What is a film trailer?

A trailer/preview is an advert or commercial for a feature film that will be exhibited in a cinema in the future.

It is called a trailer as they used to be shown at the end of a film screening, but soon became placed before as viewers would leave after the film and not watch. 

They are vital pieces of marketing for feature films, and are usually shown at the beginning of a film of a similar genre film. They are also shown on DVDs and Blu-rays, previously videos etc. They are used to attract attention to target markets on similar films. 

Usually they are short and contain key conventions of the genre, such as fast paced, quick cuts and loud music for action films, etc. This amplifies the tone of the film. 

The first promotional trailer was for a musical, showing the exerps of the production and raised awareness. Up until the late 1950s, film trailers were made by the National Screening Service which was contracted by film companies to create trailers for upcoming films. This lasted until the 80s. 

Early trailers included short clips from the film alongside narration, a score soundtrack and screens with credits and cast run. 

An example: Casablanca http://youtu.be/EJvlGh_FgcI

1964 Night of the Iguana - Andrew J. Kuhen http://youtu.be/HPdFDfQyi_c

He was an influential trailer producer who changed the way trailers were made. The company worked for 30 years creating some of the most influential trailers for huge films and film makers of the time, including Spielburg. 

1894 - Thomas Edison develops motion picture camera and projector

1897 - Hand etched slides used for on screen advertising 

1904 - Commercially produced advertising slides made by Lubin Co.

1912 - First text only trailer - "What Happened to Mary"

1915 - Development of scene trailer 

1916 - Paramount announces official trailer policy

1919 - National Screen Service opens in. New York

1920s saw the NSS dominate trailer production and distribution 

1933 - Invention of Optical Printer

1940s - 'Golden Age' of trailers

1946 - Post WW2 ticket sales decrease 

1950s NSS systems begin to become exhausted 

1955 - Saul Bass develops key art concept

1963 - Pablo Ferro creates first contemporary trailer "Dr. Strangelove"

1964 - Andrew Kuhen's "Night of the Iguana" reinvents trailer making 

1972 - Birth of blockbusters and TV advertising expands

1975 - "Jaws" success highlights importance of trailers

1988 - Non-linear digital editing era begins 

1994 - Internet era begins and video games become large place to advertise trailers

1998 - Release of online bad mobile trailers change styles of editing, appearance, emphasis

2000 - Consumption of trailers shift from theatrical,  singular and collective experience to personal, repeated and home experience 

2004 - New 3D era slows pace of trailer editing style

2011 - No need for DVD release date trailer due to films being released simultaneously theatrically and to home audiences 

WIRED Magazine - Film Trailer Research

"we’re obsessed with movie trailers. This year fans watched more than a billion on YouTube and searched for trailers three times more than in 2008. And these numbers continue to grow as studios focus film-advertising dollars online. As soon as the latest movie teaser goes live, the web freaks out. Entertainment sites like IGN and Vulture post shot-by-shot deconstructions—some outlets like Slate even have dedicated trailer critics. Fans pull scenes apart and piece them back together as YouTube parodies. And the trailer editors, along with their studio overlords, monitor comment boards for instant reactions.

In short, these previews have become a thriving industry, almost as popular as that of the movies they’re teasing. But it wasn’t always this way. To understand shifts in trailers, we watched scores of them and analyzed their defining elements: title cards, voice-overs, music, number of cuts. Condensing what we learned into usable intel was like cutting a trailer ourselves—extracting essential elements, picking the choicest bits, and ultimately getting us excited for what’s to come—an age in which ever-savvier fans demand more (and better) trailers. Because really, 2013 is just a preview of coming attractions."

I used WIRED to research a brief understanding of film trailers, the images above show some articles on the online magazine site which are available for free. I added the video which was linked to one of the articles showing a fan made trailer which was included on the 'Why fan made articles are often better than the real thing' article. 

Shutter Island 9 Frame Analysis

Sound in Thriller Movies

Talent Spotting

 

Silent Witness - In a Lonely Place (Narrative Inspiration)

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b03qgk91 

When we decided on having a kidnapping narrative, we began researching different media texts to gain some inspiration and knowledge of what we can include. I watched this TV programme on BBC1 which allowed me to see how particular scenes were captured and what makes the genre clear. For example, there was a great amount of dark, dimmed lighting  in to order to build the atmosphere. When the kidnapping took place, there was a lot of fast, quick paced shots in order to add suspense and tension. We will ensure that we include these aspects in our film trailer.

Moodboard of Thriller Conventions

Production Company Profiling

Production Company Name: Apollo Productions

Logo:

Harry Potter World - Warner Bros Studios

Photographs from a recent trip to Warner Bros Studio's Harry Potter display. I was able to see how a high budget film was planned and made and take inspiration from their methods and ideas to transfer onto our own trailer.

Genre Theorists

GENRE IS FRENCH FOR ‘KIND’ OR ‘CLASS’

The distinctive characteristics of a genre include:

NARRATIVE – similar plots and structures, predictable situations, sequences, episodes, obstacles, conflicts and resolutions

CHARATERISATION – similar character types, often stereotypical, roles, qualities, motivations, goals and behaviour

THEMES – topic, subject matter e.g. social, cultural, psychological, moral, sexual

SETTING – geographical, historical, futuristic

ICONOGRAPHY – familiar images, motifs, props, patterns, dialogue, characteristic music and sound

TECHNIQUES – filming, camerawork, lighting, editing, colour

What does Genre mean?

Producers - genre is a template for what they make

Distributor/promoter - genre provides assumptions about who the audience is and how the market films for that specific audience

Audience - a label that identifies a liked or disliked formula for the spectator in terms of anticipation of pleasure.

 

 

 

 

Plan for the trailer

WHY WE HAVE CHOSEN OUR PLAN FOR THE TRAILER



As a group we decided what features we wanted to include in our trailer. We took into account that we wanted our characters to contrast as much as possible, with the girl (victim) being represented in light colours and the boy (enemy) being presented in dark colours. Also, when they are together it is a mixture. The features include:


Costumes
Mise-en-Scene
Sound
Lighting



COSTUMES

Girl - Normal clothing, something similar to what girls wear currently both in fashion but quite casual, too.
Boy - black trousers, black top, black coat and dark shoes to imply he is mysterious and like a shadow, following her or stalking her.


PROPS
Girl - phone, make-up, clothes, bag, shoes and iPod similar things to what a girl would have in every day, day-to-day life.
Boy - clothes - nothing too excessive so it shows he is there for one reason - to kidnap her.

CAMERA ANGLES

Girl - typically looked down upon, using a high-angle shot, to make her seem weak - linking with Laura Mulvey's audience theory.

Boy - shown from low-angle shots to show strength and power against the helpless girl.

Sound:

Boot slamming - loud so that it over-exaggerates as if it was an echo in the mind of the audience
Speech on the phone at the start - calling the police, like most people would if such a situation arose
Heavy breathing - to show that the girl is scared

Lighting:

Fairly light to start off with, continuing into darker parts of the film which shows how the equilibrium quickly turns into disequilibrium
Light in the scenes when the girl is shopping with her friend, goes into darkness when going outside and when the girl is alone - to show that something is about to happen.

Location Ideas

Location Ideas

• Longmead - for the woodland/park scene
• The alley between Dernier Road and The Ridgeway in Tonbridge - for a pursuit scene
• Forests around Knockholt - for a pursuit scene
• One of our bedrooms - for the girl to be locked up in
• One of our houses - for the bedroom or for the girl getting ready before she went out
• Sevenoaks, near Bat and Ball - for the woodland scene
• Sevenoaks near Riverhead - for the woodland and park scenes
• Tonbridge town centre - for the shopping scene
• Sevenoaks town centre - for the shopping scene
• Tunbridge Wells town centre - for the shopping scene
• North Farm industrial Estate in Royal Tunbridge Wells - for the idea of the girl being placed in an abandoned warehouse

Researching Sounds in similar Thriller Film Trailers (part 2)

The Kill Bill volumes, both 1 and 2, tell the same storyline, with the first volume being an establishing and beginning section, whilst the second is the end part of the story. Both are directed by Quentin Tarantino and contain the same actors, providing the people in the first weren't killed.
I thought it would be interesting to continue my research and deconstructions of key sound on a sequel.

Two films from the 2000s (also a sequel):

KILL BILL (Vol. 1)

-          Voiceover - establishes the scene, so that the audiences understand what has happened

-          SFX (weaponry or any destruction of set) - as this film is a Quentin Tarantino film, we know he likes gore, so anything weapon-based indicates that there will be action and as there is so much action in the trailer, it's likely to be the same in the film. it's also very comic book-style and subsequently widens the audience to fans of comics, too.

-          Dialogue - establishes other characters
 

-          Modern music - links us to the modern world so that it makes us try to imagine if this could happen in the real-world

- Some older music, Spanish-classical guitar - it's quite soothing and calm, meaning that there will be some calm bits, in the film

-          High tempo music - returns us to the familiarly fast-paced parts of the movie, shown previously in the trailer

-          Classic, catchy line which sticks in your head (closing line of dialogue) - as it sticks in your head, it will more than likely be something you remember and perhaps make you want to go and see it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3QsyncVB84g

KILL BILL (Vol. 2)

-          Voiceover - establishes what has happened and where the new movie will go in terms of storyline.

-          Music (Spanish classical) - again, it's quite soothing and calm, meaning that there will be some calm bits, in the film

-          SFX (weaponry or any destruction of set) - as this film is a Quentin Tarantino film, we know he likes gore, so anything weapon-based indicates that there will be action and as there is so much action in the trailer, it's likely to be the same in the film. it's also very comic book-style and subsequently widens the audience to fans of comics, too.

-          Voiceover - this shows who the main enemy is of the main character, played by Uma Thurman - eventhough she appears to have many enemies in both films

-          Movie dialogue (played in sync with picture and over pictures as if it was a voiceover)

-          Classic, catchy line which sticks in your head (closing line of dialogue) - as it sticks in your head, it will more than likely be something you remember and perhaps make you want to go and see it.

                             

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DUwZQ6-uZ0k

 

 

So, in summary, although they are different parts of an elongated film, they both have a very similar format in terms of sound and they both contain almost exactly the same aspects.

Researching Sounds of Similar Thriller Film Trailers (part 1)

In the following films, I will list the key-sound that appears in order from the given film and state then what it does for the audience.

Two films from the 1990s:

SE7EN

-          Dialogue - creates a sense of recognition with the audience, so that they know who the main characters are and what the main parts of speech are.

-          Voiceover - creates suspense and you initially wonder who is talking until you recognise it to be Morgan Freeman and from previous roles, you know that he is more likely to be a good-guy.

-          SFX (weaponry) - this shows it will be an action film, or at least have action as a sub-genre.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oGPCrDmRAJE

PULP FICTION

-          Voiceover on awards - by telling the audience what awards it won, it almost feels like it's boasting but at the same time, it feels like it's someone you know telling you. Thus making the audience more enticed to go and see it, compared to maybe using some film festivals people may or may not have heard about before.

 

-          Three gun shots - to show it's an action film or has action as a sub-genre, but it isn't totally based around the action.

-          Fast paced music - creates a sense of no time to dwell on any aspect of the movie - it's going to be thrilling and perhaps adventurous.

-          Dialogue - identifies the main characters, but doesn't tell you too much about the film - meaning you have to go and watch it, to see what happens. 

-          Slower music - shows that it's not going to be fast-paced throughout the movie and suggests the slower-paced parts of the movie may be just as important as the faster-paced ones.

-          Quicker music - shows that the movie has picked up pace again and suggests it fluctuates throughout the movie.

-          Gunshots - these show that there may be more than one part where there is action, but may be enough  if you were an action-lover.

-          Music record player needle off music off - something makes everything come to an abrupt holt and also provides opportunity for dialogue to be heard clearly.
 

-          Music (again) - a good way to end the trailer when fading out, and provides more interest than a plain screen with actors names on it.

-          Voice over of actors names - again to boast such a well-acclaimed cast and highlight that to the audience, it also provides fans of the actors with confirmation that their idol is in the film.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KtjI-KMTdhk

Two more recent films from the last three years:

ARGO

-          Dialogue - sets the scene and helps the audience to understand what the storyline is about

-          Score (Epic, Classical Music) - helps to make the movie seem like a blockbuster (it similarly uses Ben Affleck's roles as both Director and actor as a main selling point)

-          SFX (Breaking glass/Chanting) - makes it seem quite tribal, like there is going to be a struggle somewhere, presumably the venture into the unknown (we know that they do, from watching the movie or reading the plot)

-          Change to normal music - makes it feel quite modern and this can be seen as a direct appeal to a younger audience as well as the older audience who already know about the true version of the story

-          Cuts in time to music - help to change scenes and establish different locations and characters so that you know they may be used in the film - meaning the audience has a wider understanding of all the different areas. 

-          Cuts in between to writing (name of film on magazine – the editing is so that there is a fair amount of time taken to show this shot)

-          Based on a declassified/true story - makes you want to find out about the story and see how it develops and whether the movie sticks to the real event, or not

-          High tempo music - shows that it could be a fast-paced movie, it also implies that it is a thriller too

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JW3WfSFgrVY

THE CONJURING

-          Straight into a bass intro -

-          Dialogue to set the scene

-          SFX of people breathing and clapping

-          Children laughing elsewhere in the house

-          Based on a true story

-          Something breaking and then footsteps running away

-          Door shut, smacks woman in the face and light bulb smashing

-          Screaming, banging on the door

-          More clapping

-          Scream/high-pitched increase in sound

-          Music box

-          Slow tempo (challenging)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xHV0qgjcWAU

 KEY ASPECTS (ALL THRILLER TRAILERS ASSESSED)

-          Short Dialogue (often sets the scene or introduces characters)

-          Fast paced music (slow originally, quite blues/soul orientated, late night music) - something that builds suspense, with regular pauses in between to create further suspense and show that this film will be a stop-start thrilling, perhaps horror movie

-          SFX - to add extra sounds which could be out of shot. where you cant see. In a way it builds suspense as you constantly don't know who or what is following you

-          Quite normal, popular music - something an audience can relate to, with the initial music being a blues/soul piece from approximately the seventies, meaning an older audience might want to watch, too

-          Cuts in time to music - shows the pace of the movie, it ends up quite fast to confuse you but show enough of the film so that you want to go and see everything that happens.

-          Voiceover (slow, narrating story/normal -paced for actors names – generally quite calm) - makes the audience feel at ease after watching a trailer with lots of suspense and almost restores equilibrium

(Iconic Sounds)

9 Frame Structure Analysis - The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

Textual Analysis - The Lovely Bones Poster

Director: Peter Jackson
Genre: Thriller, Drama, Fantasy
Lead Actors: Rachel Weisz, Mark Wahlberg and Saorise Ronan

COLOUR:

The female character is shown primary bright colours which signify her innocence and young age which could also be used to connote pureness. The lighting around the character is high key lighting which also connotes the idea that she is innocent and naive.

The male character is in dark grey and black tones which connotes that he is the evil character in the narrative as well as hiding his identity which connotes that perhaps the character himself is unaware of his true identity which is common in thriller genres. The dark tones also connote that he is sinister and menacing which automatically makes the audience against his character.
The lighting on the poster clearly seperates the two characters which create binary opposition of the innocent female vs the sinister male.

IMAGES:

The girl is positioned as if she is in the clouds or the clouds are surrounding her which connotes that she is dead and has gone to heaven but still watching the living world. The male character is greater in size and taller than the female which suggests authority and power over the innocent victim as well as his dark inntentions towards the victim. The girl is positioned on the right in the clouds which connotes that she is 'on God's right hand', which also suggests that the film will be about the death of the child. The lighting of the two sections in the poster also connote that the living is a dark, dangerous place where as heaven is a happy and safe place.

TEXT:

The film title is positioned more towards the female which suggests that she is the main character in the narrative. The directors name is above the title so the audience will also see this clearly, will be able to recognize his name from previous work. The text 'DECEMBER' stands out due to its colouring and size compared to the rest of the text so the audience understand when the film will be out in cinemas. 'The story of a life and everything that came after' suggests that the narrative will be about the girls life whilst she is living and then that she has died whilst carrying the narrative of what happens after her death. This is to interest the audience and intrigue them into watching the film by giving them hints of the narrative.

Settings and Locations in Previous Thrillers Trailers

The settings and locations used in The Call are..

1. The boot of a car
2. An estranged house
3. Under a bed
4.  Basement
5. Upstairs/Bedroom

The settings and locations used in Shuttle Island are..

1. 'Restricted Area'
2. On a Boat
3. Prison cell
4. 'Haunted' buildimg
5. Empty large room
6. Isolated Area

The settings and locations used in Pyscho are..

1. The shower
2. An estranged house
3. Wood area/Forest
4. A Motel
5. 'Haunted' House

The settings and locations used in Prisoners are..

1. Forest
2. Bathroom
3. Rundown House
4. Basement
5. Empty Surroundings

Textual Analysis - Cloverfield

Costume Research

Textual Analysis - Shutter Island Poster

Textual Analysis - Shutter Island Trailer

              

A key theme in this trailer is that the protagonist is mentally ill which is common on psychological thrillers. The trailer shows criminals locked away whilst the protagonist calls them 'criminally insane' which reinforces the dominant ideology in the film. The camera shots position the audience against the criminals by making the audience see them in the prison and not in the cell with the criminals as well as using a high angle shot to position the audience to be looking down on the criminals which allows the audience to interact with the film by putting them in the protagonists point of view as well connoting authority and positioning of the characters in binary opposition.

Establishing shots are used on the ship and the island to allow the audience to understand the location and settings. The colour of the island is brown and dull which connotes a dead and unliving compared to bright colours which would suggest alive and thriving. The use of quick cuts of shots of the protagonist and point of view shots suggest that the audience will be following where he goes as well as suggesting that he is the main character of the film. The use of the long shot of the room with handcuffs connotes torture and the surrounding dark lighting connotes exclusion from the world (living). 

The mise-en-scene denotes what time the film is set in, for example the costumes of the characters are old fashioned. Extreme close-ups are used on the badge and the gun so Mise-en-scene is used to connote authority and violence. The  shot when Leonardo Di Caprio is looking through the bars is allowing the audience to see through his point of view. The editing used to create a white flash jump whilst the diegetic sound of a scream suggests that the genre is a psychological thriller.

The distributor logo at the beginning of the trailer which conforms to the codes and conventions of film trailers. From the beginning up until half way through the trailer there is a chronological narrative, then a series of rapid shots of various key moments are used, this creates a series of enigma codes which entice the audience to watch the film. The old lady who signals ‘stay silent’ to the protagonist portrays hints of the supernatural and also psychological aspects.

The audience expects the doctors to be helpful but the diegetic speech of the doctor 'going somewhere?' to the protagonist suggests that he is a 'baddie' and this is also created through the fast cut and non diegetic screetching sound. The trailer gives the idea that narrative of movie involves the protagonist finding out the truth.

Themes in Psychological Thrillers

Watching the psychological films Black Swan, Shutter Island and Pyscho I understand what themes make up a psychological thriller film.

Poster/Camera Shot Inspiration

Narrative Theory

Why have we chosen a 15 certificate?

This is a larger version of the chart on the previous post which suggests that in this media society that the majority of cinema viewers are between the ages 15-17 and are female. We have based our target audience and certificate rating on this information. By choosing this certificate we will be able to get as many viewers as possible to buy the DVD or view it in the cinema. This chart is from the Venues and Events in Austrailia from 2009-10.

Audience Research

These are the questions we asked as part of our survey to help us gather information. The feedback we received helped us to plan and prepare for our trailer.

We interviewed the group 15-25yrs so that we can establish our target audience and help us to confirm an age rating. We are focusing our research on this age range as we wanted our film to have a 15 certificate, widening the audience and controlling the content of our film, ensuring it is not too gory, graphic or extreme.

 

The questions and results are as follows:

1) How often do you watch Thriller films? 

          -Regularly 

          -Rarely 

          -Occasionally 

          -Never

          -It's all I watch

 

2) What thriller sub-genre are you most drawn to? 

         -Psychological 

         -Horror 

         -Action

         -Sci/Fi 

         -Crime

         -Drama

         -Political 

 

3) What do you like about the thriller genre? 

         -Confusion 

         -Mystery 

         -Suspense 

         -Confrontation 

4) What makes you want to see a thriller film?

        -Storyline

        -Actors/Actresses

        -Director 

        -interesting title 

       - Good trailer 

5) How would you prefer a thriller film to open? 

       -Chase scene

       -Flashback 

       -Flash-forward

       -'Normal' life 

        -Present time

       -Death (murder, suicide, etc)

6) Do you like trailers to:

       -Have a cliffhanger 

       -Establish the storyline 

7) Would you prefer to see:

       -Actors around your age

       -Very young 

       -Older

       -Mixture of ages

8) When seeing a film advertised, what is most likely to persuade you to see it?

       -Poster

       -Website

       -Trailer