Dystopia Trailer Analysis

1984. Michael Radford. 1984. Rated R

In a futuristic dystopian society, the democratic Britain we know today has been overthrown by a socialist party called Ingsoc.  Now, in an effort to regain his freedom, average joe Winston Smith attempts to rebel against the government by having an affair with co-worker Julia.

The 1984 trailer does a very good job of conveying the dysopian setting through it's use of cinematographic techniques.  First of all, the music used is very ominous and has a heavy bass, which creates a tense, suspenseful mood.  On top of that, the use of predominately dark, gloomy colors and shots of wrecked buildings help to establish the dystopian setting.  Finally, most of the shots used are either close-ups or medium close-ups, which pulls the viewer in and makes them feel as if they are experiencing the same emotions as the protagonist.  For my dystopian trailer, i will probably use similar techniques.  In particular, i will use ominous music, close-ups, and bleak colors to convey the setting and set the mood.