RESEARCH AND PLANNING - Narnia trailer analysis: Editing

Editing

The beginning of this trailer is very unique in that the transition of the first shot is extremely striking and memorable. The use of the moving train to cut between the view of the Disney logo and the opening shot is subtle but effective, as, without realising how it was done, the audience are quickly and easily drawn into the plot, without any of the characters having spoken, they are already aware that the children they can see before them are standing on a train platform. The next few cuts are simple and unnoticeable, allowing the story to develop as any traces of advanced editing fade into the background, mirroring the old time period which is demonstrated through the use of mise-en-scene, this is another reason why the editing in this area is kept simple except for cuts between scenes, so as not to detract from the actual story line. The “Walden Media” logo is then used as a transition between scenes, followed by simple fades and the producer quickly sets the scene of the film with a composition of sections from the beginning to explain the narrative. Captions are then used to break up the shots, as the voices of the characters can still be heard, as the words “In this house there are many rooms”, you can still hear the counting of the boys voice, suggesting that they are playing hide and seek, another reference to the narrative. The cuts which follow are simple, leaving the short shots uninterrupted. Transitions remain simple throughout the shots which follow and it is left to the music and images to maintain the dramatic effect. The editing gets faster and faster towards the end of the trailer as the drama increases, mirroring the pace of the narrative, which speeds up dramatically towards the end. Right before the final shot there is a dramatic fade to black, which dominates the screen with darkness directly in sync with the height of tension in the music, which cuts of completely as the last shot fades onto the screen and a lions roar echoes into the startling scenery of mountains, in which the title of the film becomes visible. The music grows louder and louder and finally the screen cuts to black right before falling snow fades in and the release date fades into view.

Lucy :)

This trailer can be found through the following link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IQCECF1Qzv8