I’m not going to lie to you: romantic moments resonate with me. I feel something powerful, something beyond me. However, the one thing that has been resonating with me recently is not a romantic moment, but rather a movie trailer for, The Hunger Games. I left the tab open on my desktop because I cannot stop watching it. (I high recommend looking at the trailer for your own benefit). I succumb to chills across my body when I see Primrose’s older sister volunteer to take her place in the Hunger Games. So in this case, the moment is far from romantic, but rather the ‘anti-romantic.’
According to Raymond Williams, the structure of feeling is a theoretical concept revolving around the idea that almost all people in a particular historical moment will respond in virtually the same way to the same image. Granted this concept is not universal, but I am confident that majority of people viewing this trailer will ‘feel’ for the characters. After the line, “there’s twenty four of us, and only one comes out,” how can you not feel for the characters, especially since they are about to be knocked off one by one? The trailer is put together absolutely to a tea; ending with the contestants rising into the arena as the clock counts down from ten. As a viewer, I immediately went out to buy the book. I have never wanted to know the outcome more than in this situation. If a trailer or scene can spark that kind of interest, then it has done its job. Trailers in particular are reaching out to a wide target audience, so the likelihood of having a lot of people respond the same way coincides directly to William’s structure of feeling.
The ‘anti-romantic’ is constructed through the cultural idea of rhetoric. The expressions of the characters, background music, obscure plot, and overall construction of the trailer (picking out which scenes to show) argue how the audience should feel: frightened yet intrigued. The last ten seconds of the trailer do exactly this. I was scared for the characters, but couldn’t wait to find out more. The emotions we feel are clearly derived from the ceremony in which the little girl is chosen at random to participate in the Hunger Games and her older sister volunteers to take her place. The idea of heroism, as well as turmoil and danger involving children almost always seem to resonate on a very high level with the audience. As discussed in class, this idea corresponds with ‘public’ feelings. People feel for those younger then them, especially, when they are in a beyond peril situation.
I just watched the trailer and it looks amazing. I definitely did 'feel' for the characters as i watched Primrose's sister volunteer and be selected to essentially be sacrificed or willing to kill to survive. I agree with the 'anti-romantic' construction although the trailer as they used prime scenes from the movie to intrigue the audience. I did see they tried to tie some romanticism in it with Primrose's sister and the boy from the place she was from, it gave the audience a feeling for how they both wanted to escape but yet kept apart. We see the boy being hopeless to help the girl and essentially watch her live/die? via a big screen TV as she tries to fight for her survival. I also agree with the idea of heroism resonates on a high level with the audience especially when it sacrificing oneself to save a child.
ReplyDeleteThis is so interesting to hear how this trailer affected someone who hasn't yet read the series. I read all three about a year ago now and have watched the movie develop, impatiently awaiting this trailer. I think the trailer does a great job of representing the important pieces of this first book and I am so very excited for the movie. How they can make a person, and a wide range of people, to feel this much depth in only a few seconds is truly amazing. The concept of heroism that you were able to pull out is more than perfect when knowing that character throughout the books. Very good reading.
ReplyDelete