The Lucky One is a romantic drama film released in April 2012. It stars Zac Efron and Taylor Schilling and was distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures. It garnered $99,357,138 at the box office and received generally mixed to negative reviews from critics.
At the very beginning we are given an establishing shot which is conventional of teaser trailers as it teases the narrative's location to the audience. We are also introduced to the main character right at the beginning in a medium shot, who is played by Zac Efron. Having a well known actor who is also known for being cast in romantic films being shown at the beginning will persuade people who like Zac Efron to watch the film. It is also a conventional narrative for a romantic film of having a male character who is in the army being in a relationship with a female who is back home, this is an identifiable plot for fans of the genre.
The establishing shot shown at the beginning of the trailer.
There is a voiceover from the beginning which is of the main character. This is a conventional technique seen in a lot of romantic film trailers and gives an insight on what the narrative might be for the audience as well as lets the audience feel closer to the character as it is if they are talking directly to the audience. This is conventional of romantic films as the audience are made to feel sympathetic and close to the characters, more so than in a horror film for example.
There is a soundtrack running throughout the whole of the trailer which is relatively upbeat and by a well known artist. This is typical of romance films as they are generally quite uplifting and happy throughout most of the film and so the soundtrack would match this and they are also conventionally performed by well known artists unlike horror films which generally just use music composed specifically for the film.
An example of the high-key lighting in a CU shot of the main character.
The lighting seen in the screenshot above is bright which reflects the happy tone usually seen in romantic films and hints to the audience what the narrative may be. We can also see in the background of this shot that the weather is sunny which also reflects the conventional mood of romantic films and the usual setting of the genre. In the screenshot below we have another establishing shot which hints the location of the film to the audience but the location, a small American neighbourhood, is also a conventional location which is often seen in romantic films.
The establishing shot hints the location of the film to the audience.
In a long shot we are introduced to the second main character who is a female. Her costume is a white shirt and shorts which is overall a simple and innocent outfit. Conventionally, the female characters in romantic films are always depicted to be innocent and sweet and so this is identifiable for fans of the genre. In addition, it is a conventional narrative for a female and male to both be in a romantic film and to start a relationship.
A LS which shows the female main character.
In an extreme close up of the male and female characters faces we can see that they are kissing which is an icon of the genre as it connotes love and affection which is what romance and romantic films are all about. This persuades fans of the genre to watch the film as this is the sort of narrative events which they want and expect to see. This kissing scene is where the music builds up and it climaxes which shows that there is a large build up in the film for the two characters to come together and therefore hints at the narrative.
Unlike more action packed films such as horror or action/adventure films, there are longer shots of the characters and there is more dialogue featured in the trailer which is conventional of the genre. Also the shots all dissolve in between each other which give the trailer a calm and soft feel which are what romance films are generally like.
The titles shown half way through the trailer.
The titles which are shown are in a blue/pink/purple colour which are colours that are icons of the genre and relate to the targeted audience which for romance films are stereotypically female. The titles state that the film is from Nicholas Sparks, the author of The Notebook. This will make fans of Nicholas Sparks and The Notebook want to watch the film as if they liked that then they will feel like they will like The Lucky One. Also, as The Notebook is a romance novel/film, fans of the genre will be able to identify with that and then feel like they can relate to this film as well and will be more likely to watch it. The background of the title is a creamy beige colour which relates to the bright, warm colours that we get throughout the whole trailer and set the happy mood often seen in romantic films.
A large part of the trailer is the equilibrium and we get some snippets of the disruption and we can see this when the female character is distressed in a medium close up of her face. Conventionally, there is usually a disruption in a romantic film but this doesn't last as long as it would in a horror film where the disruption makes up nearly the whole film. Also, in romance films, there is always a repair of the disruption and usually a new equilibrium at the end and we can see this by the medium shot which is shown below after the shots of the disruption.
We can see in this MS that there is a return to equilibrium due to their happy faces.
Little snippets of the equilibrium, disruption, repair and return to equilibrium are featured throughout the trailer to tease the audience and hint at the narrative.
The title of the film shown at the end of the trailer.
Like most trailers, the title of the film is featured at the end of the trailer. The typography for the title of the film matches the typography for the titles featured earlier on in the trailer, with warm and calming colours such as blue and purple which also relates to the stereotypical audience for romance films which are females.
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