- attention-grabbing footage which appeals to the demographic and does not give away any crucial plot details
- the film title and release dates to inform the audience
- cast names which allows the audience to know who to expect when they watch the film
- many, yet not all, display director/producer names and idents, in addition to previous successful films from the director/producer
- music over the trailer, sometimes a voice-over which manifests the genre of the film.
When making a trailer for a film, it is important to understand the typical codes and conventions for each genre of film and how and why they appeal to their demographic. In order to enhance my understanding and ensure that my product captures some of these codes and conventions of my chosen genre, I have analysed a selection of film trailers from contrasting genres which are displayed below.
Léon: The Professional (1994)
Action
This trailer begins with an animation manifesting an ident for those who had aided in the production of the film - by doing this, anyone viewing the trailer are aware of the companies involved which may increase the amount of people who eventually watch the film due to their knowledge of other works the companies had been involved with. The trailer begins with low volume, dark toned music which sets the atmosphere of the film, but also allows the several voice-overs to be heard. These voice-overs give the audience important information in relation to the film which tends to work with the shots used to aid in the audience's understanding. The first voice heard is that of a man who hires the professional, yet his character is not fully introduced to the audience, other than an extreme close-up of his eyes, creating mystery as soon as the trailer begins. This character places an image on the table and explains his wherabouts to the professional, who is also only introduced at first by an extreme close-up of his eyes, also creating suspense. Due to the voices from the shots and the shots of several weapons, the audience can immediately establish that the second character is the professional. There is mainly one voice-over which is the stereotypical, deep-voiced male, however there are also quotes from characters of the film used throughout as voice-overs to increase the amount of information given about the storyline. Approximately thirty seconds into the trailer, the audience are given the name of the character and also a clear shot of his face to introduce the protagonist whose name is part of the film title. The original voice-over announces his name and also emphasises the professionalism of the hitman, adding to the intensity of the film. As the trailer progresses, the audience are also introduced to another protagonist in the film who evidently from the shots and information given, is connected greatly to the hitman. Moreover, there are quick action shots with 'epic', fast-paced music which displays the genre of the film and again adds to the intensity of it - this remains until the end of the trailer yet early on is interrupted by a black screen with red font showing a previous work of the director before the shots and music continue fully. For those members of the audience who have seen this product and enjoyed it, they are more likely to also want to view this film, increasing the amount of viewers. Finally, the last image on the trailer is the title of the film, this ensures that the audience who have been drawn into the action of the film will be more likely to see the title of the film and become more likely to watch it.
Bad Teacher (2011)
Comedy
Similarly, this trailer begins with an ident, displaying the conventional use of idents and also allowing the audience to recognise the producers and/or distributors. As the film is a comedy, there is up-beat music backing the snap-cut footage being used. The song used towards the middle of the trailer playing in the background is Beggin' by MADCON - this is a highly recognisable song which had been in the top charts and will appeal to a younger demographic, rather than older. The trailer initially starts with a basic introduction to the protagonist which is discovered from her actions and also from the title of the film. Again, as a younger demographic had more recently been at a school, they are more likely to be interested in viewing the film. Visual effects are used for when the text is displayed on the screen, with few transitions between the different shots throughout the trailer. By using these effects, the producers are more likely to maintain the interest of a younger demographic who due to recent technological advances, become easily distracted by items such as mobiles and anything related to the internet such as Facebook and Twitter. The events displayed in the shots throughout the trailer are not in chronological order, yet are still able to inform the audience on little details of the plot without giving away any crucial details which would destroy the meaning of watching the film. This ensures that the audience are drawn in and due to enigmatic tactics, are interested in watching the film to find out what was missing from the trailer. Due to the nature of the film presented in the trailer, it is evident that the target audience is roughly between 15 and 30 year olds of both genders. Again, with the characters used both genders are also drawn in - the protagonist is Cameron Diaz who will catch the attention of males, whereas Justin Timberlake is also introduced who will capture the attention of females. Furthermore, the footage used in the trailer uses comedic scenes which are more likely to appeal to a larger audience, especially at times when the economic state is bad, with credit crunches, etc.. Moreover, there is a recurring theme captured throughout the trailer which captures consistency. One could suggest that this conveys that the comedy is consistent throughout the film and ensure that more people will watch it.
Pan's Labyrinth (2006)
Fantasy
Immediately the audience are able to hear the theme song for the film which runs in the background - this backing music begins as the ident is shown, similarly to the other trailers which shows how conventional it is to do this. Additionally, for the same reasons as above, this is to attract a larger audience. Quick shots are used at the beginning of the trailer which change with each beat of the music; not only does this allow more shots to be used, but it also displays an amount of effort and thought gone into the trailer. Also, as the genre of the film is fantasy, doing this would suggest that the trailer is almost a fantasy world, with music working with the actions. There are also text captions shown which emphasise the genre of the film by stating 'What happens ... when make believe ... believes it's real?' This works with the shots used inbetween the text shots which shows an a fantasy world with a young girl who is the protagonist exploring it whilst reading from a book. However, the music then stops and a strong wind is heard whilst a dark shot is used of the girl walking on her own through this unknown and mysterious world. Dark music then begins to play when a fantasy monster is shown behind the girl after she had walked past - this enhances the mystery of the film and also causes the audience to become suspicious and feel the suspense. This is followed by the directors name and two famous works he had directed: Blade II and Hellboy. For audience members who have seen these films, they will know what quality of work to expect and may cause them to watch the film as they are already aware of what they enjoy. Quick-cut shots are used for the remaining running-time of the trailer with epic music. These shots capture the action side of the film with several dramatic shots from the film. However, there is very little giving the plot away to the audience, making the trailer enigmatic and mysterious to attract a wider demographic. It is evident from the trailer that this film is aimed at an older demographic, and has even been stated to be a 'fairytale for adults'. The trailer ends with the title of the film on-screen. By having these details at the end of the trailer, it is ensured that the audience are appealed and will remember the title of the film after all of the attention-grabbing shots used throughout.
Requiem for a Dream (2000)
Drama
The trailer for Requiem for a Dream starts - like the other trailers - with idents. Additionally, the trailer has a recurring theme running throughout the trailer, which captures a woman taking tablets for certain times of the day to be taken every day. For this part of the trailer only, the song from the film which is also known as 'Requiem for a Dream' is played. After this however, the trailer begins to use a large amount of fast-paced clips from the film, the majority of them snappy-cuts. Despite this, there are also a few transitions between clips such as fade. These shots and transitions capture the action of the film, yet the faded transitions also work well with the taking of the tablets, almost like an effect of them which is shared with the audience and places them inside the film. The fast-paced snappy shots gives the audience the idea that the film will also be fast-paced, intense and interesting. There is very little information of the plot given away throughout the trailer and it is extremely hard to work out the plot of the film without knowledge of the storyline. However, by doing this a larger demographic is attracted to the film because of the ambiguity and enigmatic footage manifested within the trailer. Towards the end of the trailer, text is placed above the image to explain to the audience how the film is based on the novel by Hubert Selby, Jr. Using the same effects, the audience are also informed of the director and his previous works. The trailer then repeats the tablet speech from the beginning of the film, capturing the consistency of the trailer and what can be assumed from this stage, the film also. Finally, the trailer ends with the title of the film being shown over an image with a character's head under water. At first, the shot appears to be very plain, however the character begins to scream underwater without any music playing in the background. This draws a large amount of attention to the end of the trailer and thus, the title of the film to ensure that people can be informed of the name of the film. The screaming can also be used to attract attention of those who are not paying attention to the television. The trailer then displays the date of released, followed by a screen of presenters, producers, actors/actresses and distribution names. This may attract a larger amount of people who did not find the trailer as interesting, if they have seen any works relating to the names given.
Labyrinth (1986)
Adventure
This trailer begins with an ident which the audience may recognise and can aid in appealing to those who have seen and enjoyed films distributed and/or produced by the same institution. The first track playing in the background is a song which is played during the actual movie, and in addition is also sung by the protagonist who is played by David Bowie. Not only does this film have the advantage of someone who can sing the soundtracks for the film, but also as Bowie is a highly recognised social figure for his acting, voice-over and dominantly his music, a fanbase will be attracted to watching the film. Additionally, Bowie has a distinguishable voice which is heard in the trailer causing the demographic to turn their heads to watch the trailer because of their recognition of the singer. As soon as the trailer starts, there is a voice over which initially begins to speak as text appears on screen. This text along with the voice-over mentions famous people who had aided in the production of the film - if there are people who have seen works related to these people and enjoyed them, like the other trailers I have analysed, the trailer will appeal even greater to them. As the trailer progresses, the music changes to another soundtrack from the film and the shots move from slow shots to more action-filled snappy cuts which consistently return to the shot of the protagonist running through the labyrinth. Again, the music changes when another voice-over with text is displayed to music which has a darker tone and the shots become more threatening action for the protagonist. Furthermore, after another text is shown mentioning David Bowie, the music changes to a slower track which is performed by Bowie, with the shots displayed capturing the fantasy side of this adventure film. Finally, the voice-over becomes consistent towards the end of the trailer which informs the audience of the genre of the film and emphasises how good the film is to view. This attracts more people to join the audience who view the film. Moreover, crucial details are excluded from the trailer which give away any details to the plot to keep the mystery of the film and the audience engaged, desiring to watch to the film to find out what happens - the title shown at the end of the film to ensure that the audience are aware of what the film is called.
Despite the idents shown at the start of the trailer, as displayed in the other trailers above, this trailer begins with an award which the film has won. The music instantly kicks in, which is a well-known song of the time by the Black Eyed Peas. Instantly the audience are thrown into fast-paced action shots to catch their attention. The screen then changes to black with a red font stating that the film is a Tarantino film. By using these colours together it is ensured that the audience are able to read the font. Additionally, red is known as an eye-catching colour which will aid in the grabbing of the audience's attention. Also, due to Tarantino's popularity for films he has previously produced, there will be a larger demographic consisting of a large amount of people who have seen and enjoyed other Tarantino films who will view this one with the set standards for their expectations of the film. In the background on top of the film after this point, there is speech taken from the film over several different shots which give away little detail about the film and create an enigma. The music soon changes to a slower paced song when again red text is shown on a black background which says: 'LOYALTY'. John Travolta is then speaking to himself in the mirror over the top of the music, and the shots begin to slow down into a more calm pace, opposing the beginning of the trailer. A few shots are then shown of Uma Thurman, yet the mirror speech is a recurrent theme as it then returns to Travolta speaking into the mirror before new text stating: 'BETRAYAL' shows. Again, the music changes to another slow paced yet sinister sounding song as another character is shown - this person is in the dark and faces away from the camera which displays mystery and suspense is created within the audience. A part of the storyline is given away before the next part of speech is shown with Bruce Willis who is being offered money to make a hit. 'CRIME' is the next text to manifest itself upon the screen, yet this time the music stays the same - this suggests that both betrayal and crime are linked within the film's storyline, giving away another crucial yet ambiguous detail of the film. As the trailer progresses, the shots are still slow paced in comparison to the beginning of the trailer, yet there is shooting and more action displayed within them than at the start. Later, the music soon stops abruptly, and Samuel L Jackson says: 'Oh I'm sorry, did I break your concentration?', capturing him to be a cynical comedic character in the film. This clip is separated from the rest of the trailer by two screens of red text on black background, this shows that his character contrasts from the rest of the characters, in addition to the text capturing a recurrent theme remaining throughout the entire trailer. Again, the music changes to a famous song which doesn't appear to fit the genre of the film, yet now the trailer is showing shots which appear to have comedy aspects to it and thus displaying a contrasting genre inside the genre of thriller to lighten the mood and attract more members of the audience to watch the film. A silence is soon apparent again, in which Travolta and Thurman are discussing 'uncomfortable silences', the first song from the trailer by the Black Eyed Peas is again played to show almost a circle of events. A voice over then names all of the actors playing parts as the characters within the film which due to their popularity within other films, will draw in more people to view the film who have seen the actors and actresses and enjoy their other works. Finally, the film ends with gunshots from Jackson and Travolta and this is hidden by the title of the film shown in large, bold capital yellow letters which captures the attention of the audience and ensures that they are likely to remember the title of the film. Distribution institutions are also shown which allow audiences who have seen other works distributed by them to know what they are to expect, and if their previous works are of a high, enjoyable standard, they will expect it from Pulp Fiction and become more likely to view the film.
This trailer begins with an animated ident which is altered to create a horrific effect which imitates the genre of the film and ensures that the audience are aware of the genre of the film before the trailer even starts. There is a sinister sound effect soundtrack which is played in the background, with a foggy animation and text which reads what the deep-voiced voice over is saying. Jolty, unclear images which are ambiguous to the audience until the storyline is revealed in the final product. Each of the shots used tend to fade into black before cutting to the next shot,
Pulp Fiction (1994)
Thriller
Despite the idents shown at the start of the trailer, as displayed in the other trailers above, this trailer begins with an award which the film has won. The music instantly kicks in, which is a well-known song of the time by the Black Eyed Peas. Instantly the audience are thrown into fast-paced action shots to catch their attention. The screen then changes to black with a red font stating that the film is a Tarantino film. By using these colours together it is ensured that the audience are able to read the font. Additionally, red is known as an eye-catching colour which will aid in the grabbing of the audience's attention. Also, due to Tarantino's popularity for films he has previously produced, there will be a larger demographic consisting of a large amount of people who have seen and enjoyed other Tarantino films who will view this one with the set standards for their expectations of the film. In the background on top of the film after this point, there is speech taken from the film over several different shots which give away little detail about the film and create an enigma. The music soon changes to a slower paced song when again red text is shown on a black background which says: 'LOYALTY'. John Travolta is then speaking to himself in the mirror over the top of the music, and the shots begin to slow down into a more calm pace, opposing the beginning of the trailer. A few shots are then shown of Uma Thurman, yet the mirror speech is a recurrent theme as it then returns to Travolta speaking into the mirror before new text stating: 'BETRAYAL' shows. Again, the music changes to another slow paced yet sinister sounding song as another character is shown - this person is in the dark and faces away from the camera which displays mystery and suspense is created within the audience. A part of the storyline is given away before the next part of speech is shown with Bruce Willis who is being offered money to make a hit. 'CRIME' is the next text to manifest itself upon the screen, yet this time the music stays the same - this suggests that both betrayal and crime are linked within the film's storyline, giving away another crucial yet ambiguous detail of the film. As the trailer progresses, the shots are still slow paced in comparison to the beginning of the trailer, yet there is shooting and more action displayed within them than at the start. Later, the music soon stops abruptly, and Samuel L Jackson says: 'Oh I'm sorry, did I break your concentration?', capturing him to be a cynical comedic character in the film. This clip is separated from the rest of the trailer by two screens of red text on black background, this shows that his character contrasts from the rest of the characters, in addition to the text capturing a recurrent theme remaining throughout the entire trailer. Again, the music changes to a famous song which doesn't appear to fit the genre of the film, yet now the trailer is showing shots which appear to have comedy aspects to it and thus displaying a contrasting genre inside the genre of thriller to lighten the mood and attract more members of the audience to watch the film. A silence is soon apparent again, in which Travolta and Thurman are discussing 'uncomfortable silences', the first song from the trailer by the Black Eyed Peas is again played to show almost a circle of events. A voice over then names all of the actors playing parts as the characters within the film which due to their popularity within other films, will draw in more people to view the film who have seen the actors and actresses and enjoy their other works. Finally, the film ends with gunshots from Jackson and Travolta and this is hidden by the title of the film shown in large, bold capital yellow letters which captures the attention of the audience and ensures that they are likely to remember the title of the film. Distribution institutions are also shown which allow audiences who have seen other works distributed by them to know what they are to expect, and if their previous works are of a high, enjoyable standard, they will expect it from Pulp Fiction and become more likely to view the film.
Halloween (2007)
Horror
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