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.
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.
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.
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.
-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.
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.
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.
-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.
-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
-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
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.
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.
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.
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?
15 works are stronger than 12 or 12A rated works and could include any of the following:
strong violence
frequent strong language (eg 'f***').
portrayals of sexual activity
strong verbal references to sex
sexual nudity
brief scenes of sexual violence or verbal references to sexual violence
discriminatory language or behaviour
drug taking
Why is 18 stronger than 15? 18 works are for adults and can contain strong issues such as:
very strong violence
frequent strong language (eg 'f***') and/or very strong language (eg ‘c***’)
strong portrayals of sexual activity
scenes of sexual violence
strong horror
strong blood and gore
real sex (in some circumstances)
discriminatory language and behaviour
How much strong language is there in a 15?
There could potentially be a great deal. At 15 there is no upper limit on the number of uses of strong language (eg f***). Occasionally there may be uses of the strongest terms (eg 'c***'), although continued or aggressive use will not normally be passed 15.
Can there be strong violence?
Yes, at 15 violence may be strong. It should not dwell on the infliction of pain or injury, however, and the strongest gory images are unlikely to be acceptable. Strong sadistic or sexualised violence is also unlikely to be acceptable. Easily accessible weapons may not be glamorised.
What about horror works?
Many horror films are rated 15. At 15 there can be strong threat and menace (as long as it is not sadistic or sexualised), although the strongest gory images are unlikely to be acceptable.
Can you see drugs in a 15 rated film or video?
At 15 drug taking may be shown but the work as a whole must not promote or encourage drug misuse. The misuse of easily accessible and highly dangerous substances like aerosols or solvents is unlikely to be acceptable at 15.
What about dangerous behaviour or things teens might copy?
We consider the risk of potential harm to impressionable teenagers. For example, dangerous behaviour such as hanging, suicide and self-harming should not dwell on detail which could be copied.
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