Thursday 30 August 2012
Trailer Analysis 2
Another trailer I have analysed for the codes and conventions of the thriller genre.
Wednesday 29 August 2012
Trailer Analysis 1
As part of the initial research, I have used the annotation function on YouTube to label any specific codes and conventions of thriller film trailers.
Saturday 25 August 2012
Choice of Genre
From researching different genres, I have decided that the main genre is going to be a thriller, but I want to mainly focus on the sub genre of psychological thrillers.
I specifically moved away from doing a comedy trailer because I think that it is very difficult to get the structure of the trailer right. Also the writing and scripting of humor for the film would prove difficult because the comedic points would need to be timed so that the full effect is emphasized in the trailer. Also along with the timing, it would require high level of acting skill to make the comedy aspect seem very convincing. Because of different tastes amongst people, I believe the biggest challenge would be to ensure that it appeals to a wide range of a target market and some people may not see the comedic aspect which others do.
I specifically moved away from doing a comedy trailer because I think that it is very difficult to get the structure of the trailer right. Also the writing and scripting of humor for the film would prove difficult because the comedic points would need to be timed so that the full effect is emphasized in the trailer. Also along with the timing, it would require high level of acting skill to make the comedy aspect seem very convincing. Because of different tastes amongst people, I believe the biggest challenge would be to ensure that it appeals to a wide range of a target market and some people may not see the comedic aspect which others do.
Are Film Trailers Becoming Outdated?
Film trailers are commonly used to show key moments of the film without giving away any of the vital content of the film, so that viewers are enticed to go and see the film. However today trailers are becoming more and more susceptible to spoilers and scrutiny from viewers which leads to various leaks onto a large number of different mediums.
Also the merchandise which becomes available for promotion of the upcoming film becomes a large contributer towards spoilers and revealing too much information about the film. For example when Star Wars 'The Phantom Menace' was being released, the official soundtrack was released before the film was released theatrically which revealed some vital points within the plot of the film.
Also when toys are produced and brought out prior to the theatrical release of the actual film. This also gives out information about characters to feature in the film and these may want to be kept as secretive as possible by production and distribution companies, for example new villains in various superhero movies such as the spiderman film series and also other franchises, are revealed ahead of release. The audience can take individual frames or shots of the new characters and leak these to large numbers of different sites.
So I do think that trailers are becoming more and more outdated as time goes on because simply I believe that the purpose of trailers are being conveyed throughout other mediums in the media industry which provide the same function as to what trailers are made to do for an upcoming film.
Also the merchandise which becomes available for promotion of the upcoming film becomes a large contributer towards spoilers and revealing too much information about the film. For example when Star Wars 'The Phantom Menace' was being released, the official soundtrack was released before the film was released theatrically which revealed some vital points within the plot of the film.
Also when toys are produced and brought out prior to the theatrical release of the actual film. This also gives out information about characters to feature in the film and these may want to be kept as secretive as possible by production and distribution companies, for example new villains in various superhero movies such as the spiderman film series and also other franchises, are revealed ahead of release. The audience can take individual frames or shots of the new characters and leak these to large numbers of different sites.Structure of Film Trailers
The majority of film trailers usually follow a similar structure. The most common is known as a "Three-Act Structure", which is also the most common structure used in the actual feature film.
The structure starts with a beginning (act 1), and this is used to set out the premise of the plot line. The middle (act 2) progresses the story further and usually ends with a dramatic climax. Act 3 usually features a powerful and significant soundtrack. Act 3 commonly consists of a montage of clips from the film, these clips are usually the more emotional and powerful clips of the film. Also within one of these acts there is sometimes a cast run of different names if there are any actors which are significant enough to promote the film.
The structure starts with a beginning (act 1), and this is used to set out the premise of the plot line. The middle (act 2) progresses the story further and usually ends with a dramatic climax. Act 3 usually features a powerful and significant soundtrack. Act 3 commonly consists of a montage of clips from the film, these clips are usually the more emotional and powerful clips of the film. Also within one of these acts there is sometimes a cast run of different names if there are any actors which are significant enough to promote the film.
Wednesday 22 August 2012
History of Film Trailers
Film trailers from adamw247
This slide-share is just some research I have done into film trailers, from how they started and also how they have developed throughout the years.
This slide-share is just some research I have done into film trailers, from how they started and also how they have developed throughout the years.
Monday 20 August 2012
Trailer Definitions
There are two types of trailers, a theatrical trailer and a teaser trailer:
Theatrical Trailer - a short promotional film composed of clips showing highlights of a movie due for release in the near future. Theatrical trailers are shown to promote the films release to cinemas throughout the country. A theatrical trailer is usually released approximately a month prior to the release of the film and will give a more specific release date e.g. August.
Teaser Trailer - A teaser trailer is a truncated version of a theatrical trailer intended to entice the audience about an upcoming movie and to begin hype on major films.
A teaser trailer is usually a lot shorter than a theatrical trailer, sometimes less than a minute long, whereas theatrical trailers are conventionally at least 2 minutes long and can be up to about 4-5 minutes. Its main purpose is to obviously tease the audience with very short snippets of the film by revealing a minimal amount of the plot line as possible.
During a teaser trailer, producers,actors/actresses etc are commonly exploited to create immediate interest to the audience. The time when a teaser is released can usually be up to 18 months prior to the release date of the film, and the trailer would say for example "coming soon"or "this summer" etc
Theatrical Trailer - a short promotional film composed of clips showing highlights of a movie due for release in the near future. Theatrical trailers are shown to promote the films release to cinemas throughout the country. A theatrical trailer is usually released approximately a month prior to the release of the film and will give a more specific release date e.g. August.
Teaser Trailer - A teaser trailer is a truncated version of a theatrical trailer intended to entice the audience about an upcoming movie and to begin hype on major films.
A teaser trailer is usually a lot shorter than a theatrical trailer, sometimes less than a minute long, whereas theatrical trailers are conventionally at least 2 minutes long and can be up to about 4-5 minutes. Its main purpose is to obviously tease the audience with very short snippets of the film by revealing a minimal amount of the plot line as possible.
During a teaser trailer, producers,actors/actresses etc are commonly exploited to create immediate interest to the audience. The time when a teaser is released can usually be up to 18 months prior to the release date of the film, and the trailer would say for example "coming soon"or "this summer" etc
Sunday 19 August 2012
Decision...
I have decided that I am going to produce a film trailer because I think that this gives opportunity to show various different types of camera shots and movements. Also I think that there are many different directions which I could take because of the very large number of varied codes and conventions of most other film trailers. As of yet I have not decided what genre I am going to do, so I will look into further detail about specific genres.
Introduction
Last year as part of the AS course, our task was to produce an opening to film which was an original idea, and it had to be convincing by following the main codes and conventions of film openings.
Our A2 course is again another production task in which we have to first decide which medium we're going to follow for our research and production tasks.
Our A2 course is again another production task in which we have to first decide which medium we're going to follow for our research and production tasks.
- Trailer
- Short Film
- Music Video
We must also create two ancillary products (poster, website, magazine advert etc) to go along with the production task we make.
Whatever option we decide to choose, the finished product must follow the codes and conventions of other products from the whichever medium we choose. As of yet I don't have a clear and specific idea as to what I want to create and also if I am going to do this independently or in a small group.
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