Desperate Romantics and Downton Abbey - Analysis

I am going to analyse the way camera shots and movement, in the two trailers for Desperate Romantics and Downton Abbey, create and impression of the context, location and characters. 

The first trailer is for Desperate Romantics. The very first shot, an extreme close up of a candle which is then blown out, suggests that there is something - or someone - arriving to make some kind of impact. The fact that we cannot see who has blown out the candle adds a layer of mystery to the suggestion. The candle itself gives us a vague idea of the time setting, as we imagine it may be set in a previous century.

The long shot of three men standing together at the door implies that they are the ones who will be making a change. They are standing together, which symbolises a friendship, or brotherhood. The lighting is also important, because the use of a silhouette on these characters conceals their identity and makes us wonder who they are. 

There are a few point-of-view shots used in this trailer. One example, is when there is a close up of one the men's faces, showing a look of distaste. It then cuts to a shot of a painting blowing up into shards of glasses. This connotes the idea that these men are here to change the art world, because they dislike the paintings and get rid of them. Another shot which supports this idea is an over-the-shoulder shot, in which we see one of the men walking past a painting as it blows up. It furthers the idea of "rejection of the system", and makes them seem rebellious. The fact that he is walking out of shot as we watch the painting signifies that they are making a change and we are being left behind to see the effects of it. 

Finally, there is a medium shot of a man walking out through the cloud of smoke. Along with the soundtrack, David Bowie's "Heroes", it makes the man look like an important figure, one who is deeemed a hero for making this change.  

The second trailer, for Downton Abbey, is a montage of clips from the series rather than an unassociated promotional film. The first half of the trailer is a series of clips showing people spying on eachother. One example of this is when a servant, carrying a tray of food, stops and peers through a slightly open door, with a curious expression on her face. There is a very long shot of a woman pushing what looks like a body into a room, which then cuts to a reaction shot a servant gasping in horror at the sight. These clips not only connote that there are secrets and a lack of trust in the household, they also give us an insight to the nature of these secrets. 

The second half begins with a number of shots of murders, fights and love scenes, each cutting from one to another at a quicker than pace than before, with the soundtrack, Scala and the Kolacny Brother's rendition of "Every Breath You Take", building up and becoming louder. 

It then shows a woman, who seems to be the head of the household, played by Maggie Smith, in several mid-shots and close-ups with a concerned expression on her face. This implies that she is losing control over the household and its inhabitants.

The final scene is and over-the-shoulder shot of a woman walking out of shot, past a framed picture. The framed picture shows someone's reflection in it, looking upset or shocked, perhaps at some news. It suggests that the woman walking out of shot has told the other woman something which has, up until then, been kept secret. It further supports the idea that the people living in the house are spying on eachother. 

The two trailers represent the characters, time and setting through camera shots and movement. In 'Desperate Romantics', we are shown three rebellious young men, looking to subvert the standards of the art world, and in 'Downton Abbey' we see the amount of secrecy in the house, the relationships between the characters and the lack of trust they have for eachother.