Review of the Movie Bully - Essay Example

We all know that movie making is a science in itself and the concerted effort of a team of talented and hard working individuals. Making a trailer is part of this process, in the sense that it works towards selling a movie that the team has worked hard to put together. With over 70% of the cinema industry now being dominated by Hollywood, there is also a dependence on the trailer of the movie when deciding if it is worth going spending the money to go watch a new movie or not. Therefore the trailer does play an important part and the making of the trailer can sell the movie as much as kill its revenue.

We have often had the experience of coming out of a movie thinking that the movie trailer promised more than what the movie provided. That is the power of advertising. Based on this concept we can easily gauge that a trailer Has to be engaging enough to pique the curiosity of the audience. Has to give an idea of what the audience can expect from a movie. Has to be simple and easy for the audience to relate to. Has to motivate them to go watch the movie. Based on the above, we will examine the movie trailer of “Bully”, a documentary based on the culture of bullying in schools around the United States.

The documentary is directed by Lee Hirsch and was featured in the Tribeca Film festival in March 2011. The documentary takes us through many cities in the US and many elementary schools with stories of boys and girls who have been subjected to bullying and are relatively helpless in the situation. The movie project is one close to Hirsch’s heart as he himself was a victim of bullying in school. (Itman, 2011). The trailer of the movie, as seen on iTunes Movie trailers (2012) takes us through this journey in a way that is very different from what one would expect from such a powerful theme.

Bullying in high schools is not a new issue; it is one that we are all familiar with, either by personal experience or association. Therefore the trailer does not need to sell the concept of bullying in schools. We already know that it is not acceptable and can have terrible consequences. Instead the trailer focuses on the reactions of the school board and the callous attitude shown towards the bullying by teachers and the school authorities. We even have a scene where there is a clipping of a child, Alex being strangled by a bully in the school bus and immediately after that is a clip where the school administrator claims that she has been on the same bus and noticed no such thing, in fact she goes further and describes them “as good as gold” (iTunes Trailer, 2012).

Right there, the effect is created. There is a feeling of shocked speechlessness and the audience involuntarily gasp when watching that. “13 million kids will be bullied in the US this year” (iTunes Trailer, 2012). The trailer starts with that shocking message and then trails off into a series of interviews, reflections and demonstrations with a catchy and happy upbeat tune in the background score, making the combination truly dramatic. It is a documentary based on a very serious and alarming issue but it seems to be focused more towards a positive theme, which children who have been bullied can relate to.

There is a feeling of hope that is conveyed through the trailer. We are given a gist of the problem, a sense of the indifferent attitude of the school author