hedgehog

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Gemma Bovery (2014, directed by Anne Fontaine)

• Accessed at https//www.youtube.com/watch?vTg_Jm5
  jRHGw
• At the time of publishing this Slideshare, Gemma
  Bovery hadnt won any awards however the film
  trailer had been viewed 77,086 times.

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Plot Summary
An ex-Parisian with a deep appreciation for
Gustave Flaubert, Martin (Fabrice Luchini), has
set up his home in a village in Normandy where he
works as a bker. He witnesses a British couple
who had recently moved from London into an old
property across the road from his. The couples
names are Gemma (Gemma Arterton) and Charles
Bovery (Jason Flemyng) (only spelling their
surname with an e in place of the a) the
names of the leading characters in Gustave
Flauberts 1856 novel Madame Bovary. Martin
engages with the couple and watches carefully
Gemmas behaviour that spookily replicates that
of her namesake Madame Bovary. This includes a
series of romantic and sexual affairs that
suggest she is approaching a tragic finale with
her husband Charles, exactly like that of the
novel. Martin intervenes but unfortunately cannot
change the obvious conclusion.
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Mise-en-scene setting/location
The setting of Northern France in Normandy
creates a romantic feel to the trailer. The
vision of the couples opening months after their
arrival in France create an exciting, thrilling
and new journey of both of them settling in to
their new surroundings. This makes the audience
feel excited for their new journey in France
influencing a sense of spectacle and awe of the
new setting of their soon to be home. The quant,
typically small French village in Normandy with
rolling lush hills surrounding the village create
a patch-work quilt effect similar to the
countryside around the Yorkshire Dales in
Britain influencing a small yet compact
community feel with weekly French markets
including a Boulangerie open throughout the week
creating a friendly, warming, welcoming and
appreciative vibe for the new couple to the area.
This makes the audience feel attracted to the
film as it has a welcoming, reassuring quality
an example of this quality is the bottom photo on
the right of Gemma Bovery lying in a field with
her dog with the yellow sun rays beaming down on
her this conveys a warming, safe and promising
feel to the area of hope, enjoyment and
relaxation. This would attract and address an
audience through its codes and conventions as
they would feel appreciated, warm and comforted
by the beautiful scenery and weather portrayed in
the location and setting of the film.
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Mise-en-scene iconography and props
Evidence of French food markets such as French
baguettes, brightly coloured pastel flowers, red
wine glasses, a wide array of French cheese and
evidence of French shops such as Boulangeries are
an significant of the French cuisine and
lifestyle. This influences a sense of foreign
appeal that is different to English cuisine
possibly being conveyed as glamorous. This makes
the audience feel in awe and spectacle of the
lifestyle they live, the food they eat, social
life Gemma has. Genre codes and conventions are
clear from the constant use of red coloured items
such as red leather handbags, red dresses and red
lipstick all of which is worn by the protagonist
Gemma this in turn could be conveyed as an
element of love as well as danger due to her
adventurous affair with a younger French man in
the village, similar to Madame Bovary. This makes
the audience feel uneasy for the survival of her
relationship with her husband as well as her life
existing in France in the future or worried about
whether they will get caught. This attracts
audiences due to the unpredictability of the
film wondering whether her relationship with
Charles, her husband, and her life in France,
will survive.
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Mise-en-scene colour and lighting
The colour and lighting especially in the French
countryside, creates a warming, homely and
reassuring atmosphere making the audience feel
easy, at home and relaxed by the beautiful mid
shots, tracking shots and extreme close up shots
of nature including the fields, grass and trees
in and around the Northern French village. The
sun rays on Gemmas face, on the right hand side,
convey a sense of hope, promise and positivity
for her new-beginning in France. This makes the
audience feel positive and in awe and spectacle
of her new-found promised home in France
enticing and attracting audiences to come and
view the film at exhibition stages. The sun rays
hitting her face create a highlight effect on
Gemmas role in the film she is the protagonist
of the story as well as the main focus of Martin
who also has a lead role in the film. This
reminds audiences that she is the main focus of
the film showing a sense of spectacle and awe in
her lifestyle and journey so far in France
including a new home, the start of an affair and
friendship with Martin. This attracts and
addresses audiences as her scenario could be
similar to some in the audience making her
relatable to audience members.
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Mise-en-scene Make up and costume
Characters are all wearing costume and make up
that has a relaxed, cool and sophisticated feel.
For example although Gemma wears a pale green
tone cotton dress with green wellington boots, to
add a sense of sophistication and neatness she
adds a straw hat to her outfit making her hair
gently fall in waves below her shoulders. The
male actors in the trailer look neatly,
professionally and tidily dressed, with Gemmas
boyfriend wearing a cotton shirt, cotton chinos,
leather tied deck shoes and wayfarer tinted
sunglasses. Both the male and female actors
relaxed, cool, sophisticated looks make them
appear as if they are on holiday enjoying the
warm weather of France this would attract
audiences to the films bohemian, relaxed and cool
atmosphere. The clear genre codes and conventions
would successfully attract audiences to watch the
film at the exhibition stages. Gemma is
pictured at the end of the trailer wearing a
regency, period style pale silk dress with a
bodice and flower in her hair. She is wearing
eye-catching, red lipstick on her lips enticing
the male view. This would attract and address
audiences as she is dressed in an eye-catching
outfit this could be recognizable to audience
members and be a powerful image that they can
remember as it is at the end of the trailer. This
in turn entices audiences in attracting and
addressing them into coming to view the film.
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Editing sound and vision
The music compliments the tracking and close up
shots of the action largely being a slow paced,
percussion orchestral soundtrack. The music
appears to be largely guitar instrumental music
with piano playing a constant beat in the
background creating a promising, slightly
exciting feel at the beginning with the new
couple adjusting to their surroundings,
experiencing the new setting of the quant, cute
French village. However as Gemma is a series of
romantic and sexual affairs the music increases
in pace getting quicker with harsher guitar
plucking creating a tense, awkward atmosphere.
This makes the audience feel a sense of jeopardy
and suspense as she is beginning to explore a
dangerous, risky area in pursuing an affair with
a younger man when she is married. There are also
crescendos when heightened moments happen (with
Martin witnessing every moment of these) such as
Gemmas boyfriend dropping his cigarette on the
floor making him appear an idiot as well as
when she visits him at his Chateau conveying a
sense of danger and unpredictability away from
her husband. This would make audience members
feel a sense of jeopardy and suspense as she is
committing adultery. The diegetic sound such as
firework exploding influences a sense of freedom
on Gemma's part making her appear as if she wants
to be free and experience life by her self. The
firework is eye-catching making a spectacle and
awe for the audience to appreciate. The glow of
the firework lights up Gemmas face this could
be seen as an object of desire for a male
audience attracting audiences to come and see
the film. Diegetic sound such as Gemma saying
Oh, this is France Charlie show that she is not
a local in the area but a cockney from London
this showcases the disparity between locations,
from where they used to live presumably in the
busy, vibrant cosmopolitan city to now in the
quant, quiet French village it is a change from
her previous life. This could influence a sense
of humour in the audience attracting them to
come and view the film.
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Cinematography
Close up shots of Gemma convey her emotion
showcasing her deep set Brown eyes, freckles,
heart shape face and brunette wavy mid length
hair. Close up shots of Martin showcase his
enthralling obsession with Gemma and her active
social life, similar to Madame Bovary. For
example when he announces to his wife the surname
the new couple have his eyes gleam with
excitement with his cheek bones rising and mouth
widening showing his gleaming, white smile. This
makes the audience react with humour due to his
obsession with the new couple attracting
audiences. The quick fast paced transitions in
shots show the changing in season of Martins
obsession with Gemma conveying that it has been
going on for a long time. This can influence
humour in the audience as it would appear he is
infatuated with her attracting audiences to see
whether this is the case in the film. Long,
tracking shots of the French village showcasing
the pale painted houses lining the square
influence a sense of community, closeness and
unity in the town. The painted houses have the
sun shining on the bricks, reflecting off the
windows creating a iridescent, flashback feel,
which is also evident in the fields, where the
sun is reflected off the camera lens creating a
warm, comforting and relaxed feel. This makes the
audience feel at ease, in spectacle and awe of
the beautiful architecture and natural beauty of
France attracting and addressing them to come
and view the film at the cinema.
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Title and Credits
1. Director of the film A film by Anne
Fontaine showing the audience who the director
is influencing them to watch her previous work,
attracting a broader audience. 2.
Actors/Actresses involved - For example Gemma
Arterton attracting and addressing audiences who
may be familiar with their previous work due to
celebrity status this also helps bring the film
revenue. Action is interspersed with quotes from
reviews of the film referencing actors/actresses
portrayl in the film such as Gemma Arterton is
luminous. 3. Name of film - This is important
as the main purpose of the trailer is to appeal
and attract to potential audience members. It is
surrounded by swirls conveying that it may be
romantic as well as have references to danger due
to the colour red. 4. Release Date Coming
Soon - This is important as the main purpose of
the trailer is to attract and address audience to
come and view the film making them revenue. 5.
References to the films involvement in the film
festivals such as Toronto International Film
Festival, Palm Springs and Colcoa French Film
Festival, alluding to the fact it has had
promising, positive reviews and professional
success making the audience think it is
respective attracting audiences globally to
watch the film.