Target Audience Research...

To get a better insight on peoples takes on teaser trailers and what is important to them, as well as what features of a parody are important to them, we asked some members of our target audience some questions, to help us out...

Voiceover...

From the teaser trailers we looked at, something we noticed was included in a few of them were shots of dialogue appearing on the screen, explaining in a way the story of the film. We liked the idea of including this feature in our teaser trailer at some point. As well as this though, after looking at the trailer for a parody film, an important feature was the narrative given by a voiceover, which added to the humour of the trailer. For this reason, we decided to combine the two features, mainly to set a serious mood for the teaser at first, but the the involvement of the narrator will become imperative to the actual lighthearted and humorous nature of the film.

Our Scenes...

Instead of filming a number of small clips here and there which you would see in a teaser trailer, we thought that might end up looking quite rushed, so we opted to film our teaser trailer differently. We decided to film a number of actual scenes which would be in the film our teaser trailer was promoting, and then edit and cut our scenes down to create the same little clips to put into the trailer, but have them looking more realistic and flowing. In all, we thought of nine scenes to film that, when trimmed down, would make up our final teaser trailer. These are the nine scenes in full length which we plan to film.

Introduction

Party Time

Play Time

Hide and Seek

Ring TV

Talc Scene

Firestarter

Tumble

Dragging Scene

Script...

The names of the two main characters will be Kristen and James, which hopefully people will recognise as being the names of the two main characters from the Strangers.

Intro

(DOORBELL RINGS)

Kristen: Whose out there?

Quiet Voice: You're going to die....

(KRISTEN OPENS DOOR, SCREAMS, RUNS AWAY)

Salesman: Thats right! You'll die of shock when you hear of our slashed prices on all sacks down at Insanesburys!!!

Firestarter

James: She has it in her head that somethings watching her...

Reverend: Kristen, why don't you start from the beginning.

Kristen: It started in our old house... it just... burnt down

Kristen: The police never did find out how it started (OVER FLASHBACK)

Play Time

Kristen: (AFTER SEEING KILLERS) Oh My God! MICAH!!!!!! (RUNS FROM THE WINDOW)

James: (FROM A DISTANCE) I'm James...

Kristen: Oh yeah... JAMES!!!

(RETURNS TO WINDOW WITH JAMES)

James: What? What? Kristen theres nothing there.

Party Time

(SAT IN THE BEDROOM) Kristen: I don't know about this...

James: Stop worrying, if theres anything here this camera will catch it.

Hide and Seek

(FILMING HERSELF IN THE WARDROBE) Kristin: I've never been so scared...

(FOOTSTEPS GETTING LOUDER... DOOR SWINGS OPEN) (KRISTEN SCREAMS)

Strangers Man/James: Tig! Your On!

Kristen : Dammit!

Fall Over

(NO DIALOGUE)

Ring TV

Kristen: Come on it's starting...

(JAMES SITS DOWN, THEY START THE FILM)

(RING GIRL WLALKS TO THE TV, BEGINS TO CRAWL OUT OF IT)

James: You didn't say this thing was 3D.

(PUT ON GLASSES)

Talc Scene

James: Nothings getting in or out of this room without stepping in this...

(NEXT MORNING)

Kristen: Oh my god, Look...

James: What is it- (PAUSES) What the....

Kristen: what does this mean?.?.?....

Dragging Scene

(NO DIALOGUE)

Zoom practice...

For one of the opening shots in our teaser trailer, we're going to have the camera zoom in on a house as an introduction to the first scene. We wanted the shot to be quick, so we planned on speeding up whatever we shot. To see what method would be the best way to film the shot, we practiced in various different ways. We planned to do an attempt by attaching the camera to a tripod, and the tripod to a dolly, and rolling the tripod towards the house. We changed our minds after more thought as we realised it would be impractical to film outside as we would have had to roll it over different terrains, and possibly up onto a curb which would be difficult to manage. We put our other attempts into a video to show the different affects each method gave the shot.

We decided on using the camera wheel because compared to the other two methods we tried it came out superior. The hand held attempt we thought looked slightly amateur which was something we were eager to avoid. The wheely chair we found was just as impractical, if not more so than the tripod dolly, and was more of a hopeful experiment rather than an actual possibility. The camera wheel was by far the most successful attempt, as it was easily portable so caused no inconvenience, and also steadied the camera more than we could've done through holding it ourselves. In general it looked the most professional of the three, which left us with a relatively easy decision to make.

Mock Intro...

We wanted to try out the beginning of our film to give ourselves a better picture on the details of the opening, like how long each shot needed to be and the order we would put the shots into. This is the practice intro we made...

Our Horror Villains (Strangers Man)...

The Man In The Mask (The Strangers) This character is easily recognised because of the mask he wears, which, while simple, is different to that of any other horror villains to be created. While joined in the film by two other masked killers, seen in this picture stood on either side of him, he is clearly made out to be the leader, and the main villain, as we see him most often, and he is the one who appears in the house on numerous occasions. Apart from his mask, the man is quite smartly dressed, in a suit, but does look a bit messy. In the film, the man seems very calm, despite the frantic nature of the film, and the panic of the couple contrasts this, and also adds irony to the fact that in all their panic and running around, they can't manage to escape from the killer, who for the entire film, doesn't run once.

Initial Idea...

Our basic outline for the plot of our teaser trailer is a parody of the horror films; The Strangers, The Ring, and Paranormal Activity. We plan to set the film out like the story of paranormal activity, with a couple who live together filming their house to see if anything 'paranormal/supernatural' is occuring. What the couple dont know, is that all of the so called paranormal events that are taking place are at the hands of the killers from 'The Ring' and 'The Strangers'. The film will include some of the best known scenes from the two horror films, like the scene where Samara climbs out of the TV, or the scene where killer shows up in the living room behind the girl. The parody will make fun of these scenes, both by portraying the couple as extremely clueless and simple minded, and the ring girl and strangers man as slightly eccentric takes on generic horror villains.

Decision on films...

After looking at all of the films we were thinking about and taking into consideration what we found out from our target audience research, we came to the conclusion that the films we wanted to include in our parody were...

• The Strangers
• Paranormal Activity
• The Ring

Our decision came from the responses we got from our target audience research involving their preferences between old and new horror films. Most of the people from our target audience are only familiar with the newer generation of horror films due to the age group we chose to target. Therefore we chose to focus on the three films which were released more recently, in order to ensure that people watching the teaser trailer will understand what films we are basing our film on.

Storyboards...

Possible Films To Parody...

Initially, we thought of numerous scenes, in which we could parody a large number of films. While we were happy with all of our ideas, we agreed that we wanted to focus more on two or three films, so that we could aim our attention more towards specific ideas. To see which films would be most successful to parody, we gave members of our target audience a list of the films we were considering and asked for their opinion on which films they were most familiar with, and in general which films they would most like to see being parodied in our teaser trailer. The films that we put forward to our target audience were:

• The Strangers
• Psycho
• The Shining
• Paranormal Activity
• The Ring
• The Blair Witch Project

Final Comments...

After looking at the three genres i was considering, i decided on what genre to go with...

I like the idea of doing an action trailer, and had some vague ideas of what my film could be about, but after looking in to the genre more carefully i realised that i didn't have the resources to make a compelling and interesting action trailer. As i looked at in my research of the genre, action films are judged on the high-impact, fast paced scenes, with non-stop action in the shape of car chases, gunfights, explosions etc, being the most common and the most popular scenes. These kind of scenes are beyond what it's capable for me to do, therefore i had to rule out the prospect of doing an action teaser trailer.
After ruling out action, i was left with Horror and Comedy, both genres i was interested in doing. Horror seemed to be the easier of the two to do, and having done a thriller trailer in my AS project i felt more comfortable in thinking of possible plots and shots. However, this also meant i was interested in trying out something completely different this year, rather than going down the same route as last year.
Now i've made my final decision on what genre to go with, and i've decided on a horror parody. I liked the idea of doing a horror film, and by mixing comedy with it it means i can try out different things to what i did last year, and i also had a vague idea of which films i would use if i was to do a parody.

Horror...

Comedy...

Action...

What Genre?...

At first, there were three genres which i thought i would like to try doing for my teaser trailer, so i looked at some of the typical conventions and classic films from each of the genres which i was considering, to give myself a better idea of which genre to go with, as well as maybe giving me inspiration for a storyline. The three genres are...

• Action
• Comedy
  
• Horror
  

The Seven Storylines...

The Seven Storylines on Prezi

Avatar Magazine Cover...

The film magazine cover for 'Avatar' doesn't tell the audience anything about the actual story/plot of the film, but instead signifies the coming release of a film thats been anticipated for over ten years. Unlike the previous two magazine covers i've looked at, this cover really says more through what is written than it does through the picture. The picture shows a medium length shot of the main characters avatar looking at the camera. While giving no hints of the storyline, it does emphasise that the film is based more around the Avatars than the humans controlling them. The picture also leaves no question on what film this character is from, as the avatars and the navi are completely unique looking from characters in any other films. With the anticipation around the film, people will want to read this magazine as soon as they set eys on the cover, which is probably why a medium shot has been used, so people will know what film is being advertised on the cover even by looking from a distance. The background is a blue picture of something, but is blurred to the point where there is no way of knowing what the picture shows, leaving peoples focus to lie completely on the avatar. The picture also covers up part of the magazines name, something which is used quite often on magazine covers to ensure that all the focus remains on the content of the cover. The writing underneath the picture is what really will sell the magazine. The title of the film, 'AVATAR' is shown in big font, coloured white to stand out clearly infront of the blue avatar. Along with this, in small writing just above the title, it says 'intergalactic exclusive!'. Being in small writing, this is probably something that the magazine hopes to be the tip of the iceberg for people who don't know whether they want to buy it or not at first glance, may be swayed into doing so once seeing that the information on the film cannot be read anywhere else. The subtitle underneath the name of the film reads...
'A Decade in the Making'...'But how long will we feel the force of James Cameron's sci-fi epic?'.
These short phrases will attract anyone who has been looking forward to the release of James Camerons new film, his first since the hugely successful 'Titanic'. People who don't know much in detail about the film will be interested to find out more. Having the decade in the making phrase slightly bigger than the rest of the subtitles around the cover means it will be one of the first things a person will read when picking up the magazine. Even for a person who isn't aware of all the hype around Camerons latest film, will be intrigue by a film which has been worked on for over ten years, and therefore is likely to buy the magazine to find out more. Mentioning James Cameron's name at the bottom will also be something that may persuade people to buy the magazine, as there are few people who don't know who James Cameron is, and many people will be sold just at the mention of his name.

Overall, the magazine cover for Avatar, rather than giving people a little clue at the plot or the background of the film, it is, much like the teaser trailer, used to build further hype around the release of the film, and make people even more eager to see the film as soon as it is released, a tactic which we now know was a very successful one.

The Dark Knight Magazine Cover...

The film magazine cover for 'the Dark Knight' is very basic in terms of what is on the cover, but uses an interesting twist to attract people to the magazine, and then going on to buy it. The magazine 'EMPIRE' has released magazines with different covers, half having Batman himself appearing on the cover while the other half have the Joker appearing on the front. This gives people a new reason to buy the magazine, as in buying one or the other, you are able to feel like you are choosing a side, be it good or evil. The contents of the magazine are the same, although the version with the Joker on the front cover has little additions which the Batman version doesn't, such as drawings over the top of pictures of people already in the magazine, leaving their faces looking similar to the face of the Joker in the film. This small change will intrigue readers further, as they will want to see what the other version of the magazine looks like, despite which one they saw originally, this is a great way to make people talk about the magazine and also sell more copies to those who choose to purchase both. The covers themselves give very little away about the movie itself, linking it to the teaser trailer which is also very vague. The pictures simply show the face of either the Joker or Batman in the exact same pose, their head tilted to the floor but looking straight at the camera. The identical pose emphasises the battle between the two. The background of both covers is completely black, drawing complete focus to the faces of the two main characters. The pictures don't need to show much more than that, for the simple reason that people know the the basic outline of a Batman film before they see it. With there being previous Batman films, audiences have come to know and love the Batman franchise, therefore they do not need to be sold the storyline, as they already know that the film is based around the battle between Batman and the Joker, and thats enough to sell the film to audiences. The writing on the cover doesn't include much about the film either, with most of the lines referring to articles inside the magazine. The only line used is 'Batman vs Joker, Summer just got Serious'. This line is in very small font suggesting that its the picture which is meant to be the mian focus point of the cover, but that one line sums up why people would want to watch it, to see the rivalry of Batman and the Joker come to a head. The simplicity of the line also reinforces that most people who are going to see the film have been waiting a long time for its release, and the line 'summer just got serious' will excite people that the film is finally coming and the wait is over.

In all, the magazine covers promoting the release of 'The Dark Knight' give nothing new away about the film, which for people who are dying to know more, will make them want to buy the magazine and read more. Also, with the film being highly anticipated, the importance of attracting people through magazine covers isn't as high, so the introduction of the rival covers, to see which side readers are on, gives the magazine a unique selling point to keep it interesting.

Inception Magazine Cover...

This cover for Empire film magazine says a suprisingly large amount about Inception, despite not looking like much. The title INCEPTION is written in large red letters in the middle of the cover, which make it stand out from the rest of the writing on the cover is smaller and black (apart from the name of the magazine). There is a quote underneath the word inception which looks like a quote from someone who has seen the film. It reads 'the matrix meets 007 on steroids'. This quotes already has given any readers who have seen the Matrix films or the James Bond films an idea about what the film is going to be like. By linking it to the Matrix, it suggests the film questions reality in some way, using postmodernism as a feature of the film. By linking the film to the James Bond series, the film is likely to involve alot of action and detailed fight scenes. The picture on the cover is of Leonardo DiCaprio. This is not suprising as a popular feature of the film is the fact that he is the main character, and therefore anyone who wasn't planning on seeing the film may be persuaded by seeing him on the cover of the magazine, making clear that he stars in the film. The background of the picture looks to be an overhead shot of a city, which links to the use of city shots in the teaser trailer. That, and the fact that DiCaprio is wearing a smart suit, gives away hints of the industrialised settings, and the businessmen like characters involved in the film. Not an obvious on first glance, we can see that he is holding a gun in his hand, which leaves no doubt that there is going to be action in this film and there is likely to be people getting shot. This reinforces the link between Inception and the two movies mentioned in the quote, The Matrix, and James Bond.

This film poster manages to give away some hints about the film just from the cover but not enough to leave the audience thinking theres nothing else to know, therefore making them buy the magazine, and go to watch the film. It also uses the same tactic that the teaser trailer used by focusing on the fact that there is a well known actor in the film, to bring in new audiences.

Avatar Teaser Trailer...

The teaser trailer for Avatar is another teaser trailer which uses almost no dialogue, but includes a huge number of small clips from the film in order to give the same level of detail away without spoiling the story for the viewers. The trailer is almost set in two halves, with every aspect of the trailer changing at the half way point. At the very beginning of the trailer we see a shot of a satellite like object floating in space, followed by a shot of a rocket from the satellite shooting through the air. The next shot we see is of the forest, and the man exiting the rocket. This immediately tells the audience that the film is not set on planet earth. For the first minute of the trailer we see short clips of all sorts of machinery, and we see the man in the wheelchair looking around and looking closely at the machines, as though he is as new to all of it as we, the audience are. There is a shot of the man looking at what is soon revealed to be his avatar, and then watch the process of him turning into his avatar. At almost the exact half-way point of the trailer, we see the only bit a dialogue said throughout the trailer, as the mans avatar says 'this is great'. This line is almost the trigger which switches the pace of the trailer. While all of the shots in the first half had been very slow and calm, the second half of the teaser sees everything speed up, as the content of the clips becomes more intense, aswell as the speed between clips. In terms of sound, the music used in the first half is more like diagetic sounds, and with just long lasting notes, which sound almost like a strong wind. This too is changed by the middle of the trailer, where he becomes his avatar, as the music becomes louder, and there is an apparent drum beat, which also increases as the trailer continues, the change in music plays in sync to the increase in action shown in the clips, as the further into the action the teaser goes, the faster, louder and more intense the music becomes. Another aspect of the teaser trailer that turns at the half-way point is the mise-en-scene. The first half is consumed by shots of technology and machinery, implying that they are dependant on all of the machines which they use. We also see clips of people strapping themsleves into robot like machines, which gives the audience a hint to what is shown later, that the humans are battling against the navi. Again, after the main character truns into his avatar, the clips shown are almost all set in the forest/jungle, showing a more natural side to the planet where the film is set. The mise-en-scene is also used to emphasise the battle between man and navi, as they differ totally in all aspects of life: the men have, robots, planes, and guns. The navi have dragons and bow and arrows. The editing of the teaser is especially important in this case, as it is the main factor in setting the mood and pace of the trailer. With so many short clips being shown, it gives a chance for interesting editing, which is used to the full effect. There is a mide variety in pace of shots, with them mostly being calm, and slow at first but turning fast and intense towards the end. Also the use of slow motion clips throws something interesting into the trailer, particularly in the shot near the end where the beast jumps at the mans avatar, which can only really be appreciated by being slowed down to give the audience a chance to see everything. With the trailer containing so many shots, the variety in camera angles is huge. We see shots from all levels, as the camera follows the dragons and planes in the air, and the robots and the horses on the ground. We also see shots of the battle from both sides (man and navi) which keeps the audience in the dark as to who are the 'good guys' and who are the 'bad guys'. One of the most important parts of the teaser trailer is the reveal that the film comes from the director of Titanic. Where Inception played on the fact that a big name was starring in the film to attract audiences, Avatar is able to play on the fact that a big name was directing the film. James Cameron had not directed a film since Titanic, and there had been alot of specualtion about what his next film would be, so by announcing that Avatar is Camerons returning film, this will undoubtedly intrigue lots of people, and therefore as well as people coming through interest in the film, the trailer will also attract audiences who have been eagerly awaiting James Camerons new film, be it a film they think looks good or not, they'll want to see it.

Overall, this film is unusually long for a teaser trailer, but the obvious question to audiences will be, who wins the battle, the humans or the navi? As this question is not answered through the trailer, it will not put many people off going to see it. Other aspects which have to be taken in to account for the length of the trailer is the slow pace of the trailer at first, spending a minute to set the scene, something few films include in their teaser trailers. Also, the length of the film itself is three hours, which inevitably means that it could show double the amount without spoiling the film, as it is twice as long as the average movie.

The Dark Knight Teaser Trailer...

The teaser trailer for The Dark Knight, almost the complete opposite of the teaser trailer for Inception, depends almost completely on the use of dialogue, as theres very little else to it. The trailer begins with a completely black shot, with nothing happening visually, but you can hear people speaking. It qucikly becomes clear that it's two men having a conversation. Without it giving much away about the film, you can gather that they're about a group of people, who we are led to belive are the bad guys as they've 'crossed the line', and have turned to someone out of 'desperation'. The focus of the conversation then switches the the 'someone' who was mentioned, with one of the men saying 'some men just want to watch the world burn' in relation to this man. From the conversation, we, the audience immediately get a sense that the film is about Good vs. Evil, with this 'someone' being the ringleader of the Evil side, and the men having the conversation being the Good side. From their voices, some people may be able to recognise who is talking, and therefore figure out qucikly what film the trailer is for. While the conversation is happening over the shot, streaks of blue light start to appear, and slowly become bigger and more frequent until at the end of the two mens conversation, the Batman symbol can be made out clearly. This is the point of the trailer where most viewers will click that the trailer is advertising the new Batman film. This is a technique which will put some people, such as those who dislike the Batman films, off watching it. However, it is mostly a clever move as there is a huge amount of people who love the Batman film and will be sold by the trailer the instant the emblem is revealed, but it also gives the trailer a chance to attract more people who aren't sold simply by the knowledge that it is a Batman film. After the two mens conversation, another voice begins to speak, saying that 'people will die', suggesting to the audience that it is now the villain of the film speaking, backed up by an evil laugh as he finsihes speaking. While the villain is speaking, the Batman emblem begins to wear away and crumble, as the blue lights become even bigger and brighter, almost engulfing the entire screen. As the evil laugh happens, a picture of the original joker flashes past the screen, revealing to the audience that the joker is infact the villain of the film. This will both intrigue new audiences, who want to know more, and excite those who are already aware of who the joker is and will be shocked and excited by the reveal that he is back. For the mise-en-scene of the teaser, it plays a suprisingly important role given that there is only one shot in the entire trailer. The emblem itself gives the audience alot of infromation about the film. The shot and the dialogue play in sync, so as we hear Batman speaking, the emblem begins to show and come through the darkness, showing the return of the Batman series. Also, the emblem crumbling as the Joker speaks shows that his plan is to destroy Batman, revealing the the audience without showing them anything that the film is going to be about Batman vs. The Joker. The music begins quietly during the first conversation, consisting of a low hum and regular drum beats which play in sync to the streaks of lights. The music begins properly as the first conversation ends and the joker starts talking, suddenly becoming a very fast paced piece of music, building a lot of tension and adding some excitement to the trailer. The music then dies down as the picture of the joker comes towards the screen, signifying the seriousness of the film.

Overall, this teaser trailer is just under one minute, which is just longer than the normal length of a teaser trailer, the trailer gives little other than the basic outline of the film away, yet its main selling point is the fact that it is the new Batman film, which in itself will attract huge audiences. It doesn't need to include lots of shots and information to attract new audiences, as the Batman franchise, similar to the Toy Story franchise is already popular world wide, so the teaser trailer has the luxury of being able to be extremely basic and simple, yet staying effective.

Inception Teaser Trailer...

The teaser trailer for Inception depends totally on music to set the mood, not having any dialogue throughout the trailer. It is a good example of how a teaser trailer can be made, as despite not hearing a word be spoken in the trailer, the audience still gets a sense of what the film is about, through watching, reading, and listening. The trailer begins by introducing the director of the film, 'Christopher Nolan', for viewers who know of and enjoy his films, this will immediately be a selling point for the trailer. For those who don't recognise the name, the next shot tells the audience that he was the director of 'The Dark Knight', a popular film which more people are likely to know of, this quick outlet of information may give people the reason they were looking for to carry on watching the trailer. The music/sound for the entire trailer is a very low, slow paced at first tune, which beats in time to the change between shots, this helps the trailer to flow more smoothly. The shots in the trailer start of relatively obscure, with a spinning top, and an overhead view of a city, neither of which give away any obvious information about the plot of the film. The trailer also puts alot of focus on Leonardo DiCaprio, who is the main character in the film, he is the only actor to be mentioned in the teaser, as well as the main focus of a number of shots during the trailer. This is a tactic used when there is a big name involved in a film, just having them starring in the film instantly attracts all of that stars fanbase to the film. The shots of the film which are shown give nothing away about the storyline, but do give something away about the genre of the film, and the type of people in the film. A number of the shots shown involve action, like the fight scene nearing the end or the man being dragged away, which suggests the film is partly action. Also all of the characters we see are men wearing suits, which could be a way of showing the audience the kind of characters which the film has to offer. The camera shots are relatively simple at first, such as the spinning top and the glass of water, which are both close ups on a level height to the objects. The range of shots does vary more as the trailer goes on though, with the tracking shots of buildings with the dialogue on the screen, and the extreme close-ups towards the end. The mise-en-scene of the teaser trailer does give the impression that the film is a high-tech, city based film. This is due to the numerous shots of industrialised, modern cities, including the shot of the helicopter on the roof of a building. It also gives a sense of postmodernism, with shots of the glass of water lying at an unnatural angle, as well as the fight scene, which shows the room spinning as the two men running towards eachother, giving a sense that the world they're in may not be real. Without dialogue being spoken, the trailer relies on showing short phrases during the trailer to explain the story slightly. The phrases read 'your mind''is the scene of the crime'. This lets the audience read into it whatever way they want to, keeping a sense of mystery about the film. The editing of the trailer is relatively straight forward, probably so as not to take away from the actual content of the trailer, using a faster pace of shots as the trailer goes on, which matches the rise in speed of the music.

This teaser trailer is nearing the longer end of how long a teaser trailer should be, but can afford to be longer due to the methods it uses to give the audience a feeling to what the film is about.

Teaser Trailer Research...

To get a full appreciation for teaser trailers and be able to analyse them impartially, I've chosen to look at teaser trailers, both for films I've seen, and for films I haven't seen. This will show me whether knowing the outcome of a film affects my ability to analyse the teaser trailer on its own, without including information i've gathered from watching the film.

I'm going to research three films which i've seen and three films which i haven't to make sure i have a variety of each, as well as any additional trailers i analyse.

Another reason for doing it this way is that i had difficulty finding examples of all the ancillary products for the three films which i had seen. While i was able to find and analyse film posters for all three of them, i couldn't find film magazine covers for any of them. For this reason, i looked into film magazines and found three films which i hadn't seen, which had all been on the cover of a film magazine.

My initial three films that i have seen are:

• Toy Story 3


• Red Eye


• The Strangers

My initial three films that i haven't seen are:

• Inception


• Avatar


• The Dark Knight

The Strangers Movie Poster...

The poster for 'The Strangers' plays on the vulnerability of the two main characters, particularly in this poster the woman. The mise-en-scene of the poster shows one of the large, empty rooms in the house which the film focuses on. The woman is stood in the room alone, which could be for a number of reasons. Firstly, generically we see a woman on her own to be more vulnerable than a man alone in the same position. This also could be for the reason that the woman (Liv Tyler) is a better known actress than the actor who plays her partner in the film (Scott Speedman). The still frame from the film shows the male killer lurking in the shadows behind the woman. This not only plays on showing the audience something the character isn't aware of, making us feel included, as well as to show that the man is in the house and the woman has no idea. Like 'Red Eye', the film poster for the Strangers also has a phrase/slogan at the top of the poster. It reads 'We tell ourselves theres nothing to fear, but sometimes we're wrong'. This phrase links with the idea that the woman feels safe being in the large house, but in fact is in more danger because of it, as the big house has allowed the man to get in without alerting her. The title is positioned at the bottom of the poster, in a white font to make it stand out on the shadowed area in which it's placed. The title, 'The Strangers' links to the identity of the killers, as a 'stranger' is considered as someone who we do not know personally. The killers in the film make sure to stay 'Strangers' through the masks they wear to hide their identity from their victims.

Toy Story 3 Movie Poster...

The film poster for Toy Story 3, like the teaser trailer, doesn't give anything away about the film. Toy Story, being a sequel, already has a large fan base, therefore doesn't need to attract people with the story. The poster is made up of all the toy characters involved in the film, including some of the new characters introduced in the sequel. This not only makes audiences excited to see all their favourite characters from the previous two Toy Story films, but also allows them to meet some of the new character they're going to be introduced to in the film. Seeing these new additions to the character list may give some people to push to go watch it, had they gotten bored of the characters that already existed. The poster, because of all the characters filling it, is very vibrant and colourful, giving the poster a happy, upbeat feel to it. This thought is emphasised by the smiles on the faces of all of the characters. Other than the characters, the only other thing on the poster is a huge '3', positioned in the centre of the poster. Unlike most films (eg. Red Eye) which put the title of the film on the poster in big font where it will be noticed, the film poster for Toy Story 3 doesn't do that. Having been around for over a decade, the Toy Story franchise is already well known by almost everybody, and most of those people are also well aware of, and have been waiting for the third film to be released. For these reasons, the number three, along with all of the characters on the poster, is enough that people don't need to see the words 'Toy Story' to know what film this poster is promoting. The date of release is also written at the bottom of the poster, in larger font that it usually would be, as alot of people have been waiting ten years for this film, so the exact day of release is very important to some people, who can't wait a day longer than they have to to see the film.

Red Eye Movie Poster...

The film poster for 'Red Eye' focuses on putting across a message about the plot of the film, rather than focusing on different selling points. For example, some film posters focus more on showing the actors/actresses starring in the film, as big names often attract big audiences. This tactic has probably not been used as the main actors aren't hugely well known, and the poster is relying on the story of the film to attract audiences. The image on the poster is of the two main characters upper bodies, with the centre of the image showing that the man has a grasp of the woman's wrist, suggesting he is trapping her, but not giving away any more detail about than is needed. The faces of the characters are in shadow and just out of frame, so unable to see. This will have been done to apply even more focus to the hands. Along with the actors names positioned at the top of the poster above their respective characters, there is a phrase in the centre just underneath the names, in a different colour of font to make it stand out. This phrase, or slogan for the film reads 'Fear takes Flight', both revealing more about the genre of the film, and relating it back to airport/being on a plane setting of the film. The mise-en-scene of the poster emphasise the serious nature of the film, as it is all dimly lit except for the two hands, which is the main focus of the poster. Another reason for the rest of the poster to be in darkness is that the vital feature of the image is the two hands, therefore it may be to take any focus away from the rest of the picture. The title of the film is in big red font in the middle of the poster, making it very apparent to the audience so people don't see the poster without noticing the title of the film, which is the main purpose of a film poster.

The Strangers Teaser Trailer...

The teaser trailer for the Strangers sets the scene, emphasising the isolation of the house involved in the film. It does this by showing a number of different types of houses, with subtitles underneath the pictures explaining why a house such as that one would be chosen to live in. It then goes on to explain that 'some people', making reference to the killers, choose a house for a completely different reason, showing houses that are isolated from any others, and that have been circled in red pen, signifying they've been targeted by the killers. The last picture turns out to be the house which is the main focus of the film. The mise-on-scene shows the house at night, suggested they are even more alone as there isn't going to be anyone walking past this late at night. The music starts off very old fashioned as the pictures of the houses go by, but then becomes very slow and eery, setting the mood for a thriller/horror movie. Even in the house, while the couple are going about their business, and begin kissing, the atmosphere remains extremely tense, only because of the music. The knock at the door signifies the turn in the trailer, as after the words 'you're gonna die' are whispered, the screen goes black, and then the action shots start of the couple being attacked. The entire trailer is edited to look like an old fashioned slideshow, and this plays a part in the sounds later in the trailer, where the music is replaced by the fast paced sound of the slides turning- matched by the extremely fast paced shots - mixed in with the sounds of the characters screaming. There isn't much in terms of a wide variety of camera angles, but this is likely to of been done so as not to take anything away from the seriousness of the film. The mise-en-scene throughout the trailer is used to emphasise the isolation of the couple from safety, with the early shots showing them in the huge house, making them look even smaller and more vulnerable. During the fast slideshow of shots, you see that there are in fact three killers, showing that not only are they isolated, but they are outnumbered as well. The killers are only shown in the slideshow of shots at the end to keep a sense of mystery to their characters. Near the end of the trailer, there is a shot saying that the film is inspired by 'true events'. This claim, while not necessarily completely true, does give the audience a further sense of fear, as the thing which most people find relieving about a horror film is that they know that it is farfetched, and that nothing like that would ever really happen. This relief is taken away by saying that the film is based on things which really happened.

Overall, this trailer is nearing the longest you would expect a teaser trailer to be, but it has the advantage of being a horror. Unlike other film genres, horrors almost always have a generic storyline, 'characters in danger, can they survive?'. Therefore, the audience can be shown more clips of the film, and still feel the need to see it in the cinema. The sound and mise-en-scene all emphasise the genre of the film, while the camera angles are kept relatively simple so the film remains about the storyline and not about the amazing shots.

Toy Story 3 Teaser Trailer...

The Toy Story teaser trailer is done in a different way to most teaser trailers in that it is like a short film itself, that promotes the actual film. Instead of showing small clips from the film, the teaser shows the characters from the film preparing for the release of the film. This technique is successful in promoting the film as the audience already knows the characters, from the previous two Toy Story films, so they do not have to be introduced to the audience. It also means that the film gets promoted, without any footage of the film being used so none of the storyline is revealed. There is no editing or camera angles used, just the one, long scene from the one camera angle, that tracks the characters. There is also very little to the mise-en-scene, with the background being the wallpaper in Andy's room, another feature of the Toy Story films which audiences recognise. This very simple trailer is as basic as it can get in terms of camera angles and mise-en-scene, yet this takes nothing away from the trailer in attracting audiences, as the characters themselves are enough to make people watch, as for Toy Story, the third film in the series is 10 years in the waiting, so just to see the characters lets audiences instantly know that Toy Story 3 is on its way, building hype in that way, rather than by having an amazingly detailed and edited trailer to get peoples attention. The music is a tune that all Toy Story fans associate with the films, the song 'You've got a Friend in Me' by Randy Newman, this tune is played in the background throughout the trailer, but doesn't take away from the conversation the characters are having, which is the main feature of the trailer.

Overrall, this teaser trailer, like the one for 'Red Eye' is longer than the average teaser trailer but gives away absolutely nothing about the film, which allows it to continue for longer. The trailer is basic and relies heavily on attracting audiences through the presence of the characters alone, which is successful for the sole reason that the characters are already well known by the majority of audiences.

Red Eye Teaser Trailer...

The teaser trailer for Red Eye is misleading as it originally portrays the film as a romantic comedy type film- yet it is later revealed that it is a thriller. The music in the trailer is used to set the 'fake' mood at the beginning, again changing dramatically as the trailer turns much more serious, with the upbeat tune changing suddenly to face paced drum beats, completely altering the tone of the trailer. While showing a number of clips of the man and woman speaking, they give away no information about the real plot of the film, only allowing the audience to know that they have met while waiting for a delayed plane. The facial expressions of the characters are used alot as well, probably to keep the actual story a secret, as well as to show the huge change in mood between the beginning and the end of the trailer. The trailer includes black shots with the words that a narrator is speaking on the screen, shown in between the shots of the film. These kind of clips allow the narrator to give the audience the basic outline of the film, without giving away any detail of the film. The beginning, lighthearted part of the trailer is during the daytime, which is used specifically to add to the mood of the trailer, suggesting the film is easy-watching. This technique is reversed later in the trailer as it is suddenly night time when the true nature of the film is revealed, being a dark and fearful storyline. The trailer includes information about the director of the film- Wes Craven, as well as some of the films he'd previously directed. This has been added in to attract more people to the film, as the majority of people are well aware of the horror films like 'Scream' and 'Nightmare on Elm Street' and how successful they were as horror films. This information, therefeore, will make the film appeal to people who may not have been convinced up to that point. The Mise-en-scene is another feature used to display the strong contrast between the tone of the beginning of the trailer and that of the end of it. For the first half of the trailer, the man and woman are in the airport, surrounded by people, giving a sense of their safety. When the trailer becomes darker towards the end, the woman is not only on the plane where she cannot escape, but she is sat with the villain betwen her and the aisle, giving a feel that she is completely trapped. The editing of the trailer is used cleverly, as the clips are short, giving the audience the minimum amount of detail about the film. Also the pace of the shots throughout the trailer is relatively quick, increasing even more when the thriller side of the trailer begins. The editing of the villains 'red eye' nearing the end of the trailer also cleverly links the story back to the title of the film.

Overrall, this teaser trailer is unlike the usual teaser trailer, mainly for the fact it is a minute longer than alot would be. However, it still keeps all the important facts of the film hidden, and also importantly keeps the ending of the film a secret, giving the audience a reason to want to see the film.

Teaser Trailers vs Theatrical Trailers...

Teaser Trailers differ hugely from Theatrical Trailers for a number of reasons...

• Teaser Trailers are usually only between 30 and 60 seconds long/Theatrical Trailers are most often nearer to 2 minutes long.
• Teaser Trailers are released often when the film is still in production, to make audiences aware that its coming (or TEASE them)/Theatrical Trailers are realeased only a few weeks before the cinema release of the film, to let audiences know the film is out/coming out.
• Teaser Trailers show little to none of the film itself, both to keep audiences wondering and as the film is usually still being made/Theatrical Trailers tend to show lots of clips from the film in order to sell it to people watching.
• Teaser Trailers give away as little as possible of the storyline as possible/Theatrical Trailers can often give away the storyline by explaining the plot of the film to attract audiences to come and watch it.
• Teaser Trailers could be compared to the warm up of a film - giving the audience something to anticipate about/Theatrical Trailers are the sprint finish - putting everything the film has to offer into the trailer to try and make people pay to see it.

Final Decision...

After considering three of my options for what production piece to make, i decided on doing a teaser trailer. This is mainly because of the ancillary tasks involved with each option, as well as the weaknesses of the other alternatives.
The three options were:

• A Short Film - Film Poster/Radio Trailer
• A Teaser Trailer - Film Poster/Film magazine front cover
• A Documentary Extract - Radio Trailer/Newspaper Advert

While i initially thought that i could do any of the three to a high standard, after focusing more on what work i'd be giving myself, i realised that by doing a teaser trailer, i would be starting from a better position, as i've seen teaser trailers on tv and understand the basic concepts of them. Short films and documentaries however, were areas of media that i didn't know well, and to choose them would mean to learn about them from scratch, learning the basic conventions and typical features of them.

The Ancillary tasks also led me to my decision to choose a teaser trailer. First i chose the two ancillary tasks i would do for each option from the three we were provided with. Again, the ancillary tasks for the teaser trailer were things i could picture, and knew where to start with. I was less comfortable with the idea of creating radio trailers, for one because they're hard to research and get examples of, but also it would've restricted me to what i could do, as i wouldn't be able to use anything visual to promote the piece, which is what i decided i wanted to do.

Final Video

This is our final edit for our video of Tom Waits 'looking for the heart of saturday night'....