Narrative (last assessment 2023) GapFill

Watch the official trailer for The Wolf of Wall Street (2013) using the following link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iszwuX1AK6A

Fill in the gaps to complete the analysis of the film’s trailer – particularly what it tells us about the narrative elements of The Wolf of Wall Street

The trailer begins with a quick montage of edits showing us the main  ideasworldsettingarguments for the film – Wall Street in New York. The use of Kanye West’s Black Skinhead on the soundtrack also establishes the energetic and obscene  themetonepovnarrative of the film.

The trailer begins with a voice-over narration from the film’s central character, Jordan Belfort. It is clear that Belfort is telling his own story to the audience. He is not what we might call   a first-persona linearan omniscientan unreliable narrator as we are given access only to his view of the world. This kind of narration is  objectiveunprejudicedneutralsubjective as the narrative is being told from a single character’s perspective.  An objectiveAn individualAn internalA subjective narrator would be removed from the main narrative so they can offer an unbiased view on the events of the story. Rather, it is clear from the opening line of Belfort’s narration that we are being made to identify with   the directorBelfort’s point of viewBelfort’s victimsthe film-makers.

Forty seconds in to the trailer, there is a moment when Belfort adopts   a seriousa formala directa non-linear mode of address by looking and talking into the camera. This is a rare moment in which the  diegesiscontinuitycharacterisationfocus of the narration is broken, i.e. Belfort talking to the audience isn’t actually part of the narrative. It isn’t actually supposed to be happening. It is   a storytellingan actinga plottingan interactive technique.

Like most trailers, this is   a continuitya lineara closeda non-linear montage of clips from the film designed to pique the interest of audiences. It gives us a good sense of the  techniquestorynarrativestructure: a New York stockbroker makes obscene amounts of money through his work and is gradually drawn into a life of drink, drugs and illegal activity. However, the trailer cannot give us a sense of the film’s  characterscaststorynarrative structure, i.e. how the story is told – we can discover this only if we actually see the film for ourselves.

However, there are additional narrative elements that the trailer does reveal. We can tell by the imagery, dialogue, iconography and pacing of the trailer that the film’s  point of viewcrewcastthemes might include: excess; greed; capitalism and addiction. The trailer also gives us a sense of Belfort’s  characterisationbackstoryplotnarrative, i.e. we get a good sense of what kind of a man he is through everything he says and does in the trailer.