X-Men Trailer Analysis

1.       What information do we get about the narrative?

The information we get from the narrative is that the film is based on X-men, but set in the earlu years when Erik and Charles were young. It is evident that it was set back in the war, and mutants weren’t the big problem (people didn’t know of them).

2.       Names that sell the film? E.g. directors, writers, previous film.

One of the titles in the film was the logo for Marvel – a well known comic brand, this lets people know that the film is probably a Sci-fi. It also has the school brand for Professor Xavier’s School for the Gifted and Talented, which would be recognized by anyone who had watched the previous successful X-men films.

3.       What questions is the audience left with?

You are not told why these people are mutants, and for people who had never watched the previous films may find it surprising. This is because Allot of special effects are used when making the characters perform their special powers, such as one scene where a submarine gets lifted out of the sea by nothing, and another where a girl grows insect wings out of her back.

4.       Shot breakdown – tedious but essential! List every shot in the trailer.

·         20^th century fox logo

·         Prof x’s old wheelchair – empty

·         Fade in to a title of “before he was professor X”

·         Scene of prof X using Cerebro

·         Title – “He was Charles”

·         Then to a young prof X

·         Title – “Before he was Magneto

·         Magneto’s helmet

·         Magneto stranding in front of many police cars

·         Title – “He was Erik”

·         Young magneto looking over his shoulder

·         Marvel title

·         Erik and Charles walking along together, with news reporter talking in background

·         Shows a mansion – recognized by X-men viewers as the School.

·         An old fashioned living room setting, A number of young people standing round a TV

·         Shows TV screen – news reporter

·         Then to a mid shot of a worried looking Charles, and others.

·         Charles opening some heavy doors

·         Title – “On June 3”

·         People looking through double sided mirror into a room with a woman in white

·         Face of a dark haired girl dressed in promiscuous clothing

·         Charles and Erik laying on bed watched the girl grow inset wings from her back.

·         Close of young looking scientist (Hank McCoy) holding a needle.

·         Young man turning around looking worried – fire in background

·         Another young man turning around in a car - worried

·         A woman walking through the street looking worried

·         A young blonde women laying in bed, her skin moves and changes to blue with red hair

·         The news reporter stops talking

·         Title – “witness the beginning”

·         A jet Flies above Battleships

·         Doors of jet open to see Charles in the classic X-men superhero suit

·         Mid shot of Charles “Ready for this?”

·         Erik close up – “Let’s find out”

·         Missile flies out of ship

·         A blue lion like man sitting in pilot seat of jet looks round

·         Jet swerves missile

·         Numerous missiles fly towards a beach.

·         Magneto walks down corridor twisting his hand

·         Over the shoulder shot of Magneto making a man fall to the ground

·         Back to magneto

·         Back to the man keeling over while magneto walks past

·         Close up of Hank McCoy grimacing

·         Point of view shot of Hank grabbing his leg while his foot transforms into a large blue hand

·         Three villains standing in a room, one – a beautiful blonde – transforms into pure diamonds

·         Hank jumps from the ground to grab onto the wing of a plane with his feet.

·         Close up of Mystiques face

·         Mystique leans in to kiss Hank, they are both kneeling down

·         A young man glowing red and wincing

·         The young man shooting red light from his body – a further away shot.

·         Magneto sitting in a pub with three men, he summons a knife, grabs it and stabs it into one of the mens hand

·         Close up of magneto in the same scene

·         Prof. X putting on a wired helmet – Close up

·         Mid shot of Prof. X screaming as the helmet lights up

·         Blurry people fly past the screen.

·         Azazel Grabs a mans hand and they both disappear into a red smoke.

·         Azazel reappears in a group of men shooting, and swiftly turns on of the guns on someone else

·         Azazel Repeats this from a different angle to different gun men

·         Close up of a mans hands turning a helmet over in his hands

·          Mid shot of the back of a villain, you can see the helmet and a cape. Fades to black

·         Erik “Listen carefully my friend; killing will not give you peace.” (As a close up of Erik appears.)

·         Magneto “Peace was never an option.” (close up of Magneto)

·         A submarine is lifted out of the sea, a jet hovering above it.

·         Magneto looking upset as he holds his hand out, leaning out of the jet.

·         A further away shot of the submarine hovering out of the water

·         This fades out and in its place is the X-men: First Class logo.

·         This fades into the date of release.