Analysing Action Film Trailers - 'Atomic Blonde'

The fourth theatrical trailer I will be looking at is from the film 'Atomic Blonde'.

The trailer for 'Atomic Blonde' has many conventions that a typical action film trailer would have. The trailer begins with lots of eye candy (explosions, fighting/shooting, car chases) which are all placed after one another quickly to engage the audience straight away. The production company idents appear after this (with one of them being Universal which is well known for making action films) with loud non-diegetic upbeat music to immerse the audience into the trailer. A voiceover (which explains she is their best agent) is used over images from the film to portray the female protagonist as a typical action hero and therefore the audience understand she is the ‘Atomic Blonde’. The voiceover continues as it delivers exposition to the audience so that it is clear what the narrative is about and that it follows typical action film plots.

The iconography seen throughout the trailer is typical of the action/spy genre. Key elements include weapons and combat such as guns and hand-to-hand fights. Her spy-like costume which includes her trench coat and sunglasses help her stay undercover and blend in with everyone else. Additionally, the settings feature dark alleyways, nightclubs and isolated places to almost make the audience feel scared for her as when it comes to her fighting she is always outnumbered. Therefore, the lighting used throughout is low-key to create a sinister and dangerous tone. Her figure behaviour portrays her as a strong and dominant character who is very calculated, this reinforces how the film title suits her well, because she is brutal and it reinforces her strong dominant character type.

Quick catchy 80s music starts to play over the trailer to make it more engaging and nostalgic and then the audience witness the titles/taglines “The clock is ticking” and “who do you trust?” to make the trailer seem more thrilling, intense and exciting. This typical action countdown leads to the editing becoming even more fast paced which gives the audience a hit of adrenaline as they witness lots of short takes one after another. However, during lots of the fighting sequences, slow motion is used to make the scenes more dramatic and dangerous.

Additionally, names of stars which have previously been in action films pop up over images, reinforcing genre. Finally, cinematography is used throughout which is typical of the genre. For instance, when the protagonist is fighting, there is a lot of handheld camerawork used to make it look more realistic but also to immerse the audience into the tense fight. Lots of tracking shots are seen following the protagonist as she escapes danger which gives the trailer a sense of urgency. Finally, many pans and long shots are seen during the fighting scenes, to allow the audience to see the full event and to feel as if they are there.