I Am Legend-Trailer Analysis

I Am Legend is a 2007 American post-apocolyptic horror film staring Will Smith. The film is set in New York, a city which already attracts viewers based around a virus in which has wiped out the whole population leaving Neville (Will Smith) the last human in New York. He must fight the mutants in order to find a cure.

The trailer opens with a montage of shots showing the extremely hectic surrounds and people rushing to get out. The diegetic sound at this point is a lady's dialogue stating "I'm not infected!" this is repeated many times in order to catch all attention. There are also many screams in the background implying people are scared and frightened. This positions the audience to see how the characters are reacting to the surroundings.

Shot reverse shot is used to show Neville (Will Smith) putting what looks like his family in a helicopter to escape the diseased location. His dialogue is used to involve the audience "Nothing happened the way it was supposed to happen..." this enables us to connect with the character and understand how he feels. The medium shot shows his body language looking emotional and affected, the blowing kisses implies he's loosing his loved ones. The dip to black creates a uneasy atmosphere as you're left wondering what will happen next. The soundtrack is quiet, low mellow music conforming to the type of emotions we have just witnessed.

An establishing shot is used to show the setting/ location of New York. The city and night looks very remarkable due to the lights and lit buildings. A cross cut is used to take us to a location where there are many people trying to escape the city and be cured. Men are dressed in military wear trying to protect others and themselves. Neville (Will Smith) becomes the narrative by his dialogue, he explains the virus and the reactions. This positions the audience to understand more about the film. "Im a survivor living in New York City", this explains he's alone and the determination in his voice enables us to feel he will do something about it.

An establishing shot is used to show the city looking abandoned, destroyed and derelict. The soundtrack is fairly calming music directing viewers to believe there is no life or soul. There is then an extreme close up of Neville (Will Smith) lying in bed, this shot shows how he looks lonely and emotional. He is given prevalence as the writers want the audience to sympathise with the character and connect with him. It positions you to relate to him and feel as if you were in his shoes.

A high angle panning shot is used to show the abandoned city completely deserted and forsaken. The soundtrack becomes more eerie and uneasy making a more tense atmosphere. There is a cross cut showing a medium shot of a gun in the foreground and Nevill (Will Smith) in the background/shallow depth of field. The gun connotes murder death and violence which leaves the viewers to suggest there is something out there in which needs to be killed.  A low angle shot is used to show both Neville and his dog on a treadmill. This indicated the protagonist is working out in order to get stronger and fitter. This outlook enables the audience to understand that they will be fighting something and they need to train in order to do so.

There is then a montage of shots with headings 'Monday- Exercise, Eat breakfast, recreation and noon. These all show what he gets up to on a daily basis and how he keeps himself busy. Shot reverse shot is used to show Neville talking to a mannequin in which he has placed at the checkout of a shop. This could be because he is so lonely he pretends to interact with 'fake' people. This makes the viewers feel sympathetic towards Neville as he is all by himself with no human contact other than his dog. The montage continues including 'Noon, Hunt, Gather, Wait and night'. We see shot reverse shot used when showing both Neville and his pet dog, the close up shots show their love and affection for each other as they are all each other has. By doing this it keeps the audience much more engaged and exited to see the film. The dip to black is effective with the soundtrack becoming quite as it creates a tense and scary atmosphere.

As the scene continues the header 'Survive' enters the frame, this leads viewers to feel something extreme and violent is about to occur. A high angle circling motion shot of Neville and his dog in the bath looks as if they are both scared and hiding from something. The scene then goes black seeing only Neville with a flash light. The close up shows his mood and emotions looking terrified. The diegetic sound of his breathing and the dogs winning also positions the audience to understand the terror and horror they are experiencing. The soundtrack also becomes much louder and fresh. A tracking shot is used following Neville running. The character is running extremely quickly implying he is running from something. His facial expressions also look petrified.

We then see many weird looking creatures break through a window.  The sound effects used create unusual, growling sounds which demonstrate they are not human. The dip to black introduces a bold heading 'I AM IMMUNE' this informs the viewers that Neville cannot be killed by these creatures and will do what ever it takes to remove them from the city. A medium shot is used to show huge explosions taking place in the surroundings. From this I understand Neville has placed booby traps in places to destroy the creatures.

We see a weird creature through a close up, it has sharp teeth and claws meaning it could attack anything in its presence. The creature conforms to the horror genre as its an unnatural creation which looks creepy and frightening. It also makes viewers and the audience jump when it aggressively enters the scene. Through Neville's dialogue he aggressively shouts "NO NO NO" repeating it many times. It cross cuts to him picking up his loving dog in which looks injured. The dog looks weak and fragile making the audience sympathies with Neville and feel emotional.  Another cross cut is used showing the audience a framed picture of a little girl and puppy. From viewing this is leads me to believe Neville's daughter was killed by the virus and now his dog has been bitten too and unfortunately won't be able to recover. It then shows a extreme side profile close up of Neville with tears streaming down his face. This suggests he's lost everything and feels very emotional about the events. For the audience, having connected with Neville throughout the trailer it becomes very heartbreaking and sad for viewers watching.
A montage of shots shows explosions and violent scenes. The soundtrack is very fast pace as you can feel the trailer coming to a close. Neville's dialogue shouts "I can help you! I can fix this!" this implies he has found the cure in which he can use to help the creatures and bring back life to New York. The title of the film fades in letting the viewers know the title and think about what they have experienced.

The trailer ends with a close up shot of Neville (Will Smith) looking directly at the camera with a evil sinister looking creature scream into his ear. We understand from prior to this moment that Neville is immune and cannot catch the virus, however he is still presented as strong and brave due to the circumstances. The trailer ends on a cliff hanger and the audience are unaware of what will happen next, whether he will cure the creatures or the creatures will kill him there and then. I feel this trailer is very successful in giving viewers sneak peaks and makes me want to go and see the film.