Genre
The genre of the trailer is a post-apocalyptic horror film. The theory that relates to this trailer is Andrew Sarris'; the genre of zombie/ horror is recognised throughout the film trailer from the colours used, costumes, locations and many more. The colour scheme used in the trailer is red, white and black which is associated with this genre, the locations used in the film are abandoned which is a recognisable style of the genre. Another theory that relates to this film trailer is Levi Strauss and Roland Barthes' theory of binary opposites as the trailer shows good (humans) versus evil (zombies), this appears in most zombie/apocalypse films. The trailer uses titles between montages, one of the titles says 'scary as hell' this tells the audience that the film is a horror.
Representation
The trailer uses the typical stereotypes for male and females, the trailer relates to Laura Mulvey's theory of the 'Male Gaze' as the protagonist is male therefore the film is from his perspective. The trailer looks at women as stereotypes this is shown through the females in the trailer are represented as vulnerable and weak, a female is a big red 'princess' dress portrays the 'damsel in distress'. The male protagonist appears to be hopeless and lost as he is wandering around abandoned London, however this changes when become the hero to save the female character.
Narrative
The film's narrative is about a virus that is created in a chimp and the chimp is then released by an animal rights activist and infects the activist, the virus then spreads around the UK. The male protagonist Jim, then wakes up in hospital 28 days later to find the hospital deserted and tries to find out what has happened, he joins a group of survivors, they plan to travel to Manchester to where they have been told the 'answer to infection' is. The narrative is shown through a montage of clips, which is mostly in chronological order this gives the audience an idea of what the film is about. Propp's theory features in this film as the trailer uses the character types that Propp suggested such as hero which is the male protagonists role, the villains which are those who are infected, the princess would be the female character in the dress as she appears to be the 'damsel in distress' who the hero will rescue, also usually a father figure/ donor is used in a film who is stereotypically a priest however in the trailer it shows the protagonist turning to a priest for help however he is already infected.
Audience
The film is rated 18, therefore the target audience of the film is primary for those over the age of 18. The director of the film is Danny Boyle, his name and other films that he has directed have been used to 'sell' the film as it appears in the titles, this has been done so existing fans of the director or his previous films will be encouraged to watch the film. The horror is usually seen as a male genre due to the high levels of violence, language and stereotypes used within the genre. The film will also appeal to those who are already a fan of the horror genre, however will not appeal to those who are easily frighten. The plot seems to be straightforward and easily to follow, however the audience when watching the film will still need to be active so they do not miss key moments/scenes in the film.
Media Language
Cinematography
A variety of shots have been used in this trailer, long shots and wide shots have been used on the protagonist when he just wakes up to show him isolated and lonely, high angles and crane shots have also been used to show the characters vulnerability as he is confused and does not have a clue what is going on. Medium shots and close up's have also been used to demonstrate the characters emotions. Throughout most of the trailer the shots are framed with one person per shot, the infected are mostly not framed with those who are not which could express the contrast between the two. There is a high angle shot of a cross which is a religious symbol this is a common object used in horror films, as the cross in some horror films is usually used to defend against evil however it does not in this film.
Editing
Fast cutting has been used in this trailer to create drama and capture the panic of the characters, this is a convention of the horror genre. At the beginning of the trailer, title cards have been used showing taglines, this has been used to build up tension and give the audience a basic understanding of the plot. These title cards have been used in a montage with intervals of footage from the film, this again builds suspense. Each clip has a different shot from a different angle to the previous and is taken in a different location giving a sense of progression of story. Towards the end of the trailer fade to black have been used to create drama. At the end of the trailer a tagline has been used saying 'the days are numbered'. Jump cuts have been used in this trailer, which are unusually featured in horror films, this expresses the sense of disorientation that the characters feel.
Mise-en-scene
The trailer uses low key lighting throughout the trailer which is a recognisable style within the genre of horror. The trailer has numerous locations such as; hospital, church, gas station and abandoned city, which is usually associated with the zombie horror genre, also these locations are seen to be places of safety that people turn to. The locations have rubbish covering the ground, a bus on its side, abandoned cars, phones off the hook and many more which suggests that there was chaos and that people left in a hurry. The clothing of the male protagonist when he is first introduced wearing scrubs, this is because he has just woken up in hospital and also could show his confusion. There is a female dressed in a big red 'princess' dress, the colour red indicates danger which could suggest that the character is in danger. The font of the text used on the screen would usually associated with horror/zombie film genre. the colours of the text are white and red on a black background this is because these colours are associated with the genre and red symbolises danger and blood (infected) and white symbolises pure and good (human) this could be done to tie in with the binary opposites theory of good versus evil. The make up used in this trailer to create the infected makes them took scary so they are feared by the audience, contacts have been used to create the evil yellow eyes that appear through the window at the end of the trailer.
Sound
The trailer begins with a non-diegetic sound as sirens are playing this indicates a warning. Also crashes, explosions and screams can be heard suggesting disruption. All the diegetic and non-diegetic sounds used create a sense of chaos. Then trailer then cuts to an abandoned London, where it is silent with the use of dialogue from the protagonist as he shouts 'Hello' which echos and creates and spooky atmosphere, this reinforces the loneliness and vulnerability of the character as he is alone. Non-diegetic music starts to play after the protagonist jumps as he see something in a car, along with the music dialogue from the film is played however this dialogue is not from the scenes shown in the trailer, this could suggest disorientation. The timing of the sounds are quite short, the transitions between each sound is quick which matches the fast cuts used in the trailer. In contrast to the rest of the trailer, peaceful music plays towards the end of the trailer until a female character says "They're dead, and you're going to be next" then a scream can be heard.
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