WRITING ABOUT THE TRAILER AND POSTER

Coursework year 10

Firstly!

Your poster and trailer have to be of the same film- you have to talk about the idea of a campaign across two different types of media.

Poster and trailer stills reflect consistency

WHAT IS THE MODERATOR LOOKING FOR?   Compare the impact of two promotional

methods used by one film: The trailer and the film poster

  Approx 1000 words

You need to show awareness of how producers seek to achieve synergy where a particular text can be seen to appear on different media platforms as a media-wide campaign

You will need to COMPARE the ways the products promote the product

KEY AREAS TO WRITE ABOUT

Institutions

*

You need to show awareness of the fact that this would have been a huge media campaign with awareness of target audience for the film. Be aware of the budget and the certification. Recognition of a marketing campaign or strategy. the need for finance.Where & when the products will be seen Awareness of production processesHow products are adapted to suit a particular platformHow the products work together (synergy)

Media language denotation/connotation, shot type, camera angle, direct/non-direct address, mise en scene, use of copy (tone & register appropriate to target audience?), use of fonts and colours, lighting, slogans, dress codes, action codes, facial expressions. Use of voice over in trailer, inter-titles,Editing techniques In all cases the effect of the medialanguage should be considered.

Audience Audience – Who is the audience? Demographics –age, sex, ethnicity, lifestyle. How do theProducts appeal to their audiences? What view of the audience is given by the products- themselves? How is the audience addressed? Uses & Gratifications - Identification? how do film trailers and campaigns work to build anticipation with the audience? How do we respond to the representations available to us? Do we understand or disagree with them?

Representation *

Who or what is being represented? How is that representation being achieved? Is it positive or negative? Are they stereotyped? Typical of the genre?

* These are the key ones that you are being marked on but don’t forget the other two. For example how does media language create the representation.

ALSO: What are the typical codes and

conventions of the media product? What devices and techniques have been

used to produce them? How has the product been adapted to

suit a particular platform? How would the product appeal to its

audience? What audience might that be?

You will want to have a still of the poster annotated as well as stills from the trailer- Remember these need to be kept to a few key ones as you should be writing in essay format now.

You will need to identify the two key areas: RepresentationInstitution

You will also need to show awareness of media language and audience

You will also want to include key stills from the trailer which reflect the key areas.Also you will want to identify key points that evidence a cross media campaign and sense of consistency

Represents a sense of danger through the use of canted angle which suggests that something is wrong

Key trailer convention Reinforcing

patriarchal ideas of masculinity Subverting the male gaze?

The use of key stills will enable you to support the points that you are making

On the next slide is a student exemplar from the board and shows you the way that you could write about the films.

The one area that it fell down on was that it did not talk enough about institution

For something like Thor it is part of Marvel comics and it is important to understand that institutional context- what impact does this have on the audience and the representations that the trailer portrays?

MARK SCHEME- 20 MARKS

Level 6 17–20 marksCandidates produce convincing and effective analyses of media texts. Media terminology is used extensively and effectively. The nature and impact of media representation is explored convincingly.There is a convincing and clear understanding and appreciation of institutional aspects of mediaproduction. Responses, including the explanation, are cogent and well structured with precise andaccurate use of language and arguments clearly supported by evidence.

Level 5 13–16 marksCandidates produce good-quality analyses of media texts. They are able to use technical terminology with confidence. Candidates show a sound understanding of issues of media representation and institutional aspects of media production. Responses, including the explanation, are clear and well-organised with generally accurate use of language and evidence used to support points

Level 4 9–12 marksCandidates produce a solid analysis of media texts and are able to use appropriate technicalterminology. Candidates demonstrate some understanding of representation and institutional aspects of media production. Responses, including the explanation, are well organised with reasonablyaccurate use of language and arguments are usually supported by evidence

Batman ‘The Dark Knight’Poster and Trailer analysis

Batman The Dark Knight was released in 2008, and its action packed, enigma filled plot pulled inaudiences around the globe. Marketing is the way the film sells itself through both posters andtrailers. To appreciate the full marketing of this film, I will be looking at the main poster and trailerused to sell it.The genre of The Dark Knight poster is more of horror than action due to the denotation of TheJoker’s white face looming out of the shadows. This connotes something hiding in the shadows, andthe visceral reaction is fear, which is what horror films aim to give to the audience.The title, ‘The Dark Knight’ gives an enigma. Most people associate the word ‘knight’ with a knight inshining armour, but by putting the word ‘dark’ in front, a twist is put on to the title. This is becausethe villain is usually linked with the word ‘dark’. The title makes the audience question Batman’s roleas the dark knight – is he a misunderstood hero or the villain? It could also be a play on words, as indark night. People link dark nights with not being able to see, and with danger.The institutions of this film are ‘Warner Bros’, ‘DC comics’ and ‘Legendary Pictures’. These are biginstitution names specialising in blockbusters and sci-fi. These give the audience a clue as to whatsort of film it will be. Fans of these institutions will be drawn to the film. On the poster they areinconspicuous, perhaps implying that the film is bigger than these well known institutions.The colours and lighting on this poster are dim, with a lot of black, white and some red. The lowlighting and black makes The Joker’s white face stand out. White is often used to show the light sideof things and the hero, but it is the main colour used for The Joker, who is the villain. This sendsmixed signals to the audience, and creates an enigma. The red is the colour of blood, so this couldconnote violence.The main image on this poster is The Joker. His face is central and in close-up. He is holding a jokercard with the Batman on. Although Batman’s stance is powerful, the card is held at a canted angle.All of this suggests a weaker character, one more in the background. This connotes that The Joker isin some way able to manipulate him.The Joker is represented as the villain as the thick, dark clown make-up he wears seems to be hidinghis face, and therefore his character. This makes the audience wary of him because his character isunfathomable and unpredictable.The poster is riddled with enigmas such as ‘why is Batman in a joker card?’ ‘Is he trapped in someway?’ The stereotypical image of an all-powerful hero is twisted as The Joker appears strong andBatman weaker.In the trailer the institutions are displayed. Warner Bros, Legendary Pictures & DC Comics fade inthrough a black background. They are all in silver and appear important.

There are several taglines woven throughout the trailer, all in The Joker’s dialogue(this againsuggests he is the main character). There is ‘why so serious?’, ‘Let’s put a smile on that face’ and ‘it’sall part of the plan’ said in cynical, threatening tones. The first two are said sarcastically, as a Joker isusually an image to make people laugh or smile, but in this film he has a terrifying image. The lasttagline implies that The Joker has a plan of some sort. This creates an enigma, as the audience wantto know what the ‘plan’ is.The main images in this trailer are of chaos and fire. Other main images are skyscrapers, connoting acity setting. One main shot shows Batman stood on a skyscraper alone. This highlights thevulnerable, human side of his personality. The main images move quickly and in a non-chronologicalorder. This creates a disjointed feel.It is hard to determine who is the hero or villain in the trailer. Whilst Batman is seen to be fighting heis more in the background. He is not presented as the traditional hero the audience expects. BothBatman and Joker use the same weapons, and in one shot the diegetic dialogue from The Joker isheard, linking himself to Batman with the claim that they are both ‘outsiders’ and ‘freaks.’Colours and lighting are dark and dim, adding to the mystery of shots. Batman himself is an enigma,always in the dark. The audience is given a feeling of uneasiness, and it creates a threateningatmosphere. More light is usually thrown on The Joker as there is usually fire around him, connotingchaos.The genre of this trailer is action. It is fast-paced and full of explosions and chaos. It makes theaudience sit on the edge of their seats. I think that the trailer sells the film well. The action scenesget the adrenaline pumping and hook the audience. The trailer leaves viewers on a cliff-hanger as towhether Batman will save the day or The Joker will come out on top.Overall, I think the trailer is the most effective at promoting ‘The Dark Knight’. It outlines the plotmore than the poster, and persuades the audience to go and see it through high-intensity actionscenes and enigmas. The poster on the other hand, although creating enigmas, gives no clue to aplot line, and therefore can’t hold attention for as long as the trailer.928 words