Tuesday 26 June 2012
Thursday 21 June 2012
Researching real trailers
With my current knowledge of films and their trailers, I noticed that there are two types; teaser trailer and an international trailer. So I decided to research the difference between the Teaser Trailer and a full length/international trailer.
Here are some examples of teasers for TV and Game:
Game Of Thrones Teaser
FIFA 10 Teaser
Both of these teasers have one thing in common:
In my research I found that film teasers work in the exact same way. Researching histories of teaser trailers, I found that they have been used for many years and in many different ways. Here are some examples of well known film teasers and their impact.
The very first teaser for Star Wars: The Phantom Menace (1999) was attached to the beginning of A Bug’s Life (1998) and The Siege (1998), and because of the anticipation for the film from fans, it was reported that many people paid for tickets to the films only to see the trailer and then leave.
Some instances of film teasers are created before the initial film has even started production and are revealed up to a year before the actual film’s release date. An example of this is The Da Vinci Code (2006) and Cloverfield (2008).
Cloverfield (2008 dir. Matt Reeves)
The Da Vinci Code (2006 dir. Ron Howard)
Trailers aim to advertise films and try to interest audiences into going to see them. Unlike teasers, trailers show footage from the film and usually reveal funny, exciting or important clips so that the audience want to see the film in its running time context. Most trailers avoid revealing spoilers for the film, so that audience’s experiences are not ruined and they do this by not using clips of footage in their regular order. A simpler term for defining a trailer would be a montage of footage from the film, revealing its genre, basic storyline and the actors or characters.
Footage known as ‘special shoot’ is recorded for the trailer and promotion, but this footage is not used in the theatrical film. A common style a few decades ago featured directors or actors talking to the audience through trailers and explaining the film. A famous example of this is Alfred Hitchcock’s tour of the ‘Bates Hotel’ in his famous film Psycho (1960).
In my research I found that trailers follow a structure of a an act 1(beginning/introduction), act 2 (middle) and an act 3 which usually covers a montage of the film, a cast list or a final quote or shot to entice audiences.
With my knowledge of Todorov’s narrative theory (1960), I used his stages in looking at trailers. Using the narrative theory of Equilibrium, Disruption, Recognition of Disruption, Repair and Restoration, I realised that nearly all trailers follow this structure:
-Equilibrium
-Disruption
-Recognition of Disruption
-Attempt of Repair
Of course, not all trailers follow this and some simply show the Disruption or leave out the Attempt of Repair. The ‘Repair’ and ‘Restoration’ in a general sense, are not shown because audiences will not want to see the film in full knowing how the characters get on or the film ends.
Little Miss Sunshine (2006 dir. Jonathan Dayton, Valerie Faris)
The Equilibrium for Little Miss Sunshine is the family living their everyday lives. The little girl, Olive, being chosen to participate in a beauty pageant is half of the disruption, with the other half finding transport and money to get there. The family recognise the disruption and attempt to repair it by driving to California in their yellow truck.
Inglourious Basterds (2009 dir. Quentin Tarantino)
This trailer uses one piece of footage with montages throughout, but the narrative theory can still be applied. The Equilibrium for the soldiers is killing Nazi’s as this is their duty, but the disruption could be seen as their fight back. Vice versa, the disruption could be seen from the Nazi’s point of view as them being killed.
To grasp an understanding of what the codes and conventions of real film trailers are, I have decided to look at a few trailers for a few of the main film genres. After this first piece of research, I will choose one or two genres that I am interested in and carry out further research.
Comedy
My Cousin Vinny (1992 dir. Jonathan Lynn)
This trailer begins with the logo of the production company and then reveals the first part of the film with the use of a voiceover. The narrator reveals the story of the two boys who got into trouble and need a lawyer. The voiceover along with a soundtrack of a fun electronic beaty, introduces the main character of the title ‘Vinny’. There are then a series of clips that show his funny side, making the film’s genre clear as a comedy. The voiceover continues to describe the film and sell it to audiences and introduces the actor portraying the main character and the film.
Zoolander (2001 dir. Ben Stiller)
For this trailer, the voiceover starts from the beginning and talks about a character with cutaways to other people (famous people, setting the scene for the Hollywood setting) also talking about the character. The character is then revealed and he is described by the voiceover with cutaways to clips from the film. The voiceover says the actors name with clips of their character so that audiences recognise them. A few more clips from the film are shown through a montage.
Horror
Let Me In (2010 dir. Matt Reeves)
This trailer begins with the logo of the production company followed by a few daunting beats of music. With each beat, a new title or scene is shown as the trailer goes on to show the new friendship between two teenagers. While their dialogue continues, montages of the film are shown and with the titles, reveal that not everything in this town is what it seems. Once this title is shown, a new tone of music is played and the beat and cuts becomes faster, with screams heard through the audio. The pace of the trailer quickens as it begins to show the genre of a horror. The cuts become more rapid as the trailer continues, with more dreary music. The tagline for the film is shown while the title of the film is revealed at the end once the music and clips stop.
The Cabin In The Woods (2011 dir. Drew Goddard)
The trailer for The Cabin In The Woods does not begin with a logo, instead if starts with a fun, party song while a group of teenagers are seen driving a van on the way to a vacation. But the music suddenly stops, while a dreary ghostly sound is heard while the production company logo (which is usually white but is red for the ‘horror’) is shown. The music stops, and chilling sounds are heard as the characters appear to feel vulnerable in this isolated town at their cabin. The titles reveal that this is a different type of ‘horror’ than what audiences think, even though the stereotypical creepy cabin is shown through a series of clips. Then through a montage of clips, the trailer reveals that the group of teenagers in the cabin are being watched and the dreary music begins to increase in pace while the cuts for the film speed up. The soundtrack is a mix of a techy, suspenseful track and a song from an electric instrument band. The title for the film is shown while the music stops, but a clip follows after which heightens tension. The clip ends with a blast of the music and the details about the film.
City of Angels (1998 dir. Brad Silberling)
This trailer begins with the film production company and a few shots from the film, as the voiceover explains the concept of the film ‘angels’. The trailer continues with a montage of clips from the film as the voiceover narrates the basic plot of the film; an angel falling in love with a human. A slow, soft song plays in the background. The titles of the trailer read the disruption of the film ‘she would give up anything on earth…etc…’.The voiceover tells the name of the actors and the film as the trailer ends.
Thriller
Black Swan (2010 dir. Darren Aronofsky)
While the production logos begin the trailer, ballet music begins over them leading into a voiceover by the main character as the visuals change to a ballet dancer. The voice describes her dream of ‘a girl who turned into a swan’, as the girl dances but when the voice says ‘and she killed herself’ the music stops the screen changes to black. There is text showing the awards the film has won and festivals the film has shown at over a picture of black feathers, when the visuals change to a clip from the film with dialogue from another scene over it. The next set of text reveals the director over the feathered background, while violin and string music starts to play a continuing drone. The music continues at a steady pace, while a montage of different clips and dialogue are seen, showing the main plot of the film is a ballet dancer wanting a lead role. The music starts to become more heavy as scenes are shown revealing weird scratches on the back, new characters who appear dark and different plot lines untangling. The cuts and pace of music start to become quicker and while a piece of dialogue says ‘the only person standing in your way is yourself’, the visuals show the main character in front of a mirror as her reflection turns on her and the lights go out. The music also stops. The tone of music changes to a more chilling score and the montage continues but with clips shown of weird occurrences and more ballet. Again the pace of the music increases and the cuts become quicker, as the music moves towards a crescendo. The names of actors are shown over the black feathers with a cut to another scene from the film, the girl removing a feather from her shoulder. Her breathing is heard and a small drone from a violin is played over the film’s titles.
The Prestige (2006 dir. Christopher Nolan)
This trailer begins with a small scene of a man asking a woman to shoot him and once she does he catches the bullet. The production company logos appear as the man’s voice is heard saying ‘magic’. A series of clips are shown as a montage showing two magicians in their show. The titles explain that ‘a friendship becomes a rivalry’ and the clips that follow show the two characters falling out and how one of them wants to find the secret to the other’s trick. The titles reveal the director of the film and his previous ones and continue to show text of the different ‘acts’ in magic. A voiceover from a character in the film explains each act including the one called ‘the prestige’ while the visuals show clips from the film. The soundtrack begins to speed up, with peaks of sudden crescendos as the clips are cut. The last part of the trailer quickens but slows with two clips at the end which explain the aspect of magic in the film and its meaning to a character. Just after, lots of clips are shown within 5 seconds using quick cuts and then reveal the title of the film. The actors names are shown as text followed by information of the film.
After looking at the different trailers for the different film genres, I have decided to look more closely at the genre ‘Thriller’ and investigate the type of different conventions of the genre for their trailers. After research I will decide if this is the chosen genre I wish to focus on for my own trailer.
Bibliography
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trailer_(promotion)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Teaser_trailer
http://www.ezinearticles.mk/Article/Amazing-Facts-About-The-Importance-Of-Movie-Trailers/1961
http://www.movietrailertrash.com/views/history.html
- Teasers are a part of viral campaigns to get films recognised and noticed by target audiences and the film world.
- From the name ‘teaser’, it is clear that their objective is to grab attention so that audiences will notice the other promotional packages for the media text such as the full length trailer, posters and other virals.
- Films are not the only type of media who use teasers, games, books and TV shows also use them as a way of recognising the existence of the text and to highlight the fact more promotion is on its way.
- Trailers are shown on television breaks, cinemas, before the film is shown at the cinema, at train stations (especially tube stations ie. London), on film sites (when a new trailer is released for example), at film conventions, on websites and even on the radio.
Here are some examples of teasers for TV and Game:
Game Of Thrones Teaser
FIFA 10 Teaser
Both of these teasers have one thing in common:
- They do not give any narrative or character description away, but they have small clips of footage.
In my research I found that film teasers work in the exact same way. Researching histories of teaser trailers, I found that they have been used for many years and in many different ways. Here are some examples of well known film teasers and their impact.
The very first teaser for Star Wars: The Phantom Menace (1999) was attached to the beginning of A Bug’s Life (1998) and The Siege (1998), and because of the anticipation for the film from fans, it was reported that many people paid for tickets to the films only to see the trailer and then leave.
Some instances of film teasers are created before the initial film has even started production and are revealed up to a year before the actual film’s release date. An example of this is The Da Vinci Code (2006) and Cloverfield (2008).
Cloverfield (2008 dir. Matt Reeves)
The Da Vinci Code (2006 dir. Ron Howard)
- The Cloverfield teaser shows lots of footage from the real film but like a teaser, gives no plot away. Another noticeable point of the teaser is that it does not give the film’s title; instead it reads the director’s name and the date the film will be released.
- The Da Vinci Code teaser is different to the one for Cloverfield, because it doesn’t feature any footage from the film. There is a strong, bold voice over which ambiguously describes an ‘it’, revealing a picture of the famous Mona Lisa painting while explaining that ‘the journey has just begun’ which entices audiences to this new film. It reveals the title and the cast of the film, but in a true teaser trailer way does not give away anything.
Trailers aim to advertise films and try to interest audiences into going to see them. Unlike teasers, trailers show footage from the film and usually reveal funny, exciting or important clips so that the audience want to see the film in its running time context. Most trailers avoid revealing spoilers for the film, so that audience’s experiences are not ruined and they do this by not using clips of footage in their regular order. A simpler term for defining a trailer would be a montage of footage from the film, revealing its genre, basic storyline and the actors or characters.
Footage known as ‘special shoot’ is recorded for the trailer and promotion, but this footage is not used in the theatrical film. A common style a few decades ago featured directors or actors talking to the audience through trailers and explaining the film. A famous example of this is Alfred Hitchcock’s tour of the ‘Bates Hotel’ in his famous film Psycho (1960).
In my research I found that trailers follow a structure of a an act 1(beginning/introduction), act 2 (middle) and an act 3 which usually covers a montage of the film, a cast list or a final quote or shot to entice audiences.
With my knowledge of Todorov’s narrative theory (1960), I used his stages in looking at trailers. Using the narrative theory of Equilibrium, Disruption, Recognition of Disruption, Repair and Restoration, I realised that nearly all trailers follow this structure:
-Equilibrium
-Disruption
-Recognition of Disruption
-Attempt of Repair
Of course, not all trailers follow this and some simply show the Disruption or leave out the Attempt of Repair. The ‘Repair’ and ‘Restoration’ in a general sense, are not shown because audiences will not want to see the film in full knowing how the characters get on or the film ends.
Little Miss Sunshine (2006 dir. Jonathan Dayton, Valerie Faris)
The Equilibrium for Little Miss Sunshine is the family living their everyday lives. The little girl, Olive, being chosen to participate in a beauty pageant is half of the disruption, with the other half finding transport and money to get there. The family recognise the disruption and attempt to repair it by driving to California in their yellow truck.
Inglourious Basterds (2009 dir. Quentin Tarantino)
This trailer uses one piece of footage with montages throughout, but the narrative theory can still be applied. The Equilibrium for the soldiers is killing Nazi’s as this is their duty, but the disruption could be seen as their fight back. Vice versa, the disruption could be seen from the Nazi’s point of view as them being killed.
To grasp an understanding of what the codes and conventions of real film trailers are, I have decided to look at a few trailers for a few of the main film genres. After this first piece of research, I will choose one or two genres that I am interested in and carry out further research.
Comedy
My Cousin Vinny (1992 dir. Jonathan Lynn)
This trailer begins with the logo of the production company and then reveals the first part of the film with the use of a voiceover. The narrator reveals the story of the two boys who got into trouble and need a lawyer. The voiceover along with a soundtrack of a fun electronic beaty, introduces the main character of the title ‘Vinny’. There are then a series of clips that show his funny side, making the film’s genre clear as a comedy. The voiceover continues to describe the film and sell it to audiences and introduces the actor portraying the main character and the film.
Zoolander (2001 dir. Ben Stiller)
For this trailer, the voiceover starts from the beginning and talks about a character with cutaways to other people (famous people, setting the scene for the Hollywood setting) also talking about the character. The character is then revealed and he is described by the voiceover with cutaways to clips from the film. The voiceover says the actors name with clips of their character so that audiences recognise them. A few more clips from the film are shown through a montage.
Horror
Let Me In (2010 dir. Matt Reeves)
This trailer begins with the logo of the production company followed by a few daunting beats of music. With each beat, a new title or scene is shown as the trailer goes on to show the new friendship between two teenagers. While their dialogue continues, montages of the film are shown and with the titles, reveal that not everything in this town is what it seems. Once this title is shown, a new tone of music is played and the beat and cuts becomes faster, with screams heard through the audio. The pace of the trailer quickens as it begins to show the genre of a horror. The cuts become more rapid as the trailer continues, with more dreary music. The tagline for the film is shown while the title of the film is revealed at the end once the music and clips stop.
The Cabin In The Woods (2011 dir. Drew Goddard)
The trailer for The Cabin In The Woods does not begin with a logo, instead if starts with a fun, party song while a group of teenagers are seen driving a van on the way to a vacation. But the music suddenly stops, while a dreary ghostly sound is heard while the production company logo (which is usually white but is red for the ‘horror’) is shown. The music stops, and chilling sounds are heard as the characters appear to feel vulnerable in this isolated town at their cabin. The titles reveal that this is a different type of ‘horror’ than what audiences think, even though the stereotypical creepy cabin is shown through a series of clips. Then through a montage of clips, the trailer reveals that the group of teenagers in the cabin are being watched and the dreary music begins to increase in pace while the cuts for the film speed up. The soundtrack is a mix of a techy, suspenseful track and a song from an electric instrument band. The title for the film is shown while the music stops, but a clip follows after which heightens tension. The clip ends with a blast of the music and the details about the film.
City of Angels (1998 dir. Brad Silberling)
This trailer begins with the film production company and a few shots from the film, as the voiceover explains the concept of the film ‘angels’. The trailer continues with a montage of clips from the film as the voiceover narrates the basic plot of the film; an angel falling in love with a human. A slow, soft song plays in the background. The titles of the trailer read the disruption of the film ‘she would give up anything on earth…etc…’.The voiceover tells the name of the actors and the film as the trailer ends.
Thriller
Black Swan (2010 dir. Darren Aronofsky)
While the production logos begin the trailer, ballet music begins over them leading into a voiceover by the main character as the visuals change to a ballet dancer. The voice describes her dream of ‘a girl who turned into a swan’, as the girl dances but when the voice says ‘and she killed herself’ the music stops the screen changes to black. There is text showing the awards the film has won and festivals the film has shown at over a picture of black feathers, when the visuals change to a clip from the film with dialogue from another scene over it. The next set of text reveals the director over the feathered background, while violin and string music starts to play a continuing drone. The music continues at a steady pace, while a montage of different clips and dialogue are seen, showing the main plot of the film is a ballet dancer wanting a lead role. The music starts to become more heavy as scenes are shown revealing weird scratches on the back, new characters who appear dark and different plot lines untangling. The cuts and pace of music start to become quicker and while a piece of dialogue says ‘the only person standing in your way is yourself’, the visuals show the main character in front of a mirror as her reflection turns on her and the lights go out. The music also stops. The tone of music changes to a more chilling score and the montage continues but with clips shown of weird occurrences and more ballet. Again the pace of the music increases and the cuts become quicker, as the music moves towards a crescendo. The names of actors are shown over the black feathers with a cut to another scene from the film, the girl removing a feather from her shoulder. Her breathing is heard and a small drone from a violin is played over the film’s titles.
The Prestige (2006 dir. Christopher Nolan)
This trailer begins with a small scene of a man asking a woman to shoot him and once she does he catches the bullet. The production company logos appear as the man’s voice is heard saying ‘magic’. A series of clips are shown as a montage showing two magicians in their show. The titles explain that ‘a friendship becomes a rivalry’ and the clips that follow show the two characters falling out and how one of them wants to find the secret to the other’s trick. The titles reveal the director of the film and his previous ones and continue to show text of the different ‘acts’ in magic. A voiceover from a character in the film explains each act including the one called ‘the prestige’ while the visuals show clips from the film. The soundtrack begins to speed up, with peaks of sudden crescendos as the clips are cut. The last part of the trailer quickens but slows with two clips at the end which explain the aspect of magic in the film and its meaning to a character. Just after, lots of clips are shown within 5 seconds using quick cuts and then reveal the title of the film. The actors names are shown as text followed by information of the film.
After looking at the different trailers for the different film genres, I have decided to look more closely at the genre ‘Thriller’ and investigate the type of different conventions of the genre for their trailers. After research I will decide if this is the chosen genre I wish to focus on for my own trailer.
Bibliography
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trailer_(promotion)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Teaser_trailer
http://www.ezinearticles.mk/Article/Amazing-Facts-About-The-Importance-Of-Movie-Trailers/1961
http://www.movietrailertrash.com/views/history.html
Friday 15 June 2012
Schedule
June
15 - 22
|
Research
real trailers from a range of genres. Select genre for construction |
June
22 - 26
|
Research
further into selected genre (subgenres, conventions, etc...) |
June
26 - 29
|
Look at
range of different trailers from chosen genre and closely analyse them. |
June
30 - July 5
|
Look at
media theories and applying them to chosen genre |
July
5 - 10 July
|
Conduct
audience feedback into genres and then look at results |
July
10 - 19 July
|
Research
real magazine covers |
Over
summer - September
|
Start
construction ideas for own trailer |
Over
summer - September
|
Look at
chosen genre codes and conventions, especially within trailers |
Over
summer - September
|
Look at
target audience |
September
6 - 14
|
Create
storyboard for trailer, create actors profile and props, costume and location
lists |
September
14 - Oct 5
|
Begin
filming over course of two weeks |
October
8 - Nov 10
|
Edit
trailer |
October
5 - Oct 20
|
Continue
with research into chosen genre ie. icons, titles, etc.. |
| Create ancillary task 1 | |
| Create ancillary task 2 | |
| Gain feedback on ancillary task 2 | |
| December Christmas holiday | |
| December Christmas holiday |
Thursday 14 June 2012
Brief
G324: Advanced Portfolio in Media
I have chosen brief number 2 which is:
2. A promotion package for a new film, to include a trailer, together with two of the following three options:
I have chosen to create the film magazine front cover, which features my film along with a poster for the film.
I have chosen brief number 2 which is:
2. A promotion package for a new film, to include a trailer, together with two of the following three options:
- a website homepage for the film;
- a film magazine front cover, featuring the film;
- a poster for the film.
I have chosen to create the film magazine front cover, which features my film along with a poster for the film.
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