Trailer Research 1

Teaser and Theatrical Trailer Research: 

Teaser and Theatrical Trailer Research Eden Whitcomb Enter

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A teaser trailer is a short film or footage of an upcoming television programme; film or video game. It is used to tease the audience and therefore it is released long before the final product. Definition Teaser trailer menu A theatrical trailer is normally around two and a half minutes and similar to a teaser trailer they show footage of an upcoming television programme; film or video game however a theatrical trailer shows more detail and more footage. Theatrical trailer menu

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Menu Please select a film title. The Road to Perdition Noir The Matrix Science Fiction - Action 28 Days Later Horror Battle Los Angeles Military Inception Science Fiction - Action Rise of the Planet of the Apes Science Fiction District 9 Science Fiction Previous

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Menu The Road to Perdition The Road to Perdition is an American ‘Film Noir’ released on the 12 th July 2002. The teaser trailer can be found by clicking on this hyperlink: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=emzRBDEongg More Previous The Noir genre is one that greatly interests me personally and to specify conventions for a noir film is really hard due to the so many variations of the genre. Road to Perdition has a very gripping teaser trailer, the lighting is very crucial for noir films and the teaser keeps the dark and atmospheric features that noir films have had since the 1940’s. The setting of the film is America during the years of mob gangsters and old automobiles, this is portrayed perfectly with the old style cars; clothing; houses and America. This old style is fundamental for a noir film and it would be something I would have to consider greatly if I were to pursue down this road. The dialogue and soundtrack work in twine to deliver a sophisticated teaser trailer. The soundtrack it self picks up towards the end of trailer in a patriotic way and reflects the shots that are presented on screen while the dialogue helps the audience understand what is happening. Teaser trailer

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Menu Previous The Road to Perdition The sorts of cinematography that are used show the father and son struggle in great detail. The close up provide us with the emotions that the characters are feeling while the tracking shots tell us of the location and setting of the film. The teaser trailer uses a wide variety of shot types that do not fasten in pace but instead they reveal them selves at the same speed as the previous, this makes the scene more dramatic instead of the quick action shots that flash for a brief second. Titles appear every so often during the teaser trailer and say crucial words that relate to the film for example ‘ Honor ’ as shown in the bottom left image. These titles although only appear then disappear still provide us with more basic knowledge which may persuade us to watch the film when released. This eye catching strategy is not seen in all trailers but it makes the trailer stand out in your mind more and would s omething worth considering for my own trailer. The transitions vary from fades to flashes but still maintains the slow pace that is set up at the beginning. At the end of the trailer a voice over is used to announce the title of the film and release date. This voice over is memorable because it is the last thing you hear in the trailer, this concept maybe a good idea for my trailer however I would have to make sure the voice is perfect. Teaser trailer

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Menu Previous More Battle Los Angeles Battle Los Angeles is a military war film that was released on the 11 th March 2011. The teaser trailer can be found by clicking on this hyperlink: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hKyqbCToHjQ War films often follow very similar conventions and they normally revolve around following specific soldiers who belong to the navy; air force or army. Battle Los Angeles follows this same pattern as the teaser describes military affairs with an unknown enemy while focusing primarily on the ground and air battles. Other than this the usual explosive action and modern technology we have learned to adapt to has also been incorporated and this is shown several time during the teaser trailer. A very good example of this is 54 seconds into the trailer when a missile appears to fly through a battlefield. The Mise en scene in terms of costumes and props really set the scene of a full scale ‘battlefield’. The use of real military weapons; aircrafts and uniforms combined with the fast paced short shots create an exciting and tense trailer that is not only gripping but intense as well. Teaser trailer

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Previous Menu Battle Los Angeles The shots used within the teaser trailer are varied and gripping. This teaser jumps from black and white images to full blown colour and there is even a shot in night vision. This use of different styles makes the film more engaging and it looks like something that can be effective for my personal trailer. The image on the far left shows the sorts of shots that have been used within the teaser trailer. This specific shot allows us to see the emotions that the soldier maybe feeling at that time, the shot follows the rule of third and it again looks like something I could use in one teaser trailer. As the trailer progresses the transitions used vary from the common fades to and from black and cuts to more interesting ways such as the transition at 37 seconds when the TV appears to flicker and change the shot. Interesting ideas combined with the more common transitions seem to work effectively and would be something to consider for personal gain in my trailer. A monologue is used throughout the teaser and it gives the audience the background knowledge that they need for the film. This is similar to the way ‘Platoon’ set the scene during it’s teaser trailer. The concept seems achievable for my own use. Teaser trailer

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Menu Previous More Inception Inception is a science fiction – action film that was released on the 8 th July 2010. The teaser trailer can be found by clicking on this hyperlink: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_5VDKVqvo8M&feature=related As a science fiction – action film, Inception has a lot of conventions it has to follow to be classed in those genres, these conventions can be from explosive chase scenes to psychological puzzles. The trailer shows very strong signs of both genres with the help of the key areas. The sound within the teaser is all non diegetic. Throughout the teaser there are no voices or active sounds from the film itself, instead the teaser is full of edited sounds that work together to form the quick action sequences that we have come to expect with teaser trailers. The other forms of editing come into practice through the transitions used; titles and special effects. Like the majority of teaser trailers, Inception uses the all to often used cut, however with the mystery around Inception the cuts create intense action that only make us more interested in the film. Teaser trailer

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Menu Previous Inception The effects are not put onto the film itself apart from the classic tilt of water shown in the far right image but they are placed during the titles that appear in the teaser trailer. The camera follows a name down a virtual 3D city and it eventually leads to the name ‘Inception’ these effects are very clever and something i hope to be able to adjust for my trailer if I wanted to. The shots in the trailer vary from birds eye views of the city to the close up of main characters as shown in the top left image. The variation and skill used to create the depth of field poses the question if I would be able to do something similar. The positioning of the shots are very deliberate and it allow us to focus on the character or item but without it taking up the whole screen. The shots along with lighting can create very different tones and the low key lighting tend to create the more depressing scenes while the high key lighting or natural lighting create a sense of freedom and happiness. This is reflected in Inception as it follows those same ideas during the trailer as shown in places such as 33 seconds where the low lighting makes the scene appear darker. The Mise en scene such as props and location set the tone of mystery within the teaser trailer and this is backed up by the loss of gravity during one of the shots. The audience at the end of the trailer are left puzzled with unanswered questions. Teaser trailer

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District 9 Menu Previous More District 9 is a science fiction film that was released on the13th August 2009. The teaser trailer can be found by clicking on this hyperlink: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hv9AlUJHa90&feature=fvst The conventions of a science fiction film generally revolve around a futuristic setting with future ideas. District 9 sets the trailer around this science fiction world of an alien invested camp. The trailer shows of its science fiction genre by incorporating the main areas in filming. The trailer shows a lot of use of effects and we see this best when we first are shown an alien being integrated 1 minute and 2 seconds into the trailer. This use of special effects are shown again with the mother ship 51 seconds into the trailer. The special effects used defiantly categorise the film to be in the science fiction genre. The transitions between shots are regular fades and the research so far is telling me that these transitions are effective for most genres and this is something I need to consider. This specific trailer uses titles similar to ‘Inception’ the titles tell us some basic knowledge about the film however with these titles, half of the text fades from white to red. Teaser trailer

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Menu Previous District 9 Something like the change in colour sticks in my mind more and therefore I would like to try and re-create it for my own use or adapt it in some way. The style of shots used are very different to that I have seen before. The shots change from interview styles to establishing shots on a r egular basis. The interview style shots are very interesting because the actors and actresses are positioned in such a way that the camera is focused only on them. Other shots which are included are over the shoulder shits as shown in the top right and this shot allows us to look at a scene from that persons perspective, the shots puts a different angle to the trailer and the scene it self. The mise en scene within the trailer shows us the terrible living conditions that the aliens are subjected by the humans and the helicopters and weapons that are carried by the humans suggest that they are imposing their dominance on the aliens. All the mise en scene combined let out a futuristic feel to the setting of the film and it is helped greatly by the non- digetic sounds that play through the entire trailer. At one point within the trailer the sounds stop altogether and they suspend for just a brief period of time but it sets the tone for a big ending to the trailer and this is something I would like to look further into for my own development skills. Teaser trailer

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The Matrix is a science fiction – action film that was released on the 33st March 1999. The teaser trailer can be found by clicking on this hyperlink: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I3cd1Y_oBys Menu Previous The Matrix More The Matrix from start to finish is jam paced with explosive and face paced action. It ticks every box for a science fiction and for an action film. The teaser trailer engulfs you into postmodernism where anything and everything is possible. The short and quick shots that grow shorter and faster as the trailer plays show the intensity of the film. The trailer starts at a fast pace and eventually ends up with extremely quick shots of sequences. The shots can be hard to make out but you always manage to see a TV screen every other shot, this may suggest that everything is watched on the TV and it could be a big part of the film however from the teaser alone we cannot judge fully as to why it is there. Other shots come from close up; mid shots; birds eye views and tracking shots. The intensity of the shots make a thrilling teaser that makes you want more.

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Menu Previous The Matrix The edited sound grows louder and faster as the shots become shorter. The sounds used make the scene that much more exciting and enjoyable. The fast sounds combined with the short shots look interesting together and if adapted would fit my own trailer. The mise en scene used gives the film that postmodern feel with the laws of physics being thrown out the window. The exaggerated clothing and over the top action scenes blend together and the audience feel like the characters are actually dodging bullets. The mise en scene such as guns could not be achieved without the help of the special effects and there is a lot that has been used in the teaser trailer alone. Explosions and muzzle flares are achievable through aftereffects and it is something I would like to look into with inspiration from The Matrix. Another section of the effects is when: Neo pushes the mirror and it wobbles and appears to become a liquid, these effects make the film look more futuristic and p ostmodern. The cuts from shot to shot slow down when certain stunts are performed to make the trailer appear more impressive, an example is at 8 seconds when Trinity jumps from building to building, this seems to be slowed down to make the jump more exaggerated and the film more appealing to the audience. The slow motion is something that I would like the adjust or develop for my personal use.

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Menu Previous More Rise of the Planet of the Apes Rise of the Planet of the Apes is a science fiction film that was released on the 1 st November 2001. The teaser trailer can be found by clicking on this hyperlink: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RPzVXlx9lIk T he choice to base a film around apes is not an uncommon idea with 5 previous ‘Planet of the Apes’ films however the new instalment still follows the science fiction conventions such as futuristic technology and exploring the possibilities if something like it were to happen. The trailer although only 16 seconds long is jam packed with special effects; lighting sound and camera work that makes it an explosive 16 seconds. The effort that has gone into the special effects is truly inspiring, the movement and looks of the apes make me wonder if I could explore and attempt anything like that. The lighting changes from high due to lights in a laboratory to low due to the natural light setting, the playing around with the light shows that there are several time periods in the actual film and it shows that there maybe more of a story to follow than the initial ape that we first see. Teaser trailer

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Menu Previous Rise of the Planet of the Apes The lighting highlights key shots for example the pickaxe in the bottom right image is illuminated by the light meaning there is more of a focus on that item. The idea of highlighting key sequences during the trailer is quite interesting and could be used as a way to sublimely give the audience more information without them really realising it. The shots used have been selected carefully to gain enough information but to still want more. There is only 4 shots of actual footage. The shot in the top left follows the cage by using a track, the movement makes you feel that you are moving along side the ape and therefore you feel partly captured within a small box which is the screen you are watching the trailer on. The other shots consist of a wide long shot; a close up and a medium close up, when these shots are seen with the mise en scene they portray a mini story of the ape in captivity; then escaping then breaking free. The items that are placed within the shots are used to set the scene of certain places for example a laboratory and you get the sense of actually being their through the mise en scene the director has chosen. There is very minimal sound during the teaser and it is mostly non diegetic. The sound appears to be an alarm that is sounded and laid onto the footage. The sound makes the audience feel apart of the apes escape and therefore we will want to watch more. Teaser trailer

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Menu Previous More 28 Days Later 28 Days later is a horror film that was released on the 5 th August 2011. The teaser trailer can be found by clicking on this hyperlink: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=liLFqy_m198 Horror films usually contain blood; violence and something frightening. The teaser trailer for 28 Days Later shows us all of these stereotypical conventions for a horror film. The trailer releases heavily on sound and titles to tell the audience what has happened before the film takes place. The diegetic screams and cries are accompanied by non-diegetic sounds that welcome the new title as it appears. The audience can listen to the sounds and relate to the trailer more because they have a better understanding as to what the character have been through just by listening to the sounds. The titles play a massive role in the teaser trailer and they explain the background story as the trailer unfolds. The titles are followed by a short slip from that specific day and normally an action that has happened for example ‘evacuation’. Teaser trailer

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Menu Previous 28 Days Later The titles flash in and use the same fonts each time with the same style: the day come first then the action. The shots them selves are quick and generally in low lighting except for at the end when the scenes are nothing but natural lighting. The shots show the struggle that people had leading up to the 28 days, the brief encounters with the film footage makes the trailer more gripping but frightening. The mise en scene helps make the film feel like a wide spread panic, this is best seen by late night running as shown at 32 seconds. The mise en scene later shows a sense of loneliness and forgotten as the streets of London are completely empty towards the end of the trailer. The low key lighting of the beginning of the shots make the location of the film near impossible to pin point however the low key lighting makes the film scarier to watch and therefore it fulfils its needs to be classed as a horror film. The explosive editing seen at 42 seconds show some of the special effects that has been used within the film. The special effects generally make the film more exciting and gripping. We see more editing in terms of transitions used and they change from fades to footage being laid over text. The styles of transitions create an intense horror sequence and i would like to see if the transitions used in this film would apply to my own trailer. Teaser trailer

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Menu Please select a film title. The Spirit Comic Noir film Shutter Island Psychological Thriller Conclusion Marley and me Comedy Drama Toy Story 3 Animation

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The Spirit Theatrical trailer The Spirit is an American comic noir film that was released on the 25 th December 2008 in America. The theatrical trailer can be found by clicking on this hyperlink: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TDeOkaCUUI8 The spirit is unusual in terms of the cinematography. We know that plenty of film adaptations of comic books have come and gone and we will never be short of them but The spirit seems to show the film in a comic book way with the shots that appear to be drawn in places as shown at: 1:21. The full length trailer unlike the teaser trailers allows the film to gain momentum and get the audience excited about the film itself. During the trailer we are presented with a lot more shots; characters and locations than we are with the teaser trailer that is http:// www.youtube.com/watch?v=s_H4WCdUT1A at this address. The full low key lighting and mystic setting is emphasised a lot during the trailer and the audience get to understand the film in a little more detail appose to the brief clips that are shown during the teaser. The fact that a theatrical trailer is released allows the audience to become excited about a film and therefore more likely to go and see it when it is released. Menu Previous More

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The Spirit Theatrical trailer The Spirit is a good example for showing very low key lighting and for our group it is a key example to follow. The top right image shows an extreme close up of a blue eye surrounded by dark shadows. This shot emphasises the eye and sticks in your mind clearly, this shows us that you can make everything around an object completely black and i t is something we will need to research into doing for our project if we decide to use those dark shadows. The clothing in the trailer although a noir genre shows more modern clothes and again this is something we shall have to consider when thinking of our own idea and if we would want to update a specific genre to suit our own needs. This is shown in the bottom left image along with some more interesting lighting options with the opened blinds revealing nothing but white behind them suggesting that our main character is not out for the count. Small indications like these will need to be included in our own trailer and used to guide the audience along the story. Like I have explored before with previous titles, the image in the bottom right is no different and it shows that in order to keep our trailer at a professional standard we will need to create some impressive titles and we are prepared to put the hours into doing so. Menu Previous

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Shutter Island Theatrical trailer Shutter Island is a psychological thriller that was released on the 19 th February 2010. The theatrical trailer can be found by clicking on this hyperlink: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5iaYLCiq5RM The good thing about psychological thrillers is that there is always a huge twist somewhere along the line and Shutter island defiantly proves that and anyone who has watched the film knows exactly what. However with the trailer it self it leaves a lot of un answered questions and the good things about doing that is it allows the audience to beg for more and therefore watch the film or buy the DVD. The theatrical trailer again gives more in depth information about the film in terms of the 4 main areas: lighting; mise en scene; cinematography and editing. The shots within the trailer remain at a steady pace until 1:27 where several images appear quickly one after another and this continuous until the end of the trailer, from this point on the pace of the trailer changes completely and the music quickens as does the shot lengths. Menu Previous More

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Previous Menu Shutter Island Theatrical trailer The length that a theatrical trailer has allows you to build up suspense and tension within the trailer it self and this again is something we should aim to do as a group when putting together out final cut. The use of editing during the trailer for example the top left image allows for more advanced cinematography and if we as a group were to peruse down a genre that was postmodern then this is something we would have to learn in order to create effective and believable effects. Similar to the editing the sound in the trailer is outstanding and of a very high standard, this clearly shows the professionalism that has gone into making everything come together for the finished trailer and if we are to make something that is of the same quality then we would also have to learn to use programmes such ‘Adobe soundbooth’. During a theatrical trailer the transitions become more noticeable mainly due to the extended time. I noticed when watching this specific trailer over and over again t hat they used a fade to black a lot and within 16 seconds it was used four times with only 8 seconds of footage at the most. This tells me that using a standard fade to black may not be the right move for capturing an audience and that we should look into more advanced transition.

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Toy story 3 Theatrical trailer Menu Previous More Toy Story 3 is an 3D computer animated comedy that was released on the 18 th June 2010. The theatrical trailer can be found by clicking on this hyperlink: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TNMpa5yBf5o Toy Story 3 is the third instalment of a very popular series. Animated comedies have to follow rules in order to be classed in the specific genre and Toy Story 3 defiantly follows and exceeds these rules. The use of character dialogue during the first 28 seconds sets the whole trailer up and the audience immediately know that something is not right. Without even seeing the characters you can tell which ones are talking due to the previous two films and again the audience really connect to the characters in a way that is quite rare. Not only is the dialogue good but the everyday sounds such as the car boot closing and the car driving along the road that really makes this film stand out compared to other animated films. The sound continues to amaze the audience with well time dialogue and music that changes depending on the scene that is being shown. This is an excellent example for very good sound effects and one that is key to keep in mind.

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Toy story 3 Theatrical trailer Menu Previous With a theatrical trailer the audience can be left on a bigger cliff hanger. The shots can starts slow but soon grow in pace and this happens well in Toy Story 3. The shots at towards the end build up the excitement that the film is about and makes me personally want to watch it right now and I am positive it that will be t he same for a lot of people. The varied shot types during the trailer are very interesting and one in particular which is the bottom left image shows an obscured shot like something is hidden. This shot shows me that you can play around with them and not just keep the standard close up or medium shot. Another way they played with a shot is the top right image with the toy’s falling out of a box all on top of each other, although near impossible for us to do with humans but still different and interesting. The editing process that has gone into this film is monumental and something that we will not even be able to attempt in the limited time that we have. The animation it self is phenomenal and something I would very much like to try in the future however for practical reasons I don’t think we shall choose an animation for our own trailer.

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Marley and me Theatrical trailer Menu Previous More Marley and Me is an American comedy drama that was released on the 25 th December 2008. The theatrical trailer can be found by clicking on this hyperlink: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lShipoEMI6Q Films such as Marley and Me touch peoples hearts on so many levels and the trailer does so to. Towards the end of the trailer you have a real sense of love for Marley even though you don’t really know him. The trailer uses every day mise en scene to make the film that little bit more believable. For example the boy and the dog walking through a corn field is believable and has happened in real life on more than one occasion, another example is when Marley eats his food from the floor, again this is something more believable with the surrounding mise en scene that make the shot look and feel like a home. This suggests to me that in order to make our trailer believable we need to make it look and fell natural just like the events are taking place but we are there with a camera to document it.

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Marley and me Theatrical trailer Menu Previous The voice over during the trailer speaks directly to the audience and gives them some very brief background information about the film so they do not think what it is about at the end. This voice over is very subtle and fits right into the filming almost unnoticeable. We as a group were considering wheatear to incorporate a voice over in our trailer and this is a key example to learn from if we were to do so due to the subtleness. The cinematography varies from shot to shot and really captures the love between Marley and Owen Wilson’s character. Cinematography is a good way to get your point across during a trailer and especially to grab the audience. For example the bottom left image shows a cute puppy which a lot of people will want to see purely due to the puppy, this choice in shots in the trailer and 100% deliberate and therefore we need to make shots that people want to see and what people are excited about seeing again. The natural lighting plays a huge role in the trailer and the film it self, the audience feel safe because the sun is bright and everything appears to be normal. The play on lighting will help our group create more feeling in each shot. If pulled of correctly we will be able to portray good and bad moods just from the lighting.

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Conclusion Although I looked at seven teaser trailers and only four theatrical trailers the message is still clear at what the differences are. The theatrical trailer shows a lot more detail and the audience can get a real understanding of the film and therefore make a final decision if they are going to see it at the cinema. The teaser trailer shows a quick snip its of the film and therefore make the audience want more. Our task will be to create a theatrical trailer and we can take ideas from both teaser and theatrical trailers and combine them to make something that Is unique to us.