The Da Vinci Code - Trailer Analysis

During our lesson, we watched the trailer for the film "The Da Vinci Code" in order to identify some of the key conventions that are used to attract the target audience. The Da Vinci Code is a hybrid genre film as it consists of several genres including action, crime and romance therefore it will have a mixture of different conventions. I will be analysing the key features within the trailer and how it relates to the target audience.




Mis-en-scene

A range of different shots were used in the trailer to represent the target audience, for example the trailer starts with the Louvre in France which is often associated with high class art. This can be linked to the target audience of the film as it may be attracted towards people in the upper-class socio-economic groups A and B, as well as anyone who is educated in art. This is also backed up in the trailer by the use of different shots of ancient classical paintings and historical architectures such as churches and stained glass windows. Additional shots include scrolls, crucifix and marble floors. There is a sense of culture being shown within this trailer so it may suggest that the target audience is anyone who has a knowledge of culture, possibly more educated and upper class.

Genre

Since The Da Vinci Code is a hybrid genre, it will contain different features of several genres. Action is one of the main genres that this film includes; action is conveyed in the trailer through the use of dramatic music and fast editing to create an intense atmosphere. It also shows the characters in danger, for example an elderly man running away from the murderer and car explosions. There is also a romantic element in the film which is shown when Hank is wrapping his arms around Tautou to protect her. Crime is also shown through high angle shots of a dead body, and the characters who are detectives can be seen investigating the crime scene. Overall, this trailer conveys a range of different genres through mis-en-scene, music and editing. All of these features will attract the target audience that are most likely male and anyone who likes action.

Representation
The film contains stereotypical representations of men, religion and class throughout the trailer. Men are portrayed as dominant, powerful and brave as they often dominate the screen time and action in the film. Shots of Hank can be seen protecting the female, who may be see as the less dominant character. However, there are some scenes in the trailer which challenges the stereotypical representation of women, for example the female detective can be seen swimming under water in a dramatic way which portrays the female character to be strong and athletic similarly to the men. Religion is portrayed in a negative way in the trailer as it shows characters who have religious beliefs to be mentally ill and crazy which negatively portrays Catholicism. The trailer also conveys that God does not exist as we could see a man praying desperately and running away from the killer; we then see a shot of his corpse which suggests that God did not help him and his prayers remained unanswered. This part conveys that religion and worshipping God is pointless.