The Revenant Trailer Analysis

1. The Revenant Trailer
analysis
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LoebZZ8K5N0

2. Overview
• The Revenant is a thriller, adventure and drama genre based film,
which was produced by the New Regency Pictures and The Rat-
Pac Entertainment companies, 20th Century Fox distributed the film
into the industry and directed by Alejandro González Iñárritu. He
used well known actors which helped promote the production of this
new film. The actors included in this film are; Leonardo Dicaprio,
Tom Hardy, Will Poulter and Domhnall Gleeson.
• The Revenant is about a man named Hugh Glass (leonardo
Dicaprio) who gets into a brutal bear attack, his hunting team leave
him to survive on his on through the wilderness of north Canada
during the wintery days. After his team abandon and rob him, he
seeks revenge to those who betrayed him on a mission back to his
family.
• This film is based on true events of Michael Punke.

3. Opening shot
A non-diegetic soundtrack is used to emphasize the upbeat
pace of Hugh Glass running through trees with his group,
which is showed with an tracking shot of the characters.
Diegetic sound is then applied with a low angle wide shot of
the characters on horse back which leads the audience into
a fight between the different people, which builds a sense of
fighting for survival of which the film is about.
The final shot of the fight uses non diegetic soundtrack
which is ended by a gun shot by Hugh, making the audience
feel involved with what is going on and helping it create
realism.

4. The starting high angle shot, looking down over the group contrasts against the
low angle shot which shows the different powers of the scene within the variety
of cuts. The high angle shot and diegetic sound of the forest stresses the
vulnerability of the hunt group, which is then shown through the fast pace of
shots when Hugh is getting attacked by the bear. The following few seconds the
audience is presented with ‘inspired by true events’ which bring the audience
closer and enable them feel some emotion, due to the events that occurred
were real.
The extreme close up shot, after the attack leaves the audience in shock as the
character is badly injured. The shot then fades into Hugh holding his son which
then fades into a close up shot with his son looking down at his father. The roles
have changed- stereotypically the father would be looking after his son
protecting him, yet the son has taken on the role.

5. • The shots after this moment show his group members discussing,
the dialogue in these scenes are important as one member argues
he needs to be taken care of, whilst another tells them he needs to
be finished off quick. Those characters are then see killing his son
and trying to bury Hugh alive. The quick flashes of shots allow the
audience to feel what Hugh maybe feeling, the anger and sadness
his group has caused him to feel. These emotions motivate him to
get revenge upon them, and his journey alone begins.
• The dark lighting from the forest creates a sense of fear for the
audience. The natural lighting of the forest builds a dangerous
atmosphere, which is seen in most thrillers. Mid and close up shots
represent loneliness of the character from being abandoned proves
that he is defenseless and weak in the wilderness, due to the
previous attacks.

6. • The voiceover gives an insight to the audience
that Hugh is explaining his emotions to them and
another character. Several shots demonstrate the
ways Hugh had to survive on his own, catching
food, keeping war; the basics of fighting to survive
in the harsh wilderness of Canada.

7. Dialogue
• ‘Get to the boat!’ –Hugh Glass
• ‘The safe thing to do is to track a new course back through the mountain’ –Hugh Glass
• ‘Then what we going to do? Sit out there like a bunch of god damn dogs! You only have your son!’
‘you just going to get the walk on out’.. ‘im talking to you’ - John Fitzgerald (Tom Hardy)
• ‘My son’ – Hugh Glass (Leonardo DiCaprio )
• ‘The proper thing to do would be to finish him off quick’ - John Fitzgerald (Tom Hardy)
• `He is to be cared for as long as necessary’ – member of the group ‘ I understand ‘ - John Fitzgerald
(Tom Hardy)
• ‘what happened?’ … ‘We did what we had to do!’
‘He was buried right’- John Fitzgerald (Tom Hardy)
• ‘All I ever wanted was that boy, and they took him from me’ ‘Do you understand?’ ‘He’s afraid, he
knows how far I came to find him’ – Hugh Glass (Leonardo DiCaprio )
• ‘I aint afraid to die anymore’… ‘I've done it already’ – Hugh Glass (Leonardo DiCaprio )

8. Titled screen
• There are parts within the trailer that show a black background
with white caps lock letters. Famous actor names appear telling
the audience they are included within the film, helping to
promote the film, as they would have been in other good films.
• ‘THIS DECEMBER’, allows the audience to know when the film
will be about, so they can book tickets to watch the film.
• ‘INSPIRED BY TRUE EVENTS’, this film isn't just made up, the
events did occur which makes it interesting to the audience as
many films are produced based upon fictional ideas.
• This effect also links the genre together with the title of the film,
The Revenant is defined as a person who returns/a person who
returns as a spirit after death; ghost; linking it to the thriller
genre.

9. Final Shot
The last shots are Hugh finding his way back home to
the village and fighting those who abandoned him.
However the voice over Hugh tells the audience, ‘I
aint afraid to die anymore, I've done it already’, and
the final shot tracks Hugh riding a horse off a cliff,
during an action scene.
Non diegetic sound ends high pitched ending the
moment but builds tension. The high pitched sound
track could suggest that the director of this film has
done this to leave the question for whether Hugh has
died or not, encouraging them to find out what
happens next by buying tickets at the cinema.