Trainspotting Task 2: Marketing

The trailer tells us that the film is a British comedy, drama. The accent of the man narrating is Scottish and he uses some vulgar language which indicates that the film is aimed at young adults and is British drama. The trailer starts by introducing the setting (an Edinburgh suburb) and main characters, each of whom gradually swim into focus throughout the clip. The first character shown is presented as the very main character and the narrator as he is positioned at the front and is the first person who comes into focus. The opening of the trailer shows the main characters running away and seem to be being chased. This makes us as the audience wonder what they may have done to get themselves into this situation and also tells us that these characters are troublesome. One selling point included is 'From the makers of Shallow Grave' which is useful if people have seen this film and will want to see Trainspotting if they enjoyed it.

The clips in the trailer show the characters involved in scenes such as chasing, nudity, fighting, drug use and unity. This shows that the film is going to be about the characters lives which are made to seem out of the ordinary. This may interest the audience and make them want to see the film. A different clip is used to introduce each character one by one showing their similarities and differences. The pace of the clips changing gets faster and more interesting throughout the trailer so they are getting shorter and showing us less. This makes the audience more eager to see the film to see what happens in full detail. The trailer lets us now about the drug use which is shown where some characters are falling to the floor as if they are passing out, and after this there clips of sexual activity shown.

I think the trailer is successful in making you want to see the film as it shows not too much information but just enough to give us reason to go and see it. Showing the audience what each character is like and how they live makes us wonder if they are going to change for the better throughout the film or get worse encouraging them to go and see it. The music used in the film is very upbeat and fast with the sound of drums. The sound matches the characters behavior which is energetic, like the beginning of the video when they are running, so it fits well with the film.


The poster gives a fair amount of information about the film. For one, the image of the main characters gives us an idea of the genre. One character is swearing with two fingers indicating foul language in the film, and one is making a shooting gesture with his hand which shows that the film may contain violence. One character has his arms folded against his chest making it seem is if he is hiding something which could signify guilt and another has an aggressive facial expression which could represent her as a bad person in the film. The target audience isn't shown as much but from the rating we know that the film is for viewers 18 and over which tells us that this film might show some inappropriate scenes.

As the image of the characters is bigger than the title it leads the audiences eye towards them first and this may interest them if they have seen the actors in previous films. The title is a bright orange which stands out catching the audiences eye. Another sell point is "From the Makers of Shallow Grave". This helps in selling the film as people may have liked this film and would like to see another one like it. The review and five star rating at the top of the poster makes the film look successful making people want to see it.

Information given about the film is the main characters who are revealed in a mid-shot which gives the audience a chance to see enough to judge them from how they may see them. This shot interests the audience making them want to know more about them in the film. At the very bottom shows what music is going to be featured on the film soundtrack. This may interest people who are into these artists and make them want to see the film. I think the poster is successful in making you want to see the film as it shows the things you are going to see if you watch the film and makes you want to know more.

Trainspotting Task 1: The Film

Synopsis:
Mark Renton (Ewan McGregor), a young man with few prospects and fewer ambitions, lives in economically depressed Edinburgh. Like most of his friends, Renton is a heroin addict who loves the drug's blissful nothingness; financing his habit also provides excitement and challenges that his life otherwise lacks. Renton's two best friends are also junkies: Sick Boy (Jonny Lee Miller), a snappy dresser obsessed with James Bond, and Spud (Ewan Bremner), a guileless nerd who suggests Pee Wee Herman's debauched cousin. Renton and his pals also hang out with Begbie (Robert Carlyle), a borderline psychotic who loathes junkies even though he drinks like a fish. After one too many brushes with the law, Renton kicks heroin and moves to London, where he finds a job, a flat, and something close to peace of mind. However, Sick Boy, Begbie, and Spud all arrive at his doorstep on the trail of a big score, leading Renton back into drugs and crime.

Trainspotting was directed by Danny Boyle. Other films he has with Channel Four Films are Shallow Grave (1994) and A Life Less Ordinary (1997).
The budget for Trainspotting was £3,500,000.

The film was produced by Channel Four Films (aka Film Four International), Figment Films, PolyGram, The Noel Gay Motion Picture Company.

Despite being set in Edinburgh, almost all of the film was filmed in Glasgow, apart from the opening scenes of the films which was filmed in Edinburgh, and the final scenes were filmed in London.

The main characters of Trainspotting are Ewan McGregor (Marc Renton) who also played Obi-Wan Kanobi in the Star Wars prequel trliogy. After Trainspotting he has become famous on an international scale with the role of the romantic penniless writer Christian in 2001 film Moulin Rouge, I Love You Phillip Morris and Amelia in 2009. The character Spud Murphy is played by Ewen Bremner who has been in other films such as Pearl Harbor and Black Hawk Down. He has not become famous on an international scale. Johnny Lee Miller plays the character Sick Boy and is known well for his role in the film Hackers (1995). He has also been in the film Regeneration (1997) where he played Billy Prior and Complicity with the role of Cameron Colley (2000). Johnny has become famous on an international scale. Character Tommy is played by Kevin McKidd who has also appeared in films such as Kingdom of Heaven, The Last Region, Hannibal Rising, and the starring role in the cult British horror film Dog Soldiers. Tommy has become famous on an international scale. The character Francis Begbie is played by Robert Carlyle who played Gaz in The Full Monty (1997), Plunkett in the 1999 film Plunkett & Macleane, and the role of Daffy in The Beach (2000). Francis has become famous on an international scale.

Trainspotting is distributed by PolyGram Filmed Entertainment (worldwide) and Disney (USA). The film was a worldwide success. Trainspotting is a British film from Scotland, a country that is part of the UK. It is set in the capital of the country, Edinburgh.

Trainspotting has received many awards such as British Academy Award for Best Screenplay (Adapted) (John Hodge) , Boston Society of Film Critics Award for Best Film, Brit Award for Best Soundtrack, Bodil Festival Award for Best European Film, BAFTA Scotland Award for Best Actor (Ewan McGregor).

The controversey that surrounded the film was that it were epitomizing the general coursening of British culture. The London-based Prospect magazine ran a story headlined "Scotland the Sick", which dismissed the film as "Repellent". Many critics found that the film was giving a bad representation of the Scottish working-class culture.