Trainspotting (1996) Trailer Analysis

1. Trainspotting
(1996)
Trailer Analysis
Kerry Pether

2. The opening clip of the trailer shows four characters running dramatically
through a street, however the audience isn’t told what they are running from
or why. This shows an enigma code, as we are left to interpret what is
happening within the scene, with the help of the dialogue in the voiceover.
[“Choose life, choose a job, choose a career...”]
This action isn’t explained throughout the rest of the trailer, which may
encourage the audience to buy the film/watch it in order to receive catharsis
Earp & Katz – ‘All men are violent’
The trailer begins in the centre of the disruption; although we do not
know what the disruption is (enigma code) as we see the protagonist
getting hit by a car. Although he doesn’t get hurt in the accident as we see
him get up and run off, it is clear that he is running away from a
disruption.
The camera is placed within the car, which creates verisimilitude as it
makes the audience feel as if they are running him over.
The first character that we are introduced to within the trailer is Renton,
who we assume to be the films protagonist. The intertextuality which
appears to tell the audience the character’s name and the direct mode of
address allows us to determine that he is the most important within the film,
as well as the fact that he was the first character to be introduced.
O’Sullivan et al – ‘Representation of who is good and who is evil’
The voiceover continues to list the choices that could be made to live a
positive life, whilst the synchronous music shows how the characters are
happy living their disruptive lifestyle

3. The next shot shows two binary opposite characters (Strauss) as the male
character looks dishevelled, whilst the female character looks clean and
sophisticated. This juxtaposes typical representations of females in social realist
films. The wide shot highlights the mise-en-scene which shows a nightclub, a
typical location shown in social realist films. The voiceover is now done by a
female character, describing the male character as “A little bit crazy, a little bit
bad…” which helps the audience to get to know the character better and
adheres to Earp & Katz theory. The two characters have close proxemics which
implies that they are in a relationship.
The next shot shows all of the films main male protagonists in what
appears to be a bar (mise-en-scene), whilst all smoking cigarettes and
wearing clothing which is typical to the era in which the film is set, making
them look quite rough and violent. They are walking in an angry,
determined way which implies that they are going to fight. Since there are
no women in this shot, it could be a representation of how masculinity and
femininity are socially constructed - O’Sullivan et al
The next character that we are introduced to through intertitles is Spud, who
is shown in a toilet looking quite ill, and intoxicated. This highlights the
lifestyle that they characters are living, whilst his nickname is quite classic
for social realist films. The close up shot of his face could be used to make
the audience feel quite uncomfortable, as he has obviously been using some
type of drug. He also looks quite confused, which shows the negative
impact of drugs.

4. This shot highlights the binary opposite characters (Strauss) as the drug
addict, Spud, is sat alone towards the front of the frame whilst the upper
class, professional characters, who we later find out are interviewers for a job
opportunity, are sat together at the end of the room. This shows the
differences between the two types of characters. The room is also very large,
making Spud look small and outnumbered in comparison to the interviewers,
which could be a representation of how society looks down on people who
are living in poverty. (O’Sullivan et al – ‘Representation of who is good and
who is evil’)
The next shot of Spud shows him looking very angry, juxtaposing against the
background of the scene and his dialogue which talks about leisure and
pleasure. (Earp & Katz – ‘All men are violent’)
Although we are not shown entirely what he is wearing, it appears to be quite
un-professional (e.g. he isn’t wearing a tie) which adheres to typical
representations of lower class people, and drug users. This also adheres to the
conventions of most social realist films, although he is trying to get a job
which could be seen as subverting representations of low class people as they
are usually seen within the media to not want to get a job or earn money.
In the next shot, the lighting has changed to show the characters in red,
having connotations of evil, which could be a representation of the characters
and their actions. The male on the left appears to be holding a knife, which
also shows ideologies of the male characters being violent (Earp & Katz)
whilst the clothing that they are wearing is quite unclean and not very smart,
showing that they are living a low class lifestyle and that they aren’t really
bothered about their appearance.

5. This show also adheres to Earp & Katz’All men are violent’ theory, as
we see the male protagonists pointing a gun at another male character.
Although we never see him shoot the human, and he does shoot the dog
instead, it still highlights the violent lifestyles of the characters, and
could also be a representation of the lower class area in which they live.
The framing allows the audience to see through the gun, adding a sense
of verisimilitude as we are positioned to feel that we are about to shoot
the male character.
The lighting suddenly becomes low key as we are positioned within a
night club, and all that can be seen is the silhouettes of some hands and
people dancing. This shows how the characters often go to nightclubs
rather than staying at home or working, adhering to typical
representations of low class people within the media. The low key strobe
lighting and hand held camera adds verisimilitude, as the audience is
positioned within the night club from the characters point of view.
We see another example of Earp & Katz ‘All men are violent’ when we
see Begbie attacking a male character, who appears to have not
provoked him in any way, with a snooker cue. This shows how the
lower class characters are just looking for violence, rather than being
provoked which shows negative representations of them. The setting is
once more in a bar, again adhering to common conventions of social
realist films.

6. The over the shoulder shot highlights the differences between the two male and
two female characters. The dialogue that is used also emphasises this, as when
asked what they are talking about the two male characters reply with “football”
and the two female characters reply with “shopping”. The female characters are
dressed in quite ‘chavvy’ clothing, showing negative representations of them.
O’Sullivan et al – ‘Masculinity and femininity are socially constructed’
Wolf – ‘ Beauty myth’
Berger – ‘Men act, women appear’
We see another example of the characters using violence within the trailer as they
are seen smashing a car window in order to steal it, or something inside it. (Earp &
Katz) The camera is placed within the car, which makes the audience feel as if they
are witnessing the crime first hand, whilst the foley sound of the smashing
emphasises the violence which is taking place. The editing is becoming quicker as
the trailer comes to a close, building up the intensity and making the themes of the
films (e.g. violence, drug abuse) more evident.
There are more intertitles towards the end of the trailer which are showing
the trailers house colours of red, black and white. The titles show some
reviews from existing newspapers and magazines, which highlights social
interaction for audiences as they will be able to recognise the large
institutions and also encourages them to watch the film as they are positive
responses.

7. One of the fast shots shows Renton swimming, fully clothed, with a bright light
behind him. This could give the audience implications that he has died, or is
dying, as the bright light has connotations of him travelling to heaven. Another
interpretation could be that he has taking drugs and the audience is now seeing
what he is seeing/feeling, adding a sense of verisimilitude to the shot. The
synchronous dance music continues to play, showing that although the characters
are living negative lifestyles, they are still happy.
One of the final shots of the trailer shows the films protagonist holding a large
bag, as if leaving, whilst smiling. This implies that he has escaped the
drugs/violence of the city and is leaving to begin a new life. This is reinforced
by the dialogue in the voiceover; “Choose your future, choose life.” This
suggests that the protagonist beginning a new equilibrium.
Gamman & Marshment – ‘Female gaze’
The mise-en-scene isn’t shown as the background is blurred and it is a close
up shot, which leaves the audience wondering whether he has actually escaped
his negative surroundings.
This shot highlights the different character types as we can see Renton (the
presumed protagonist) has turned around, as if he doesn’t want to be part of what
the other characters are doing, which represents him as the good character. The
character on the far left looks small and insignificant compared to the others, and
is also wearing brighter clothing which could represent him as being different or
quirky. He also appears to be stood further back from the other three, again
making him look smaller. (Propps character types)