the
upper characters costumes, showing that they are very affluent and
very expensive- looking. Shooting is a stereotypical thing for
upper class males to do as a hobby, which is often shown in social
realist films and is a typical stereotype within the media. The
sword and guns which can be seen could represent violence or the
upper class as they use these items for sport which adheres to Earp
& Katz All men are violent theory, whilst the large house which
is evident in the background is opulent, again conforming to
representations of the upper class within the media. The painting
of the character which can be seen in the next shot represents his
high status and wealth, and is a traditional prop for the upper
class characters in social realist films. It could also represent
him as being very narcissistic and self-centred, as he has his own
portrait hung up in the house. The low angle shot of the male
character makes him look powerful and quite intimidating, adhering
to Earp & Katz All men are violent theory, and also adhering to
common representations of upper class people within the media.
4. The male character is then seen looking at the female
character in a sexual way, as if degrading her. There is a slight
low angle shot of the male character, and the female is only seen
from over the shoulder, which again makes him look more in control
of the situation than she is, as well as presenting the upper class
as being overly-sexual, and misogynistic, which is a common
representation within the media. (MEN ACT, WOMEN APPEAR THEORY) The
female is also blonde and quite pretty, which adheres to Naomi
Wolfs Beauty myth theory. The main female protagonist can then be
seen in low key lighting through glass, which makes her look less
powerful and highlights how the upper class male characters feel
that they are in control. It could also represent binary opposite
characters (Strauss) as the lower class character is often seen in
low key lighting and at a long shot, whilst the upper class
character is always in high key lighting and is quite close up to
the camera. There is a close up shot of one of the main upper class
characters to show that he is one of the main
protagonists/antagonists, and that he is in control within the film
being an upper class, male character. It could also be used to
attract the female gaze (Mulvey), as he could be considered
attractive, and his smart, clean clothing highlights to the
audience that he is quite rich, and one of the upper class
characters. He appears to look quite smug and in control, again
showing typical representations of upper class characters within
social realist films.
5. There is a close up shot of a lighter which has connotations
of fire and destruction, and is gold and black which could be
considered quite opulent as if to represent the upper class. The
negative, violent connotations of the lighting adhere to the Earp
and Katz All men are violent theory, whilst the close up shot and
zoom into the lighting intensifies these connotations for the
audience. The editing then becomes quicker, fading in and out to
build tension for the audience and suggest that the trailer is
beginning to reach an important moment. We see a destroyed bedroom,
which represents the destruction and violence of the club,
highlighting to the audience that the upper class characters dont
care about the new member of the club who could be considered a
lower class. This adheres to Earp & Katz theory, whilst the
audience is left not knowing who has destroyed the bedroom and only
being able to speculate who it was by the word Riot which is
written on the wall (Barthes Enigma code). The negative
representation of the upper class is intensified when the female
character says These people are not your friends, again showing
that they dont care about Miles or anyone of a slightly lower class
than them. There is a woman who is being objectified by the upper
class men and who we assume is a prostitute, highlighting how the
upper class views women only as objects for sex and for things for
them to look at. (WOMEN APPEAR THEORY). This also reflects
patriarchal views within society, as well as within the upper class
people. The lighting has changes to become low key lighting,
implying that the mood will soon change as the characters become
more intoxicated.
6. We hear Foley sound as one of the upper class characters
punches the lower class owner of the pub, highlighting how violent
the men are becoming as they become more intoxicated. This also
shows the binary opposite characters (Strauss) as it is the upper
class man attacking the lower class man, again a common
representation of upper class people within the media. The music
has changed, becoming more dramatic and synchronous in order to fit
the action that is happening on the screen, and letting the
audience know that the mood of the trailer has changed to become
negative. The male character is covered in blood implying that a
fight has taken place, probably between the lower class and the
upper class characters as they have become more intoxicated
throughout the trailer, which is a common convention for social
realist films. This adheres to Earp & Katz All men are violent
theory, and is emphasised when we hear an upper class characters
say People like us dont make mistakes, which implies that they
arent sorry for the violence which has taken place. The music is
now slow and synchronous to fit the now negative tone of the scene.
The next key scene shows one of the main upper class protagonists
shouting Im sick to death of poor people! whilst clearly being
intoxicated. This adheres to typical representations of upper class
within the media as hating the lower class, and being quite
discriminative and violent towards them. The music has now suddenly
turned loud and fast, to represent the confusion and the negative
nature of the club, whilst the low key lighting also shows these
negative representations of upper class characters.
7. The lower class, female character is shown being attack by
the club which represents her as being quite weak, and again as
being objectified by the upper class males. This is a dominant
ideology within the media, and adheres to the John Berger Men act,
women appear theory, as well as showing the binary opposite
(Strauss) characters, the upper class male being in control and the
lower class female being weak and unable to fight the male off.
This could be quite a shocking scene for audience members as it is
not shown in most mainstream films, however it is a common
convention of social realist films, and it will encourage the
audience to see the film as it is dealing with issues which occur
daily. Intertitles showing the films tagline which is eventually
shown fully towards the end of the trailer, and are used to inform
the audience of important narrative features e.g. tag line Filthy.
Rich. Spoilt. Rotten. This tagline highlights key representations
about the upper class e.g. being spoiler by a rich family. The
writing itself is still black and white, and in quite opulent font,
however it appears to be discolours around the edges which could
represent the damage that the upper class males have done, and the
negative lifestyles that they lead. There is a low angle shot of
one of the films main protagonists which is shown in bright
lighting, making him look angelic and like a heroic character which
we can tell from the ending of the trailer that he isnt this
juxtaposes the films theme and could show a potential twist in the
plot.
8. Flashing lights showing ideologies of a police or ambulance
this suggests that there is a fatality at the end of the film, and
the audience is left wondering if it is one of the upper or lower
class characters. This is an enigma code for the audience
(Barthes), and will encourage them to go and view the film in order
to feel a catharsis and find out whether someone has been killed by
the upper class, male characters. The ending of the trailer shows
the films title in bright pink which juxtaposes the patriarchal
dominance within the film only three main female characters all of
which are sexualised. The end titles encourage an active audience
through social media sites and a website, which also links into
social interaction and could create a larger audience for the film
despite it being a niche genre.