GTA V Mock

1. What codes and conventions does the trailer use to establish the text’s genre?

Many different codes and conventions are used in the trailer to establish the text's genre. Some are the use of guns and violence, as well as police chases and physical fighting. We see most of this towards the end of the trailer as Rockstar want us to see the most action in the climax of the trailer.Another convention is the introduction of the 'Rockstar' brand in the first 10 seconds. This allows the audience to make themselves comfortable with the trailer if they are familiar with the brand. The next code seen is the use of dialogue from the game as narration for the trailer. This is a very common convention of game trailers which is often overlooked. The final code/convention I'm going to talk about is sound. The diagetic sound heard is mainly dialogue, gunshots, car/police sounds and explosions. All of this adds a sense of realism as all of these sounds interact in a lifelike manner.

2. How is war represented in the trailer?

War and Crime in general is represented in many different ways throughout the trailer. A dominant representation the audience would see is that, essentially, crime leads to bad consequences. This can be taken with a 'pinch of salt', however, as not many bad repercussions are seen in trailer itself. An alternative representation seen by the audience would be the view of the whole humour side of the game, and that nothing is taken seriously. The characters are shown as pleased with the life they lead which isn't something you would associate with crime and violence. The trailer shows only one woman throughout. This supports the theory of Berger: "Men act, women appear". This could tell us that men are more suited to a life of crime than women.

3. In what ways is the trailer typical of the video game industry?

The trailer is in many ways typical of the video game industry. One way is the use much violence and chaos. This makes the user feel part of this world and that they belong. The trailer also features many action and enigma codes (Barthes), which are represented by such things as the guns, explosions and the cliffhanger at the end. The action codes tell the audience what is about to happen which helps the audience to understand the narrative. The enigma codes create a sense of wanting more, which in turn, causes the watcher to buy the game.

4. Who does this text appeal to and what pleasures does it offer?

I believe the text targets many different audience profiles. A demographic of C1, C2, D and even E have been targeted. This is because the violent nature of the trailer/game may appeal to this demographic. Also, a demographic of A or B may be offended. A psychographic of mainly mainstreamer's would have been targeted as this group always follows trends as this game may become a massive trend. Also, a group of aspirer's may have also been targeted as this group 'aspire's' to better things. This group wants quality, rather than quantity, which the game provides.