Film Trailers

Trailer Questions
1) What cinematic techniques are used to establish mood and tone?
2) How does the trailer establish the themes and narrative?
3) How does the trailer establish genre?
4) Who is the target audience and how is this audience targeted in this trailer?
5) What is the reason/ effect for using the director's name and previous work?

1) First of all a dark and suggestive orchestral soundtrack is used, the sounds also link with events from the trailer, for example the bass increases when the water ripples to enhance the serious and existential tone of the film. There are lots of close up shots and Leonardo Di Caprio to show his main and leading role, and how he emotionally reacts during the film, this helps the viewer gain and understanding of what sort of mood the film should follow. An action slow motion is shown to portray the high intensity and quality of Inception, it shows that it is a high concept and high budget film that should and will gain a Blockbuster status. A voice over taken from the film is louder than the music and roughly explains the philosophy from the narrative of Inception, this helps the audience to understand the tone of the film, and hope to establish genre. Only scenes of emotional intensity and what looks like occurrences of disasters are really shown to push the idea of dark and futuristic tone.

2) Themes of the existential are brought up throughout the voice over, this is directly establish but the meaning can be lost due to the incredible cinematic. The theme of a dystopia are brought about as the bending world is shown, also an example of the CGI that is used heavily through out the film, this is also true of a POV shot through a window and a city on fire, tying in with a typical disaster movie theme. Narrative is not portrayed as especially fluid in the film, we can understand that Di Caprio is a central ‘hero’ character who is trying to save himself in a changing mind warping, dangerous planet, and that he develops bad and good relationships with people.

3) Genre is established through the full on soundtrack that stays at the same high tempo throughout the trailer, this shows its an non stop action type film. We soon find out that the film is no so typical and has an existential genre to it , (similar to The Matrix) we learn this through the voice over and scenes of un typical disaster scenarios, such as the cup tilting. The action side is made very clear with Di Caprio in a suit running with a gun ( James Bond- Hero character) and a rail car steaming down a main city road un controlled.

4) The core audience age of 15-24 I think is the audience target age, as most of the characters are fairly young who are central to the piece, the age correlates with the action genre in which this age its appeals most to. The action adventure audience are particularly targeted as action scenes dominate the trailer, although there is the niche market of existential film viewers target at the same time. Another niche are CGI fanatics where in the trailer its is clear millions of dollars have been spent to create a realistic future environment.

5) ‘From the Director of ‘The Dark Knight’’ is used to show off that the director of Inception has created a previous Blockbuster, and this is almost treated as a guarantee that Inception will follow up to the previous standards. Film enthusiasts will also know instantly from this fact given in text that Nolan is also accountable for ‘Momento’ and ‘ The prestige’ which are two other very well received films, this showcasing in the trailer acts as a pull factor for the market of ‘The Dark Knight’.
1) How does this trailer promote and focus on the big star? (look at camera work, editing, sound...etc..)

2) Action films are thought to appeal to a predominately male audience. How does this trailer target both a female and male audience separately?

3) How does this trailer use editing to create atmosphere?

1) The trailer heavily promotes Angelina Jolie as ‘Salt’, this first establishing shot of a close up of her this tells the audience that she belongs as the central and key character. There are many other clips of her close up, this allows and audience to adjust to a the actress and we see dialogue with her and man to establish what sort of role she will be playing. The tagline question is used ‘Who is Salt?’ and later indirectly the titles answer with bold silver font ‘Angelina Jolie this helps to create hype around the character. Jump cuts are made between the different stages and images of ‘Salt’ this makes her seem like a strong and unique character.

2) Putting it bluntly Angelina Jolie oozes sex appeal for the male audience and once again she is shown in this light as she has a number of tight outfits, carries weapons ( Lara Croft imagery) and is shown to be enjoying some sort of sex in the trailer. As we soon find out her role isn’t that typical and she is shown to be a strong and vastly independent woman fighting at first with the law and suddenly against, this now pleases a male and female audience, helping to widen the audience as much a possible for the film

3) At first slow motion shots and cut together to give a brief narrative and understanding of Jolie’s initial role, close ups are used to create mystery and intensity. Then unusually for a trailer a long scene is shown to promote the narrative, interweaved this scene jump cuts between this scene to show the audience what the narrative speech translates to visually in the film, this creates and air of lure for the audience as its already gets you asking questions and doubting characters within the film. The trailer is very involving and you a given a range of different shots of ‘Salt’ in various situations, this creates and tense atmosphere in which the viewer wants more from the trailer, this is incredibly successful as a trailer as narrative and tone are both made very clear.

Heartbreaker
Look at these different trailers and make notes on the difference between them and the reasons for these differences
- Look at the different tone - the editing, sound (especially v/o), camera shots
UK-
Fast paced. Familiar soundtrack. Different women. Central character displayed. Brief voice over the beginning to establish seemingly simple narrative. Simple title is shown. Followed by a finishing ‘joke’. Character to be shown in a very good light.

Europe-
Initial brief voice over. Character to be shown in bad and scandalous light, not
very likable. Titles of other actors displayed. Far less raunchy compared to the UK.

French-
Character shown in a clumsy selfish light. More characters are introduced, the team of 3. Voice over again used much like the other, all three use same shot of slow motion feet walking. Also uses a joke but this time at the beginning of the trailer.

MAIN DIFFERENCES:
Order of trailer narrative

Portrayal of Main character

How the character turns out

Horror/Psychological Thriller Trailer Analysis

Grave encounters immediately establishes genre, a mock-umentry horror much like its predescesor 'Paranormal Activity' which launched this genre in to the big time. The institutions are left fairly casual due to the extreme content of the trailer, and that its not such a 'blockbuster' production.

The handi-cam style is clearly portrayed even in the trailer as it has used a theme in the titles and editing to compliment this style. Its structure and pace starts off slow and around the mid way section a montage is used to create realism and to add excitement. Sound is key to this trailer as the last two shots incorperate enhanced sound effects.

The target audience is clearly the core audience, mainly for a male audience as horror is a male dominanted category. This trailer doesn't especially brake boundaries as far as construction goes, but again this is typical for horror and usually narrative is incredibly simple and shallow.Overall I believe this to be successful, as it has key elements that have been used to full effect, and one part in particular did genuinely scare me.





Primal aims for a more adventure and historical approach in compemporary style, this is showed at first through the title which are fairly modern and technical. Also shown through the adventure like soundtrack.

We are given an idea of setting through initial long shots and characters and quickly introduced through action clips and small dialogue. There is a constant and slightly persistant use of enhanced sound effects which achieves an eerie and disturbing mood.

The trailer is effective, but the titles are quite meaningless and stressed which takes quite alot from the main peice. Elements of the natural underlie this trailer and believe this could have been used to a greater effect.




We are presented with intriging opening titles that are incredibly basic, but the information and content makes the viewer terribly engaged. We are eased into the vaticant city with a beautiful establishing long shot. Soon we are informed that 'Antony Hopkins' is an award winning actors that is staring in 'the rite'- this already gains a unique usp.

The trailer reveals a rough structure to the narrative and reveals little into the complexities of the film, this makes the films seem less deep but appeals to a less intellegent market aswell. There are more titles that fade in and out of sequences to inform the audience about the narrative. As usual there is end montage that shows alot of action and horror, follwed by an ending punchline. This trailer is very slick and hours after I even had to watch it.




We are greated with 'whats the first thing you remember...FIRE' immediately its obviously a thriller horror. The titles soon show the legendary director 'Jon Carpentor' also we are told he is actually 'the legend', this attracts the initial following audience of his films such as 'Vampires'.

Again the production of the films is shown off, and again we find out its the same director as the globally appreciated cult horror, 'Halloween'. The 'sexy woman' role which is consistantly used in horror, is put the forefront of this short of the 4 trailers, this is mainly because of 'Amber Heard's' reputation and aesthetic she adds to 'the ward' Once again a finishing clip is used to leave to audience with something to reflect on and to be scared, which is what needs to be achieved. I think this trailer is again good, but appeals to a less picky market than the other and it seems far more teen based, although Jon Carpentor has a huge adult fan base

Matrix Theory

2. Upon Neo being woken up for the first time

Morpheus: Welcome to the real world...

Neo is awoken into this seemingly new world, which is the future world in which he believes he has been living in. Morpheus acts as a guide and mentor for the character, this helps the audience gain an understanding of the theory woven into the media text. Baudrillard's theory of hyper reality is what drives a great deal of what the matrix is and about, is what we are living in real?

Simulacra and Simulation was his theory behind mass media and meditation. The concept of Simulacra also involves a negation of the concept of reality as we usually understand it. Baudrillard argues that today there is no such thing as reality, so the world that Neo has been living in is purely fake and the ship he inhabits is really the real world.

'Welcome to real world' allows the audience to adapt to this new concept that has been similarly used in films like 'source code' and 'Inception'- in which large scale disaster events occur in a society. This relates to model figure 2) the (former) Twin Towers of the World Trade Center, which replaced a New York of constantly competing, distinct heights with a singular model of the ultimate New York building: already doubled, already reproduced, itself a reproduction, a singular model for all conceivable development.

Being welcomed into this new world shows what is possible within this theory, that the world we live in is 'just pulled' over our eyelids- we live in matrix.



3. The program

Morpheus: Your appearance now is what we call residual self-image. It is the mental projection...of your digital self. Two chairs appear in front of them, and Neo reaches out to touch one. He runs his hand along its back.

Neo : This....this isn't real?

Morpheus looks at him

Morpheus : What is real? How do you define real? If you're talking about what you can feel, what you can smell, what you can taste and see, then real is simply electrical signals interpreted by your brain….

'What is real' Morpheus says, this can be applied to media texts, such as the news- how can one person in another country really know what they are seeing is actually happening unless they are there. Baudrillard claims reality is like a menage-a-trois with identical twins (attractive ones, Baudrillard seems to assume), where the fantasy comprises having perfection reproduced in front of your eyes, though the reality behind this reproduction is nil and impossible to comprehend otherwise, since the twins are still just people. This directly relates to this 'program' that Neo has been placed in and that his appearance is just a 'residual self-image'.

Neo replying with 'This...this isn't real' shows humanity's ignorance and fickle nature to the fact that we could be living in a superficial earth. Point 2 of simulacra and simulation, The second stage is perversion of reality, this is where we believe the sign to be an unfaithful copy, which "masks and denatures" reality as an "evil appearance - it is of the order of maleficence". Here, signs and images do not faithfully show us reality, but can hint at the existence of something real which the sign itself is incapable of encapsulating.

7. The Oracle

Neo looks around the room, and sees he is the only adult there. Most of the children's heads are shaved. Some are playing, others meditating, or practising their gift. Neo watches in amazement, as a little girl levitates wooden alphabet blocks. He turns around, and sees a skinny bald boy sitting on the floor, holding a spoon, which sways and twists as he bends it with his mind. Neo crosses over to him, and sits in front of him, interested. The boy looks at Neo as he picks up a spoon and tries to imitate the boy's actions. Despite his best efforts, Neo cannot make it bend.

Spoon Boy : Do not try and bend the spoon...that's impossible. Instead only try to realize the truth...

Neo : What truth?

Spoon Boy : There is no spoon.

Neo : There is no spoon?

Spoon Boy : Then you will see, it is not the spoon that bends, it is only yourself.

'Instead only try to realize the truth' this line from the infamous spoon boy, tells us how we should try to think outside of the box instead of being contained within. this is closely 'associated with the postmodernity, where the simulacrum precedes the original and the distinction between reality and representation vanishes. There is only the simulacrum, and originality becomes a totally meaningless concept'. This shows how Baudrillard's theory realates in parrallel with the media industry. this idea of a kind of pre concieved perception in our mind tie in with the 'fourth stage is pure simulation, in which the simulacrum has no relationship to any reality whatsoever. Here, signs merely reflect other signs and any claim to reality on the part of images or signs is only of the order of other such claims'. Baudrillards theory is complex and difficult to follow but in 'the matrix' aspects are used to create a strong narrative structure that involves the audience deeply, and leaves a profound effect on them, this is partly down to why it achieved such success. Baudrillard's 'simulacra and simulation' is even shown within in one of the scenes, and this adds a slight humour to piece.