Hunger Games Teaser: New Address From President Snow
Today, The Hunger Games YouTube channel released a new video: “President Snow’s Panem Address #2-‘Unity’.” So far, there hasn’t been an official trailer for the upcoming The Hunger Games: Mockingjay-Part 1, but now we have two videos to obsess over.
First, watch the video below:
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k4e-qJdEAXo]
In some ways, this new video begins much like the first address released two weeks ago (click here if you missed it!), with President Snow speaking about the greatness of the system that is in place and how Panem is more unified than ever. But right away, this video has a much different feel than the first. Instead of beginning focused on just President Snow and the panning out to reveal more, the opposite happens in this video. The first thing that catches the eye amidst the white-washed scene is the black helmets of the guards surrounding President Snow, Peeta, and Johanna. Suddenly, we hear a voice that is not President Snow’s, and the video shows that there is interference. This mystery voice overlaps with President Snow’s, and we hear bits and pieces from both parties. Then, Beetee shakily appears on screen, saying that he has a message for Panem from District 13. Then he announces, “The mockingjay lives.” The broadcast is cut immediately.
There is a lot packed into less than one minute of video. From the beginning, by showcasing his guards while delivering his address, President Snow is subtly telling the citizens of Panem—especially Katniss—that he is in a position of power and is not afraid to exercise that power. Also, we see Johanna standing alongside the president. Those who have not read the books were shocked to see Peeta standing at President Snow’s side during the first address, and are now equally surprised to see that Johanna has joined them. We learn that Beetee is assisting Katniss, as we can assume he was the one to figured out how to hack the broadcast. He reveals that he is in District 13, which (so far in the movies) is believed to be uninhabitable. Most importantly, though, he delivers a message of hope, implying that Katniss is prepared to lead a rebellion against the Capitol.
One of the best things about this video, as well as the one that came before it, is it makes the fans feel as if we are part of the experience. It allows us to view Capitol propaganda just as if we were citizens of Panem. We feel uneasy when we see Peeta and Johanna stand like statues on either side of President Snow. We feel anger when we hear President Snow spew lies about the greatness of the Capitol. Best of all, we feel joyful when Beetee successfully hacks the broadcast and makes his announcement.
These teasers are not done in a typical teaser trailer format—they don’t show a short clip of a super dramatic scene completely out of context to avoid giving away plot—and that’s part of what makes them so successful. They are incredibly well done and will, without a doubt, build excitement surrounding the movie. They reveal none of the plot, but do give a flavor for how Mockingjay-Part 1 will be.
What will we see next from Capitol TV? Perhaps a response to Beetee’s message from President Snow, maybe even one in which he threatens Katniss. We will be anxiously waiting as we continue to count down to November 21st, when The Hunger Games: Mockingjay-Part 1 will be released in theatres.