Horror film trailer analysis

Knocked up (2007)

At what point in the trailer are we told the name of the film? why is this?

We are not shown the title of the film until the end of the trailer, though we get a sense of what the film is about throughout the audience can roughly guess what the film title is. The film is a comedy and the title is a joke in itself, its light hearted.

Why are we told who is starring in the film?

We do not see any information about who stars in the film, but we do see "From the director of 40 year old virgin" which was a previously successful film, so this information is a selling point for the film.

How is this information given to us and why?

It is shown by being displayed in huge red writing over the screen which is used to shift from one scene to another.

What type of action from the film do we see?

Being a comedy, there is not much action, though we do see much disequilibrium mixed with equilibrium, this is done so it doesn't give much of the plot away, e.g we don't see how the problem is solved.

What clues does the music give us as to what type of film the trailer is advertising?

The first piece of music is very light, not droning, which shows the light hearted nature of the film, we also hear a clip of Frankie goes to Hollywood's "Relax" which gives a postmodern twist to the film, it is also a piece of music which everybody recognizes which can bring in audiences, after this, we also hear a piece of upbeat music with an acoustic guitar, this tells the audience that despite its depressing plot, the film has a happy nature. Towards the end, we hear a piece of reggae music, which is stereotypically linked to cannabis, which is a big part of the main character, Ben's life.

Does the trailer come with a voice over and if so, what can you tell about the voice being used?

The voice is deep but has a positive tone, it sounds exciting and persuasive.

Why do you think this voice was chosen? What effect does it have?

It has a positive effect which brings a sense of joy to the trailer.

How does the speed of what we see compare to watching a clip from a film? why is this?

The clips we see when actors are having an interview for example are normally a really intense clip of the film, although this helps advertise the film, it doesn't have as big effect than normal film trailers have. Because of the many clips contained in the trailer, it speeds up the pace of it so we see more of the film in a short space of time.

Does the speed alter through the trailer or does it stay the same?

It stays constant throughout the trailer, the scenes are long enough for the audience to understand the characters, but not long to make the trailer seem boring and roughly cut.

What information are we given about the film?

the audience can see the 2 main characters lives and how they come together, which is a good technique as it makes us want to find out more about the characters.

At what point in the trailer are we given this information?

Throughout the trailer, i think this is because its a comedy which contains little action.

What type of audience is the trailer aimed at? how can you tell?

i think this is aimed at a vast audience, ranging from teenagers, teenage couples through to the more older audience who have been through what the story is about.

Horror film trailer analysis

When a Stranger Calls (2006)

At what point are we told the name of the film? Why is this?

We don't see the name of the film until the end, i think this is because it creates suspense that we don't know the title

Why are we told who is starring in the film?

We are told who is starring in the film as it brings in audiences who are fans of the actors of the film, it can also be used to transition into different scenes.

How is this information given to us? why?

We do not see the information of the actors in this role, i think this is so it doesn't distract us from the action.

What type of action from the film do we see?

The audience see's the tranquil and isolated setting at the start, the audience also see's the build up to the action, but we never see the climax, this is because trailers are advertising to make people watch the film.

What clues does the music give us as to what type of film the trailer is advertising?

At the start of the trailer there is no music, and as the tension builds we hear a heartbeat like sound which raises tension further and during the "action" scenes we hear violins playing quickly.

Does the trailer come with a voice over and if so, what can you tell about the voice being used?

no voice overs.

Why do you think this voice was chosen? what effect does it have?

no voice overs.

How does the speed of what we see compare to watching a clip from a film? why is this?

The speed is increased from the film, which increases tension and excitement for the audience.

It makes the viewers of the trailer want to see the film, which is what trailers are supposed to do.

Does the speed alter though the trailer or does it stay the same?

it builds up from a slow paced introduction through to an increased sense of terror, i think this works well as we can understand part of the story and see some action too.

What information are we given about the film?

We understand the basic plot of the film with some of the action contained in the film, though we don't see the equilibrium.

At what point in the trailer is this information given?

We see the outline of the plot during the first part of the trailer, with the action later on in the trailer, the action also helps us to understand the plot shown in the first part of the trailer.

What type of audience is the trailer aimed at? How can you tell?

I think its aimed at the young adult market, as the main character is a teenage woman, i think the main audience would be young adults, possibly on a date, as this is what i done when i saw this film in the cinema.

Propp's Narrative Theory

Who is the hero in the film?

The hero of the film is "Dan" whom seeks revenge on the group of people who are responsible for his friends murder.
What quest are they on?  

 "Dan" is on a quest for questions and revenge for his late friend.
Are they male or female?

 Male.
Who is the helper/s in the film?

"Dan" uses his games console to help him discover who these killers are and how they operate.
Are they male or female?

Neither
Who is/are the villain/s in the film? Are they male/female/human?

 The main Villain is the leader of these obsessed gamers, only known as "ipwnn00bs"
Who is the donor?  

 The donor is "Katie" who was previously involved with the group and has seen the errors of her ways.
What are they donating?  

 Her knowledge of the group allows "Dan" to plan out his revenge.
Who is/are they victims? Are they male or female or both?

 There are many different victims under the wrath of "Dans" revenge.

Our Opening Thriller

Kill Cam Final from David Poulton on Vimeo.

Watch in HD with headphones for best viewing.

In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products? (i.e. of film openings)

Task 1 Evaluation

How does your media product represent particular social groups?

 

The antagonist of the thriller, played by Joseph Badom, 

is based largely on the character 'Chris Partlow' from 

the HBO series "The Wire." Partlow is shown as a 

ruthless killer throughout the series, we would develop

our antagonist in a similar fashion to the character of Chris Partlow. 

Partlow is also shown to be extremely precise throughout most of the series, another charateristic that would be reflected by our antagonist.

What kind of media institution might distribute our film, and why?

We feel as though an independent U.K film company such as Vertigo Films would be perfect to distribute our film.

Although Vertigo is an independent film company, it has many links with various other film companies, and businesses bared in other media, such as Warner Bros. and Rockstar Games.

By having synergies within various other forms of media, Vertigo have allowed themselves to reach out to a far greater audience, and they have gained the ability to act more like a conglomerate, rather than a small, independent company.

we also considered an art-house film company for our distribution. 20th Century Fox’s branch devoted to art-house films, Fox Searchlight, was considered, if we were to decide on trying to get the film distributed by an art-house company. With Fox Seachlight being directly linked to 20th Century Fox, the commercial appeal for our film would be greatly enhanced.

Although the idea of our thriller being distributed by a company such as Fox Searchlight seemed more lucrative than having the film distributed by a company like Vertigo, we decided to opt for having the film distributed by an independent U.K company. The choice was down to the fact that we believe Vertigo and other such companies are more than capable of gaining a large enough fan base for the film, and also to show support for the U.K industry, which is very much in the shadow of Hollywood.