Why is a Film Trailer Made?

Why is the film trailer made?

First of all, I am going to look at 3 different film trailers; 

·         Identity Theft

·         Oz the Great and Powerful
·         Robot and Frank

From looking at the titles first before viewing the clips, I wanted to see if I could guess the genre and content of the film/trailer from simply looking at the titles.

For Identity Theft I am guessing that it would be an action thriller film, something that would include some type of secret agent and a gang, it would be a film trailer that makes you tense but excited and make you want to see more. It would typically have such things as documents, computering systems/software and weapons shown within it, with some fighting.

When I then watched the trailer I realised I was completely wrong and it was actually a comedy.

For Oz the Great and the Powerful I gathered instantly that it was something that was to do with The Wizard of Oz due to the word Oz and that he is supposedly great and powerful. From this film you’d expect it to Disney with a lot of affects and be aimed at families as it would be a fantasy film.

From looking at the actual trailer, I understand that I was right when I thought it was a within the genre of fantasy and loosely based around the story of Oz, in fact it was the ‘other side’ of the story. It was a family film and it did use a lot of affects such as animation within it, which is typical of Disney family films.

Robot and Frank would most likely to be a sci-fi film that would be a high budget production.

I then watched it and realised it was a comedy about a man who gets a robot and then they become friends and plan a robbery.

The idea of a trailer is designed to raise the interest of a film that is soon to come out or is out at the time, this is so they are able to ensure their film gets the biggest audience they possibly can. Trailers are supposed to give you a taste of the film and what it is about but can also fit into more than one genre. 

When are trailers shown?

Most trailers are produced around the same time as the film is in editing, this is an important factor, it is important that it is shown far enough in advance to create an eruption of excitement for the release of the film, but ensuring it is not released so far in advance that by the time the film comes out, the film has been forgotten about.

I am going to watch the trailers;

Beautiful Creatures

And discuss;

     ·         What the main talking points of the trailer is, what creates the ‘buzz’
     ·         Why they have chosen to have them released and the time of the year that they are?

For the trailer of Beautiful Creatures, I felt that the main talking points of the trailer, the ones that would create the most buzz are the printed screen shots below, the first one is of the witch girl in the classroom, where classmates are being nasty to her and she blows the windows with her powers, I felt that this is a buzz point simply because it’s the first intense action scene and we weren't expecting it, and also the simple fact that she is a witch, which is something we haven’t seen on the big screen for a long time so will cause a lot of excitement. The second screen shot is of the words “A Curse”, although this shows no people and is so simple I felt it was one of the main talking points as it explains partially the story and shows it is dark. The third shot is of her and a boy kissing within a beautiful blossomed piece of land, this is a main point as it is something that will intrigue the audience in to the story and what it is about. The last talking point I screen shot, was of her mother looking evil with black stuff surrounding her making us see she is evil but then also intriguing us further into the story. In the background to this, we have a non-digetic soundtrack, which is of Florence and the Machine, this will also help to bring in a wider audience, people who like her music may then be interested in this movie as it shows that maybe Florence herself likes this too.

This film was released in the cinema (UK) on Wednesday 13^th of February 2013, this is most likely to do with the fact that there is a half term during February which works perfectly as their target audience is children, so this ensures they will get the bums on seats they want. It was released on DVD four months later in mid June, this is when kids will be breaking up for school which means they are able to watch this during their spare time and is a likely buy from parents to keep their kids quiet for a few hours!

When a trailer is being shown has a massive impact on how well the film does, that's why it is planned cleverly, a lot of films will come out a few months before the Christmas period so the DVD will come out in time for you to buy it for a family/friend, but there are also films that come out in cinema around the Christmas time when everyone is on holiday. So when the trailers are shown are important as it shows when it will be ready for release.

Deconstruction of Trance

Deconstruction of Trance focusing on Target Audience

 Shot type: This establishing shot is a wide, long tracking shot.

This shot type connotes freedom and happiness; the colours help to portray this too. It entices people as it is quite lad like behaviour and expresses the type of freedom we all want, but in particular males. The fact it is a tracking shot shows that this person is a fast paced person who is always on the go; this also creates a dreamy effect as if this is not what is to come.

Edit shot: This shot goes in to a low angle close up of him in the car, this adds to the idea that it is very dreamy, as if it were a memory rather than what is happening now. This idea is backed up by the next shot which is of him in a chair, we have close ups where we can see him sweating and a blurred out woman in the background, the colours are neutral whites which tell us he is in some kind of hospital or counselling place, it also shows us that there is something menacing underlying what is going on. This is shown more throughout the next shots which show him back in the car put from outside the car showing him tapping on the glass as if to get out and it shows his confusion, we instantly put this into the situation he is in in the hospital, this makes us in our heads make up our own scenarios intriguing the audience, it makes us think that he feels trapped and confused and is seeing someone about his mental state.

 Shot type: This is the establishing shot, this lets the audience know where this is all taking place and what the surroundings are like. It shows a busy city life, but focuses on one road which makes us think that maybe this road is significant as to the events that will take place within the film, but this is also usually a typical convention that typical thrillers or crime films have, so this helps us to define the genre in turn helping us to understand further the target audience.

Edit shot: This shot goes straight to him getting into what looks like a posh lift, this again reinforces the thriller/crime genre, as the “good guys” always seem to be wealthy. Also from the establishing shot we understand it is most likely that that place was within the city we saw which gives us the background and further understanding.

 

  

 Shot Type: This is a low angle wide close up; this allows us to see the facial expressions of the actors allowing an understanding of what is going on.

From this we can see more of what the genre is, this allows us to understand is it more aimed at men aged 25 and above. This appeals to its target audience because it shows violence. The fact that we can see that above is a big empty warehouse allows us to assume that this is a deserted place where the main actor is unable to escape from but also that no one knows he’s there. The background music used with the sound effects and the dialogue really heightens what is going on, which also helps appeal more to the target audience as it’s louder and harder hitting which creates the adrenaline rush that comes from the build-up of tension.

Edit shot: This goes on to have a range of shots which show more violence again appealing further to the target audience. The edits are very sharp and quick which also show the genre of a thriller more as it builds up the tension which is amplified by the build of the music.

  

 

 Shot type: This shot is a wide angled medium close up.

This shot is of the main character and the woman who we understand is trying to get into his head by has been employed by the people who want him dead, this is a typical convention we see in thriller and action movies where the “bad” woman gets into bed with the good guy, so from this we instantly understand this was a convention they used to appeal to their audience of predominantly males. These are the typical conventions for a male audience aged from 16+, it involves, violence, wealthy people, excitement and sex. Using this also helps to lure women in at the idea there may be some romance involved, but it is typically used for men, this is the kind of lifestyle they want and can use it to escape their own realities.

From this deconstruction, it is quite apparent it is mostly aimed at men from the age of 16, but is also aimed at women who like maybe the actors and the more romantic side to this. It uses typical conventions to grab its audience. The trailer was 2 minutes long and was filled with exciting things, this is something I will have to think about as this is the kind of genre I am interested in.