Film Trailer

IN WHAT WAYS DOES YOUR PRODUCT USE, DEVELOP OR CHALLENGE FORMS AND

CONVENTIONS OF REAL MEDIA PRODUCTS?

Film Trailer Definitions

• ‘A trailer or preview is an advertisement for a feature film that will be exhibited in the future at a cinema, on whose screen they are shown’. –google

• Trailer consists of a series selected shots from the film being advertised –wiki

• ‘A short promotion film composed of highlights of a movie due to release in the future – Dictionary

• Advertise (a movie or a program) in advance by broadcasting excerpts or details - google

Trailers (Forms and Conventions)

• Theatrical trailers last between 1 and 3 minutes

• Suggestion of the storyline. This is usually told to the audience through five transitions in a standard trailer with no more than four words per slide as well as voice overs

• Draws the interest of the audience by displaying attention grabbing footage. Close-up and medium shots are the most interesting shots unlike a continuous amount of long shots which can be classed as boring

• Includes the film title and opening date at the end

• Mise-en-scene will help the audience to determine the genre

• Introductions to some of the main characters, there names usually appear on the screens

• Quick build up to high tempo music or if the trailer is of a smaller duration, a consistent high tempo during the whole of the trailer depending on the genre they have chosen

The Theory Of TrailersTodorov’s theory of narrative:

Todorov suggested that conventional narratives are structured in five stages:

1. A state of equilibrium at the outset;

2. A disruption of the equilibrium of some action

3. A recognition that there has been a disruption

4. An attempt to repair the disruption

5. A reinstatement of the equilibrium

This type of narrative structure is very familiar to us and can be applied to many ‘mainstream’ film narratives.

My trailer has stuck well with Todorov’s narrative. At the start of my trailer, the equilibrium I set with people playing poker, but with the help of the transitions I made, a disruption I set as you find out the characters are actually conmen. The attempt to repair the disruption can be seen as the characters are actually good-guys instead of bad. The last scenes re-instates this with my character holding bags full of, what you can assume as money.

The Theory Of Trailers

Vladimir Propp’s Theory of narrative:

Vladimir Propp suggested that characters took on the role of narratives ‘spheres of action’ or functions. From a comprehensive study of Folktales Propp came up with different characters types:

• The villain – struggles against the hero

• The dispatcher – character who makes the lack known and sends the hero off

• The helper – helps the hero in the quest

• The princess or prize –

• The father – gives the tasks to the hero

• The donor – prepares for the hero, gives him a magical object for example.

• The hero or seeker / victim hero – reacts to the donor, weds the princess

• The false hero – takes credit for what the hero has done

I see my trailer to include two villains (Tom and Matt), this is because they play the role as the conmen. The ‘prize’ could be seen as the money which is presumed to be what they are carrying in the bags.

Thriller Trailer And Film Conventions

• A thriller trailer must include a high tempo soundtrack in the back. This is apparent in other thriller trailers such as Oceans 13 and James Bond.

• Smaller lengths of footage create tension which links in well with the high tempo music.

• This sets the thriller genre of the film and creates a feeling for the setting.

• Usually 1-3 main characters.

• The good guys and bad guys.

• A twist in the storyline.

Film Conventions Of My Trailer

• 2 main characters – Matt as the ‘hard-man’, and Tom and the ‘Boss-man’. They are the two conmen in my storyline.

• Twist with the scamming of the ‘roll of the dice’, this is a one highlight that I would involve in the film.

• High tempo music throughout the trailer. David Holmes – 160 million dollar Chinese man, it starts of medium and gradually increases towards the end.

• Cuts in the music. I made two cuts in the trailer to follow by a voice over. After the voice over there is a drop in the music to make the viewers excited.

• All scenes are no longer than 6 seconds to keep the tension high. This works well with my music because there are high levels of excitement throughout my trailer.

Film Conventions Of My Trailer Cont.

• Action packed which allows the audience to recognise it’s a thriller. The image on the left is one example which shows Tom carrying a bag which the audience can assume is money.

• The trailer itself doesn’t show any storyline really, only highlights from the film which is a conventional structure for trailers.

• Transitions including texts giving the audience a basic storyline in 15 words and end credits. These transitions relate to the scenes shown in the trailer.

SimilaritiesWhen I was researching into my trailer I enjoyed the style that Oceans 13 portrayed which is why my trailer is similar or of a pastiche to it. Other trailers also influenced my works shown..

From my research into trailers I have become fond of many shots. I have tried to re-create the over the shoulder shot that was shown on Oceans 13. I thought this was a very interesting shot so I used Tom as the ‘boss-man’ in the image above.

Oceans 13 shot includes an upper class background with the use of a swimming pool. I could not create this but I have tried to make it look as ‘rich’ as possible.

Casino Royale’s trailer has a close up of the cards to give the audience a feeling of the storyline. I have used this shot but tried to add more tension. To do so, in the clip I zoomed in on the cards from a close up ot an extreme close up.this shot could also be seen as a point of view show which makes the audience relate to the situation more as if its their cards.

Casino Heist Oceans 13

Casino Heist

Casino Royale

What’s Unconventional?

• When planning my trailer, I made it so that it would mainstream in the sense that I took no risks. Therefore with my trailer, it includes very little unconventional features…

• One unconventional feature I have included is the animation transitions. Unfortunately the playfulness I am trying to show in my film trailer cant be easily shown but I am

hoping that the transitions will give the audience a hint of it. The editing also included in this has a transition which is unusual with the mise-en-scne sophistication.