Romantic Comedy Trailer Analysis:Bridget Jones's Diary

In the trailer for Bridget Jones, it begins with a voice-over and upbeat music to introduce the female lead, Bridget.

The female protagonist seems to be unsuccessful, lost in life and a total mess. However, the character then decides to start fresh and get a grip on her life by throwing away any bad habits and writing a diary.

This is appealing to the target audience because it’s relatable. The worries/struggles the character Bridget has with her appearance; the desire to find the perfect man is experienced by all females. In the audience’s eyes, this makes the female lead likable and gains our support.

Shortly, after we then meet two male characters that could potentially be Bridget’s significant other. The inappropriate archetype love interest that Bridget fantasies over and thinks is her perfect man; the totally opposite to what Bridget’s like but doesn’t know that he is the one yet. As the trailer continues we see a build up to a love triangle that ends with the two male characters having a fistfight on the streets. The use of dramatic irony is very effective because the audience knows key information that the main female lead has not yet discovered.

Bridget Jones's Diary contains the typical conventions of a Rom-Com, for example, it’s based on a female point of view, confession, and conflict between two males that like the same girl.

There are a few stereotypes in Bridget Jones's Diary. Firstly, men are shown as aggressive and rough because the consultation between the two male love interests resulted in violence. In addition to this, the female lead is shown as indecisive and confused when having to choose between the two male characters.    

The prevalence in the trailer is given to the character Bridget. This tells the audience that the movie is based around Bridget and is told from her perspective. In the trailer there are close-up shots used to introduce characters; also to show the object in detail, for example, the alcohol bottle and cigarettes. By using this type of camera angle the subject takes up most of the frame. There is also a high angle shot used to show the location of where the characters are in the scene.

The non- dietetic music used in the trailer is upbeat and happy, which is perfect to set the tone for the movie. This is because while the music is played throughout the trailer the dietetic sound like Bridget's dialogue makes her character look determined to complete her list of goals.