Textual Analysis - P.S I Love You (Romance)

Cinematography

At the beginning of the trailer, like in most trailers, there is an establishing shot. This gives the viewer a sense of setting and allows them to know where some or most of the film is going to take place. There is another establishing shot in this trailer, which is when she mentions going to Ireland. The establishing shot shows this to make the viewer aware of a change in setting, but to also let them know something has changed without have to be told.

After the first image on screen, which was the establishing shot, we see a medium shot of, first, the main character 'Holly' and then the main subject 'Gerry'. He's the main subject and not one of the main characters due to the fact he is only in it for a short amount of time, but is still the main focus of the film. These two medium shots are shown to allow the viewer to know who the important roles are played by in the film, and so they are aware it is them who are going to be shown or mentioned throughout the whole entire film.

At one point in the trailer there is a close up of 'Holly' and 'Gerry' holding each other closely together. This is done to, again, establish who the main people are in the film, but also to ensure that the viewer knows what the relationship is between the two physically and emotionally. This is because they are obviously physically close as they are closely linked together in the shot, but this also connotes that they are bound together emotionally.

Throughout the film trailer eye line matches are used. This is just to show that there is no powerful or undermining characters in the film, and that all characters are equally there for one another.

The letters that are sent to 'Holly' in the film are all shown in a point of view shot, but are also shown using a cut away. The effect of having it as a cut away is that the camera isn't moving, so all the focus is put onto the letter to show to the viewer that there is importance there. The effect of showing them in a point of view shot is that the viewer is sure of who is looking at them, and it draws them into the film trailer, as it makes them feel like they are there looking at it.

At some points in the film, a birds eye view is used. One example of this would be when 'Holly' is laying down of here bed and the camera is looking down on her. This gives the viewer a sense of where she is, but also, what her emotion is. This is because it shows her smiling, but if the camera was of another angle, the viewer may not of being able to have seen this.

Editing

As well as in most film trailers, the most commonly used feature is the montage. This is usually only done to show lots of the film in a short amount of time with a compressed version of the narrative. This is done in this trailer as it shows what happens through out the film and what it is about, but there is also a montage used just to show parts of 'Gerry's' life after the trailer announcing that this character dies. It is used almost as a flashback of his life from other peoples eyes, but makes the viewer feel like they have being there and lets them relate to it.

The cuts in this film trailer are slow and with soft transitions. This shows that nothing dramatic is happening, and that things are moving slowly and calmly. The transition are there to show a change in time and place, so that the viewer is aware that it's not a continual sequence shot.

Shot/reverse shot is used in this trailer at points. This is used to show the change is characters talking in conversation. As it's only a film trailer, there isn't going to be long conversational sequences as they have to put as much in the trailers as possible to gain the viewers attention, but shot/reverse shot is still used to show that these characters have had conversations in the film, which could show the viewer some relation between the characters.

Sound

Included in this film trailer, as with most others, is a non-diegetic voice over. In some film trailers the voice over is only one person speaking throughout to pass the narrative over to the viewer, but in this trailer, there is more than one. The first person to speak as a voice over is someone speaking, presumably at his funeral, i.e. giving a speak, or the vicar saying his part.

Later on in the trailer, after some images have being shown, and diegetic dialogue has being spoken, the person give their voice to the voice over is 'Gerry'. Although this is true, it's not as such a voice over, as the characters in the film can still here, but in a different time and place.

As well as this, we also here his voice as a voice over when 'Holly' is reading the letters to herself. This is done to make sure the viewer knows what is on the letter without having to quickly read it them selves while watching the film. It also acts as a way of bringing the viewer into the film ad making them feel part of it as they can almost imagine that it is them that is reading it and thinking it over in their head.

At the beginning of the trailer, the non-diegetic music is just a guitar being strummed, which could be the beginning to a song, after a few seconds or so, the music stopped for a part of the film being shown, which is done to add emphasis to this, and then starts again in a more fast paced, but still happy, manner.

When the page fades out at one point and states that 'Gerry' dies, the music also fades out to emphasise the information that is involved in this part of the trailer. But shortly after, the music gets a happy feel about it again, when it shows 'Holly' starting her new life. The change in music is done to help along the narrative and add a more effective atmosphere, but to also make it easier to differentiate between different situations in the film.

Mise-en-scene

The lighting in this trailer is bright and has a light and happy atmosphere about it. This relates to the film this trailer is advertising because it's a romance, and romance films usually have connotations with bright and colourful surrounding, and a happy and calm atmosphere.

In the opening images on screen when we see the two main characters, they are wearing contrasting colours, black and white. This could show either how they different, which is what they are going on about in this part of the trailer, or how they are similar in the way that they complete each other.

After the trailer has made the viewer aware of 'Gerry's' death, the main character 'Holly' seems to be wearing all black clothes. This is done to show that she is grieving over the loss of her husband, and also to show her emotion of sadness and depression. As the trailer goes on, her clothes seem to introduce more colours as it goes along, showing she gets over her husband, and becomes a happier person again.

As some of the film is in Ireland, and her husband was Irish, the people who made the film, decided to put something stereotypical of Ireland into the film trailer, which was a man dressed up as a Leprechaun. This is stereotypical because people who are not from Ireland assume that that is where Leprechaun's live. I feel that this is done to make it clear that Ireland has a big part to play in the film, and makes it obvious to the viewer due to the use of stereotyping.