Research into Similar Products: Trailer Codes and Conventions

              

-The trailer begins with the usual production company logos for the film companies involved with the production of the film. The logos are presented in a way that relates to the film i.e. through a jukebox which relates to the musical aspect of the film and Baby's love for music. The jukebox begins to play a track which is the track for the trailer.

- We are introduced to two of the main characters in the first few scenes of the trailer. There is also a newspaper which is briefly shown to give a basic introduction to the plot and the story line. "Are brazen heists in the hub linked?" because this is at the beginning of the trailer it makes the audience's imagination take hold and create their own imagery as they know the plot is based on events prior to the film and the consequences are and outcomes of these prior events are shown in the film.

- "So, what do you do?". Before the main protagonist is allowed to answer the audience is shown what he describes as a "Driver". This is a loud contrast to the silence in the Diner and to the diegetic dialogue of " Oh like a chauffeur" to emphasise how wrong the female protagonist is. The pace of the scenes increase immediately after when we see John Hamm's character walking with masks. his is in time with the drumming beat which is fast paced when there is the fast pace drumming. This is something i like a lot i would love to implement into my trailer.

-The writer and director is also introduced and is layed over a scene of Kevin Spacey and Ansel Elgort coming down a lift. Not a lot of trailers do this so this is another cool idea. We are then given more backstory about BABY and why he listens to music giving a more in depth view of the character.

-Text is used through out to show when the the film will be released, deep context of the movie, Actor list and the title of the the movie at the end.  A clever use of music is used. "No where to run to baby" as the main protagonist is baby and he seems to be running/Driving from something which helps strengthen the plot for the movie.

-There is a reference to pop culture which is Mike Myers from the film Halloween. This is also something i wouldn't mind to add to my trailer if i can find a suitable piece of pop culture. In this trailer they mistake the murderer Mike Myers for the actor Mike Myers as a concealing mask.

Drafting and Planning: Editing task

In the lesson today we took a short film titled 'Monday' and re-edited the film to see if we could recreate the film's narrative. This allowed us to improve our editing skills whilst understanding  how important editing is to construct narrative and tone. My idea for this short film was to show that the women here was being haunted by the ringing of the phone throughout the short film which leads to her shooting the phone however she can still here the ringing which leads to her death when it distracts her whilst she is driving. she suddenly awakens and starts her day again in a never ending cycle.

Research into Similar Products: Film Trailer Conventions

  

Today I will be looking at a film with a different genre. This s 21 jump street and is a comedy which is much different form Jurassic world and the tomb raider trailer.

 The trailer starts with a ratings card to give the audience warning whether the film will be suitable for them to watch. This is crucial for a film trailer as if there is no warning, the wrong audiences may view the inappropriate content.

- The title of the film, "21 Jump Street", is shown  towards the end of the trailer. This means that if the audience enjoyed the trailer and found it funny, they will be able to look into the film and find out more about it using the film title. Similarly, the release date and website URl for the film is shown so the audience know the most important information if they are interested in watching the film.

- The pace of the trailer begins fast, briefly summarising the premise of the film and introducing the characters to the audience. The non-diegetic drums in the background as soon as the trailer begins also immediately throws the audience into the action and creates the fast-paced comedy/action genre of the film. The narrative of the film is continued to be revealed in short clips throughout the trailer, interspersed with one another so that not too much of the film is revealed whilst maintaining the fast-pace style.

- Diegetic lines of dialogue are also included to show that the film is of the comedy genre, such as
"When did I get stabbed? That's awesome!" This dialogue is also accompanied by slapstick comedy clips being edited in to the trailer with loud rock music playing to create a fun, comedic and action-filled tone to the film.

Research into Similar Products: Ancillary Products: Film Magazine Covers

As I am doing a film trailer I also have to create two ancillary products. A film poster for my original film and a magazine cover. I have already briefly looked at a few posters created for films and looked at what makes them successful and the common traits of a poster. However I am yet to look at film magazines cover. Today I will be looking at Empire Magazine. Empire is the biggest selling film magazine in the United Kingdom. Empire features reviews on mainstream and art films, appealing to a wide audience of film lovers. I will analyse their cover to see what they usually feature and the codes and conventions used. However I will also look at other film magazines to see if there are any differences between the film magazines.

From initially viewing these covers I noticed that immediately they have one thing in common. Each magazine cover, depending on film, is tailored to fit the ethos of the film. For example The 'Skyfall' cover uses bullet holes to an a aesthetically good looking cover that related to the film. I like this idea very much as it means that there is a potential to play around with certain elements of the magazine cover to create a good looking and appealing cover that has more related to the cover film then just a main image. 

- The masthead for Empire magazine is consistent in the way that it is always the same typography, however the typography’s design and colour changes according to the main film feature of the magazine. In the above covers the masthead the masthead colour has changed in two of them. in  'Interstellar' the masthead has also had a 3-D effect added to it. it is a Sci-Fi film set in space.Within the Masthead stars and constellations can be seen which suits the films ethos. For the 'Suicide Squad' cover white is used for the Masthead to accompany the green and purple colour scheme. The colours are the stereotypical colours of the Joker and having a red Masthead would look out of place. The white masthead compliments both these colours and makes the Masthead bolder and eye catching. Both 'Skyfall' and 'Inception' have action and danger in that's why the normal red Masthead was used to create that sense of danger.

- the cover lines also can support the ethos of the film through there positioning and typography. there is a difference in the size and positioning so they do not block the main image yet draw the readers attention. These cover lines manage to stand out whilst also blending in, linking to the main image/colour scheme, and not being more eye-catching than the masthead.

- The main image makes eye contact with the magazines audience. The cover image is very attractive, eye catching and significant, eg. James bond standing in the centre of the cover emphasises his confidence and power. The front cover usually frames the image so that the protagonist of the specified film is central, giving them power and creating the image for the film.

- The colour schemes for Empire magazine are always adjusted to suit the main feature. For example the "Interstellar"  magazine issue is white, black and blue. the blue and white work well together and make the cover stand out.

- Empire magazine uses pugs to also attract attention to its magazine. The barcode for Empire magazine has been placed in a convenient way as it doesn’t take the main focus of the magazine away, making room for more important features such as the image and text which the audience are most interested in. The barcode is placed in the most conventional method, at the bottom on either side of the page.

Research into Similar Products: Trailer conventions

.          

             
       I am looking into another trailer which is Tomb Raider. This is a similar genre to Jurassic world which I looked at in a previous blog post. I want to look at another action trailer to see if there are any subtle differences between these two trailers in terms of techniques, camera angles and editing to see if tension and excitement can be built up without revealing to much of the plot.

Unlike the Jurassic World trailer we immediately dive into the action seeing Lara croft sprinting through a forest with a bow. "What's you name?" is heard which introduces us to Lara Croft. The opening few scenes of the trailer gives use a large amount of information to work with as we learn much about Lara and the Croft family name. 'Croft' is clearly written on the back wall of the reception which suggest her family is successful. A close up of the receptionists facial expression is used to show his disbelief at Lara's return. This connotes Lara is from a privileged background.

. A drum is consistently used from when Lara finds a key in a puzzle box. throughout the trailer this drum noise gets faster so tension is built for the audience and the idea that Lara is heading to something dangerous. At the climax of the drumming we see the main protagonist leaping for her life as the plane wing she is stood on beings to collapse. This creates a cliff hanger for the audience as we do not know if she makes it to the hull of the plane.The increase of the drumming would suggest the tone of the film that it is full of defining stunts and action which helps the audience  to decided if they want to watch the film.

Captions are used throughout for example "HER LEGEND BEGINS" is shown. each word shown at different points. This creates the idea that there may be sequels that may happen in the future which may draw audiences in who know of 'The Tomb Raider' games. We are introduced to the actor who is playing croft who is an academy award winning actress. Audience may see this and believe the level of acting for this film will be very professional, believable and relatable. At the end of the trailer the title of the film appears. 'Tomb Raider'. The uses of contrasting colours of red and white on a black background creates a bright and appealing title that suggests the genre and tone of the film but also the use of the animation of the arrow going through the title sums up the tone of the film as an action film and also makes the title of the film more memorable. if audience members enjoyed the film then they can look deeper into it as the name would be so memorable.

The narrative of the film is continued to be revealed in short clips throughout the trailer, interspersed with one another so that not too much of the film is revealed whilst maintaining the fast-pace style.

Research into similar products : Ancillary Movie Poster

Inception Poster

In the main image we can see six central characters in a city two of the appear to be armed and the way they are stood together suggests they are a team. The background of the poster we can see the street bending upwards suggesting that this film will defy physics which raises the question of who are these people and why has the street been bent. The is very memorable for the audiences

The movies tagline 'Your mind is the scene of the crime' suggests that a crime ha been committed giving an insight to the plot of the film and that it revolves around someones mind. hinting towards psychological thriller.

The title of the film suggests the origins of something. The colour represents danger whilst making it stand out from the poster background as it is the only red on the screen.

Their are several famous names at the top of the poster however Dicaprio's name is the largest as this is a selling point for his movie due to his reputation as a film star. we can see all of the people named on the poster in the main image and it suggests that Dicaprio is the leader of the group as he is in front. The props they are holding suggest that the film itself is an action film and that their also maybe aspects of the thriller genre. Guns are a sign of action.

From the director if the dark knight is used to advertise some of the director's previous work
Which will draw more audience members in as the dark knight was a hugely successful film
Credits, producers and director are all show at the bottom but are too small to read so it doesn't draw away from the title of the film.

Research into Similar Products: Conventions and Structure of a Trailer

I have already looked at the primary codes and conventions of a film trailer. i have learnt that each trailer, regardless of genre, all have similarities. Genre can influence how a trailer is made and what choices are made for the trailer. For example an action music Soundtrack would be used in a film that has a large amount of action sequences to connote to the audience the type of film they are watching. This may excite the audience and give a hint towards the generally idea and plot of the film. To help me make a successful film trailer i'm looking at some of the best film trailers. knowing what makes a film trailer successful is important as i need to know the generic conventions required in one. A range of things may make a film trailer successful. From the soundtrack to the fast paced, intense editing in an action trailer.                                                                      

             

From researching into film trailers i have looked i the structure of constructing a trailer. 

For a trailer:

Act 1 : opening of trailer and introduction of characters and environment. we get a sense of the characters relationship and the introduction of a dilema usually appears during this act.  

1. Opening: establishes setting and introduces character
2. Build up: Relationships established. Development of characters and their world
3. a dilemma or series of complications.  Characters are faced with an obstacle t
4. Events: a series of events/action as characters try to overcome obstacle, solve problem, discover truth and so on.

A lot of film trailers reveal to much about the plot and spoiling the story. An effective trailer avoids any suggestion of resolution and ending. some trailers even suggest that the antagonist is going to become victorious in a situation that seems impossible for the protagonist. Like there is no hope

Looking at these different trailers loosely allow me to base my own trailer on the techniques. I will look into some trailers I enjoy now for inspiration, as well as to build upon my knowledge of trailers and their conventions, before I begin to plan my own.

Research into Similar Products: Film Trailer Conventions.

   Jurassic World is the forth installment in the Jurassic series and the first film in the sequel trilogy. Directed by Colin Trevorrow. Starring Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard. Jurassic World grossed $652.3 million in the United States and $1.018 billion in other countries for a worldwide total of $1.670 billion, against a production budget of $150 million.
                
I have decided that a film i would like to look into is "Jurassic World". I am looking at this trailer for its use of Camera work, Editing, Sound and Mise-en-scene. Looking at this trailer will allow me to understand in detail the codes and conventions of a professional trailer which means I can apply these techniques to my own moving image project.

- The opening shot for 'Jurassic World' shows a family in an airport prior to their children's arrival at the Jurassic world island and the events that are to unfold there. This scene uses a specific piece of dialogue which foreshadows the events to come and gives a basic narrative to the plot of 'Jurassic World'. "You're gonna have so much fun, and if anything chases you, run!" This is closely followed by the Universal logo which has the Legendary film company logo incorporated into it. We are then introduced to the setting of the film with a long shot. We can also see a ferry heading towards the Setting which suggests this place is somewhere of great controversy and popularity. A follow shot is also used at the beginning of this scene. We originally only see the ferry moving, yet not knowing what to. Then a wide shot is used to show the island and the comparison between the Island and the people on board the ferry.

- The use of non-diegetic sound when "On June 12" appears helps create a nostalgic feel for older audience members. we see one of the main protagonists in this scene and the awe of amazement as he see the gates to the park open. We then have a high shot showing the masses of people in the park which connotes that there is now a park finally open to the public unlike the previous films. the soundtrack helps emphasize the enormity of the crowd. The audience are then shown the dinosaurs at the park which is eventually built up throughout the trailer.

- As the mention of a hybrid dinosaur is mentioned the music begins to become much darker and each scene cuts away when it ends. This creates tension at it builds up to showing hints of the dinosaur. We are never directly shown what the create looks like which teases the audience. The beginning of the trailer is much lighter then the ending of the trailer.

The music throughout is in time with the scenes.

These are just a few of the noticeable features that help emphasise the films narrative and genre through sound and camera work.

research into similar products : Ancillary poster: Shutter Island

Shutter Island 

The main image is of Leonardo Dicaprio, a well know actor and a selling point for the film, is surrounded by darkness with nothing except a lit match. This creates mystery and suggests that he is lost. Dicaprio is a very well know actor and will attract fans due to his previous roles such as Titanic. He is positioned as the main Image and will attract the audience due to him being easily recognisable. Having him at the centre suggests he is the main character and the plot revolves around him. The main image has multiple different pictures meaning it is layered with and island with a building on it. This would suggest it is Shutter Island and raises questions why Leonardo is there. DiCaprio's face appears to be puzzled and implies he is trying to work something out which implies a psychological thriller  alongside the thriller genre.

The low-key lightning of the poster highlights how something dark is happening with the island and this is something that would intrigue the audience as they wouldn't expect a island to be seen as dark and evil and so creating a sense of mystery and intrigue and also fear for the movie.

The tagline ''Someone is missing'' is designed to create mystery and get the audience thinking who the missing person is. this is another selling point for the film as audiences may be drawn in to find out who is missing. 

The title gives us the primary location for the film; an island. this implies isolation and someone being  stranded somewhere they do not want to be. The shutter suggests something is locked away here and hidden from view. The colour of the main title, red, suggests the type of film this is and that danger and violence is ahead and present on the island.

October is written in red which suggests that aspects of horror may be used as October s the month of Halloween. The credits at the bottom of the poster do not draw away from the main title but included the name Martin Scorsese which gives credits to the directors and producers.

Research into Similar Products : Ancillary products : Movie Poster

 Doing a film trailer also means i am required to do a poster for the film to accompany it. To create a successful poster i have decided to look at different films poster from genres like Sci-Fi and Action to see the conventions used in them and how they are constructed which in turn will allow me to construct my own movie poster. The more I understand about the codes and conventions of a poster the easier it will be for me to create one.

A movie poster is another way for the film company to market and promote their film. It is vital that they create an eye catching and enticing visual as it gets to a wide audience. If can reach a wide range of audience members as they can be placed on billboards, sides of buses, In newspapers and magazines, at bus stops and in the cinema prior to release.

 There is a main image, which in nearly all of the above show cases the main character(s). This needs to be eye catching to draw the audience in. For example, the poster for "Justice League" features the main heroes of the movie and portrays them as the main focus point of the poster however the "Alien Covenant" poster doesn't feature any main characters but instead the  Xenomorth itself to show what the main antagonist of the movie is. The main image usually takes up the majority of the space on the poster, therefore it is a very important decision to make as this is what the audience will immediately see on the poster.

 A tagline is a common trait of a poster which can create a memorable word or phrase to give a basic summary of the film's genre and tone. the tagline may give extra detail about the film and give a hint to the films narrative. Which will cause the audience to be intrigued which will engage them. Above we can see the tag line for "Alien Covenant" which is very simplistic "Run" this creates a sinister town for the movie. "Run" suggest that the 'Xenomorth' is something you cannot fight against. it would intrigue the audience over the use of a simplistic tagline.

-The title of the film is another extremely important convention of the film poster, as without this information the audience will know what is being advertised and therefore they will not go and watch the film. The title is often printed in large, capitalized fonts so that the audience will be able to recall what the film is called and therefore be able to watch it if they are interested.

 A colour scheme is used that would accompany the poster suitable for the genre of the film. the colour scheme sets the tone for the film.

 Mainstream movie posters will often have a block of small text at the bottom to credit all those who helped with the film, such as the production company, script writer, music producers, costume designers etc.

Research Into Similar Products: Initial trailer Ideas

I have had some thoughts of possible film trailers which i could do. Before this i'm going to look at different film genres i am interested in and research into them.

One genre I am interested in is Thriller. Thriller allows different ways to engage the audience and experiment with different ways to create tension through the use of the soundtrack, camera angles and shots and through jump cuts in the editing phase. A thriller that I find is captivating and effective is the film 'Cape Fear' starring Robert De niro and Nick Nolte. It follows the story of an attorney who is tormented from a convicted rapist he once defended. Who later begins to violently stalks his progressively unstable family. If i did decide to do a thriller i would use a similar plot line to this film as I like the idea of someone being followed and playing with the victim's mind in a psychological way.

 

Another Genre i am interested in is the Action genre which can keep an audience engage with multiple action and can implement other sub - genres such as comedy into the film/trailer which will entice the audience to watch the film. An example would be The Justice League trailer which has a good balance of action and very light comedy. if i decide to do an action film i wouldn't do a hero film but something completely different however the way the trailer is structured is something i like.

Research Into Similar Products: Film Trailer Conventions

I have already decided that out of all the options available, i have decided to do a film trailer as this is something i believe i can be rather successful at.

I have looked at a few trailers that i find exciting and effective to draw audience members in. I will look to see if there are any similarities between the trailers and to see if i can implement these techniques into my own trailer.




although each of these trailers are different, focus on different genres and have different budgets, they  use similar features in their trailers to help make it effective for the audience. these features i believe are important in order to increase the audience's interest and expectation for the film.

Common Features:
- Each trailer has their own soundtrack which is suitable for that specific genre style and creates and specific atmosphere for the trailer which would communicate the type of film they are watching. for example 'Saving Mr Banks'  has calm Piano music which is closely followed by trumpets which gives it a Dramatic and slight Comedic effect. However the Rogue One trailer uses darker music to assist the audience in understanding the type of film they are watching. The soundtrack allows the audience to understand the seriousness of the film. We can see fighting and the talk of war against the Empire. Unlike 'Saving Mr Banks' there are no comedic moments which happen frequently in 'Saving Mr Banks'.

-Text is used in each trailer. Either showing the Title of the film, the actors staring in it and their past achievements, For example ' Academy Award Winner : Emma Thompson', Basic plot points of the film and Dates for the films release. Rogue One incorporated the use of an hashtag, #RogueOne. incorporating social media allows the trailer to market the film in more then one way.

-There is also in each film a brief narrative to what the film is about and summarises the plot . This allow the audience to make up their mind whether they want to watch the film or not.

- 'Appropriate audience' banner popped up before the beginning of two of the three trailers to inform the audience who should be watching the film and who shouldn't.

Research into Similar Products: Characteristics of a Film Trailer

For a film trailer there are usually different characteristics which are used to gain the film's chosen demographic. knowing the film's genre will help to know what type of soundtrack or score should be suitable for the trailer in that genre. Although many films are different they still follow the same generic codes when it comes to trailers. Before looking at the codes and conventions I researched into the industry standard for a movies trailer. From my research Hollywood, MPAA ( Motion Picture Association of America) and CARA (The Classification and Rating Administration) all state that films should be between 90 seconds to 2 minutes. Some films can exceed this and go to 2 minutes and 30 seconds. Looking at Films made by the BBC, such as 'The Sense of an Ending' and 'Their Finest', I found that these trailers reside between 2 minutes - 2 minutes 30 seconds.

Usually a film will have various trailers. They would first have a teaser trailer which is about 20 - 30 seconds long and then an official trailer which will last around 2 minutes. These trailers will show more content to the film and would get the audience excited for what is to come. Trailers should never reveal too much of the films plot to the audience, as if this was to happen then audiences would be less inclined to watch the film as they are aware of the story line and the plot of the film. 

Although these three films are different in terms of Genre each of these are not above 2 minutes 30 seconds, and if the are its because the BBFC will provide guidance before the film trailer begins to inform the audience who should be watching this film which takes about 6 seconds. Therefore the film trailers here are between 2 minutes and 2 minutes 30 even though the Genres are completely different.

• The film immediately introduces us to our main protagonist(s). The actors playing these character may be a selling point for the film. People who know the actor or follow his or her work may be more likely to see the film if they are familiar with or admire the actor/actress. If the characters is likeable or relatable they may feel they have something in common with the character which would engage the audience before viewing the film.
• The Film production Logo pops up either just after some dialogue and a basic introduction to one of the characters or directly at the beginning of the trailer before anything is shown. This will inform the audience who produced and distributed the film to the audience. Some audience  members may base if they watch a film on what film company is involved with its production. This will determine if someone is interested or not. The big six are the biggest film conglomerates in the world. These include:

Warner Bros. Pictures
20th Century Fox.
Paramount Pictures
Universal Pictures
Sony Pictures Entertainment
Walt Disney Studios

• The film title will usually be at the end of the trailer which can be decorated, such as Thor/ Ragnarok has, to create a more memorable appearance for the film and allow the film to remain in the audiences mind. Throughout the trailer there may be reviews that come up. For example. La La Land and The Witch both have reviews and comments from film critics and newspapers. This will create a great expectation for audience members and would make them more likely to see the film as they want to know what makes this film so good?
•  Film trailer's sound effects and music is a crucial part to a trailer as it can create tension for specific genres such as a thriller. Using Soundtracks and Sound effects that should be suitable for a specific genre type or narrative. Voice overs are also very effective too, which helps summarize the plot in the trailers time limit. Sound would be non - diegetic and added in post production except for dialogue unless its was a voice over 

Now I have looked deeper into film trailers i can now decide what i want to feature in my trailer generally. First I must research into genre and see what specific film trailers look like based on their genre. Overall I have found out quite a lot from researching into film trailers. I didn't realise the effect certain aspects have on audience members, such as the text used and Actors used. These are just two examples of how film companies try to lure audience members to see their film and will be something I am heavily considering to make use of in my trailer once i have the genre and plot line created and refined. I will look at more film trailers and analyse them individually looking at them scene by scene.