#rhetoricaldevices

The trailer used: https://youtu.be/6FuIBuXCiTo

All three rhetorical devices were present in the trailer. The logos was presented by the “Disney Channel Original Movie.” The characters involved in the movie were a form of Ethos because Ross Lynch was a fairly well-known actor on Disney Channel at the time and Maia Mitchell was an up and coming actor, always appearing but never being a main role. Lastly, as with most trailers from Disney and Pixar and movies targeted at children, Pathos was used intensely.

This trailer followed the 3-Act Structure. In the first act, the main characters, setting, and important details (Brady’s favorite movie and Mack’s opinion of it) were introduced. In the second act, a conflict was stated (the reality of life hits and the friendship between the two main characters are tested because McKenzie has to leave to pursue a dream that was never told to Brady once summer ends), a semi-solution was applied (the two are swept away to a land without their “real world” problems), and finally, a major conflict/climax of movie (getting stuck in the movie because they are changing the plot) helped draw in the viewer’s curiosity. Lastly, in act three, “Cruisin’ For A Bruisin’” (referring to just live in the moment and stop stressing the future) played as the trailer ran through the funnier and more memorable scenes of the movie.

There were many emotions the characters and the storyline evoked from the audience. The trailer asked questions like “how would you feel and what would you do if you got pulled into your favorite movie?” Or, “how would you feel if your best friend was leaving you without prior mention?” Following the question before, “if you had the chance to keep him or her with you would you, even if it meant he or she would be forced to give up their dream?” Even, “what’s more important, friendship, your personal dream, or the dream others expect you to live?” These questions are more mature and require the audience - which could even include an adult - to think about the tough reality of life in comparison to an ideal world.

The questions were not the only use of Pathos. There are two contradicting emotions constantly battling for attention. The first is an urgency to leave, and the second is the desire to sit back and enjoy. McKenzie is determined to find a way home. The audience knows about her deal with her aunt, her emotional turmoil between leaving her best friend and doing what her mother wanted, and her fear of getting trapped in a different universe. The blonde, Brady, is more focused on enjoying the once in a lifetime opportunity to do something he’d always dreamed of; live a day in Westside Story. He understands “Mac’s” concern about returning home, but he wants to have one last great memory with his best friend before he has to let her leave. The overall emotion is a sense of sadness. The two friends have different views on how to spend their time, and ultimately, it seems to be pulling them apart. The audience is pulled left and right to decide who is right in this situation, and it relates back to the questions before, what is more important to the specific viewer.

Another convincer to see the movie is the narrator’s drop in tone as he introduces the climax of the story. “Now, they’re changing the movie, and if they don’t change it back, it may change them. And they’ll never get home.” The sense of urgency comes rushing back and the audience is on edge, wondering will the characters really become stuck in a movie. The characters panicked faces as they realize what’s happening to them creates an exciting change in their thought patterns. Brady, originally against going home so early because it meant they were “hurrying to grow up,” finally understands the dire situation and begins to work with McKenzie to try and get the movie plot back on track, which may be a little difficult when discussing the real problem. They have to find a way for the main characters, turf rivals, to fall out of love with them, and in love with each other, without giving away their real identities.

The genre of the movie is a Disney comedic parody of cheesy musicals. The movie appears to be Disney’s idea of a cheesy musical because there are numerous songs, the dance moves are all bright, expressive, and cheery, the clothes and sets are very vibrant and colorful, and there is a consistent comedic undertone, even in the most dramatic moments. Although the movie is targeted at children, if the actors were replaced with more well-known adult actors and a little of the humor became more mature, the movie trailer could potentially draw in the interests of more adults.

Certain phrases were effectively scattered throughout the trailer to help the viewer retain key points from the quick commercial.

Brady exclaims at the beginning of the trailer, “Summer’s not over yet.” The audience can share in his enthusiasm for the desire to be on an everlasting vacation, but soon after, we are introduced to the plot turner. What will happen when summer ends? This sentence symbolizes a lot more than just the ending of a vacation. The ending of summer, in a literal sense, means McKenzie leaving for college. In a more subtle sense, it means the possible end of McKenzie and Brady’s friendship. Again, the trailer attacks this idea by throwing the characters into a universe where their main problem becomes overshadowed by an even more dire situation.

Brady’s goal in keeping Mack in the movie is not only to selfishly keep her away from her dreams. Brady also genuinely wants to explore what this new world has to offer after watching from behind a screen for so many years. The general eagerness he has is passed on to the audience through a sense of irony. “When will you get another chance to be in a movie?” He is an actor playing a regular character experiencing what it would be like to physically be in a movie. Whereas the audience is living through his experience as though we are in the movie with him. Would it really be this scary, this fun, this cool to go into our favorite movie and never return home to our reality?

“Every moment I’m here, I’m not doing what my mother wanted me to do.” McKenzie tries to explain her side of the situation to Brady, who’d rather enjoy his once in a lifetime moment in a movie and his last moments with his best friends. Her concern is apparent as she states, “My entire future depends on us getting out of here.” If the viewer were to only see her side of the story, the entire genre of the movie would change because her perspective is different from that of Brady, the other characters, and the moral of the story.

“We’re morphing into the movie!” The word morphing ignites a sense of fear. There is a negative connotation behind the word that brings this feeling of doom. Morphing means their physically changing and adapting to the movie, which means their losing a sense of themselves. That’s a terrifying prospect that makes the viewer fear for the safety of the characters, again, effectively evoking an interest in seeing the full movie as a trailer is supposed to do.

Overall, the trailer does what it is supposed to do. It catches the viewer’s attention, keeps the attention for the entire two minutes, and remains interesting enough until the next viewing of the trailer. The song was catchy and the colors were vibrant. The accent of the female lead also echoes in one’s ear after the trailer has ended because it was so different from the other characters. The director of the trailer did an excellent job of selecting specific details and scenes from the movie. Teen Beach Movie sounds like an amazingly fun movie to watch during the summer.

The trailer of use: https://youtu.be/FLzfXQSPBOg 

Logos was not used in the movie trailer as it did not present any particular ratings from credible critiques, nor did it highlight specific awards the film should be nominated for. Ethos was used as it acknowledged “the creators of Tangled,” and the voice actors of the characters are contributed to the audience turn up, as the parents may have been fans. The main persuasive technique used was Pathos as seen through the narrator and the beginning perspective shot, the music, specific dialogue, action-packed scenes, and the colorful humor and animation. 

The trailer used the traditional three-act structure; beginning with a narrator explaining the basis for the storyline and characters, the middle diving further into the climax and emotional turmoil of the plot, and the ending combining multiple strong points of the film in quick clips with the music from the soundtrack providing more edge and emotion. 

Immediately after the viewer’s discretion card, the audience is snatched by suspense. We are welcomed to the far-away kingdom of Arendelle by a thunderous base of music and a deep and foreboding narrator who introduces us to a main character by rhyme. Like much of pop culture today, the character is seen as “not normal” or “too special” to herself as she decides to hide her identity away to make sure she is accepted in her society, and the audience is meant to take pity on her loneliness and fear of being different. Abruptly, the audience is thrown into the whirlwind of emotion as her hidden powers are discovered by others and she is seen as an outcast. They ridicule her and she, swarming with uncertainty and desperation, flees her home, indefinitely. The climax of the movie is centered around her rash decision. With her emotions being the strength of her powers, the lack of control over them ultimately affects the world around because of the force of her magic. Unknowingly, she creates a storm in her wake, and this leads to the adventure of the center plot of the story, the introduction of her sister, who is determined to fix the situation, and the reason why this movie was a great film at Thanksgiving. 

Based on the action-packed scenes, the music, the humorful characters, the dynamic between the sisters, and the overall moral of the movie, the genre for the film is an animated family comedy adventure. The animation style is warm and allows the viewer to feel a sense of friendliness that is usually associated with Disney animated characters. There is noticeable humor in a lot of the more intense scenes to keep the audience entertained and not focus on the heavy topics suggested in the movie. As the main theme is the power of family and comfort, there are many scenes dedicated to Anna and Elsa interacting and understanding the strength of their relationship. The adventure is the momentous journey to find Elsa, and through the eyes of Anna, we meet many characters, understand her story, and delve deeper into the mystery of Elsa’s power. 

As mentioned before, because this is an animated movie, the characters are all voiced by actors, and although they are not seen, their skills and personalities can be seen in their portrayals. Kristen Bell is a known actor that often takes on the innocent, gullible character roles. Josh Gad is seen as a great comedian, and his skills are presented well as he voices Olaf. The title song for the movie and the main “villain” of the movie are elegantly brought to life by Idina Menzel, a Broadway actor. The message for the movie and the characters relatable personalities are only connected to the audience because of the people behind the scenes. 

Considering the genre of the movie and the intended audience, the movie trailer does incorporate a significant number of action scenes. A movie trailer’s goal is to draw the viewer’s attention and leave an impact strong enough for the person to want to see the movie. The Frozen trailer did just that in numerous scenes. For example, Kristoff running into the eye of the storm, Elsa’s defeat and her cry of the people staying away from her, or Anna’s determination to bring back Elsa because she knows Elsa, her sister, would never hurt her. The scene where Anna and Kristoff fight the wolves on a racing sled, and when Anna explains to Olaf and Kristoff, “That’s no blizzard. That’s my sister,” are great heart-racers. Another is the golden ice scene, and the audience sees Elsa attacking. Finally, the crashing boat scene where Anna and Kristoff show the beautiful skills they learned at Prometheus School of Running Away From Things.  

The most impactful scene is short but to the point. Elsa is in a dark room with a man who pleads sincerely, no malice in his voice, “Stop the winter.” The look she gives him in response and her words, “Don’t you see...I can’t,” are what really make the audience raise a brow. It is clear from the beginning that she doesn’t have control over her powers, but after Anna’s declare of bringing back her sister to fix the weather, the audience is misled to believe that the continued drama of the movie is because of Elsa’s unwilling selfishness to return. This scene asks the question if she does return, will she, can she stop the storm in time to save her home. Is the solution even in her hands to begin with if her emotions remain unstable? Does this means she finds a way to control her power? All those questions swarm the mind of the viewer, effectively making him or her want to purchase a ticket to have his or her questions answered. 

There were more subtle appeals to emotion as well. The use of the words “eternal snow” and “sorcery” write Elsa out as a villain from the beginning. Olaf’s declaration that “some people are worth melting for,” although humorful because he is a snowman, brings up a question of how far are you, a viewer, willing to go for a loved one. The conviction and faith Anna has in her own abilities to help her sister frame her as the heroine of the story, and it shifts the attention of who the audience will be following and rooting for throughout the movie. Again, this makes Elsa seem like an antagonist, rather than someone who is suffering equally as much as the town falling under frostbite. One final noted piece of persuasion was the music from the movie as the trailer begins to come to a close. The song playing continues to promote the idea “for the first time in forever.” It’s Anna singing about love, but in the context of the trailer and how it is presented with the images of what will happen in the movie, it gives a sentiment of “maybe, just maybe,” as though this person is invincible. The audience might assume it is referring to Elsa taking control of her powers and no longer hiding behind a facade. It could be a cluing fact to others in the movie accepting something they’ve never seen before as not a possible threat, but rather a new beginning. The music is intense but whimsical, like a dream. If you reach far enough, try hard enough, something amazing will happen. 

Overall, the trailer was effective in establishing an interest in the movie. Music, animation, characters, story plot, and all the rhetorical devices actively make the film seem entertaining and a worthy place to take a family on Thanksgiving. 

              On the eighth week we studied about speech and rhetorical devices. We had been going to school for about two months now. We learned two topics in a week and I thought it was great. The week started as usual.

              We learned about speech. We were also told to make one and present it in front of class. My speech was about procrastination. I procrastinated for a few days before I made my speech. When my speech was done I couldn’t present it in front of class because I wasn’t present the week before. So I did my speech in front of Ms. Fajri.

              Rhetorical devices are words that are used to persuade the audience. There are many rhetorical devices, such as: parallelism, antithesis, antimetabole, parenthesis, appositives, alliteration, assonance, anaphora, epistrophe, anadiplosis, climax, synecdoche, metonymy, personification, metaphor, simile, pun, onomatopoeia, litotes, hyperbole, irony, oxymoron, euphemism, rhetorical question, personal involvement, audience involvement, fact & statistic, expert opinion/quotaion and formal/informal register. These are used in persuasive writing to persuade the audience.