Decision and Research on Existing Trailers

For my coursework I was given a number of different briefs to consider and ultimately chose which brief I was going to follow. I chose:

2. A promotion package for a new film, to include a teaser trailer, together with two of the following three options:

• A webste homepage for the film;
• A film magazine front cover, featuring the film
• A poster for the film.

Examples of film trailers:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kPgZcW8MCaA&feature=fvst - The Proposal

The trailer seems stressed with car horns, alarm sounds and other sound effects. The one screen text is typed up as graphics to introduce the character. It is a business environment emphasising the woman as the boss and in a superior position to the man. She controls him suggesting his character as a push-over in addition to a family guy (family phone calls). The trailer focuses on establishing a sense of the film's narrative. One simple way of describing a narrative is that it starts with the situation in 'equlibrium', then something occurs that creates a 'disruption' to the way things are. The narrative in this trailer is that it starts off with disruption of them getting married because she is going to get deported then them falling in love. The key points of the narrative are at the beginning. The trailer does not give the whole storyline away to the audience, instead it leaves the audience predicting whether the couple will get married, or will she get deported or will they fall in love and move to Alaska? These predictions are based on the generic expectations of romcoms where the two hate eachother to begin with but soon fall in love.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1g5QNpucNMw - The Ugly Truth

The trailer focuses on the two principle characters. The other characters provide a functions mainly to add to the comedy in addition to emphasising the dysfunctional relationship of the main characters. For example the twins show the alpha male character of the man. The relationship between the two lead characters is stereotypical because the man is very masculine and rough and ready whereas the woman is stereotypically naive when it comes to men, she wants a professional and truthworthy man. Also they hate to love, it's a direct contrast but it makes the relationship work. The lighting and music is particular to its gender as the lighting uses highly saturated colours to make it playful and show the fresh comedy and warmth of the film. The music is upbeat and also playful and light-hearted. These elements work together and give a sense of what the film consists of and allow it to appeal to everybody.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nFP68RpX1Fg&feature=related - Mean Girls

The trailer's main focus is established through the music and setting. The music is very fresh and updated and the setting is in a high school. Therefore it is obvious that the film centres around teenage lives more specifically girls. The target audience will feel this and relate to some of the themes of the trailer i.e. weight, bitching and gossiping and social cliques. The trailer opens with comedic dialogue to grasp the audience and to present the genre of the film. The text is shown on a film strip which makes it more fun and ordered as if presenting her life in film stages. The 'mean girls' in the film are presented through individual introductions and little clips to support the dialogues. The main character is shown being guided through school life by two chaperones who act as narrators of the film trailer. In the last half of the trailer, the audience can see why the three girls are called 'mean girls', providing a disequilibirum to the film.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oIH3ItCXoe4&feature=related - John Tucker Must Die

The trailer starts off by setting the scene of a basketball game at high school providing a cheery and upbeat opening. The narrator states "the story is about John Tucker" so the audience can immediately identify that the film is centred around relationships. Then his character is introduced as being this popular, socially successful teen. A snapshot is taken of the scene almost in an attempt to look like a year book again focussing on the highschool setting. The music is about a secret- which gives a sense of mystery and an idea of a cunning plan. There's a 'whooshing' sound to show the different girls at the dinner table to show him as this 'player' and womans man. Then the plot is brought forward. Then it all ties up till the end where the main storyline is for 'John Tucker must die'.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=511k8-3dj4w - She's All That

This film trailer is shorter but it gives an example of the plot line clearly presented through a trailer. The male character is introduced and his popular status is shown until he gets dumped. The narrator then introduces the storyline of him taking on a bet and his challenge is the geeky girl. The trailer gives all the trials and problems that are needed to be overcome till they come the couple come together in the climax.

I chose to analyse these few trailers because this is the genre which I would like to apply to my coursework. I wish to produce a comedy film targetted at teenagers with traditional and stereotypical ideas of teens and social cliques and pressures of trying to fit in. The collective identity I am going to portray is the British teenagers. A few ideas of my creative film titles are 'Social Suicide' being putting humour to teens exaggeration. Or 'Broken Rules' of problems of teenage rebellion.