The opening shot of the trailer is an establishing shot. You can see the gherkin building in the background which shows the viewer the location of the film, the gherkin building being a well know London landmark. From the general look of the area it could be a working class area of London. The blocks of council flats and the weathered look of the building on the right suggest this.
The use of diagetic sound, in the form of an acoustic guitar playing, helps create quite a morose atmosphere. This is enhanced by the fact that the trailer is in black and white. The shot cuts to a mid shot of the main character, Tomo, who appears to be drinking from a can of beer at a bus stop. He is off centre in the shot and this makes him seem quite insignificant. This then cuts to a close up showing him being assaulted by a gang of youths. There is a voice-over over which begins to hint at the plot line. We hear that Tomo, for whatever reason, has left home and from the establishing shot its clear that he has come to London. This, with the previous shots gives the impression that he is lost and in trouble in an unfamiliar city.
The next shot gives a little more information about the plot showing the viewer that Tomo is ‘A runaway from the Midlands.’ Again in this shot he is off centre with most of the frame filled by the view out of the train window. This makes him seem small and the fact that he is sleeping shows a vulnerable, childlike state. The mid shot of Tomo standing against a billboard again gives the impression that he is lost, it shows he has nowhere in particular to go. Also the people walking past him backs up the idea of him being lost in the London crowds.
The next shot is a close up, introducing the next main character. Immediately the mood changes, this is most obvious through the change from black and white to colour. This creates a sense of optimism, which is also added to by the change in the music. Again we are given a clue as to the plot with the caption, ‘A lonely Polish boy.’ This cuts to a mid shot of the two main characters, Tomo and the Polish boy, Marek. The purpose of this is to show the meeting of the two and show the start of the friendship, which the film centres around.
The next shot is a mid shot of Marek. There is a notable difference between this shot and the previous mid shots of Tomo. Marek is central in the frame and fills most of the space, drawing the eye solely to him. This shows a measure of control on his part and opposes the childlike presentation on Tomo earlier in the trailer. The next shot is another mid shot of Marek and a man who we are told from the voice over is his father. This shot gives the viewer a suggestion as to his social standing. The voice over saying he ‘lives upstairs’ suggests that he lives in a flat and the cramped kitchen space seems to suggest a lack of money.
The next shot is another mid shot showing Marek with another man who gives him an Arsenal football shirt. This suggests that he is fitting in to the London lifestyle, which again contrasts with Tomo’s experiences.
The last of the main characters in now introduced. It is obvious from the first shot that she is introducing a far happier element to the film. This is represented through the lighting, the bright sunshine gives a sense of hope and the setting also goes some way to representing this. Whereas the first two characters were introduced in quite mundane, urban environments, this latest character, Maria, is in a park, which carries an association with children and therefore representing a sense of fun and innocence. Again we are given some small information as to the characters background. The caption telling the viewer that she is ‘A waitress from Paris.’
There is an element of humour added when Tomo is showing off his wounds to Maria and talks about how he ‘just got into a fight with three lads.’ The use of a shot reverse shot during the conversation represents another budding relationship in the film. This cuts to a mid shot showing Tomo and Marek both on a bed talking. This close proximity to each other shows the growing friendship of the pair.
There is an obvious point that divides the trailer into two halves. The first of these is the introduction of the main characters and the second showing the relationship between the three of them. This halfway point is signalled by the text ‘Welcome to Somers Town.’ It is almost as though an entire second trailer begins with an establishing shot again showing a working class area of London. This cuts to a midshot of Tomo and Marek. Here we see them stealing a bag of clothes from a launderette. This sets up another chance to show the humorous side of the film. This is shown through the dialogue. Marek tells Tomo that he ‘looks great.’ At which time the trailer cuts from a mid shot of Marek to one of Tomo in a floral shirt and checked trousers who replies, ‘Well I think I look like a female golfer.’
There is a succession of fast cuts between shots, predominantly mid shots, showing the two boys antics. This growing relationship coupled with the music creates a feel-good atmosphere within the film. Maria is then reintroduced in a mid shot showing her in a wheelchair, which the two boys had brought for her. This shot shows them standing either side of her, which shows the competition between them for her affections. Her positioning in the centre of the frame also suggests that she is the focus of the attention for Marek and Tomo in this shot and subsequently throughout the film. This is backed up a few shots later with a mid shot, which zooms to a close up showing Tomo and Maria standing together. This is an interesting representation of their relationship because as we already know Tomo is attracted to Maria but in this shot it is almost like a mother and son relationship. Maria is by far the taller of the two and this makes Tomo seem very small and childlike. Also the way she looks down on him seems somewhat maternal.
The trailer finishes on a mid shot, which cuts to a shot reverse shot of Tomo and Marek in a child’s playground. Again there is some comic dialogue with Marek telling Tomo, ‘Stop crying and don’t be a big baby.’ And Tomo replying, ‘I’m not crying and I’m not a big baby am I, it’s called love son.’ This closing shot is intended to set the tone for the film as a funny feel good story which deals with many common conventions of the social realist genre, friendships, love, working classes and regionalism.
