Assassin's Creed film mapping and analysis

Mapping for Assassin's Creed Trailer

0:02-0:06          The Following Preview Has Been APPROVED For APPROPRIATE AUDIENCES By The Motion Picture Association Of America, INC.
0:08                   20th Century Fox
0:09                   Regency
0:10                   Ubisoft
0:30-0:31           20th Century Fox Presents
1:48-1:49           ASSASSINS CREED
1:57-1:58           12.21.16 Assassins Creed Movie.com        #AssassinsCreedMovie

Analysis for Assassins Creed Trailer

The Assassins Creed trailer (released around May 2016) has the challenge of making a film for a gaming franchise seem engaging to both casual sci-fi and action film fans, but also more hardcore fanatics of the franchise and passionate gamers alike.

One sign of this synergy between gaming and film genres is the institutions. We see Ubisoft in alignment with Regency and 20th Century Fox within the first few seconds; telling the viewer that this is a production with gaming kept in mind.

The trailer itself is also filled with 'easter eggs', hints and signatures that the average Assassin's Creed fan will recognise and (hopefully) be very enthusiastic about (e.g: hidden blade carried by protagonists).

In terms of how the shots are put together, the trailer begins with fades to transition each shot and make the trailer seem slick to begin with. The shots are also on-screen for approximately two to three seconds with a deep, slow-tempo tone to the (non-diegetic, asynchronous) background music. This makes the trailer seem as if it is moving relatively slowly and lets the audience focus on the dialogue which gives critical hints to the storyline.

The music and shot length at the beginning is in sharp contrast to the last 30 seconds. This sees Kanye West being played (with a moderate to fast tempo) while action shots of the "Assassin" are shown. The action shots last for between 1 and 3 seconds, but the pace of the kinesics give off the impression of a shorter sequence. All of the shots are also very familiar with what can be done in the Assassin's Creed video games such as parkour, use of a historic melee weapon and free running. The action shots also see a second female Assassin seemingly working alongside the main protagonist that is not mentioned within the trailer's synopsis. It is the only part of the story that is not briefly explained and it is likely an enigma for viewers to speculate. Note also that the action scenes are set in a historical diegesis (Spain, 16th century approximately) and the Kanye West background music starts when this diegesis comes into the trailer.

While Michael Fassbender plays the protagonist - a well-known actor and a good selling point - this has not been forefronted within the trailer at all. This trailer has focused primarily on the storyline and atmosphere to make it feel like an Assassin's Creed product: something new and interesting for a secondary audience and something cherished and loved by the target audience (gamers, fans of the franchise). Achieving this response from audiences will get the Assassin's Creed film the best possible reviews and (hopefully) the highest revenue.