The Only Living Boy in New York (2017): Trailer Analysis

The trailer begins with two establishing, birds-eye view shots of New York City. This tells the audience that this is where the film will be set. The equilibrium shows the audience that the boy, who is assumed to be the main character, has a big family and has quite different views, especially to his father. This is a typical representation of a poor father-son relationship, and this foreshadows that something might possibly happen between them in the film. The audience also sees his interactions with his friend who he has feelings for, and a new neighbour. The neighbour is seen as a typical wise, older man who is giving the boy advice on his life. During this, mysterious sounding music plays, suggesting that his family life isn't all that it seems. 

This is disrupted when he sees his father with someone who isn't his mother. To repair this, he attempts to follow her and find out who she is. The music changes to a more upbeat soundtrack, which hints at the increase in tension in the film. There are lots of fades between scenes at this point, which increases the tension and shows the film to be dramatic. The relationship that occurs between the boy and the woman is focused on in the film, and the audience can see that these two are the main characters in the film. 

The costumes and the parties suggest that the family are wealthy, and this contrasts how you originally see the boy, further suggesting his differing views to his family. The music changes again after the boy kisses the woman at a party. This music is more dramatic and thoughtful, further showing the dramatic nature of the film. After this, there are lots of frequent cuts, making the pace faster and increasing the tension between the characters in the trailer. 

The audience are left asking many questions after watching the trailer. For example, who does the boy end up with - his friend or the woman - and what happens to his relationship with his father. The audience also only get to see a few of the characters in detail, and would probably be wondering who the other people in his life are. These enigmas make the audience want to go and watch the film as it will answer these questions and they will be able to see what happens.