Pirates of the Caribbean - Dead Man's Chest (2006): Trailer Analysis

The trailer begins with an eerie chant sounding over the production titles. This hints at the mysterious nature of the film, and also mentions the inclusion of pirates in the film. The equilibrium for the film is shown through this - it shows pirates and their scary, ominous lives. The rain at the beginning shows pathetic fallacy, which hints at the dangerous nature of the film. The close up of Davy Jones suggests that he will be one of the characters that the audience should focus on. It also helps to introduce him to the audience and show them just what the film may entail. The music is quiet and mysterious here and only gets more intense after the disruption begins. 

The disruption begins when there is a close-up of Jack Sparrow's hand. This suggests that something bad might happen to him, and that he might be involved with the pirates at the beginning. The frequent close-ups of Jack Sparrow shows the audience that he is the main character as he is given prevalence throughout the trailer. The orchestral music throughout the trailer is tense and loud - predominantly using drum beats - and gets louder as the trailer goes on. This creates a sense of panic in the audience and encourages them to go and see the film in order to see what happens. 

The recognition phase shows that he is in danger and that he needs to give his soul over to Davy Jones. This is shown through the fighting and danger that Jack Sparrow ends up in throughout the trailer. The repair phase is alluded to very briefly with the opening of the chest, in the middle of the fast-paced montage. Joined with the title, this seems important to the plot of the film, however, it doesn't show the audience much about it - leaving them to wonder what it is and how it will be used. The audience are also left wondering if they escape and how. These enigmas aim to attract the target audience to watch the film and find out what happens.

This film is the second film in the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise and so it would have already had a captive audience to appeal to. Unique selling points for the film would have been returning actors from the first film, such as Johnny Depp and Orlando Bloom, but also the fact that it is a Disney film. This would attract the captive audience and encourage them to go and see the film. The fact that it is a Disney film will also attract a captive audience as many people will go to see a film just because it was made by Disney. The unique selling points attract both captive audiences to watch the film, in order to find out what happens at the end.