TRAILER ANALYSIS! THE MATRIX (THE WACHOWSKI BROTHERS, 1999) – DYSTOPIAN / POST APOCOLYPTIC. The Matrix is a post apocalyptic Science fiction film which follows a similar story to Terminator, but revolves more around computer simulations than time travel. It is quite an original film in the aspect of its techniques and themes used.

CHARACTERS Protagonist: Thomas Anderson / Neo, the at first reluctant hero of the film. Helper: Morpheus, he takes Neo into the real world and gives him his new life and quest, Neo also has to save him later. Villain / antagonist: Agent Smith / the machines, Agent Smith is a computer program within the matrix, run by the machines who is constantly trying to kill the rebellious forces. Love interest: Trinity, a friend of Morpheus, who Neo quickly falls in love with. Mentor and Dispatcher: The Oracle, a program within the matrix who tells Neo about his prophecy, and tells him he will have to save Morpheus and fall in love with Trinity.

NARRATVICE STRUCTURE: Part 1: Inserts explain that you live your life, do your work, and pay your bills, and has various establishing and demonstration shots to go along with the text, then ends it by saying “as a slave!” Part 2: Neo meets his new friends and various voiceovers from characters are used to try and introduce some exposition as to what “the matrix” actually is, meanwhile, Neo experiences things that get steadily more out of this world. Part 3: Agent Smith and friends are introduced, his voiceover is used to establish him as a villain, and the voiceovers get faster as they explain that Neo has to some amazing things to save his friends. Part 4: Various action shots are used to excite the audience, voiceovers are gone, and replaced with faster, more tense music.

CINEMATOGRAPHY & MISE EN SCENE Various establishing shots are used to accompany the inserts, and achieve a very modern look. Everything has a green tint on it, this is actually done on purpose. The reason for this is to make it look unreal, or off key, because it’s actually inside a computer simulation, and not real life. 360 and slow motion cameras are used a lot as well, this is something that The Matrix was the first film to introduce. The protagonist characters always wear black and usually meet up underground or out of sight from most people, while the antagonists wear suits and walk around wherever they please.

EDITING This style of editing is used a lot in the film. Slow motion has been seen before, but not like it is in The Matrix where the camera pans and tilts all the way around its subject. This is mostly used in action scenes for an aesthetic effect, but it also furthers the theme of the world being a computer simulation and excuses the improbability of these characters pulling off this sort of thing,

SOUND Voiceover: mostly Morpheous’ lines are used as a voiceover throughout the trailer, but almost every character’s lines are used as part of it as well. Fast paced orchestral music is also used throughout the trailer, in the first half it is mostly background music, in the second half, it is more prominent and replaces the voiceover. Several heavily edited sounds are used as well, when the inserts say “as a slave” a distorted radio like signal is heard, and emphasizes the shot of Neo waking up in the real world. Other sounds are in the slow motion shots, a kind of deep pulse like sound is heard, but it carries on instead of pulsing in and out,.