RESEARCH: Okja

On the 5th of June we on to Netflix as a class and we watched the trailer for Okja. Due to it being a Netflix original it was not released for cinematic screening. The film was nominated for the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Festival 2017 but received huge amounts of controversy due to it being a film without a cinematic release

Cinematic trailers are shown before cinematic screenings of films of a similar genre. Despite the fact that cinema managers protect the window in which films are screened the majority of money a cinema makes is from the food and drink served and not from the actual tickets.

Okja revolves around the conflict within the food industry and the debate of Animal Rights, as the film features themes of animal activism, corporate greed, and scientific ethics.  A trailer needs to signal genre and narrative efficiently and rapidly in order to not lose the attention of the audience and to keep audience retention. From this trailer, it is clear that audiences are invited to sympathise with the small innocent girl who, along with her cherished animal, takes on the might of corporate greed, personified by Tilda Swinton's character. 



For Stuart Hall, the meaning of the text resides in the interpretation of the viewer. For this film, the preferred reading would be on the side of animal rights (on the side of the protagonists) partly because the little girl and her giant pet pig are so adorable. The trailer depicts establishing shots that romanticise the countryside and its serene, peaceful setting. The song Dedicated to the One I Love plays throughout the trailer, to heighten audience awareness of the bond between the small girl and the colossal pig. This song also acts as justification for the extreme lengths the little girl will go to for her pet.

Similiar to all of the trailers for Okja few words are spoken as it would only detract from the serene moments in the trailer between the pig and the girl, however towards the end of the second trailer the film is seen to be more action oriented as the little girl and the activists try to rescue Okja in the middle of the street. This keeps the audiences' attention and ensures that the pace of the trailer showcases both the serene moments as well as the more action oriented sections. Like all trailers, the trailer ends with the title of the film as well as a release date; 28th June.