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