Action Trailer Analysis: Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials

Action Trailer Analysis 

Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials

In the beginning of the scene there is a medium shot of the main character being dragged away with force as he struggles to get away. The figure of the characters contrasts the bright lighting in the background to indicate the mystery concept in the film that will be revealed to the audience later on. There is non-diegetic slow and dramatic music to emphasis the scene as there is tension. The screen fades to black; it’s accompanied by a female voice, indicating that she's the antagonist. This film continues the prequel that ended with a cliffhanger making the audience anticipate for this sequel. There is a wide high angle shot that establishes the previous location showing the audience the flashbacks so it refreshes their memory. 

There are various medium shot that are edited very quickly, implying the panic and tense emotions making the audience sympathies with the main characters. There is low-key lighting to hide the location, as they don’t want to reveal it to the audience straightaway. From the characters body language we can see they aren’t treated well as they are being dragged away by armed people suggesting that they have a higher status. The characters look confused and aware of their surrounding. The camera shot zooms in to make it more dramatic especially due to the action sequence coming up. A quick log shot gives a glimpse of the location as the camera tracks the helicopter. The audience can see that it’s a high budget film due to the realistic background and the props used.

A quick medium shot introduces a middle-aged man who is likely to be the antagonist, his costume are dark colors to imply that he’s evil. The camera switches to a long shot to show the audience a full body shot, we see that he’s a significant people as there are people following him indicating his high status. There are slow monition scenes to give scene a dramatic effect. There is a lot of low-key lighting due to the secrets the film has because the protagonist hasn’t discovered it making the audience curious about the hidden elements of the plot. The man and the main protagonists finally meet however the man’s impression is different implying that he’s on their side. This is a cliché in action movies to make the plot more interesting as the antagonist turn on the protagonist, revealing his true identity.

The music begins to get intense because the protagonists have found out clues, which will lead them to freedom. There is a medium shot of character in a large room; there is a contrast of high and low key lighting suggesting good vs. evil element. The antagonist targets the main protagonist by giving off a false appearance however he begins to imply his real ideas that the protagonist disagrees with. There quick montage of the key scenes from the previous film, the voice over directs the moments, which the audience sympathizes with. The title “based on best-selling novel” connotes that it’s a good quality film. The color scheme matches the theme because brown connotes bravery and power, which are the characteristics the main protagonist has.

Once the protagonists find out about the truth the pace begins to speed up; there are more action. A long shot shows the group trying to escape; the non-diegetic music is more dramatic when they get closer to the large door. The antagonist tries to persuade the group however they choose to escape this will reveal the outside world. There are costume changes so they will be able to adjust to the outside world that was closed off for them. There is a slow motion long shot of the destroyed surrounding that is covered from sand. The release date appears to inform their audience when the film is available to watch. It switches to a long shot showing the insignificant character compared to the background, as it’s the highlight of the shot. This intrigues the audience because they want to know what has occurred. A couple of shot shows the group facing difficulties then a voiceover suggests that humanity relies on their lives because the outcome is either light or darkness, this encourages people to watch as they want to know what decision the protagonists make. There are many intense shots to hype up the film then it ends with a cliffhanger. The title and the promotion links e.g. social media appears so the audience are able to get more info about it.