Analysis of “Angels Share” Trailer:

The Angles Share is a film which was directed by Ken Loach in 2012, and it is described as a bitter sweet comedy. It is a low budget and independent film, which centres heavily on the representation and lives of a young lower/working class man.

After watching the trailer, I will firstly focus on the target audience. According to the Uses and Gratifications theory, I believe that the target audience are likely to access this media for surveillance (they will gain an insight and understanding into the lives of those lower down in social hierarchy), and for diversion (due to the nature of the product: film). It could also provide the viewer with personal identification in some cases, and some people will be able to relate to the story that is told, the maturing and coming of age of the main character. There are many pleasures that the audience will gain from viewing this trailer and furthermore the film, such as high emotion, identification, recognition, viewing a positive change, and personal relationships. Regarding a more specific demographic, I would say that those likely to view this could either be male or female (neither one stands out to be primary), they would most probably be from class E to C1 on the classification of employment, and they would probably have a very hard working life.

Regarding the institution of the film, I would say they are a very low budget institution. Although the trailer has been created professionally with evidence of good technology and links to the digital age, there are few special effects (SFX) which block busters and high budget have in their trailers. The actors and actresses shown are not commonly recognisable, which supports my previous point. The values and ideologies of the institution are most probably that the lower and working class should not be stereotyped. We see the positive changing and maturing of the main characters throughout this film, from a criminal to a man who just wants to be a good father. This shows the audience that not all those in the working/lower class are beyond help, and the institution wants to portray this.

From watching the trailer, there is much we can conclude about representations of class. The whole trailer focuses very heavily around the lives of the working and lower classes: the main characters are from these classes, and the locations which the scenes are shot in have connotations of these lower classes. They are strongly represented as being criminals. One of the first scenes we see is in a court room, where a young man is being sentenced to community service. From the outset, this portrays the class in question to be involved in criminal activity, and to be preoccupied by things they shouldn’t be.

I will finally focus on narrative and form. The music which is used in the trailer, a delicate instrumental, strongly dictates the narrative of the trailer. We see the opposite of what is suggested by the equilibrium theory. There is unrest at the beginning, but once the child is born, there is calm and happiness. There is a change in the music which helps the audience to feel this atmosphere. Towards the end, the music becomes much more upbeat again, as the decision has to be made about whether or not to go ahead with the money making scheme. The colours that have been used in the trailer are very unedited and natural, which shows the realism of the film. It is not a fake and untrue story: this is real life. I believe that the main character is the hero, and the princess is the baby, because the only reason the main character considers an illegal money making scheme is to help his baby and make a better life for him/her. The main character in the trailer is anima: although very strong, masculine, and powerful, we see points where more sensitive and caring sides to his personality are shown.

In conclusion, this trailer is very successful in advertising an honest and realistic film, and in attracting the appropriate audience.