To start off the planning of my production I have taken the decision to seriously look into how I am going to go about filming my trailer. By the time I am due to start filming (in January) I will have my own camera and therefore I am going to use the spare weeks after I've acquired it to practise the different techniques that I can achieve so that I am ready and prepared to film the precise scenes that I want. Up until I get my camera I have decided to research and watch YouTube videos and tutorials; I want to ensure that I have the capabilities to make my work to the best standard that it can be. I will carefully select the tutorials that will improve my skills.
I have decided to study how to film nature as the basic concept I have in my mind means there is a strong possibility that I will be filming outdoors. If I am to film a variety of outdoor shots, I think it will be extremely useful if I can get some helpful tips. I am planning to film both night and day shots for my concept and so will be looking at a variety of videos. These will give me the opportunity to develop my skills in this area of filming and help produce new ideas for my work.
Although this video doesn't show the type of scenes or shots I want to create, it gives helpful tips on what to do and what not to do to try and achieve high quality, professional footage.
This short nature film gives me an insight into the possible shot types I can incorporate with nature. It shows a variety of shot types from extreme close-ups, close-ups and medium shots. Also, the smooth continuity of the footage
allows me to see the effect it has on making it look professional and well thought out.
Thursday, 27 November 2014
Monday, 24 November 2014
Target Audience Research - Finding the Conventions
The target audience for my trailer has been decided, but before I begin the in-depth planning of my trailer, film poster and website homepage, I think that it is appropriate for me to find out the specific conventions that my target audience alone want to see, this way I will have a clear idea of their expectations and can incorporate some of the most popular conventions into my work to help me attract my desired viewers.
My idea is to set up an interview to ask some individuals from my target audience what they associate with the thriller genre and also the conventions that they expect to see within a regular film trailer - overall this will help me conduct efficient target market research and enable me to ensure that I produce a trailer that will be suitable for them.
Below are the questions that I asked and the responses that I received. Each candidate is aged 15 and over so they are in my target audience group and there is also a balanced number of males and females making my interview is none gender biased whilst giving good representative results. I asked different people for every question (all participants were the ages of my target audience).
Question 1 - "When watching a thriller trailer, do you want the scenes included to show a good amount of the 'fast action' that takes place in the film or do you think it would act as a spoiler to the films story line?"
Answer 1 - "Personally, I would want the trailer to show clips of the main disruption in the film but only show a few clips and then that way it would make me want to see it more as I would want to know what this disruption is and
how it is sorted out."
Answer 2 - "I think the trailer should start off all calm and things to build up tension because then it makes the arrival of trouble more surprising and exciting. I would want to see clips of the trouble of the main thing that happens but I wouldn't want to see the villain - if there is one."
Answer 3 - "Yes although it would be better if the trailer just gave hints as to what happens but doesn't tell the audience straight out because then it would be worth going to see to find out what actually happens."
My conclusion - Due to these answers from my target audience, put together with the answers that I received from the general public and my personal opinion, for the structure and content of my trailer I am planning to show the setting and narrative as calm and controlled (known as the equilibrium in Todorov's narrative structure) as this is a good technique to use to build anticipation and suspense as the audience are expecting something to happen but they don't know when or what exactly.
Also in my survey, one of the reoccurring conventions I received was that people, not just in thriller specific trailers but all film trailers, want to see parts of the films main disruption yet they don't want to know why it happens or how it is solved as this acts as a spoiler.
I then plan to show parts of the disruption and recognition of the disruption, as this will help show the audience that something major does happen within the film making them want to go see the full film to see what happens.
Question 2 - "Are there any particular locations you think have to be in a thriller trailer or do you think it can be open to a variety of different locations?"
Answer 1 - "Most thrillers are set around the policing and detective sort of story lines and so there are usually a lot of scenes shown to be in police stations, police rooms, offices and in some cases inside prisons e.c.t but I don't think all thrillers have to involve the story line from the view point of police so it could show scenes anywhere depending on the sort of story line it is."
Answer 2 - "I think they can be set in any location, it just depends on what the narrative is"
Answer 3 - "For a trailer there will probably be quite a few locations if a lot of different scenes are being shown but there tends to be a lot of scenes centered in a city"
Question 3 - "What sort of shot types would you expect to see within a thriller film trailer?"
Answer 1 - " Establishing and long shots of the location to set the scene."
Answer 2 - "Close-up shots of facial expressions to show the response of characters to situations happening in the trailer."
Answer 3 - "Mixture of shots as long as the shot type best fits the thing that is going on in the scene."
Question 4 - "What type of music would you expect to hear in a thriller trailer?"
Answer 1 - "Tension and suspense should be created by the music so eery sounds"
Answer 2 - "Starts off slow to build tension and then get it to build up to a fast pace as the action starts happening"
Answer 3 - "Start off in silence and have loud thuds to start off with and go straight into the eery/spooky vibe"
Question 4 "What are other typical conventions that you like to see in a thriller video such as the typography e.c.t?"
Answer 1 - "Names of the actors included."
Answer 2 - "Text shown in-between the scenes."
Answer 3 - "Release date, name of the film shown, usually at the end."
Most popular conventions mentioned
My idea is to set up an interview to ask some individuals from my target audience what they associate with the thriller genre and also the conventions that they expect to see within a regular film trailer - overall this will help me conduct efficient target market research and enable me to ensure that I produce a trailer that will be suitable for them.
Below are the questions that I asked and the responses that I received. Each candidate is aged 15 and over so they are in my target audience group and there is also a balanced number of males and females making my interview is none gender biased whilst giving good representative results. I asked different people for every question (all participants were the ages of my target audience).
Question 1 - "When watching a thriller trailer, do you want the scenes included to show a good amount of the 'fast action' that takes place in the film or do you think it would act as a spoiler to the films story line?"
Answer 1 - "Personally, I would want the trailer to show clips of the main disruption in the film but only show a few clips and then that way it would make me want to see it more as I would want to know what this disruption is and
how it is sorted out."
Answer 2 - "I think the trailer should start off all calm and things to build up tension because then it makes the arrival of trouble more surprising and exciting. I would want to see clips of the trouble of the main thing that happens but I wouldn't want to see the villain - if there is one."
Answer 3 - "Yes although it would be better if the trailer just gave hints as to what happens but doesn't tell the audience straight out because then it would be worth going to see to find out what actually happens."
My conclusion - Due to these answers from my target audience, put together with the answers that I received from the general public and my personal opinion, for the structure and content of my trailer I am planning to show the setting and narrative as calm and controlled (known as the equilibrium in Todorov's narrative structure) as this is a good technique to use to build anticipation and suspense as the audience are expecting something to happen but they don't know when or what exactly.
Also in my survey, one of the reoccurring conventions I received was that people, not just in thriller specific trailers but all film trailers, want to see parts of the films main disruption yet they don't want to know why it happens or how it is solved as this acts as a spoiler.
I then plan to show parts of the disruption and recognition of the disruption, as this will help show the audience that something major does happen within the film making them want to go see the full film to see what happens.
Question 2 - "Are there any particular locations you think have to be in a thriller trailer or do you think it can be open to a variety of different locations?"
Answer 1 - "Most thrillers are set around the policing and detective sort of story lines and so there are usually a lot of scenes shown to be in police stations, police rooms, offices and in some cases inside prisons e.c.t but I don't think all thrillers have to involve the story line from the view point of police so it could show scenes anywhere depending on the sort of story line it is."
Answer 2 - "I think they can be set in any location, it just depends on what the narrative is"
Answer 3 - "For a trailer there will probably be quite a few locations if a lot of different scenes are being shown but there tends to be a lot of scenes centered in a city"
Question 3 - "What sort of shot types would you expect to see within a thriller film trailer?"
Answer 1 - " Establishing and long shots of the location to set the scene."
Answer 2 - "Close-up shots of facial expressions to show the response of characters to situations happening in the trailer."
Answer 3 - "Mixture of shots as long as the shot type best fits the thing that is going on in the scene."
Question 4 - "What type of music would you expect to hear in a thriller trailer?"
Answer 1 - "Tension and suspense should be created by the music so eery sounds"
Answer 2 - "Starts off slow to build tension and then get it to build up to a fast pace as the action starts happening"
Answer 3 - "Start off in silence and have loud thuds to start off with and go straight into the eery/spooky vibe"
Question 4 "What are other typical conventions that you like to see in a thriller video such as the typography e.c.t?"
Answer 1 - "Names of the actors included."
Answer 2 - "Text shown in-between the scenes."
Answer 3 - "Release date, name of the film shown, usually at the end."
Most popular conventions mentioned
- Show parts of the main disruption in the trailer but not too much to give away the entire films plot
- Location dependent on the sort of thriller story it is
- Villain of the film not shown
- Several different shot types of characters and locations
- Good tense music
- Continuity throughout with colours and music type e.c.t
- Actors named
- Text shown between scenes
- Name of the film at the end of the trailer
- Release date
Sunday, 23 November 2014
Choosing my Genre
The next stage of my research and planning requires me to determine the genre of my production pieces. The genre that I choose will not only be applicable to my main task of the film trailer, but also to my two ancillary tasks and therefore I should ensure that I choose a genre that I can achieve to the best of my abilities. From the research that I have already devised on my blog, I am confident that I am able to select the correct genre for myself.
My exploration of existing film trailers alongside the analysis’s I did for them has expanded and heightened my familiarity of the vast array of film genres notably. Additionally, the small survey which I issued out to my classmates enhanced my awareness of what I needed to take into serious consideration before deciding my final genre. The conventions that will be embodied into my film trailer will need to reflect and conform to the style that I choose if I am to successfully adhere to my coursework brief and engage with my target audience.
Below is my presentation in which I will clarify my genre choice and my reasoning behind it. Now that my genre is firmly selected I can proceed to the selection of my target audience as part of my research and planning which is another critical stage for me to complete.
Saturday, 22 November 2014
Target Audience Research Survey
Now that my genre has been firmly selected the next stage in my research and planning is trying to determine my target audience, this is a critical step as my work will have to reflect their interests. The conventions I use will determine whether I have been successful with my audience at the end of my coursework.
Additionally, once this survey has taken place I plan to send out another questionnaire or conduct an interview with my chosen group to then find out what conventions them alone want to witness in a thriller trailer, this way I can see what the differences are between all the suggested conventions of different age groups and whether age determines what they expect to see. For example, younger audiences might expect too much from a trailer because they want to see something immediately exciting or not give valid answers due to them not understanding the entire concepts of trailers to start with. Furthermore, another issue with the answers that I might get from a younger audience is that they may not fully understand what the thriller genre entails and can easily expect conventions of action films and horrors to make an appearance.
For this particular survey I received 21 responses which I will analyse below in this post.
Results for Question 1 - 'How old are you?'
As seen from the picture above, I received a relatively varied response from this question. This question was important for me to ask when looking at establishing my target audience because different ages have different perceptions and expectations of thrillers and what they should be/look like.
2 of the respondents were aged 12-15. I made this a category as nobody under the age of 12 should watch thriller as they are mostly certificated as 15's - it is rather rare for a thriller to be a 12A as most of these tend to just be action genres. I have to constantly refer to thriller films as well as the idea of a trailer because my trailer is essentially a thriller film broken down to specific parts to make the film look enticing in a short amount of time and I have to make it look authentic. I would not be able to produce a trailer if I were not looking into thriller films at the same time. Therefore, I will not be aiming my trailer at under 15's although I shall carry on analysing their responses in this post to show why my final decision is best.
Moreover, for the 15-18 category there were 8 answers, the 19-22 group had 6 responses and the over 22 category also got 6 responses.
Something I am taking into consideration is that the ages 18-22 are similar ages in that the respondents are all young adults and they tend to act similar and have similar lifestyle habits and in the context of films and trailer, they are open to all genres and thrillers are appropriate for them to watch.
Also, I made an over 22 category as people over the age of 22 obviously watch thriller and films, although they have a minimum age rating they don't have a maximum which means that older people would watch my film if I appealed to them and their personal interests.
Results for Question 2 - 'Are you male or female?'
My results aren't gender biased as the results were equal given that 10 of the participants were male and 11 were female. The 2 younger partakers, between the ages of 12-15 were both males and answered in the third question as thrillers not being their first choice of film genre which furthers my decision as appropriate that they are not my primary audience. Stereotypically, you could say that females are more likely to watch romantic comedy films whereas males are the primary audience for horror and action films but in fact, gender is not a main factor in films as much anymore, especially for an older audience, as both males and females watch a variety of different film genres - they usually decide what to watch based on how good the trailer for the film is.
Results for Question 3 - 'Do you enjoy watching thriller films?'
Out of all participants, only 1 said that they did not enjoy watching thriller films. This figure isn't big enough to be concerning at all and therefore it does not affect my results.
15 said that they did enjoy watching thriller films and 5 said they did but it wasn't there first choice. The 5 that answered that thrillers weren't their first choice also doesn't concern me as they clearly do like watching thrillers and so are still an audience to target.
Results for Question 4 - 'Do you watch a film's trailer before going to see the movie at the cinema?'
The results for this question were extremely helpful; 19 out of the 21 respondents said that they watch a films trailer before they go and see it at the cinema. None of the participants said that they do not watch a films trailer meaning that trailers are obviously an important element in peoples decisions to go see a film at the cinema. Only 2 people answered with 'sometimes' and these were both in the 12-15 category - this supports my idea that younger audiences don't fully understand the concept of trailers and usually go see a film just for fun and therefore pick any without any previous knowledge on it.
Results for Question 5 - 'Do you judge a film based on its trailer?'
17 people answered yes for this question, 1 no and 3 sometimes. This is a varied response although clearly the most popular answer is yes. The age of the respondents that answered 'yes' were all between the ages of 15-22 and over. This supports my idea of having a slightly older audience as they are more mature and will more than likely understand the narrative that I present in my trailer unlike younger people.
Results for Question 6 - 'In terms of a thriller, what do you expect to see in the trailer?'
There were a variety of answers for this question and all of them were in text format so I have listed all the answers in separate screenshots below.
From looking at all the comments I have concluded that I am going to make my trailer an age certificate 15 - this will give my trailer the best chance at being successful as older audiences will be able to follow the narrative and I will have the opportunity to include more mature themes within. I am not going to put a maximum age on my target audience specification because when it comes to films age is not a problem in terms of older age, not like it is with younger people. Therefore I will be targeting my trailer and ancillary products at males and females aged 15 upwards.
Additionally, once this survey has taken place I plan to send out another questionnaire or conduct an interview with my chosen group to then find out what conventions them alone want to witness in a thriller trailer, this way I can see what the differences are between all the suggested conventions of different age groups and whether age determines what they expect to see. For example, younger audiences might expect too much from a trailer because they want to see something immediately exciting or not give valid answers due to them not understanding the entire concepts of trailers to start with. Furthermore, another issue with the answers that I might get from a younger audience is that they may not fully understand what the thriller genre entails and can easily expect conventions of action films and horrors to make an appearance.
For this particular survey I received 21 responses which I will analyse below in this post.
Results for Question 1 - 'How old are you?'
As seen from the picture above, I received a relatively varied response from this question. This question was important for me to ask when looking at establishing my target audience because different ages have different perceptions and expectations of thrillers and what they should be/look like.
2 of the respondents were aged 12-15. I made this a category as nobody under the age of 12 should watch thriller as they are mostly certificated as 15's - it is rather rare for a thriller to be a 12A as most of these tend to just be action genres. I have to constantly refer to thriller films as well as the idea of a trailer because my trailer is essentially a thriller film broken down to specific parts to make the film look enticing in a short amount of time and I have to make it look authentic. I would not be able to produce a trailer if I were not looking into thriller films at the same time. Therefore, I will not be aiming my trailer at under 15's although I shall carry on analysing their responses in this post to show why my final decision is best.
Moreover, for the 15-18 category there were 8 answers, the 19-22 group had 6 responses and the over 22 category also got 6 responses.
Something I am taking into consideration is that the ages 18-22 are similar ages in that the respondents are all young adults and they tend to act similar and have similar lifestyle habits and in the context of films and trailer, they are open to all genres and thrillers are appropriate for them to watch.
Also, I made an over 22 category as people over the age of 22 obviously watch thriller and films, although they have a minimum age rating they don't have a maximum which means that older people would watch my film if I appealed to them and their personal interests.
Results for Question 2 - 'Are you male or female?'
Results for Question 3 - 'Do you enjoy watching thriller films?'
15 said that they did enjoy watching thriller films and 5 said they did but it wasn't there first choice. The 5 that answered that thrillers weren't their first choice also doesn't concern me as they clearly do like watching thrillers and so are still an audience to target.
Results for Question 4 - 'Do you watch a film's trailer before going to see the movie at the cinema?'
The results for this question were extremely helpful; 19 out of the 21 respondents said that they watch a films trailer before they go and see it at the cinema. None of the participants said that they do not watch a films trailer meaning that trailers are obviously an important element in peoples decisions to go see a film at the cinema. Only 2 people answered with 'sometimes' and these were both in the 12-15 category - this supports my idea that younger audiences don't fully understand the concept of trailers and usually go see a film just for fun and therefore pick any without any previous knowledge on it.
Results for Question 5 - 'Do you judge a film based on its trailer?'
17 people answered yes for this question, 1 no and 3 sometimes. This is a varied response although clearly the most popular answer is yes. The age of the respondents that answered 'yes' were all between the ages of 15-22 and over. This supports my idea of having a slightly older audience as they are more mature and will more than likely understand the narrative that I present in my trailer unlike younger people.
Results for Question 6 - 'In terms of a thriller, what do you expect to see in the trailer?'
There were a variety of answers for this question and all of them were in text format so I have listed all the answers in separate screenshots below.
Friday, 21 November 2014
Audience Theories
Considering that I have now determined my genre, I can focus on choosing the right audience to target. To achieve this I have decided to look into some audience theories, focusing on why audiences use the media texts and the dangers of them. This will help give me some detailed information on audience theories that I could apply to my work.
**add reception THEORY
**add reception THEORY
Friday, 14 November 2014
Public Survey - Film & Trailer Conventions
I used a website called SurveyMonkey to create a short questionnaire consisting of 3 questions.
I only needed a small amount of responses for this survey as I just wanted to get an idea of some of the conventions that real people expect to see within film trailers, this is why I made the questionnaire short. I also included genre specific questions such as questions 1 and 2 as I haven't chosen my genre yet and therefore the responses for these will help give me an idea of some of the conventions that they expect to see within the genre that they chose. Below are the questions that I asked:
My fellow classmates were my participants that I chose. They are between the ages of 17-18, which I know is a strict age range however I knew that they all had prior knowledge about films and a lot of personal experience with watching them, this meant that I knew their answers would be useful and they know what they are talking about.
After leaving the survey for a couple of days I collected all the respondents answers and analyzed the results which can be seen below.
I only needed a small amount of responses for this survey as I just wanted to get an idea of some of the conventions that real people expect to see within film trailers, this is why I made the questionnaire short. I also included genre specific questions such as questions 1 and 2 as I haven't chosen my genre yet and therefore the responses for these will help give me an idea of some of the conventions that they expect to see within the genre that they chose. Below are the questions that I asked:
My fellow classmates were my participants that I chose. They are between the ages of 17-18, which I know is a strict age range however I knew that they all had prior knowledge about films and a lot of personal experience with watching them, this meant that I knew their answers would be useful and they know what they are talking about.
After leaving the survey for a couple of days I collected all the respondents answers and analyzed the results which can be seen below.
 |
As we can see, out of 12 participants, 7 chose horror/thriller, 2 chose romantic comedies, 2 chose animated films, 2 chose comedies and a further 3 chose action. From this we can gather that the horror/thriller genre is the most popular within the 17-18 age range. This is something that I need to take into consideration as these two ages will more than likely be included in my target audience.
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| Here are some of the respondents answers to the final question about what they expect to find within a film trailer. Some of the responses were aimed at particular genre however most of them were for trailers in general. I can see clearly from these results what this group of people expect to find within a film trailer. |
There is a variety of answers although their is a common ground between them all. The re-occuring conventions that were mentioned were:
- Show some of the best scenes but not so many that it gives away the story line.
- Name of the film at the end of the trailer.
- A soundtrack featuring music conventional to that genre of film.
- Name of the actors.
Because of these I feel like these chosen conventions need to be highlighted by myself as this group all think that these particular things should be included.
My survey has helped me immensely as I now have some real life audience feedback and know what the most important things clearly are for my trailer. I will take these results into careful consideration as I will have to think about incorporating these conventions into my own work when I finally decide on my genre and target market.
My survey has helped me immensely as I now have some real life audience feedback and know what the most important things clearly are for my trailer. I will take these results into careful consideration as I will have to think about incorporating these conventions into my own work when I finally decide on my genre and target market.
Saturday, 8 November 2014
Action Plan (8th Nov - 15th Nov)
I decided to create a timeline in the form of another action plan to help me view the posts I plan to work on in the upcoming week. The action plan shows my ideas of partaking in surveys with society to get some audience feedback. I plan on doing these surveys on the conventions of trailers as this will give me a strong idea of what audiences expect to see within all trailers rather than just genre specific. After this I will be able to chose the conventions that apply to the genre that I end up deciding on as well as offering another survey out which will be a great help as the results at this point will be specifically just from my target audience.
Alongside these posts, I have planned to finish my last analysis's on existing trailers, Once my existing trailer research is finished I will conclude on what I have found out and how this information has helped me as well as choosing my genre. Once my genre is chosen I can begin research which is genre specific and this will lead me nicely into the beginning of my ancillary products research also. My plan is due to start on the 8th November and I am going to continue to finish all these posts by the deadline of 15th November.
Alongside these posts, I have planned to finish my last analysis's on existing trailers, Once my existing trailer research is finished I will conclude on what I have found out and how this information has helped me as well as choosing my genre. Once my genre is chosen I can begin research which is genre specific and this will lead me nicely into the beginning of my ancillary products research also. My plan is due to start on the 8th November and I am going to continue to finish all these posts by the deadline of 15th November.
Tuesday, 14 October 2014
British Board of Film Censors
Otherwise known as the British Board of Film Classification, this institutions aim is to try and protect children from unsuitable or harmful content in films. They decide which age rating is most appropriate for a film and therefore society, mostly parents, use these as guidelines as to what is appropriate for their child/children to watch. There are several types of categories for the age ratings which are:
Firstly, 'U' stands for Universal. A U film means that the content within a film is suitable for all ages. Despite the board deeming a film suitable for all they cannot predict what may or may not upset of scare a child so it is for the parents to have the final say in whether it is suitable for their child to watch. If a film is rated U, then the symbol above will appear alongside it. In terms of my own work, I will have to give it a target audience and then give the trailer a classification to show that it suitable for them to watch. I will only be able to give my trailer this rating if the content is suitable for children. Genres that are made with children in mind such as animations tend to be popular with this rating due to films such as Finding Nemo and Shrek.
The board only allow mild language such as the word 'damn'. There also is no focus on sexual behaviour as acts such as cuddling or kissing is the most that they show.
As you can see from the list, people under the age of 15 are not permitted to view films with such content. There can be a lot of scenes involving sex and frequent use of profanity as well as violence and even 'gory' scenes when it comes to thrillers and horrors.
18 rated films are not suitable for children in any way - they are strictly for adults only. There are a variety of issues included in 18 films such as:
18 works are for adults and can contain strong issues including extremely strong violence, frequent strong language, sexual activity and violence, strong horror, disturbing story lines, strong horror with blood and gore and offensive language and behavior.
- U
- PG
- 12A and 12
- 15
- 18
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| http://www.bbfc.co.uk/what-classification/u - image accessed on 13/10/14 |
Firstly, 'U' stands for Universal. A U film means that the content within a film is suitable for all ages. Despite the board deeming a film suitable for all they cannot predict what may or may not upset of scare a child so it is for the parents to have the final say in whether it is suitable for their child to watch. If a film is rated U, then the symbol above will appear alongside it. In terms of my own work, I will have to give it a target audience and then give the trailer a classification to show that it suitable for them to watch. I will only be able to give my trailer this rating if the content is suitable for children. Genres that are made with children in mind such as animations tend to be popular with this rating due to films such as Finding Nemo and Shrek.
The board only allow mild language such as the word 'damn'. There also is no focus on sexual behaviour as acts such as cuddling or kissing is the most that they show.
 |
| http://www.bbfc.co.uk/what-classification/pg - image accessed on 13/10/14 |
This symbol represents films that are classed as needing 'parental guidance'. This means that the film is suitable for children to watch although they may require a parent present during some scenes which could possible be upsetting. PG films are not suitable for children under the age of 8 and therefore just like the Universal guideline, parents will have to decide based on their child alone that it is suitable for them to watch it. I would give this rating to my trailer if the content was not likely to upset children over the age of 8. Therefore, genres such as thrillers and horror would not be in this category. Examples of films that have the PG certificate are The Chronicles of Narnia and E.T.
Films rated PG will not contain any disturbing or strong narratives. There is no strong language or scenes that are unsuitable for children's nature. They don't deal with inappropriate issues as they will only maybe show clips that could involve bullying or bereavement. An example would be Finding Nemo, it deals with bereavement as Nemo's mother is killed and it has issues of bullying when others pick on him because of his different fin. Despite it being rated a U it has PG themes which is why it is up to the parents to decided if their child is able to watch it.
Films rated PG will not contain any disturbing or strong narratives. There is no strong language or scenes that are unsuitable for children's nature. They don't deal with inappropriate issues as they will only maybe show clips that could involve bullying or bereavement. An example would be Finding Nemo, it deals with bereavement as Nemo's mother is killed and it has issues of bullying when others pick on him because of his different fin. Despite it being rated a U it has PG themes which is why it is up to the parents to decided if their child is able to watch it.
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| http://www.bbfc.co.uk/what-classification/12a-and-12 - image accessed on 13/10/14 |
A 12A film contains material that is not suitable for any child under the age of 12 unless they have an adult watching it with them. Film's rated 12 are available for children of this age to go see it on their own unlike a 12A where they would have to view with a relative or another adult. There is some language used in 12A and 12's but only moderate swear words. Sex is not shown in 12A's or 12's , however, it is briefly and discreetly referenced or implied such as kissing scenes e.c.t. Sexual violence can be implied yet it must have a strong justification and context for it to be happening.
Some horror films can be classed as 12A's and 12's however these are usually a children's version of ' horror' and do not contain any frequent scary scenes or a disturbing story line. These films are usually thrillers and involve children going on an adventure and are only called 'horror's ' because adult horrors are enticing to children and by giving them their own version of horrors it can make them less likely to want to watch ones rated 15 or 18.
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| http://www.bbfc.co.uk/what-classification/15 - image accessed on 13/10/14 |
According to the British Board of Film Classification this is what is included in a 15 rated film.
What might I see in a 15 rated film or video?
Any of the following:
- strong violence
- frequent strong language (e.g. 'f***').
- portrayals of sexual activity
- strong verbal references to sex
- sexual nudity
- brief scenes of sexual violence or verbal references to sexual violence
- discriminatory language or behaviour
- drug taking
As you can see from the list, people under the age of 15 are not permitted to view films with such content. There can be a lot of scenes involving sex and frequent use of profanity as well as violence and even 'gory' scenes when it comes to thrillers and horrors.
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| http://www.bbfc.co.uk/what-classification/18 - image accessed on 13/10/14 |
18 rated films are not suitable for children in any way - they are strictly for adults only. There are a variety of issues included in 18 films such as:
18 works are for adults and can contain strong issues including extremely strong violence, frequent strong language, sexual activity and violence, strong horror, disturbing story lines, strong horror with blood and gore and offensive language and behavior.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Board_of_Film_Classification
Sunday, 12 October 2014
Saturday, 11 October 2014
Media Theories Part 5 - Barthes 5 Narrative Codes
Roland Barthes (1915) was a French literary theorist, philosopher, critic, and semiotics (study of cultural signs and symbols) Barthes suggested that there are 5 codes that can be used to describe a text. He said that texts are either open or closed. Open being that it is unraveled in a lot of ways and closed is described as there only being one thread to pull on so to say. Although Barthes used these codes for written text they can be applied to film trailers. The 5 codes are as follows:
Enigma Code
Barthes stated that if a text had enigma codes then it had mystery. There are clues given but no clear answers are given. This sort of code in a text builds the audiences anticipation and leaves them wanting more. Enigma codes can be frustrating to viewers, for example, usually horror and thriller trailers have these as they can show disruptions and murders although you do not know what has caused them e.c.t. This code can solve and set puzzles within a narrative.
Action Code
This code builds up tension, similar to the enigma code. An action code refers to any other action or events that indicate that something else it going to occur, this makes the audience guess as to what will happen next. The enigma and action code usually work together to develop the anticipation being created within a text which keeps audiences interested. In terms of trailers, we can see examples of action codes as in a variety of genres we see several scenes building up to one big main scene, for example, in a horror there could be a scene that it relatively quiet yet the music is building up followed by some suspicious behavior in the clip where the audience might think that something is going to make them jump.
Semantic Code
The semantic code refers to the connotations within a text that give extra meaning to the literal meaning of something. There are endless semantic codes within trailers, particular costumes characters, objects and settings represent something beyond the visual aspect. For example, what does the costume of a particular character say about them? Why are they dressed like that? e.c.t.
Symbolic Code
The symbolic code is similar to the semantic code although it is more diverse. It looks further than semantic codes and looks at deeper meanings of things.
Referential Code
Also known as the cultural code, it deals with texts that refer to common bodies of knowledge which could be scientific, cultural or historical.
Enigma Code
Barthes stated that if a text had enigma codes then it had mystery. There are clues given but no clear answers are given. This sort of code in a text builds the audiences anticipation and leaves them wanting more. Enigma codes can be frustrating to viewers, for example, usually horror and thriller trailers have these as they can show disruptions and murders although you do not know what has caused them e.c.t. This code can solve and set puzzles within a narrative.
Action Code
This code builds up tension, similar to the enigma code. An action code refers to any other action or events that indicate that something else it going to occur, this makes the audience guess as to what will happen next. The enigma and action code usually work together to develop the anticipation being created within a text which keeps audiences interested. In terms of trailers, we can see examples of action codes as in a variety of genres we see several scenes building up to one big main scene, for example, in a horror there could be a scene that it relatively quiet yet the music is building up followed by some suspicious behavior in the clip where the audience might think that something is going to make them jump.
Semantic Code
The semantic code refers to the connotations within a text that give extra meaning to the literal meaning of something. There are endless semantic codes within trailers, particular costumes characters, objects and settings represent something beyond the visual aspect. For example, what does the costume of a particular character say about them? Why are they dressed like that? e.c.t.
Symbolic Code
The symbolic code is similar to the semantic code although it is more diverse. It looks further than semantic codes and looks at deeper meanings of things.
Referential Code
Also known as the cultural code, it deals with texts that refer to common bodies of knowledge which could be scientific, cultural or historical.
Friday, 10 October 2014
Thursday, 9 October 2014
Media Theories Part 2 - Vladimir Propp's Narrative Functions
'Vladimir Propp was a Soviet folklorist and Scholar who analysed the basic plot components of Russian folk tales in the 1920's to identify their narrative elements' - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vladimir_Propp
Propp broke down the tales that he studied into the smallest parts he could, he called this the narratemes, or the more common phrase, narrative functions and claimed this was necessary for a narrative to exist. Each narrateme is an event that drives the story forward and can take it in a different direction. The functions he came up with do not appear in every narrative however, they always appear in the same order. Propp gave 31 functions that make an appearance in every narrative he analysed and these functions were as follows:
Despite Propp's theory being based on folk russian tales in the 1920's they can be applied to modern films today. The narratives of films obviously appear in their trailers and therefore the Propp's narrative and character functions can arise.
Propp broke down the tales that he studied into the smallest parts he could, he called this the narratemes, or the more common phrase, narrative functions and claimed this was necessary for a narrative to exist. Each narrateme is an event that drives the story forward and can take it in a different direction. The functions he came up with do not appear in every narrative however, they always appear in the same order. Propp gave 31 functions that make an appearance in every narrative he analysed and these functions were as follows:
- A member of a family leaves home. This is where the hero is introduced as a unique person within the village or tribe, whose needs may not be met by remaining.
- A command to not do something, for example, "Do not go there" is given out to the hero.
- The hero ignores the command.
- The villain of the story appears and tries to find the jewels/treause/children and intended victim encounters the villain.
- The villain gets information about the victim
- The villain tries to deceive the victim to try and take possession of the victims belongings i.e - tries to trick the victim.
- Victim ends up being fooled by the villain and therefore the victim mistakenly helps the enemy.
- The villain causes harm or catastrophe, which in the folk tales Propp studied could have been abduction, stolen magical agent, ruining the village, casts a spell on someone, commits murder, threatens everyone, imprisons someone or even provide nightly torments. However, there is an alternative here which Propp replaces with this with a member of a family lacks or desires something (magical potion e.c.t.)
- Misfortune or lack is made known and hero is dispatched or hears calls for help e.c.t, or alternatively the victim/hero is freed from imprisonment.
- Seeker agrees to, or decides upon counter-action.
- Hero leaves home.
- Hero is tested, interrogated or attacked. Prepares way for the receiving of the magical agent or helper (donor)
- The hero reacts to actions of the future donor.
- The hero gets the magical use of the agent (it is either directly given, located, made, purchased, suddenly appears, is eaten or drunk, or even offered by other characters.
- Hero is transferred or led to the whereabouts of the object of the search.
- Hero and the villain join in direct combat.
- Hero is wounded.
- Villain is defeated.
- Initial misfortune or lack is resolved (object of search distributed, spell broken)
- Hero returns.
- The hero is pursued (pursuer tries to kill hero)
- Hero is eventually rescued from the pursuit.
- Hero unrecognized, ends up somewhere else, lost.
- False hero presents unfound claims.
- Difficult task is presented to the hero.
- Task is resolved.
- Hero is recognized most likely by an object given to them.
- False hero or villain is finally exposed.
- Hero is given a new appearance.
- Villain is punished.
- Hero marries and ascends the throne or is rewarded/prompted.
- The hero - essentially the one who saves the day.
- The villain - tries to overcome and get rid of the villain.
- The donor - prepares hero by giving object of some sort.
- The helper - helps the hero in their quest.
- The princess - a sought-for person and usually her father.
- The dispatcher - tries to make the lack or problem made clear and send hero.
- The false hero - claims to be the hero.
Wednesday, 8 October 2014
Tuesday, 7 October 2014
Existing Trailers - What If (Romantic comedy genre)
'What If' is a new romantic comedy released in 2014. I want to analyse this trailer in particular because it does a good job of clearly showing the codes and conventions of the hybrid genre of romance and comedy. This trailer will give me a good clear insight into what this genre entails and some of the things I will need to achieve if I were to pursue this genre for my own work. The mise-en-scene, sound, editing and camera techniques work together to bring all aspects of the genre into the audiences focus.
Firstly, the mise-en-scene plays a big part in the trailer, as it does it in every trailer for a film. The lighting throughout is bright placing the characters in a positive atmosphere in every scene. It is extremely conventional within a romantic comedy story line to have a barrier between the two lovers in the film - which in this case is the fact that the female protagonist has a boyfriend. Despite the first half of the trailer showing the main two protagonists agreeing to be nothing more than friends, it is explained further through other characters that this is basically just a test to see if the man and woman can be friends without falling in love. Even though that is a big part of the story line the audience already know before the trailer introduces it that the two characters are going to fall in love. Even though this seems like a spoiler, the typical audience for romantic comedies (teenage girls and women) go to watch the film at the cinema with the intention of seeing a film with this ending. They want to see a film knowing that the two protagonists end up together because it's not so much the ending that is the part they want to see, they want to see how the characters get to that point.
All the characters wear simple and original clothing which so called 'normal' people wear every day, this adds a sense of realism drawing the audience into the film. The props used are nothing more than ordinary items that you would find in the various settings, there are normal items in the kitchen, living rooms, bedrooms and in the city and streets they pass through, further creating a realistic situation. Moreover, the settings are also ordinary for the setting of New York with scenes taking place on the streets, in restaurants and apartments and baseball games which is one of the main conventions of New York.
The sound throughout the trailer is extremely conventional and portrays the romantic comedy genre clearly by having a mix of light upbeat tones and always more rhythmic fast paced sounds. However, the trailer does not start off by sound straight away. We see the the 'CBS Films' name first transition onto the screen while a timer sound plays in the background, it moves off the screen to the rhythm and then as the timer sounds reaches it's end and 'chimes' we see the first clip of the trailer. This sound is a quirky way of opening the trailer as the first scene is one of the characters making himself nachos which he does as the sound of the timer goes off, giving the impression that the sound is linked obviously to that scene. No music plays as the character says "I've just had sex and I'm about to eat Nachos - it's the greatest moment of my life" which emphasizes the comedy of this line and therefore introducing the comedy and lightness of the film straight away. It is extremely important to show the genre of your trailer as soon as possible to allow yourself the opportunity to grab your target audiences attention as soon as possible.
At 2:09 - there is the first sign that the two protagonists have a romantic moment together and this is when the music slows down and changes from the lighthearted tone. It then begins to pick up and has a more dramatic feel to it as the trailer shows several text scenes and in between them a snippet of footage - the more dramatic music is suitable as these scenes are showing the more romantic side of the genre rather than the comedy as the more serious disruption of the equilibrium is shown (the female protagonist leaving).
 |
| Examples of the text scenes they use between the scenes. |
There is a variety of shot types, particularly close-ups and medium shots. The close-up shots in the trailer are used to convey the emotions of specific characters and their reactions to things that happen in the film. The trailer chooses to show the close-up shots of characters in the scenes that they include because it allows the audience to connect with the character on a more personal level as they can see traits of their personality in their reactions and body language. It also gives the viewers a clear idea on what the characters look like so they have a vague idea of the main cast before they see the film. Moreover, medium shots are used to show situations between characters at a closer level. For example, a medium shot of the main two protagonists walking down a street is used as you can see them interacting more closely.
As we can see from the previous analysis's, appearing text in the trailers are normal conventions that the audience expect to see. They help make the trailer for dramatic and also help aid the viewers understanding of the genre and story line. The typography is very simple and uncomplicated to fit in the with the scenes more naturally. As you can see from the pictures further above, the colour scheme and font remain the same for each text scene to keep up the smooth continuity. The pale choice of colours represent the lightness and comedic aspects of the genre as well as being seen as more 'feminine colours'.
Monday, 6 October 2014
Existing Trailers - Pirates of the Caribbean 4 (Adventure & Fantasy Genre)
Pirates of the Caribbean is a film series based on the adventures of the main protagonist, Jack Sparrow, portrayed by film star, Johnny Depp. The genre of the film conforms to both adventure and fantasy mainly with other sub-genres such as comedy. The film trailer shows the conventions of all these genres clearly by choosing certain scenes, editing techniques, shots and music to get this across to their audience.
The film trailer includes everything you would expect from this genre, the narrative contains mythical and supernatural creatures such as zombies, the undead, mermaids and also mythical narrative elements such as treasure maps, trying to find magic potions and trying to find spells e.c.t. Furthermore, the setting fits into this genre given that it is set in exotic locations which this one clearly is. Overall, the trailer has made it extremely obvious to the audience that the genre is a hybrid of fantasy and adventure through their combination of establishing and long shots of the locations as well as close-ups and surrounding the narrative with all the mythical elements you would expect to find.
The mise-en-scene in the trailer is consistent with the content and story line. The costumes are authentic with the era and they are realistic when it comes to specific characters, for example, they pirates that are lower in rank than the captain wear less clothing and wear simpler garments with plain colours, whereas Captain Jack Sparrow is dressed more 'fancy' clothing to show he is higher up and has a more important role in the film. Moreover, the female characters are dressed the same as the male characters which is conventional; at that time given that women did not usually appear in those situations with gender roles being tight and strict.
The lighting throughout is various as it depends one which parts of the film they are showing. In the scenes where they are showing humorous parts the lighting is bright to represent this tone, however, at parts such as 1:01 and 1:58 the lighting is dimmer and darker with the surrounding colours being bland and dark to convey the seriousness as well as the tense atmosphere as the scenes involve fighting and discovering.
The sound in the trailer is varied. At the beginning of the trailer the main character, Captain Jack, addresses the audience personally however remains in his role in the film and keeps the narrative going. He explains how he is looking for a new crew to go on an expedition, the way he addresses the viewers and talks to them brings them into the film and grabs their focus instantly. This is a unique technique as it interests the audience and starts the trailer off in a light-hearted way by not starting with action and violence straight away. Whilst the character is talking there is slow and faint music playing in the background, it is an upbeat tone and progresses in volume as the trailer moves on. At the end of his monologue there is an example of caesura - the use of a dramatic pause in music and often a fade to black transition to emphasize something, which in this cases it is used to emphasize the start the adventures shown in the rest of the trailer. After this fade to black and silence there are several intense 'drops' of sound and as each one starts an image appears to make the introduction to the settings more dramatic and atmospheric. The music changes to a slow, intense sound as a dark voice narrates. This narration is accompanied by a series of establishing and medium shots of scenery to focus the audiences attention on the setting of the film. They choose to show establishing shots of islands, medium shots of waterfalls and close-up shots of the ocean to make it clear that the story takes place in a tropical setting.
The editing towards of the end of the trailer is short and fast as the music grows to a faster pace which is conventional as they are showing a lot of scenes in a short space of time to build up the viewers anticipation. The editing pace is slow and steady at the start of the footage as it is easing the the audience into the trailer and introducing the story. Towards the end, the music has built up and the scene cuts to a sudden logo hitting the screen. The logo is a conventional one for pirates and therefore is viewers can make this connection with the film. Also, an editing technique has been used as the title of the film has a sudden reflection along with a matching sound of swords to conform to the pirate theme and the pirate logo in the background (this is at 2.58).
Moreover, the typography conforms to the genre as it is a script, rough, handwriting font which matches the way people used to write in them days. They have used the silver to match the colour of swords, other weapons and possible treasure further matching and hinting at their genre. The last scenes that are on are a list of names of the well known actors that are featured in the film as people will more than likely know who they are and it may make them want to see the film more.
To conclude, by analyzing this trailer as my adventure and fantasy genre research I am now confident in what this genre includes and the type of narrative it involves.
Sunday, 5 October 2014
Existing Trailers - The Perks of Being a Wallflower (Comedy-drama & coming-of-age)
If the trailer in the presentation does not work, please watch here:
Saturday, 4 October 2014
Wednesday, 1 October 2014
Existing Trailers - As Above, So Below (Horror Genre)
This is a film trailer for As Above, So Below. Released in 2014 it is a fresh, new horror and thriller which I am going to analyse to help further my understanding of what the conventions are for this genre.
The film is classed as a thriller as there is little 'guts and gore' so to say. However, it is partly horror due to the frightening nature throughout. This makes As Above, So Below, a hybrid.
The film trailers shown on YouTube slightly differ from the trailer of the film that they show on the television. Although the content is the same, whilst watching it online there is an extra clip of text right at the start before the footage is shown. The white text sits in front of a green background - it appears the exact same on every trailer shown on the web. It essentially for more legal reasons by saying that the Motion Picture Association of America has deemed the trailer acceptable to show. This is obviously important to show as it allows us to see that the trailer has been examined and verified so we instantly know that it is suitable for watching.
Straight away we see an editing skill as at 0.06 - as soon as the trailer begins - an effect has been used to make the screen 'crackle' and 'flicker' as if you have just switched on a video, this idea is further supported by the non-diegetic sound effect which people relate back to the idea of something technological crackling. It is followed by a close-up shot of a young female presenting herself which relates to the effect they used to introduce her in the scene as it all makes the viewer feel like they are being directly spoken to. This immediately immerses into the scene and keeps their attention because they are focusing on this character. Furthermore, it is followed by a medium shot of her dancing around however the camera films her from a direction which makes it clear that she isn't focusing and is being caught off-guard, giving it a documentary, amateur style. There is no sound support this short sequence which ensures that attention is fixated on what is being shown and also to make the start of the music more dramatic. As the trailer goes on the music gets more intense as more sounds within the piece are introduced. The composition continues to build up in pace fitting in with the more intense and scary clips that they are showing from the film. The music played within a film trailer is important as it is a major contributor to the audiences emotions and reactions to what they are seeing. The music used can give the viewers the exact atmosphere you want them to experience and evoke the emotions you are wanting them to feel - in this case the music is attempting to evoke the 'on edge' feeling from viewers.
Secondly, we see the iconography of the Universal Studios trademark. The audience will usually instantly recognise this if they have seen films by the Universal Studios company before. As this is being shown we experience our first sound. A piece of slow music starts off in a deep pitch making the feeling more intense, this juxtaposes the happy, energetic female we were shown in the previous scene and therefore this introduces the idea of a darker narrative. After the Universal icon there is a fade to black to make the transition smoother as they move into more of the footage from the film. The fade to black is followed by an establishing shot of Paris which the director has made obvious by showing the iconic landmark of the Eiffel Tower. Now the audience know where the film is set they start getting more of a feel for the film. The same piece of non-diegetic music is being played throughout ensuring the audience are still immersed and keeping up their senses.
All throughout the trailer there is an alternation in the camera style, showing footage which has been filmed by the camera men on set and then scenes which have been filmed using the handheld technique to give the impression of one of the group members filming their adventure. You can tell when the handheld technique is being used as the camera is more rough and unsteady, also, the characters look directly into the camera as they know they are being film whereas they don't make eye contact with the regular cameras on set for it would make the entire film unrealistic.
Constantly throughout the trailer the genre is never lost. We are always being reminded of what the film entails and what genre they are giving off. An example is the fact that at 0.37 seconds, there a shots, one after another, of human skulls and bones.
At time 0.20 some text appears on the screen.This is extremely conventional for any film trailer to have text flowing through the trailer as it gives extra information that gives the audience more of an understanding about the film and its content. Typography is also cleverly used and planned as the way the text appears on screen keeps up the continuity of the trailer - it fits and keeps the same feel as all the previous scenes by abruptly flashing on screen, the same sort of flashing effect we saw at the beginning on the footage. The sentences flash up on the screen which resembles a light flickering on and off, this is complimented by the greenish yellow colour of the text supporting the dark theme occurring throughout. This is giving the sign of the horror genre as is it conventional for both slow and quick editing within scenes and their transitions to appear as it reflects the narrative ideas of sanity and insanity, calm and frantic e.c.t.
Subsequently, at 1:54 we see another example of text shown. It reads 'This August' which obviously tells the audience when the film will be coming out in cinemas for them to watch. It is appropriate to put this information in the middle of the scenes as this screen on text is usually followed by another scene from the film quickly, before another set of text comes on reading a follow on sentence to try and get the more of a reaction from the people watching. The follow on sentence in this specific case is, 'your past', followed again by a quick scene before the sentence carries on to read 'will haunt you'.
Furthermore, there are a lot of fade to black transitions which reflects the genre as it not only allows for a smooth movement yet makes the different scenes have a more tense ending and way of starting. Consequently, there is a varied use on camera shots including:
- Establishing shots - used to show locations.
- Close-up shots - used in a lot of horror genres to show reactions of characters to events, the audience can interpret the oncoming scenes based on a characters face/body language/reaction.
- Extreme close-ups - these can be used to show aftermath of a situation such as blood, bodies, weapons e.c.t.
- High angle shot - one of the most conventional and most used shot types in the horror and thriller genre. Used mostly in murder scenes or attacks to place a character in a vulnerable, weak position in opposition to another character.
- Low angle shot - used in this trailer to give the characters power in the situation.
Towards the end of trailer we see the title of the film appear. The typography conforms to what we have been shown already. The words 'As Above...' are in chalky white which contrasts with the blood red colour of the rest of title, '...So Below'. At the same time, behind the text we see a red symbol appear which is known for the representation of the supernatural. A trailers job is to give the audience a tease of the film which is exactly what this does, it conforms seeing as it gives off the idea that the film is based around the idea of the supernatural.
In conclusion, this trailer has taught me that it is critical to maintain continuity all the way throughout. It is only by achieving this, that I can truly conform to my genre and attract the audience which I want to appeal to. It has also shown me the directly what a horror genre entails and has given me a clear view about what is expected from me if I were to choose this genre for my production work.
Tuesday, 30 September 2014
Research - Introduction To Existing Trailers
If I am to complete my film trailer to a high, professional standard then it is essential that I research the existing trailers out there. By researching a wide range of genres and even sub-genres, I will have a strong and confident idea about what is expected from my product due to the genre conventions that I will see. This research will further and deepen my knowledge on trailers and allow me to conform to the conventions of the product as well as being able to make it as realistic as possible. Within my following blog posts I shall be analysing each film trailer in depth, balancing the numbers I do of each genre to give me an accurate idea for when I make my final decision.
In each trailer I will be analysing the important groups which are,
In each trailer I will be analysing the important groups which are,
- Sound
- Editing
- Mise-en-scene
- Camera movements
- Camera shots and angles
What is a film trailer?
What is a film trailer?
The history behind them...
The name 'trailer' was derived from the fact that the sequence was usually shown after the film had been exhibited. This was problematic as the audience tended to leave the theatre as soon as the film was over because they had already seen the scenes that would be included in the trailer. Therefore, this did not last long.
Where trailers are seen...
Trailers became an extremely popular idea once marketers realised that it would create audience anticipation for the film and therefore give a build up to the release date. Essentially, the trailers are an extremely successful was to publicise a film.
There are a variety of ways in which trailers are shown, the main one being on television although they are also shown at cinemas before a film is screened - this is a prime time and excellent opportunity to get an audience thinking about going to see that film after seeing the one they are about to watch.
Furthermore, they can be used on online websites such as YouTube where viewers can search the film and watch it or they may come across it as an advertisement before the video they have selected starts. They also make an appearance on regular websites that could have nothing to do with film at all.
What is included within a trailer?...
Trailers contain scenes and short snippets from the film to give people a 'taster' of what the film is about. The aim of the trailer, apart from trying to attain publicity, is to attract their target audience by airing clips of the film that represent its genre to best without giving away the entire film.Aside from the actual footage which is included in the film trailers, there is also a substantial amount of text. This text includes the title of the film, the name of actors if they are well known or are popular at that period of time, the date/month/season in which it is going to be released. Another set of text that tends to appear at the end of a trailer, usually in small writing below the title is the name of the production and distribution company. This small print usually contains information that is not important for the audience to see yet needs to be shown at some point for legal reasons.
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