Research: Dark Fantasy trailer analysis 1 Maleficent (2014)

Institutional Information
Maleficent is a 2014 dark fantasy film starring Angelina Jolie The and Elle Fanning. It was directed by Robert Stromberg and produced by Joe Roth. The production companies involved were Walt Disney Productions and Roth Films. Maleficent was distributed by Walt Disney Studios and Motion Pictures. The film was released in the UK on 28 May 2014, two days prior to the mainstream US release on 30 May 2014. The running time is 97 minutes. Maleficent had a budget of $263 million, and took $758.5 million at the box office.

Synopsis
Maleficent is based on Sleeping Beauty (French: La Belle au bois dormant) by Charles Perrault. Maleficent is the epitome of purity. When an invasion threatens her beloved land, she grows fiercely protective. A betrayal transforms her into a bitter creature craving revenge. She engages in a massive battle with the successor of the king who invaded the land. Maleficent curses his newborn daughter, Aurora. Unbeknownst to her, Aurora holds the key to tranquility in the kingdom.

Mise en Scene
The predominant colour in this trailer is black. This could connote both Maleficent's power and sophistication, as well as her darkness and mysterious personality. The green (mostly used in the special effects) is also significant. This is because it connotes envy. Additionally, it connotes nature. This links to Maleficent's love of her land. Therefore, through the use of these colours, the audience are perhaps subconsciously introduced to Maleficent before and while she is bitter. The director could have done this to create a preferred reading for Maleficent.

The lighting used is mainly low key to reflect the "dark" side to the trailer, resulting in a perhaps sombre mood. The proxemics of Maleficent (Angelina Jolie) and Aurora (Elle Fanning) vary to mirror how they hate each other, but then realise they need each other's help. By placing the characters close together, it also creates more tension for the audience as it is made clear that they represent different things (good and evil).

Sound
The trailer uses a mixture of diegetic and non diegetic sound effectively. At the beginning of the trailer there is a slow tempo soundtrack which instantly gives Maleficent an eerie yet magical feel. The dialogue is quite loud to reflect the power that Maleficent possesses.


Editing - Titles
The typography used in the titles is a serif font. This could portray the rigid nature of Maleficent's outlook now she must protect her land. It could also relate to the fact that a lot of fairy tale stories are old, a lot of "old fashioned" writing uses serif fonts.
There is not much colour in the typography to reflect Maleficent's ice cold personality. Alternative connotations of blue are serenity. This links to the peace that both Aurora and Maleficent truly desire.

Titles

Titles

Titles

Titles

Titles

The above titles convey that the text is "cooling" because the colour and effect is transitioning from fire to ice. This could represent the climax, especially as it is near the end of the trailer. The fire could represent the action on screen, as it flows from the last scene. 

Camera

This trailer uses a variety of camera effects for effect.

Medium research - How it will help me

As a result of researching my chosen medium (dark fantasy) I hope to be inspired by the products I see and acquire ideas for the creation of my own fantasy trailer. It will also allow me to visualise some of the conventions I researched earlier, making it clearer what I need to include in my own trailer. I want to evaluate the effectiveness of the trailers to help me recognise the positives of the media product and where it can be improved. This can hopefully be translated into my own work.