Fish Tank (2009) Trailer Analysis

The trailer starts with the production company logo whilst the soundtrack plays over the top. 

The establishing shot is of a city surrounded by a large field maybe suggesting that the main character s isolated and alone as she lives far away from anyone else. From first looking at this setting the audience can tell that this will be a drama film as there are flat blocks and a fence going around the field, and so this scene isn't especially pretty or scary looking which are the conventions for a romance or horror. This setting is suggesting to the audience that it is going to be realistic and is going to be facing the problems of struggling people in Britain. The sound track continues to play over the top. 

 

There is a close up of the main female character applying dark makeup to her eyes, as my main character will be similar to this one I might use a similar shot or focus in on her makeup for my trailer. The setting surrounding her face is blurred out so that the audience only focuses on her actions. Shouting is heard over this footage which makes the audience question what's going on in the characters life. 

The first couple of intertitles are stating the films awards at previous film festivals, this then already gives the audience an expectation for the film as they now imagine the film to be good and engaging. I don't think it would be appropriate to use these intertitles in my trailer as my film would not been entered into any film festivals and could still be successful without. 

The next intertitles help tell a story with their words, they help explain the narrative to the audience so that what the audience is thinking about the character is then confirmed. The light blue text with lighter glows represents the title of the film 'Fish Tank' and that how the water looks when the sun shines on it. This could have a hidden meaning for the audience suggesting that the character is the water and needs the sunlight in order for her to achieve. 

Throughout the trailer there is fast paced editing which helps build tension and also shows the audience lots of shots from the film so it sets the scene and gives them enough information to make them want to watch the whole film. 

Again the tension is built up just before the end of the trailer through fast paced editing and louder more dramatic music. The music suddenly cuts out and the screen goes black, the only noise is the sound of the female breathing heavily which is then shown visually soon after. I would like to create a similar ending to my trailer where the tension build but then it's abruptly stopped and leaves the audience with a lot of questions and creates enigmas.

Overall, I think there are a lot of elements I would like to take from this trailer and bring into mine, I like the soundtrack that was used and how when the tension grew the music got louder and more intense and when the atmosphere changed so did the music. This made it very clear to the audience that the tone of the film had changed and so I would like to incorporate that into my trailer. This trailer didn't feature too many locations because it was trying to be realistic it followed the life of the teenage girl and so it would be unrealistic if she travelled far. I will use the same for my trailer as I believe it is truthful that the teenagers featured in my trailer will not have money to travel and so will be filmed in one town. I also liked the fast paced editing in the trailer that also established the mood of the trailer. I am going to take inspiration from the ending of this trailer as I think it leaves the audience wanting to watch the film and also leaves a lot of unanswered questions and enigmas. 

Trainspotting (1996) Theatrical Trailer Analysis

The production company fade in and off screen, this shows the audience that this film is going to be a low budget British film as it's not made by a typical Hollywood production company. 

Non-diegetic music plays which is fast and up to imitate the action being played alongside. A voice over is also introduced which we find out is the voice of one of the characters. The close up mid shot shows four men running insinuating a chase, this creates an enigma as the audience doesn't know what's happening and are left wondering.

The first character 'Renton' is introduced through the windshield of a car, this is the main character of the film and has been introduced first. At first sight of this character the audience may feel intrigued as to see what has happened to him and to what he is going to do next. His face is discoloured and he looks very happy only just nearly been hit by a car, The film follows him and his heroin addiction and this shot gives a hint at that to the audience. 

We are then shown a close up of the main character with a female, however she was not introduced the same way that he was and so the audience are lead to believe that she will be less important in the film. The characters are looking straight at each other suggesting some kind of relationship between them that may be related to the story line of the film. We then hear her talking about 'Renton' and again implies that he could be a bad character. 

We're then introduced to the next character 'Spud', he is shown by a close up with the same red and white writing. His scene in the interview highlights the comedy that will be in the full film and shows this character to be more humorous than the others.  

The next characters presented to us are 'Sick boy' and 'Begbie'. Sick boy comes across as quite comedic as when he is talking with Renton he puts on a different voice, Begbie however is presented differently to the other characters. 

He is aggressive and the voice over says "He's a bit of a psych" whilst the visuals show him attacking another man in a bar. The music in the background contradicts this as it's still upbeat, this shows that whilst the film could be funny it also includes some darker characters who will change the tone of the film. 

The inter-titles are bright and colourful which stands out against the black background. Instead of actually relating to the film the inter-titles are reviews which make the audience then want to go watch the film. I think I would like to include this into my trailer as it would go with the theme and attract the audience into watching the full film. 

The rest of the trailer includes a range of shots and locations without giving away anymore of the story-line and so forces the audience to have to watch the whole film to find out anymore. This is what I want to do with my trailer, create fast paced editing so that it's exciting but still have enough differentiation in order to keep it interesting.

The final shot is of all four main characters standing together whilst a train goes past, this goes with the name of the film 'Trainspotting' although the film is about something completely different. The audience then want to watch the whole film to see what kind of trouble the characters get up too and can possibly relate to the behaviours shown. 

From looking at this trailer I have decided that I would like to use faced paced editing and up beat music to keep the trailer exciting and use a wide range of locations and shots so that it comes across as different and the audience will want to watch the final film because they want to know what is going to happen to the characters. 

Cherrybomb (2009) Trailer Analysis

The trailer for the film 'Cherrybomb' is one of my main inspirations when looking at my genre and the conventions that accompany it.

The blue dolphin production logo is shown right at the beginning along with the non-diegetic music that is calm and creates the mood and idea of being underwater and floating. The music then becomes a little more upbeat but still has that calming sound in the background whilst the first shots are played.

The first four shots introduce us to the main characters, implying to the audience that there is some sort of relationship between them based on the order of the shots of each character being next to each other. Each shot is different for each character maybe hinting at their personality to the audience, e.g. the close up could suggest this character is more intense and open whereas the mid shot of the female could imply she is more closed and secretive. Looking at their costumes implies that the female has all the power here as she is fully dressed whereas the male characters look naked. This contradicts stereotypes that men are more powerful and rejects the media representation that it's a social norm for women to be naked and objectified for the male audience but this trailer seems to switch this so that the female looks more dominant. The actors used are quite well known so introducing them straight away will engage the audience as they will recognise them and want to continue watching the trailer and then eventually watch the final film. This won't work for my trailer as the actors I will be using will be unknown to a audience and so using their names to attract my audience won't be effective. The titles are well positioned with a simple and plain font not taking away focus from the footage. They go well with the genre of the film and imply that it's a more mature film. 

The first piece of dialogue is heard which comes from a different character than is being shown on screen. This may be because the character being shown is either more important or more dominant than the one talking and so the audience automatically associates this character with control and power. 

This shot shows what the audience has presumed to be the main character towards the front of the frame with other characters in the background. This suggests that she may be a little different than everyone else, a bit of an outcast, possibly relating to the audience with the feeling of being left out and alone at some point. This is overlapped with dialogue asking about the female character, highlighting her mysteriousness and how little information we are getting to know about her.

The change of non-diegetic music occurs when the lighting also changes, creating a partying, livelier atmosphere which is something I would like to use in my trailer. I also like the range of locations used in the trailer, this is an element I am going to have to think about in order to make the trailer look professional by having lots of locations. 

The shots are now edited closer together to fit with the speed of the music and the liveliness of the scene being created. I will have to follow this idea pattern in my trailer so that I can try to create the same mood. 

Slow motion is used in the trailer for 'Cherrybomb' which creates the feeling of intoxication onto the audience, they connect with the characters making them want to be a part of the story line as well. This is something I feel I could include in my trailer to create the same effect. 

Overall, I think that this trailer will be one of my main inspirations when planning my trailer as I liked that they've used a variety of locations and used different editing skills to create different effects.

Wild (2014) Sound Analysis

The trailer starts with ambient sounds with a voice over, suggesting the film is very natural and the settings will be away from civilisation. It also implies that the female speaking will be the main character of the film, her voice is very quiet and soft making the audience feel safe as she quotes lines from a book which can be seen as calming.

The non-diegetic music then starts as we see her walking suggesting her journey has begun, it is instrumental as the voice over continues, making the audience focus on the dialogue she's saying. Other characters voices then overplay the footage of her isolated implying she may have run away to overcome her problems. 

The music used is very relaxing and makes the audience connect with the character in her tranquillity of being alone in the wild. Some of the dialogue put into the trailer mixes up your emotions making the audience feel different things for the character by saying "My mother was the love of my life" makes you feel happy, however with the other characters saying "You're using heroine" it contradicts those feelings towards the character. 

The same music is played from beginning to end to bring the audience on the same journey as the character and to connect them both. 

I like the way the dialogue is placed at the right points to match both the music and the footage of the trailer, it's put perfectly to use the audiences emotions to engage them and to interact with. I would like to use some aspect of this in my trailer, however I won't be using as much voice-overs as this doesn't conform to my genre.

Genre Conventions Of A Romantic Drama

Changed Initial Ideas - Prezi

I changed my genre to a romantic drama and so all my ideas changed for the trailer have changes. I believe that this trailer will be more interesting and more exciting to create.

Changes To My Ideas

Looking back over my initial ideas, I've decided that the final outcome of my trailer may look a bit boring and won't offer anything different that hasn't already been done before to the audience. I have now chosen to change my genre to Romantic Drama and my target audience will be more mature, I feel this way I can create something a bit more unique that the audience will be interested in.