RESEARCH: HOW DO FILM TRAILERS FILL CINEMAS

Trailers are an extremely important tool in filling cinemas for potential films because it enables viewers to recieve a glimpse of the film without paying money to see it, and thus it generates excitement for the upcoming film through use of unseen footage

Each film has a unique selling point., which is used to depict the individuality of a film and/or provide a reason to see the film Using the Film Escape website the USPs of The Mummy, Baby Driver and Lady Macbeth, I viewed the trailers to identify their USPs.

THE MUMMY
The trailer shows the bandaged body of an ancient Egyptian mummy being transported in a US military plane, accompanied by Tom Cruise.  
It draws attention to the horror/supernatural elements of the narrative when the view from the cockpit mid-flight shows a swarm of bats engulfing the plane and threatening to destroy it. The trailer showcases classic spectacle and peril conventions as the pilot is unable to control the plane and the passengers are violently thrown about as the plane falls to the earth.

The mix of the modern setting as well as the fantastical ancient surroundings of the Mummy serves as the USP of the film. This crossover between the two is conveyed in the shot where a series of corpses lie wrapped in rows, like ancient mummies, in plastic sheeting in a laboratory. Narration is also used with the words "Welcome to a new Order of Gods" accompanied by visuals of a devastated landscape and close-ups of a terrifying mummy's face.

Another striking and innovative element is that the threat comes from a female antagonist: "Princess Ahmanet has come to claim what she has been denied". She is both ruthless and beautiful. Amid huge set-piece action spectacles such as desert battles, temple interiors and London's Westminster Bridge under attack, Princess Ahmanet in slinky outfits, tattooed face  and spiky fingernails (which is a fresh concept) battles it out with dashing Tom Cruise (traditional element) to claim the title of world victor.

BABY DRIVER 
At first glance, the film appears to be another standard action adventure heist film with a team of undersireable criminals banded together under the orders of the kingpin Kevin Spacey.
What makes it stand out is clearly evident in the title: the driver of the heist getaway car is the young baby-faced Ansel Elgort who is under an obligation to Kevin Spacey to work for his team until his debt is paid. He is confronted and shunned by many of his other team members for his timid appearance and constant listening to music, until he gets behind the wheel and proves that there is more to this character than meets the eye, through his extremely skilled driving dodging through busy roads and narrow allyways.


 

RESEARCH: WHEN ARE FILM TRAILERS SHOWN

Film trailers are usually created in the post production stage of  a film, ie during the time when the film is being edited. Timing the release of a trailer properly is crucial because it must be shown far enough before the film's release so that to raise excitement for the upcoming film to an audience, but not so far in advance that the films appeal has been forgotten about.


SNATCHED


In class we watched three trailers of upcoming films and discussed the 'buzz' that these very different trailers create. The trailer for Snatched (2017) deliberately creates a buzz for the summer due to its featuring of exotic locations and setting in Ecuador, which is known for its beautiful waterfalls and mountains but also for its high levels of crime and human trafficking.


The humour in the film is crucial to the film's success as it revolves around a daughter taking her mother to Ecuador with her to prove a point to her ex boyfriend that she is capable of having fun without him, but leads to the duo getting involved in kidnapping and robbery. The story would hypothetically resonate with young audiences who thrive for the scenario of gap-year holidays and long for the general excitement of such holidays, and would also resonate with older audiences who laugh at the stereotypes of an 'uncool' parent who stops the child from enjoying themselves, for example being "dressed like a beekeeper" to protect themselves from the sun.


The film promises to be an escapist film with wildly funny situations, but also a lesson on bonding between mother and daughter and female empowerment in many cases.

WONDER WOMAN


After watching the trailer for Wonder Woman, I gathered that the film is going to be very action packed and feature exotic locations, staggering set pieces, well choreographed fight scenes and a strong central character.


This film attracts traditional superhero audiences  who are familiar with the comic books due to its comic book action sequences, yet it will also appeal to female audiences as the film is the first female directed superhero movie (directed by Patty Jenkins) to star a female lead (Gal Gadot), thus making the film a staple for female empowerment






The trailer for the Beguiled presents its theme clearly: a small, claustrophobic community of young women ina  rural Mississippi find a wounded soldier in their grounds during the Civil War and nurse him back to health. An uneasy tension is created as Nicole Kidman says "the enemy is not what we think", as one of the girls in the family succumbs to the charm of the soldier (played by Colin Farrell) Jealousy erupts throughout the house and the plot hints at this rage building up with close ups of guns, locked doors and smashing of glasses.


This trailer could entice a female audience due to its strong presence of female characters.

RESEARCH: TRAILER STYLES

According to Dan Skinner of Film Space, different types of trailers and the style of a trailer heavily depend on a variety of factors. If a trailer is shown in a cinema then it caters to the same audience as the film it is being shown with. The purpose of this trailer will be to raise a number of questions that can only be answered when someone goes to watch the film. Dan Skinner explained that the style of a trailer depends on factors including where the trailer will be seen, who it will be seen by and how long the trailer is.


The Teaser Trailer: The Teaser Trailer is often the first glimpse that we will be given of a film and is usually very short in length, rangning from around 10 seconds to about 30 seconds.The Teaser Trailer often contains the best and most striking shots of the film to showcase the film with minimal information being given to the audience The purpose of a Teaser Trailer is less to summarise the story of a movie and more to excite the audience with a small glimpse of what the movie will look like, and also to raise excitement for the release of the actual trailer which will usually follow shortly after the Teaser Trailer.


The Main Trailer:  The Main Trailer gives a much deeper sense of the movie than a Teaser Trailer would, as it is far longer and includes more shots from the final film. The main trailer is usually split into a three act structure, having a beginning, a middle and an end. The beginning of a Trailer often introduces the protagonists and makes them feel more familiar to the audience. The middle of a Trailer then will often introduce the antagonists and will begin to shed light on the story or conflict of the film between the protagonists and antagonists. The end of the trailer will then mostly feature a montage that builds up to a climx before the title of the film is revealed. This uses as many shots as possibly to convey fast paced editing and is extremely exciting, effectively making an audience want to see more.


TV Spots: A TV Spot

WHERE ARE FILM TRAILERS SHOWN

Trailers are often shown at the cinema, on TV and with poster campaigns as well as being available on social media sites such as Facebook and Youtube. Dedicated Trailer webistes and official film websites also display trailers that have been cut for a general audience and are suitable for viewers of any age, which is different from trailers shown in cinema as these often relate to a specific target audience decided by the film in which the trailer is being shown

Generally speaking, when people watch TV they do not pay attention to the adverts, meaning that TV is not often the most effective place to show trailers. Trailers are also included in DVD's, and although the trailers are skippable, the fact that DVD's are often watched more than once is an advantage because it can lead to the trailer bein viewed multiple times. Trailers that are for films rated 18 are still given trailers that are shown to general audiences, which are extensively cut for general viewing, which can lead to dissatisfaction among the over 18 Target Audience. Also, the only downside to trailers being shown on Youtube is that unofficial uploads of trailers break copyright and are a form of piracy, which can lose the distribution company money. Taking this into account, I believe that the most effective way of showing trailers is the traditional method in cinemas, because of the fact that you are experiencing the film in a cinema with surround sound, which is more effective in achieving immersion to the audience than if it is simply viewed on social media on a small screen.

RESEARCH: OKJA TRAILER

On the 5th June, we went on to Netflix and viewed the trailer for Netflix original film Okja. As it is a Netfli Original, it is not released for cinematic screening. The film was nominated for a Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival 2017, but recieved controversy for its selection because it is a film without a cinematic release, with reports of both ceering and booing coming from the audience at the screening.


Cinematic trailers appear in front of films that are already being shown in order to attract a similar target audience. Cinema managers often jealously protect the window in which films are screened in order to make more money off ticket and food sales.

The film revolves around the conflict within the food industry and the debate of Animal Rights, as the film features strong themes of people being caught in the crossfire between animal activism, corporate greed and scientific ethnics. It was clear to me from the trailer that there was a conflict. For Claude Levi - Strauss, texts usually have eamples of binary opposition that display the difference and contrast between light and dark or good and evil. From this trailer, it is clear that audiences are invited to sympathise with the small innocent girl who, along with her cherished animal, takes on the might of corporate greed, personified by Tilda Swinton's character.




For Stuart Hall, the meaning of the text relies on the interpretation of the viewer. However for this film, the preferred reading wold be on the side of animal rights (on the side of the protagonists) partly because the little girl and her giant pet pig are so adorable. The trailer depicts establishing shots that romanticise the countryside and its serene, peaceful setting. The song 'dedicated to the one I love' plays throughout the trailer, and these words essentially capture the spirit of the relationship between the teenage protagonist and her giant pig due to its soft and loving lyrics. Narration is also used to oppose this with the voice and footage of Tilda Swinton's character, who talks about the importance of the animal 'tasting good'. A motivated edit then takes the protagonist to an empty shed, signifying that the animal has been kidnapped. The protagonist is often featured centre frame in the shots to signify her god qualities and importance to the story, but is shown to carry fierce love to her pet despite her timid appearance.

In keeping with all trailers, there is very little dialogue, often consisting of one liners so that is easy for the audience to understand. At one point in the trailer, Tilda Swinton grins with an evil smile, and says "its a shame we had to tell all those little white lies". Earlier, the spokeman for the animal activists tells the protagonist "we're going to Okja back". Trailers often need to build up to an explosive end. A series of hard cuts help to achieve this by quickening the pace of the trailer which is also signified by the action depicted becoming more intense and exciting, channeling action scenes in the final film. We are literally made to put our hands together for "the one, the only", with the trailer then ending and showcasing the title of the film

RESEARCH: WHAT IS A FILM TRAILER

WHAT ARE TRAILERS?


There are several elements to a marketing campaign for a film, from the trailer itself to posters in the street or on public transport, to online and viral marketing. The marketing campaign is designed to raise audience awareness and interest in a film in advance of, and during, its cinema release.

The trailer for a film is a method of advertising, and uses short clips of the film alongside music and titles of either actors or directors as a way to showcase the film to audience and generate buzz without giving too much of the story away.

I answered a Qustionnaire about the purpose of film trailers from the FilmScape website and then looked at the trailer for King Arthur: Legend of the Sword (2017) several times. From watching the trailer, it was clear to me the genre of the film (historical fiction with elements of fantasy) and the trailer conveys typical genre conventions such as high-production values, with extensive VFX, battles, quests, royal families and their enemies, romance and danger. It is a story I am familiar with as it is based (if loosely) on the Arthurian Legends of the Middle Ages, though it is almost consistently updated with new features to keep audience suspense, which is very much the case of this trailer which evokes mystery to both people who are familiar with the legends and people who aren't.

The trailer uses persuasive tactics such as Intertitles which creates excitement for the film through text such as 'from the director of Sherlock Holmes', which is persuasive as the director of Sherlock Holmes (Guy Ritchie) managed to create a world based off a classic well knwon story and update it for modern audiences, which proved very successful at the Box Office and spawned a sequel 3 years later in Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows (2011), thus proving he could adapt a story. Intertitles are also used to depict the cast, for example 'Charlie Hunnam', an actor well known to both British and American audiences through his roles in Sons of Anarchy and Vikings, which is persuasive to an audience who like to see films with actors they are familiar with.

RESEARCH: FILM EDUCATION: MAKING A MOCK TRAILER

A Trailer is a marketing tool made by the distributor to help a film reach its audience, and create excitement frfom an audience about the film for which the trailer is being shown. I have used the website Film Education in order to research the conventions behind trailers, and the website enabled me to male my own dhort trailer from an exisitng film (A Good Day to Die Hard, 2013)



In the trailer, i used fast paced editing to match the hard cuts with pieces of text that reveal the opening date of the film as well as the title to create suspense, along with a music track that was orchestrated and very fast paced


Watch my Film Trailer HERE