Textual Analysis:
For my A2 project I have decided to create a romcom film trailers; as I find them to be the most interesting, and I have decided to research four trailers. The fourth trailer I am researching is 'Bridget Jones diary'.


Plot summary: Bridget Jones is an average woman in her 30's looking for Mr Right. She has many flaws; she smokes, she drinks, struggles with her weight and her job, and decides to control her life by keeping a diary; and to always tell the complete truth in it. Daniel Cleaver her boss starts flirting with her, and she begins an affair with him, but she also meets Mark Darcy, who is at first rude to her, but then begins to fall for her. Bridget has to choose which direction to go in, and which man to choose.

Media Representations: The first thing we see on the trailer is a woman walking with a smile on her face; she is walking with her head held high signifying pride, but we don't know the reason for this. As this clip is on the voice-over man says 'In every life there comes a time to turn the page', and then we go to the next clip of a bin and we see the woman throwing vodka, cigarettes and a book called 'What men want' in the bin. This image reinforces the voice-over man saying she is turning her life around; and we the audience can now understand why she was walking proudly; because she is happy she is now changing and in control of her life. Bridget is also being portrayed as a stereotypical 30 something lonely single woman, as she drinks alone on a night, gets drunk; and we her singing very badly at a work do, and the book on 'What men want' reinforces that image. In the next clip we see her putting on big pants that suck your fat in; again this is stereotypical as 'control pants' are aimed at women around Bridget's age, and it is stereotypical of 30 something women trying to lose weight and stay young. We also see her at the gym which again conveys to the audience that she is turning the page and trying to change her life, although we do see her eating chocolate spread out of a jar; which again is stereotypical as it brings to mind the image of a 30 something single woman sat at home eating ice-cream for a tub. We also see Daniel Cleaver; Bridget's boss, we meet him when he is stood in a lift with quite a smug smile on his face. The smart shirt, smart styled hair, smile and also with his top button open, it conveys to the audience that he is flashy and a bit of a womaniser, this immediately creates sympathy for Bridget; and creates a connection with Bridget and the audience; as we can see that he isn't good for her. We also meet Mark Darcy in the trailer. When we first meet him he is wearing a frown on his face as if he is looking down on someone, and he is also wearing smart clothes, and a smart shirt; showing he has a bit of money, but then the next clip is of the people he is with and they have very posh accents and are wearing expensive clothes, this portrays that Mark is posh and does have a bit of money. Mark is stood with a few people and one of the women he is with says 'bizarre what some men find attractive' and it is clear she is talking about Bridget; and this conveys that they're very snobby and are looking down on Bridget, again this causes the audience to have sympathy with Bridget; which therefore makes them want to go and see the film.

Media language and forms: There are many different locations in the trailer, but the first time we see Bridget we see her walking on a bridge in London. We all think of London as been a very chaotic city, and everyone there is all about their career, and this represents the target audience of career women. We also see her in her home, which is a way of making the audience connect with her as they can see into her life, and see how she behaves when she is in her own home, it also makes the character much more approachable than just been seen in an office. Bridget's home is very average and like everyone else's, which again helps the audience relate to her, because if she lived in a big mansion the audience wouldn't be able to think of her as their friend, and would most likely see her as being quite snobby. We also see Daniel Cleaver's apartment, and it is big, expensive, and quite flash representing his character, and it conveys him to be a bit of a playboy, and it is almost a foreboding to the audience that he is not good for Bridget. The office is also shown in the trailer, and this is because the film is aimed at women in careers, and most of them work in an office, therefore it also adds to the verisimilitude. The facial expressions also convey Bridget's feelings to the audience, as when she is with Daniel Cleaver she is giggling, and having fun, and this represents that although he is making her happy, he is not serious and sees her as just a bit of fun. This is the opposite to when we see her with mark Darcy, as she always has quite serious expressions when around him, representing how he is serious about her, and wants a real relationship. The music is quite upbeat and fun at the beginning, and it almost reminds me of a gameshow, like this is a game is she going to be successful in turning her life around, and the voice over reinforces this aswell. At the end of the trailer we see Bridget singing 'I can't live without you' drunk and very badly, this represents her being single, but it is almost like it is mocking the single 30 something women. The mise-en-scene is quite sterotypical of love and the different men and relationships, and therefore it attracts the audience.

Narrative: The narrative is the story of a woman and her life. The narrative is she falls for her boss and they start a relationship, and she also meets another man and during the course of the film falls in love with him, and therefore has to choose between the two men, and the narrative follows her choice and how it affects her life. The narrative follows the theory of Tzvetan Todorov, were there is a point of stable equilibrium, as in the trailer Bridget is quite focused and is attempting to change her life, and is quite stable, and then we meet Daniel Cleaver and we can see in the trailer that she is content and happy, and then we meet Mark Darcy and we can see in the trailer that her equilibrium is disrupted as she likes both men, and therefore has to choose, and the trailer creates an enigma, as we do not know if the equilibrium is reestablished, as the trailer has to keep a sense of intrigue and mystery to entice the audience. The narrative also follows the basic theory of O'Sullivan who said that there is a common structure which starts with the establishment of plot or theme, this is then followed by a problem; an enigma, and then resolution, and in my research I have found this to be quite common with romcoms. As romcom narratives are usually about a couple, a male protagonist and a female protagonist, or sometimes a love triangle, and there is some disruption to the equilibrium, and at the end it is resolved. I found this in many of the trailers I researched, and I have found that this is a convention of romcoms. The narrative is created specific to the audience, as the narrative is a love triangle, and the main protagonist is a female you can see from the trailer that the target audience is females, which again is another convention. In the narrative Bridget is portrayed as a bubbly woman as we see her singing on a karaoke machine drunk at the office party, and therefore the audience can relate to her as she is fun and also quite vulnerable. The narrative portrays Daniel to be quite a womaniser, as he is very flashy and smug, and therefore it makes him somewhat of a villain in the narrative, but the narrative also makes Mark Darcy quite likeable, as he does say to Bridget he likes her just the way she is, which therefore makes the audience want Bridget to be with him, and also attracts the audience as they want to know who she will choose. The editing follows conventions of most trailers, as the clips in the trailer are not in the order they appear in the film, but they convey the narrative best and are the most exciting clips, the editing of this one is a montage and shows different things in Bridget's life, and this is to help the audience connect to Bridget as they can see what her life is like, and it therefore makes them want to see it. The music also reinforces the narrative, as the music at the beginning is very upbeat and the pace of the music matches the pace of the trailer and the changing of the clips, at the beginning the music almost mirrors and brings to mind a reality T.V show; as we are looking in on her life, and when she thinks about the Daniel Cleaver the music goes very soft, almost dreamlike reflecting her feelings of Daniel Cleaver to the audience. The major theme of the narrative is relationships and love, which is a common theme in most romcoms, and is a convention of most romcoms, in the trailer it shows the different relationships between Bridget and Mark, and Daniel, and this therefore adds to the verisimilitude, as the different relationships reflect the different relationships in society, and therefore the audience can relate to it more. The love triangle is also one of the eight narratives that Kate Domaille said every story can be fitted into, Bridget Jones fits into the Tristan and Iseult category; the love triangle. The narrative is also a point of view structure, as we see the film through Bridget's eyes. The narrative also incorporates Claude Levi Strauss' ideas about narrative, that they operate to certain binary opposites, and this trailer represents this in the different relationships, the bad relationship with Daniel Cleaver, and the good relationship with Mark Darcy.

Genre: The genre of the film trailer is romcom, and the majoric conventions of the trailer is the protagonist Bridget; as romcoms always have a protagonist maybe more than one, and it follows two people who initially get together; than split up due to circumstances; and then the two protagonists get together again. The love triangle between Bridget, Mark and Daniel follows this convention; and it is the love triangle that attracts the audience to the film. The major generic themes are obviously love and relationships, which is common in the conventions of romcoms, and the characters, as in the genre of romcoms the main protagonist is usually a woman so that the audience can relate and connect to the character. The character of Bridget is a generic convention as most females in romcoms are usually around her age of 30, and are often single looking for love, or in a troubled relationship, this is so the audience can relate to the story, and it also adds to the verisimilitude. The trailer does conform to the characteristics of the genre as they have a love story, problems with the relationship, and the character trying to resolve it, and the main protagonist is a woman; another convention. Also the people cast as the characters represent the genre, as Renee Zelwegger is known as being a romcom actress and has starred in films such as 'The Bachelor' and 'Miss Potter', which are films associated with this genre of film, and therefore the audience can recognise the film, and also Renee Zelwegger is 41, and is in the target age for the audiences of romcoms, and because of that the audience can relate to her and she is suitable for the role, as she has been through some of the experiences the audience has been through, and she is also approachable which is what you want for the lead in a romcom. Both Hugh Grant and Colin Firth are also associated with romcoms. Hugh Grant has starred in some of the most famous romcoms such as 'Notting Hill' and 'Four weddings and a funeral', and by using him it conveys to the audience that this is quite a fun, classic romcom, and also it attracts the target audience, as their age is around 30-50, and they will have seen these films when they first cam out and probably all had crushes on Hugh Grant, and because of this it attracts the audience as they all remember Hugh Grant. Colin Firth is another actor associated with romcoms as he has starred in possibly the most famous romcom 'Pride and Prejudice' and also 'Mamma Mia', he attracts the audience aswell as he is who the target audience probably had crushes on when he first became known, and he is also older and maturer which attracts the audience, also it conveys that this will become a very famous romcom and a classic one, and also the name of him in the film represents this, as he is called Mark Darcy, the name Darcy is known as being the perfect gentlemen and the man every woman wants, and as he was in 'Pride and Prejudice' it conveys to the audience that he is the perfect man for Bridget. The actors represent the genre of the film, and therefore attract the audience.

Media institutions: The film and trailer was produced and distributed by three companies Miramax, Studio Canal and Universal, which is probably one of the most well known and recognisable media companies. Miramax is a company that has produced and distributed many films, and it was bought by Walt Disney in 1993. Walt Disney is one of the most famous companies what has produced some of the most famous films such as 'Pirates of the Caribbean' and 'Toy Story', this is a big budget company that is very well known, and changed the face of Miramax when it acquired it, and Walt Disney has a very fun feel to it, and therefore that could have influenced Bridget Jones films, as they are quite funny. The film was also produced by Studio Canal which is again a production and distribution company, and owns the third largest film library in the world, and therefore is a very influential company. The company produced films such as 'Terminator 2: Judgement day' and 'Free Willy', and these are big blockbuster movies especially the terminator movies, and from that we can see that Bridget Jones was destined to be a major movie, as they produce very popular big budget films, and therefore we can see how Bridget Jones was influenced by them to become a major movie. The film was also produced by Universal one of the six major movie studios, and probably the most famous studio, it has produced films such as 'Jurassic Park', 'Hannibal', 'Jaws' and 'The mummy series', and hundreds of others. The films produced by Universal are usually big budget and very popular, and because of this Bridget Jones was big budget, and became such a popular series that it is recognisable in so many different countries. All the studios what produced and distributed this trailer and film have influenced the making of the film, and therefore made the film what it is today. The main purpose of the film is to sell it and bring in money to the companies, and hopefully make it one of the most remeberd films.

Media values and ideology: The romcom refers to the ideology of single 30 something women, and of different relationships and experiences you have during your 30 years. The trailer represents single women, and the bad boys you meet before you find the one, and what happens when you find Mr Right. The values of the trailer are love and relationships, as most romcoms have that value as well, and they usually have a women as the target audience can relate to her. The trailer represents the everyday women in Bridget, and the different men you meet in Daniel Cleaver and Mark Darcy. The trailer portrays Daniel Cleaver as the man who you would like to change but everything about him is wrong, and it portrays Mark Darcy as being the perfect man, Mr Right.

Media audiences: The target audience of romcoms is usually aimed at women; from young women to middle aged women, the target audience is women which is why romcoms are referred to as chick-flicks. The target audience for Bridget Jones is around the usual age for most romcoms; from around the ages of 25-50. It is aimed at older women because the main protagonist is a 30 something woman looking for Mr Right, and struggling with work, her weight and her job, therefore it is aimed for older women as young teenage girls will not be able to relate to the character as they don't have enough life experiences; and have not experienced what Bridget has, but older women from around the ages of 25 upwards will be able to relate and connect with Bridget. It is also possible to tell the target audience from the characteristics of Bridget; and the way she behaves, as she has characteristics of people from the ages of 25 upwards. She has books on men, and eats chocolate spread from a jar, and these are quite stereotypical traits of 30 something single women, she also has 'control pants' which again is stereotypical of women trying to lose weight and hold on to their youth; and going on fad diets. Bridget also dates Daniel Cleaver who is a womaniser, and a bad boy; again stereotypical of a 30 something woman looking for Mr Right and meeting Mr Wrong, also Daniel Cleaver is her boss and it is a stereotypical affair that everyone has heard off; secretary and her boss.

I have also looked at the length of the trailer, and it is 1.43 seconds, and I feel this is an appropriate length as it is enough to attract the audience to the film, but out of the four film trailers I have researched this is the shortest one, as the other three I have analysed are around 2.26 seconds, this maybe because the other three were released around the same time, and trailrs have bcome longer recently, and Bridget Jones was made in 2001, and this could be a reason for the length of the trailer.