Nikolas Burgos
Art 104
15 May 2015
Media Observation 3: Movie Promotion

1. The title of the film promo I chose was The Wolf of Wall Street. The film came out in 2013, which starred actor Leonardo DiCaprio and was directed by the Award winning Martin Scorsese. I viewed the film promotion on youtube.com and it is 2 minutes and 13 seconds in length.
2. The trailer begins with clips of iconic New York. The skyline, the famous Charging Bull statue, Wall Street in Bold letters, as well as a view of Broadway. A voice begins narrating the story as you pan into a crowded office building of people cheering. He is describing that he made 49 million dollars the past year but was upset because he was 3 million shy of saying he made 1 million dollars a week. Then we get a bold shot between the pictures of the name of the infamous director Martin Scorsese. What follows in suit is a general glimpse and clips of the main character, Jordan Belfort, living a lavish life. He is driving a Lamborghini, sitting on a yacht drinking and having a general disregard for property and the others around him. A bold flash of the main actors (Leonardo DiCaprio, Jonah Hill, and Matthew McConaughey) and their notable awards/ nominations follow. He openly states that all of their dealings are obviously illegal, but there was very little to be done to stop them. Shots of sexy women as well as his attempt at bribing law enforcement are slightly overshadowed by the constant MORE that grows in size and occurrence between the clips. After more flashes five times it is followed by, IS NEVER ENOUGH. Kanye West’s hip party anthem ‘Black Skinhead’ plays steady throughout enhancing the effect of having a good time. He is throwing money in the trash, hosting elaborate parties and taping cash to a half naked woman. The next scene shows him calmly discussing throwing a midget at a bulleye for fun. You see the spirals of behavior getting out of control and them losing grip on their realities. The promo is ended on a comical note of Jordan (DiCaprio) sitting with his mentor at a table watching him do an amusing chant meant to help get him in the right frame of mind for work. It isn’t long before Jordan follows suit and chants right along with him. Wolf of Wall Street shoots across the screen in bold letters as the promo comes to a close. I always joke that after seeing an extended trailer it is pointless to see the movie. All the comedies seem to put every funny part in the preview leaving you disappointed once you actually pay to see it. The general feel I get from this film is that it may still be worth seeing outside of the promotion. It is apparent that as untouchable as the main characters feel they are, that they will face some sort of government prosecution. However, this film is more than what happens in the end or how they get punished. People want to see how he came to build this life for himself and to see what he does along the way. The obvious outcome is irrelevant. It is his journey and outlandish behavior people are going to want to witness.
3. The first film scene I selected was shot 11 seconds into the promo. It is s scene of Jordan Belfort (Leonardo DiCaprio) walking down a hallway into an office building with a determined look upon his face. It is filmed on the interior of an office building. Due to the crowded nature of the office, and the hustle and bustle surrounding him, we can deduce that the scene takes place in the middle of the work day. Framed posters stating ‘Teamwork’ and ‘Focus’ line the wall as he walks in. He bursts open the doors to his office, exuberant and two handed. People are doing random stuff around him that one wouldn’t expect in an office. Some are drinking and playing golf but once they notice their leader they stand and cheer for him. The scene was filmed in with a medium shot. We are only seeing DiCaprio from the waist up as he walks down the hallway. Even when they film him from behind in