Secondary Research

Josh Broadhead

Film Trailer

Film trailers are the key element of movie promotion and the marketing campaign. Teaching Trailers Secondary state that other forms of promotion such as poster “cannot convey the excitement and atmosphere of a film in the same way a trailer does.” In other words, posters will not have as much of an effect on the audience’s emotions as trailers do, through using multiple images and sounds.

The Dark Knight Rises

Film Trailer

The whole point of a trailer is to give the audience an idea of what the film will contain, and what genre it will be. Teaching Trailers Secondary stated that “when we view a trailer we are

automatically ‘decoding’ what we see and hear to establish the film’s genre.” For example when we watch an animated trailer

with lots of vibrant/bright colours, we will think of a child’s film, and when there is fast beat we will feel suspense and possibly

think of a thriller. However there are occasions where the producer will try to throw the audience into at first believing the

film is of one genre, and then make them think of a another. This will make the audience more involved in the experience

and keep them interested for a longer duration. Furthermore we also link certain actors with a specific genres, for example Jim

Carrey will always be seen in comedies. The producers will use this to attract more consumers as if there is a big name star in their film, they will publicise that and try to show that actor in

the trailer as much as possible. People will then think of the movie to be good purely because a certain actor is in it. The

same can be done for a director, if somewhere in the trailer the director is shown, this will have an influence on the sales of the

movie.

Alex Cross – crime/thriller/psychological

Film Trailer - Conventions

Most film trailers follow certain guidelines, in which they include similar elements. These elements can be the following:

• Voiceovers to tell the story and give information

• Showcasing the stars of the film

• Key features can be shown through titles on screen

• One-line conversations

• Music is a huge role

• Build to a climax at the end

By using all/most of these elements, the producers will be able to create the best possible atmosphere and effect on the audience. I will try to use as many as possible, along with structural conventions for example, opening, build-up, climax and ending.

Film Poster

By looking at the article ‘analysing page layout and design’ written by Media Magazine, they have stated that “Understanding how meaning is made in visual language is essential to producing effective image-based work, and the combination of, and relationship between, elements of design shouldn’t be underestimated.” I understand this as saying that images are more than just pictures, but have a language that we understand in a very different way. Also, a poster is not restricted to one meaning. Simply by altering the size and positioning of the elements, it can tell a completely different story altogether. They also state the other important elements of a poster; “a hard edge or soft, ranges and tones of colour, whether they are complementary or in conflict. We should identify textures giving the page an illusion of tactility, and perspective, creating depth through an impression of foreground and background.”

Film Poster

In another article by Media Magazine they say how the individual words included will effect how the audience interpret a magazine. Tom Brownlee states “voiceovers delivered by a Scot, a Geordie, a Londoner or someone from the West Country are all likely to be ‘read’ slightly differently by the audience.” He then goes on to explain that this can be used in posters, even though sound isn't a feature, “there are thus degrees of formality: bloke, man, guy, gentleman or ma, mam, mum, mummy, mother, mater.” All of what he says means that different national backgrounds represent different “age, gender, socio-economic status, region or nationality, sub-culture or even personality type.” They will also use these methods to target specific audiences within those groups.

Film Posters

I will have to show the:

Title

Positive quotes (feedback)

Possibly a reference to a previous film

Stars of the film

Certificate

Connotation of colour

Establish the setting a genre

Credits

Magazine Cover

The magazine cover will need to similar in a way to the poster, however they both have a different purpose. In ‘Magazine Production’ by Jason Whittaker, he says that’s “rather than a montage, this nearly always consists of an A4 size image that covers most, if not all, of the front cover.” This means that a magazine covers shouldn't contain more that one image that can be the whole of the magazine. Furthermore, Morrish (2003) states “a competent cover picture will be clear but not crowded, and ideally work with three bright colours to attract the reader attention.” For example in the January 2008 issue of Empire, They are showing the Batman villain, The Joker. They have used vibrant green, red a white colours.

Magazine Cover

Cover lines “are extremely important in making readers pick up a title, and so need to be short”. If cover lines were too long, then readers wont be able to convey the meaning of the magazine, and therefore will not want to pick up the magazine, consequently not purchasing it. It also helps to have page numbers next to some coverlines, purely for convenience to the readers. The title of the magazine is what the readers recognise. It is not only seen as the logo, but also the brand image. Also said in ‘Magazine Production’, “bright bold colours and clear typography that can be read from a distance are essential.” The title is the first element that the reader will notice and enables them to see the magazine from a distance. Overall colour, image and typography are the key principles in a magazine cover.

magazine production, Jason Whittaker

Proposal

For my film trailer I will try to use as many o the conventions as possible such as a build op to climax, and music. I also want to let the audience know of the genre straight away, however not the theme/plot until the middle/end. For the poster, I want to make sure that it show feedback from critics and the main character, included with the theme. The magazine will include the three colour scheme for the typography, and I want to link the colours to the image so its not too much on the readers’ eyes. Furthermore I want the cover to look professional or it wont be attractive.

Intitutions

David Fincher is one of the best film directors in the thriller genre. He directed films such as se7en and The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo. One of his techniques that he uses is silhouettes. He used this by pointing the camera at a puddle on the floor, and the reflection of a character can be seen, which look like a silhouette. This creates a sense of mystery whereby the audience can not easily see who the person is, however can make an educated guess based on what they’ve already seen. This can also be used to surprise the audience as the character thought to be the silhouette, could actually be someone totally differently. Another technique that he uses is symmetry framing. He used this in The Curious Case of Benjamin Button where a candle is placed in the center of the screen, between two character. This keeps the audience interested as it is different from conventional camera work, as it only follows the rile of thirds to some extent.

http://www.filmschoolrejects.com/features/6-filmmaking-tips-from-david-fincher.php

Institutions

Released Movie Name 1st weekend Total Gross

10/1/2010 The Social Network $22,445,653$96,962,694

12/25/2008 The Curious Case of Benjamin Button $26,853,816$127,509,326

3/2/2007 Zodiac $13,395,610 $33,080,084

3/29/2002 Panic Room $30,056,751 $95,308,367

10/15/1999 Fight Club $11,035,485 $37,030,102

9/12/1997 The Game $14,337,029 $48,265,581

9/22/1995 Se7en $13,949,807 $100,125,643

5/22/1992 Alien 3 $23,141,188 $54,927,174

Logistics

During filming, I will need very specific items, to bring the best out of the film. For the costumes I will need a detective looking coat, with professional shoes and trousers. For the other characters, including extras, I will want them to look like the average person. They will need to have clothing that will fit the weather on the day, for example if it snows they will wear thick, warm coats. The antagonist will wears scruffy clothing and at some points in the film, he will be covered in fake blood. I will also need some makeup for him so that he looks dirty. This is to give of the effect that he doesn’t take much care of himself, and others around him. I will also need some form of weapon, probably a knife that will also be coated in blood.