The trailer for the purge uses a montage of shots of various scenes from the film to create a chaotic nature such as in horror films, however at the start of the trailer we are unsure what genre the film is, due to shots referecing normal life and the calming music. This music is later juxtaposed with shots of violence, creating a eerie horrific feel to the trailer and making the plot seem more terrifying.
A wide variety of shots are used in The trailer including point of view shots from specific characters to create a more personal feel. The The colour palette is primarily dark colours reflecting the thriller nature of the film.
The use of mise en scène it's predominantly shown in the trailer through the use of character and masks which create an ambiguous feel to the threatening characters. Sound bridges are also used such as gunshots and alarm sounds.
In the lead up to the event continuous fade to Black and fade from black effects are used to reflect the countdown till the purges commencement.
Dialogue is kept to minimum at up until 1 1/2 minutes through the trailer when the plot is explained by the threatening characters. This keeps the viewer questioning the meaning and storyline of the film. Sci-fi like sounds are used later in the trailer this connotes the fact that the purge is supposedly set in the future or a parallel world. At the end of the film key sound is used again playing and edited version of the American anthem which creates a horrific feel.Lighting is used predominantly throughout the trailer with a high contrast between the light and dark this creates a feeling of the unknown in the dark and concentrates the audience eyesight to the characters of interest shown in light.
Alien is probably one of the most famous horror film trailers made to date. It is the use of minimal dialogue and a powerful backing sound combined with a montage of shots that creates such a horrific feel. It shows that more is not always best when it comes to thriller and horror trailers. No studio or production company is shown at the beginning of the trailer. This creates a sense of reality to the trailer. Furthermore no actor's names are shown in the beginning, meaning that the audiences attraction to see the film is solely based on the trailer.
The trailer begins with a shot from space and shows the letters of 'Alien' slowly appear. This sets the scene and allows the viewer to realise that the film is set in space and therefore possibly in the future.
A slow eerie sound track begins that mimics a heartbeat and screaming. No dialogue or sound from the scenes shown can be heard, until the final 10 second montage of shots where sound is added again to create a truly horrific feel. This affect greatly juxtaposes the quiet sound prior and adds to the final effect of no sound and the tagline of "In space no one can hear you scream".
Compared to many horror and thriller trailers the 'Alien' trailer is very short conveying little to the audience but allowing them to question the story and therefore drawing the audience in to watch the film.
The colour palette of the trailer is primarily very dark colours which reflect the setting in space. However there are occasional bright spotlights on characters which draw the viewers attention and can also be seen as a metaphor for other elements in space such as the moon and stars which reflect and give off light , creating moments of clarity.
The trailer begins with a newsreader telling the story of a murder, against the setting of a dark house. This then cuts to 9 months later and we see the same house during the daytime and enter with the slow pull forwards.
Throughout the trailer there are multiple cutaways about the producers of the film, suggesting that audiences may see it because of the companies previous productions.
The trailer comes across as very terrifying due to the ambiguous figure that continuously appears in selected parts of the trailer but for only a short time, creating a fear of the unknown.
This film is aimed at a wider audience from 15 to 40 years old due to the classical horror feel of the trailer.
The Blair Witch Project trailer is very interesting as it would be something that we would be able to make for around trailer due to the amateur look of the footage. Even though this footage is very basic and the trailer is only a minute long it's still creates an alarming affect which proves successful in this horror movie.
The trailer begins with the sound bridge of a female voice apologising to relatives. Paragraph of text is then shown on screen explaining to the viewer the plot of the film. And introducing the idea that their footage will stand this is consequently later followed by a montage of black-and-white shots which is assumingly their footage in an area that appears to be the woods. We know that the film is a horror because of the screams that follow the footage and the title and also the final words acted by the female character of "I am so scared ".
I believe that the attraction of the audience to this film when watching the trailer is through fear of the unknown and the question of what happens in the film is hardly anything is given away in the trailer.
Universal Studios and Legendary Pictures - large american production companies
Key selling points are the well known actors, and the unlikely twist of a house being haunted rather than a person
The costumes suggest that it is a victorian period feature
The soundtrack with bass creates a feeling of tension and suspense. This added with the isolated surrounding of the feature house in the setting creates an eerie feel
Rapid crosscuts between different scenes to capture the varying plot and create a feeling of the unknown as it is too fast to make an assumption, only allowing the viewer to make out ambiguous figures or shapes
The transfer between the introduction and disruption occurs 1 minute into the trailer with short cuts showing an ambiguous figure
Very dark and monochromatic colours are used as a whole with dominant tones of red signifying blood
13 Minutes
Studiocanal; Beta Cinema and Lucky Bird Pictures - low budget production companies
Sound reflects idea of ticking/loss of time, similarly to the title and subject matter conveyed about a bomb
Foreign language film but aimed at a wider audience, as the trailer contains subtitles and sub-headers appearing roughly every ten to fifteen seconds in english
Set in WW2- signified by the use of spoken German; costumes resembling the period of the 1940s and Nazi memorabilia
Nazi costumes- from their point of view
Unlike many films about WW2 as it focuses on the occurrences within Germany rather than outside influences
Historical action thriller film
Plot - German assassin tries to kill Hitler
Aimed at a wide audience but primarily 35+
Birdman
20TH Century Fox and Regency Pictures - big budget hollywood films
Opens with a shot of Micheal Keaton 'hovering', suggesting superpowers; but when combined with the opening line having an almost comic sound, it makes the audience believe it is actually delusional
Use of intrusive camera angles makes it feel more like an art house/indie film
Hand held camerawork effect as the camera is never still but instead continously moves following the actors
High contrast between light and dark scenes, shows variation
Aimed at an audience of 20-50 years old
Large star cast attracts the audience rather than the plot which appears confusing and unknown
Set in Broadway in present day New York, following the life of a struggling actor
Costumes try to resemble as close to 'normal' as possible with common plain styles and colours worn
Music - Knarles Barclay -'Crazy' ( reflects the meaning of the film)
2001: Space Odessey (Re-release)
MGM and Warner Bros - big budget
very atmospheric music, iconic of Stanley Kubric
Establishing shot of space along with modern space looking clothing gives the feeling that it is set in space in the future
Reviews appear between shots making the viewer confident it is worth watching
Contrast between old classical music and futuristic modern space
Minimal lines spoken- soley relies on atmosphere
Wide range of colours used - more vivid/reflective of real life thus making it more believeable
Aimed at a 15+ audience
Nightcrawler
No studios referenced- may suggest multiple counterparts contributed
Atmospheric set at night
Artificial lighting creates a greater sense of tension and
Twists the idea of the 'American Dream'
Young audience 15-35 due to modern music and the idea of finding the 'american dream' which people strive for primarily when they are young. Furthermore Jake Gyllenhaal attracts a young primarily female audience whilst the substance of the film attracts a male audience.
The Raid
Studiocanal; Beta Cinema and Lucky Bird Pictures - low budget production companies
Immediately shows film festival winnings as it has no famous principal cast to attract audiences
Few words used as foreign language may put off some English speaking viewers without seeing the film
Focuses on martial arts rather than gun fights making it more attractive to the viewer due to higher tenacity
Portrays the film as an non-stop action packed 'thrill ride'
Whiplash
Sony pictures and Stage 6 - mid budget film- surprising it was made as it was a mid budget and there was little possibility of a sequel due to storyline
tension heightens in trailer due to increase of regularity of drum beat
Surprising sense of a thriller simply from a film based on a drummer in an orchestra
Basic costume suggests attention on meaning and characters rather than era
Multiple sound bridges
High contrast between light and dark colours with a palette of orange hues
First minute of the trailer focuses on a single scene in the film
Watchmen
Paramount; Warner Bros; Legendary Pictures and DC comics - Big hollywood companies = large investment in project
Takes inspiration from the trailer of Alien and 2001: Space Oddesey as minimal lines are spoken, atmsophere and story is held by soundtrack
Costumes suggest superhero film
Set in the 1980s, but dark twist taken due to moody darkened colours of film
Film trailers can attract audiences through the portral of their product in a variety of ways; as seen with two variations of the trailers for whiplash. One appeared as if it was selling a romance film whilst the other, a thriller.
I believe that more sucessful film trailers are made when minimal lines are spoke, however, this then soley relies on the quality of the shots. It is effective because it does not give the whole plot line away to the audience, giving them no reason to see the feature, it simply 'teases' the audience making them want to continue watching.
This music is later juxtaposed with shots of violence, creating a eerie horrific feel to the trailer and making the plot seem more terrifying.
This music is later juxtaposed with shots of violence, creating a eerie horrific feel to the trailer and making the plot seem more terrifying.
