Task One

Modern Warfare 2 was a real breakthrough for gaming both financially and visually. Captivated with explosives, the reveal trailer conducted excitement and anticipation for viewers. Realism of violence seemed to be the key for large amounts of sales and with Call of Duty’s immensely high budget; this trailer presents exactly what I mean.

The trailer begins presenting 6 dead bodies on the ground, limiting the viewers in what we see by the black smudged edges of the screen. This connotes a sense of darkness and obscurity within the frame. Or perhaps it’s just a way of masking the blood-filled road that connotes murder and brutality. Following that clip, various cut scenes are shown where several recognisable characters from previous Call of Duty titles are presented, acknowledging viewers that this is a continuation from Call of Duty 4. This is important as one of the conventions of trailers is that the length usually lasts for 2 or 3 minutes. Equally like an advertisement, the audience would already have a background knowledge on the events that the characters go through which will help engage them in this fast paced trailer.

In regards to the audience, this game is primarily aimed at teenagers despite the 18 certificate age rating. Having said that, the consumers are looking primarily for an upgrade on the graphics from Call of Duty 4, what this means is that blood will be more realistic as well as other profanities as it paints a clearer picture for the viewers. Also, real life events such as 9/11 which caused a controversial moral panic globally have been reiterated in such video games. This is evident through the setting shown in the trailer.

Note also how the camera is constantly moving/shaking throughout the scenes. This connotes a sense of action and excitement coming from a first person perspective. Since it is a trailer, it limits what the audience can see which is vital to sustain the anticipation from the audience. This is one of the main conventions of a trailer. Also, the face paced attitude that is adapted through the use of cut editing gives an edge to the trailer, making it more action packed and exciting for the viewers.

The interface for Modern Warfare 3 is rather glamourized, where guns and players are fully customizable. This argues the fact that video games are becoming more exposed to violence. However, the main multiplayer content shows a different picture. This particular match is played on Resistance, an abandoned  industrialised area in France. In terms of lighting, it sustains a variation of dark and light, giving the game a more realistic effect. The game is seen to be very fast pace, giving the audience a fearless approach to playing the game.
Also , the weapons are shown to be very lethal as the person died with one bullet from the sniper rifle. Moreover, the first person perspective gives the game that realistic feel as blood is splattered across the screen as a representation of how hurt the player is also with sound effects in sync of the player breathing heavily, connoting the real life impact of being wounded, however it is not heavily accurate.