Trailer Analysis

The trailer opens with an introduction to the main character and home footage taken by her brother, showing all the fun and good times they have and to show Terri’s ability to sing. The ‘New Line Cinema’ institution logo then cuts in over the action and fades out to show images of Terri’s everyday life, she then receives an acceptance letter to go to one of the top musical colleges to pursue her dream. IT then shows her making her way through into her new life and all the difficulties she faces while being there. Later there is a montage of clips implicating the musical talent our main character is up against, it also shows us when she feels defeated and doesn’t want to carry on. The camera shots used implicate the loneliness she endures as well as the relationships she gains. A different logo for ‘New Line Cinema’ then fades in and out into a scene where she has made friends and is now fitting in more with the other students. It also shows her romantic connection with one particular student who is shown throughout the trailer. The trailer then comes to an end finishing with a montage of footage which is included in the film to tell us that even though she has endured so many rough times she has still been able to come out on top and succeed in what she thought she would fail in. The last image we see is one of a beach sunset with the couple walking towards the sea; from this we are able to know that this film is a part of the romantic genre.

The opening of the trailer starts with a commentary by the main character, Terri’s, brother. He introduces Terri as though she is on stage and he is recording her with a handheld camera, this then moves so we are able to see Terri and she then introduces a song which she says she has done for her family. The music then cuts in and starts, however it is shown as diegetic and then cuts in and out of being non-diegetic. The music then carries on into the next scene but then becomes totally non-diegetic, it also has a narration which is brought in over the top of the. The narration explains that Terri is just an ordinary girl with an extraordinary dream, and she receives the opportunity she has been waiting for. The music then changes to a more upbeat and exciting music, still with the narration however we then get some dialogue from various different scenes. We also get to hear the type of musical practices certain students approach. The upbeat music suddenly comes to a halt when Terri speaks to a couple of girls, this implicates that they are the ones she will clash with and will find hard to form a friendship with. The non-diegetic music then changes again to a more sensual and emotional piece, which then cuts out to show the competition she is up against. The slow and sensual music then returns to show the progress she has made throughout her journey. The actor, who plays Terri (Hillary Duff), has a selection of her own songs/lyrics/music throughout the trailer which has been applied to the characters musical abilities. The music fades into one of these songs while the narrator introduces the actors included in the film. Terri end the trailer with a speech saying “This place is the scariest, hardest, best thing that has ever happened to me”, the narrator then says the title of the film ‘Raise Your Voice’ and the music slowly fades to an end.

The unique selling points of this film are Hillary Duff, because she is not only known for acting but is also known for her singing career as well, which will be able to bring in a wider audience. Another unique selling point may be Sean McNamara, the director, who has also been a part of all of the Legally Blonde films as well as many kids programmes including ‘Even Stevens’ with Shia LaBeouf.