Nightcrawler in-depth analysis

Connotations and denotations

The opening shots we are shown are of the moon and a cityscape at night, which immediately
gives us the setting of this film. We are taken through the nightlife of the city through the eyes of
the protagonist (Louis Bloom) and we see a number of car crashes and accidents; all being
filmed by stringers (people who record accidents and city events and sell to local news
companies). The brutality of the accidents seem to get worse as the trailer progresses and Louis
seems to become more and more isolated as the trailer goes on. We are shown a few shots
where the viewer or people in the film are below him. There is fast driving, car chases, graphic
accidents; which all could represent the pace of the film and as we near the end of the trailer we
see Louis' erratic behaviour heightened when he violently shakes a mirror in anger, and a sort of
desperation.
The use of dark settings is used to create the mood and set the tone for the film; we can see that
the film will be showing a side to city life that every-day people don't acknowledge and from
these conventions, we can tell that this will be a thriller. Showing a darker side to the city creates
a large amount of discomfort, making the viewers uneasy, realising that they too could easily be
subject to some or one of these accidents. The build-up of intensity is represented by the red car
that Louis is driving, the car speeds up as the trailer goes on and as the pace of the music
quickens; we get a glimpse of how fast the pace of the film will be.
There are some interesting facial expressions in this teaser, showing: discomfort, fear, insanity
and even ecstasy. While Louis is driving in the car he appears to be lost in the moment, almost
as if consumed by the events as we see him driving, to what we assume to be an accident, with
utmost speed and recklessness. Later in the trailer we see Louis arrive at a car accident and see
him dragging a body across the floor so that he can get a better angle to record (which would be
illegal). He starts filming the crash and we are shown a close up of his face; he looks ecstatic,
extremely pleased with himself, which portrays him as psychotic as he seems intoxicated by
the brutality of the accident. This image of him is carried on when at the end of the trailer when
he screams at himself in the mirror, shaking it violently. There is another man who is with Louis,
that we can assume is his partner of some sort; his facial expression has a strong contrast to
Louis. He looks worried, cautious and even scared when in the car with Louis, almost as if he's
being threatened.
One of the recurring locations that we see is within a newsroom or office, telling us that television
news is going to be a big part of this film. Props for the newsrooms consist of filming cameras,
microphones and recording equipment, helping to add to the setting. The clothing of the
characters is very casual, very working class, we see a shot of some new balance trainers
-casual running walking shoes- and Louis wears a short sleeve shirt and jacket. A woman Louis
shakes hands with wears clothes that seem a bit more sophisticated, possibly showing that she
begins at a higher position of power than the rest of the characters at the beginning of the film.
Even the clothes worn by the characters in the teaser conform to the conventions of thriller along
with the local city settings: dark streets, back-alleys and diners, which tell us that most of the
action will take place in everyday locations. The red car appears multiple times in the teaser,
telling us that it is an important aspect of the film and that many key scenes will be played out
within the car; as we only see the same two people in that car.
There is a constant low sounding note of a piano heard throughout this teaser, with the addition
of a beating drum later on in the trailer. Close to the end of the trailer we hear choir like voices
singing in beat with the drum and piano; diegetic sounds of cars, skidding and crashes get louder
as well. The voice-over for the teaser is the voice of Louis Bloom. The first words of narration are
"I'm looking for a job" to which he carries on talking about himself "I'm a hard worker, I set high
goals and I've been told that I'm persistent." It seems as though he's reading out his CV, his

dialogue engages the viewer which puts us in the position of the employer as he continues to sell
himself to us, and there's a scene of Louis looking directly at the viewer. His voice is monotone
for most of the trailer, up until he says his motto: "You have to make the money to buy a ticket"
which he repeats 5 times. We are shown the shot of him screaming at himself through mirror on
the fifth repetition of his motto which he shouts aggressively. All sound is cut off after the shout
and there is a small pause, showing Louis at on screen in a news anchor chair. Only the piano
key is heard after this shot.
We can see that this film is of the crime thriller genre, shown through the dark city settings which
is a convention of this genre, as well as the suspenseful music and fast paced build-up of the
narrative; leading to a climax at the end of the trailer (brutal crash and gunshot). Graphic imagery
shown in accidents, crashes and crimes are also conventions of neo noir films.
Representation
There's a strong sense of individuality and isolation in the teaser, there's no emotional connection
between the characters; the only connection we really have is between Louis and his work, as he
is engrossed in his filming. Even when we see Louis shaking hands with the woman in the news
room, or when we see him in the car with his partner, he still seems quite distant.
Louis isn't represented by others; his relationships revolve around the crime scenes and the
seedy areas of the city. He becomes more animated and engaged with the darker side of nightlife
than with any other character in the film. There is such a contrast in this behaviour, it leaves the
audience questioning his capacity to understand others. This contrast highlights Louis'
disconnect of human emotion and lack of empathy, throughout the trailer it becomes apparent
that lines are crossed and his work ethic becomes more than questionable.
Narrative
The narrative is relatively clear, showing a chronological order of events and Louis' narration tells
us that the story includes him getting a new job as stringer, filming the crimes and accidents. At
the start there is no real indication as to who is the bad guy. We assume Louis to be the
protagonist but as the trailer progresses, Louis seems to become the antagonist of the film as he
manipulates potential crime scenes and goes beyond the moral and legal lines.
What can we use?
The element I liked most and what I thought was most effective in this trailer, was the way the
established dark atmosphere through the settings -nightlife in the city. This helped to add to the
mood and set the tone for the film and as the setting is an essential element to film noir, I feel
that my team could use the techniques in the production of our own teaser trailer. The low key
sound of the music helped to add an ominous feeling the trailer which I feel, helped to add
tension and intensity. We may be able to use the piano for some music in or teaser to create a
similar feeling. Lastly, the narration in the teaser helped to build a plot, whilst keeping the
audience guessing, which I think is key; keeping the element of surprise in a thriller or film noir
movie is what creates the tension and fear, leaving the audience on the edge of their seats.