Main Theories Which Can Be Applied To Our Trailer

Tzvetan Todorov
I believe that Todorov's narrative theory can be fittingly applied to our trailer/film 'Here I Come'. The theory states that most narratives begin with a stage of 'equilibrium' in which life events are normal, and nothing is unordinary. This state of equilibrium will be clearly established when the Mother and Daughter are happily playing in the park (eg. long shots of playing on swings, laughing together etc). This state of equilibrium is then disrupted by an event (the daughter leaving the park, and audiences not seeing where she goes), after which the disequlibrium is recognised (Mother realises the daughter is no where to found found and calls the police). The rest of our trailer is about the Mother trying to restore equilibrium by finding her daughter, however we have decided to leave the outcome unknown, as using a 'cliffhanger' is conventional of trailers. However, the film ending would established whether equilibrium was restored - the final stage of Todorov's narrative theory.

Roland Barthes 
Barthes suggested that there are 5 codes integrated into any narrative. Our trailer makes specific use of a couple of these. The first is the Hermeneutic Code which is how a story hides the truth from the audience. This is typical in crime-thriller films, and we do this by not displaying who the antagonist is or how the child went missing. We then go on to drop clues throughout the trailer, helping to create a mystery that audiences are motivated to solve. This links strongly to the Enigma code, which is how tension is built up, leaving audiences lusting to know the outcome. The end of our trailer is a main enigma, as it presents a severely beaten and cut section of an arm. This leaves audiences in anticipation to see who is it who is hurt, how it happened, and who did it to them, building suspense towards the release of the film.

Stereotyping
Our main character is a blonde, pale, attractive, young female, stereotypical of the victim in a crime-thriller/horror film, as these, and children, are arguably the most pitiable group of society. Teenagers are often portrayed as irresponsible alcoholics, which we have incorporated in our trailer, obviously through the fact she looses her child but also through shots of her with alcoholic bottles. However, we later show the bottle being smashed, symbolising how she is resisting these influence in attempt to keep strong enough the complete her mission. The trailer also presents hope of her finding her daughter, explaining how she is determined to fix her mistake, and take on the responsibility of finding her daughter.
McRobbie states that women are stereotyped as weak, and inferior to men. Although at the start of the trailer, a stereotypical Mother is presented, who cares for her children, and is inferior to the male detective, our trailer progresses to challenge this - presenting a strong and determined woman who defies a mans orders, challenging McRobbie's beliefs. Laura Mulvey also states that women are only used for two parts in films, either 'the virgin' or 'the whore'. However, we also challenge this theory, by presenting a brave Mother who takes risks to find her daughter.

Levi-Strauss
This is the theory of binary opposites, with the most frequent being the battle between good and evil. When applying this to our trailer, it is made clear to audiences immediately that the Mother and Daughter are good people, shown by clear presentations of them having fun and laughing on a day out at the park. When the daughter goes missing, audiences will interpret that someone has taken her, presenting an ambiguous depiction of 'evil'. The topic of missing children is very sensitive, and is considered disgusting by the majority of audiences, therefore audiences are forced to create their own representation of evil, hoping that the good-willed Mother will have the strength to beat evil.