School of Rock Trailer Analysis

School of Rock is a comedy drama that follows the "immature" life of the protagonist, Dewey, who has a dream about being a rockstar. The trailer makes it clear that the story followed is light-hearted and funny, and therefore it is suitable for viewers of any age to watch. It gives an insight into the genre of the film, which I would describe as comedy, drama and music due to the narrative of the film being about someone who is passionate about music. as well as glimpses of songs being shown in the trailer. In terms of the demographic of this trailerm I feel it would be aimed at any age group due to the very uplifting and 'feel good' tone.

Genre
The genres of this film are comedy, drama and music which are clearly shown through the iconography in the trailer. The comedy element comes from the characteristics of the protagonist. Dewey, and his natural comedic traits that he possesses. ADD MORE DETAIL HERE The genre of drama is established through the character of Zak, who's got a talent for music, however is held back by his parents. It is a story-line that the target audience can relate to as many parents are wary about their children wanting careers in the arts due to the uncertainties in getting jobs, therefore many parents may hold their children back without realizing, and this narrative shows the consequences of this. The music genre is portrayed from the very start of the trailer and continues throughout. From the first shots and the voice-over it is clear that the protagonist is passionate about music, and you can see him share and pass on his passion throughout the trailer.

Narrative
The trailer suggests that the film will follow Todorov's 5 step theory of equilibrium. The first 20 seconds of the trailer shows the first stage of equilibrium, where you see Dewey's chaotic and crazy life as a rock star. However this is only a short stage and is quickly replaced by the second stage of disruption when Dewey gets kicked out of the band. The third stage of recognition occurs when Dewey picks up a phone call for his friend, Ned, and takes the job of teaching even though he's not qualified, It is clear here he recognised he needed to do something and start earning money again. The fourth stage of the damage being repaired is shown throughout the majority of the trailer as you see him try to start a new rock band with the students that he is teaching. The fifth stage of a new equilibrium is briefly shown when you see Dewey and the students actually performing on a big stage. Although showing  the fifth stage is unconventional of a trailer, it still works as it doesn't give the audience enough information for them to know the ending and still leaves them intrigued to see what happens.

Editing / Mise-en-Scene / Camera
The ident is shown in inverted colours for a split second and then returns to the usual, recognisable colours. As the ident appears non-diegetic rock music comes in which already adds to the atmosphere and clearly states to the audience that this film is likely to be based on music and rock themes. The fact that the colours in the ident were inverted portrays the idea of disobedience which links in with the themes of rock involving rebellious people and icons. A cut to a three-shot of three band members shows the geography of the area which looks as though it is a tattered room although there are fairy lights in the background giving it a warmer feel. The band members look like stereotypical rock lovers as they are wearing tank tops,  jewellery and one of them has a tattoo. This gives the impression of them being ‘bad’ and ‘rebellious’ however as they are adults and it is clear they are in a band, this image they are currently giving off may not be how their characters actually are. A further cut reveals a medium close up of a slightly tubby man with medium length brown hair and a beard. A couple of seconds later it is revealed to the audience that this man is also a musician as he is seen holding his guitar case. When this man is shown kicking part of the drum kit the non-diegetic music also makes a loud sound to draw the audience’s attention to what he is doing. Montage editing has been used to capture moments in scenes of the film and put them all together so that the audience can make sense of the film without knowing too much. There are times when continuity editing is used to give the idea of time going by at the normal speed, this allows the audience to see how some of the characters interact with each other. It is also one of the key aspects to making a trailer make sense as a group of seemingly unconnected shots can be hard for the audience to understand and engage with. Very little inter-titles are shown in this trailer. This is unconventional as a lot of trailers have inter-titles to split up events that occur in the film. The main title, however, is conventionally right at the end. It is shown in illuminated letters on a  brick wall which suits the music genre of the film as in some venues you would see signs like this  on a brick wall. The colour red is iconic for being a 'rebellious' colour, thus suiting the genre 'rock' which is often associated with 'bad behaviour'.

Sound
As one of the genres of this film is 'music' it is clear that music is an essential part of this trailer, and the most effective at grabbing music fans attention. Recognisable songs (e.g. Schools Out - Alice Cooper) are heard throughout as non-diegetic, incidental music. These songs reinforce the rock element of the film and are effective in giving the trailer the right atmosphere. In addition to this the usual elements of sound are also included as with only non-diegetic music the audience may become a little bored. Diegetic dialogue is one that is most frequently heard and this matches up with what the audience sees on the screen. As the trailer comes nearer the end a non-diegetic, typically low sounding voice over comes in saying things such as 'Paramount Pictures Presents' and 'The story of a man who gave a class the power to break the rules'. Some of the music heard is actually digetic music of the characters actually singing and performing which portrays again the genre of music in this film. The trailer ends on the final chord in a song. which ends the trailer in a punchy and 'rocky' way.