Trailer analysis: 'The Town'

‘The Town’ (2010) is a crime thriller set in Boston, Massachusetts. The film is about a long time thief who tries to balance his feelings for a bank manager connected to one of his earlier heists, as well as the FBI agent looking to bring him and his crew down. The film is directed by and also starred by Ben Affleck. This trailer relies heavily on the action in the trailer to generate suspense for the audience.

This trailer uses a variety of cinematic techniques to emphasize the action for the audience. The shots used in the trailer vary from close ups shots of the characters faces which help display their serious emotion and also help the audience to identify who the main characters in the film are. The mid-shots in the trailer facilitate the characters holding guns which tell the audience that this film will be violent and will also include crime. The location is displayed to the audience through the use of extreme long shots and mid shots of the streets, which help convey a feeling of obscurity and uneasiness for the audience. There are various shots of the main characters firing guns which tell the audience that these characters are on the wrong side of the law. The sound in this trailer starts off with a voiceover of the FBI agent interviewing the victim. This is used to immediately show that there is crime involved in this movie and also creates suspense as there is no music. When the music starts, it has low volume which creates tension and increases which creates increased tension. The music increases in tempo and the visuals of action are increased this emphasizes the gun fights and creates more atmosphere for the audience.

The target audience for this film is men between the ages of 15-30. The film includes a lot of action and crime which could make it inappropriate for younger audiences. The story of this film seems fairly simple so would probably be targeted towards mid teenagers.