Case Study - Transporter 2

Poster Analysis

The quote “one hell of a ride” shows the audience that they are in for a action packed, thriller film and it is going to be an exhilarating ride. Also at the bottom another quote “The best in the business is back in the game” may mean that this quote refers to the actor on the poster as he is smartly dressed (business type dress).

The most eye-catching thing about this poster is the title and the flames and the actor holding the two guns this would grab the audience’s attention because of the layout which is very effective. I like how the car is coming gout of the flames just after the title, the audience would read the title and then seethe car so they may gather from this that the car shown will be the transporter in the film. The flames and the guns represent action and danger so this would how the audience that there will be fights, possibly explosions hence the flames but overall drama, and action packed sequences.

The way the two actors are posing on the front may mean as if they would do anything to get their shot. The title being in all caps lock is eye catching and definitely stands out from the poster.

Case Study on Transporter 2

The thriller film I have chosen to research is Transporter 2, directed by a Frenchman named Louis Leterrier and produced by Luc Besson. The production company is Europa Corp. Transporter 2 was released November 25, 2005 and was made in France. The genre of this film is action, crime and thriller. Louis Leterrier had a budget of $32 million to create this film. The gross revenue was $85,167,639. The film was located in France but made in the USA. It is preceded by Transporter and followed by Transporter 3.

The type of target audience I think this film is aimed at is an audience that enjoys action packed films with car chases and thrilling fights, which entertain them with all action sequences. Using the IMDB (internet movies database) website I found some user ratings mainly ranging between 5 to 8 out of 10 quoting “A great action movie”, “Story full of adrenaline”, “highly stylised action” all great feedback showing the movie has been a success and is highly liked.

Technology is constantly changing which enables the user to access the film easier. The audience can watch the movie on DVD or Blu Ray or can watch or download the movie online. Using new technology you could download it on to an iPod and can watch it on the move.

Camera movement/angles in the opening to Transporter 2
It opens with the camera circulating a black Audi parked in the middle of a car park, as the camera circulates it also gets closer to the car, it finally then zooms into the drivers seat so the audience is able to see the driver. The camera shot of the driver who is Frank Martin played by Jason Statham is a close up so we can see his facial expression.

The next shot is of his watch which is a close up so the audience can see what the time is but just before this shot we hear his watch alarm go off which then cuts to the shot of his watch. A girl who is also in the car park approaches the car and we see a reflection of her in the driver’s window the camera is over her shoulder so we kind of have a point of view shot almost just from a different angle. The next shot then cuts to an angle that is from within the car on the passenger hand side of the girl outside the car.

The next shot is a close up of Frank with the girl holding a gun to his head, the shot is close up so the audience are able to see his facial expression and get an idea of what he may be feeling at this time. This shot is then cut to a wide angle shot of Frank and the girl standing nearby the car and then four other guys rush into the shot and they then jump in his car. Whilst the four guys are in the car Frank and the girl are talking as they do so the camera alternates between them as they speak, the audience can then look at who is talking and can see their body posture and their expression as they talk. The shot then cuts to a wide shot of the four blokes getting out of the car, which then cuts to a medium close up showing their expressions this then gives the audience a chance to get an idea on what the characters are feeling and an idea of their emotions on the situation.

The next shot is an action shot which includes a fight, the camera moves side to side and quickly cuts to different angles of the fight. Once the fight has finished Frank gets back in the car and there is a close up shot of him which then cuts to a medium to long shot of the four blokes on the floor to show what has just happened. The final shot is the camera looking down at the sea and moving towards the coast line which is an unusual but different shot.

The opening to this thriller begins which slow beat music that builds suspense until the camera finally reaches the car this is an example of non-digetic sound. As the camera circulates around the car the title appears on the side of the car. The title is a basic font and is all in capital letters to stand out; the writing is probably in white so that it fits in with the car being black which is the prefect background colour for the title to stand out.

The car is in the middle of a car park, bright lights have been used to reflect on the car to make the light really reflect on the paint work and also to show how clean the car is, which shows the driver clearly cares for the car and keeps it clean and has self respect. Frank’s watch alarm goes off an example of digetic sound which is then shown in a close up camera shot of him turning the alarm off this notifies the audience what the time is and makes the audience think where he should be going as his alarm has just gone off. Another noise which follows after the watch going off is the buttons being clicked, and a screen moving out of the centre piece in the car this would show the audience that he is getting ready to live his present location.

The audience the can hear and see the window moving down, the directed has made use of digetic sound a lot and not so much music in the opening scene. A girl appears standing the drivers side she is wearing a low cut top ad a short skirt and appears to be a student. The clothes she is wearing gives the audience and insight to what she might be like and what her personality is so before she even speaks the audience could guess what her character type is. She has basic make up on nothing to drastic and over the top. Whilst the girl and Frank are talking we hear the faint noise of car wheels squeaking in the background and seem as if they are approaching the vicinity they are in, which then is followed by the voice echoes of several guys approaching this alerts the audience and makes them wonder who it is and what will happen next, the effect of this shot is to grab the audiences attention. These four guys jump into the car; the four doors slam quite abruptly and echo through the empty car park, this shows that they are alone and no one is around to help out if something were to go wrong.

A fight then breaks out a knife has been brought out, the camera is then focusing on the knife which is shining in the light the effect to this shot shows the audience that this scene may end in disaster and how dangerous knives are. As the fight kicks off the bloke with the knife starts swivelling it in his hands making a noise as it cuts through the air which alerts the audience again, making them focus on every movement to find out what happens the effect of this noise builds suspense to that particular shot. The camera shots during the fight cutting from each shot also builds suspense and makes the audience want to find out what will happen in the fight. All four blokes are left on the floor, and then quiet music begins then followed by the next shot leading into the next scene.

The four boys who start the fight are dressed in t-shirts, jeans and shorts, baggy clothes, easy going type people, do anything probably don’t have a job and don’t care about anything or what they do and the consequences of their actions. Where as Frank Martin is smartly dressed in an ironed suit all neat and tidy and clean the complete opposite to the four blokes, Frank has self respect he appears as if he is going to work which would explain why the alarm on his watch went off because maybe going by his alarm he will arrive to his destination on time.

The genre is utilised and the audience can see what genre the film is, just by watching the opening scene. The audience can clearly see that Transporter 2 is a thriller and an action packed film because a fight kicks off which this particular scene contains a lot of action and characters stunts. It also has a genre of crime because during the fight one of the thugs reveals a knife and he would be breaking the law which is a crime. Through these elements the audience is able to discover for themselves the different kind of genres this film relates to.

The narrative structure of this film is a mixture of sequences a few shots from various characters point of view but also the film is in present tense and never refers to any past experiences.

The four blokes getting into the car would represent lower to middle class because of their clothing and attitude, where as Frank Martin a polite person, would represent the upper class because of his clothing, attitude and personality. This film clearly distinguishes between the various classes and does so but using their personalities and the clothing each character wears in doing so the audience would be able to work out for themselves what type of person each character is.

This shot is at an angle from within the car on the passenger hand side of the girl outside the car. This shot would make the audience feel as if they were in the car as well.

This shot is an action shot which includes the fight between Frank Martin and four blokes, the camera moves side to side and quickly cuts to different angles of the fight.

This shot is of Frank Martin’s watch which is a close up so the audience can see what the time is but just before this shot we hear his watch alarm go off which then cuts to this shot. This may indicate to the audience that he may have to be somewhere on time which explains why his alarm went off.