Age of Heroes Trailer Analysis/ Audience

This is the trailer for the war film Age of Heroes. I think the target audience would be for teenage boys skewed towards 16-25. I can support this thought by the fact it looks very similar to popular video games like Call of Duty or Medal of Honour. These games are very popular within that target market and so the film may attract that audience. It may also attract the older male audience like males age 25-35. I think it may appeal to the older audience as it is a World War 2 film and the older audience may be interested in the more historic side of the film.

 This trailer has many features appealing to the male audience. There are several explosions, war scenes and strong violence. These are some mainstream conventions of an action/ war genre film. Quick cut action edits make the trailer seem fast paced and action packed which could also draw in the audience. It is different to a romantic comedy where the pace of editing is slowed down which is why that genre mostly appeals to traditional female audience. I think the pace of editing widely affects the target audience.

Certain diegetic dialogue such as ‘an elite smash and grab team’ and ‘commando unit’ may appeal to the younger male audience as they can relate it to video games and other war films. The music makes the action on screen look quite epic. The music is non-diegetic makes the target audience feel surrounded by action and in the middle of the battlefield.

The institution that distributes the film is Metrodome. Metrodome isn’t a well-known distributor and specialises in low budget B movies. Some of Metrodomes other work includes Everyman’s War, Days of Glory and Attack of Leningrad. Metrodome specialises in low budget war films. This film may have been bought out now as in Britain, soldiers defending the country and being praised and shown in positive light. This film may have been bought out to boost morale.

The use of camera shots is interesting in this trailer. The use of long shots of explosions and the close shots of weaponry reinforces the fact that the film is supposed to be a war film. However, there are many mid shots, two shots and shot reverse shots which imply that the film may be a character driven drama. An example of a shot reverse shot is at 0:56 – 1:00 of the trailer.

The unique selling point of the film could be the actors starring in this film. Sean Bean and Danny Dyer star in this movie and are the two most important characters. They are at the forefront of the promotional poster which symbolises their importance.