Additional Work - Titanic Trailer Analysis

Titanic is about a high class seventeen year old girl falling in love with a lower class yet kind boy. It is a romance as well as a drama. We can tell that the movie is a romance due to the storyline of the 2 main characters falling in love throughout the duration of the movie. The drama element links to this due to the class difference of the pair. Back in 1912 it was seen badly to talk to people that are below your class. We can also tell that it is a drama due to heroine's family and fiance reacting and witnessing the pair getting closer.

One of the denotations that frequently appear in the movie is the vast cruise ship the "Titanic". The connotations of it can be a great get away from your normal life. Back in those days it was a once in a lifetime opportunity, therefore for some people like the hero it was life changing. The ship could also connote the idea of having a good time and experience - a break from reality. Another detonation is the clothing and jewellery the heroine wears. It connotes that she is quite wealthy and sophisticated. Furthermore, it reflects her being an aristocrat. The cars that are shown in the trailer suggest the year that the movie is set in due to them looking old fashioned and quite posh. The connotations can be wealth, power and prestige.

At the beginning of the movie the cruise ship is presented as the greatest thing that happened in a long time, as people were shown to be very excited as boarding it. However, towards the end of the movie the "Titanic" was shown to be more of a tragedy due to the ship hitting the iceberg and thousands of people dying, during its first and last voyage. Also the heroine is presented as appreciative and quite easy going as she allows the hero to show her what happens downstairs where the middle class people stay instead of a fancy restaurant. She gives of a good impression due to her being able to loosen up.

I think the theory that most applies to this trailer is the Uses and Gratifications Theory. The Uses and Gratifications Theory says that there are 4 main reasons why people watch the media ; a romance/drama movie. I think the 2 that apply most are information and entertainment. It applies to information due to the fact that a ship named "Titanic" actually did sink in 1912 by hitting an iceberg. So people might want to watch the movie for a visual representation of the accident. They can also just watch it for entertainment in their spare time, as the movie does put you on edge at times.

Link To Trailer