This document summarizes research conducted on existing film trailers and posters. It analyzes the trailers for Marshall, Goodnight Mommy, All the Money in the World, and the posters for The Silence of the Lambs, The Dark Knight, and Orphan. Common techniques identified include using music to build tension, slow initial editing pace that speeds up, and utilizing color contrast to guide attention. The document concludes it will apply knowledge of these techniques, including rhetorical questions and simple dominant images, in its own trailer and poster designs.

1. Research
Samuel Schoettner

2. Existing Product: Marshall (Trailer)
Trailer for: Marshall https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=srahuE6vsAA
The reason I chose to analyse this trailer is because I really like the use of music sound bridges and sfx in
the trailer. Throughout the trailer diegetic sounds are used to cut and link shots together, a vast majority
of the trailer is ‘narrated’ using voice snippets from the film this works effectively as we are taken step by
step through the rough narrative of the film, at first it is established that he is the first coloured man to be
a lawyer, then it is made clear his mission is to ‘defend only innocent people accused of their race’ and
finally that someone who he was representing does not seem as though he is innocent, adding in snippets
such as his wife saying ‘be careful’ while playing a clip of someone pointing a shotgun at him. This builds
up a lot of interest and tension, we want to know more about the plot, what happens to Marshall? Does
he win the case? Is he liked or disliked? The trailer creates a lot of questions and interest, furthermore
through the use of language and word choice, we can tell this film is going to be a relatively honest
representation of what it would have been to be a person of colour during this time, especially if you had
a good job. (though of course it will still be sugar coated.) Throughout the trailer Marshall is shown mostly
from low angles suggesting his moral superiority.

3. Research Analysis (TRAILERS)
The trailers all start of slow and normal paced and speed up increasing the editing pace and decreasing
the length of the shots, as they go to build excitement and tension. They also start of with straight cuts
but then progress to black fades. Finishing with calmer music slower editing and longer shots, often
the music kicks back in again for the title of the movie that is displayed at the end of the trailer. I am
going to utilise the knowledge I have gained from the music editing in the trailer for ‘All the money in
the world’ and the sound design from ’Marshall’ while creating a trailer that has a style visually similar
to that of Goodnight mommy, using slow paced editing and letting each shot linger just until it gets
slightly uncomfortable and then snapping out of it. All of the trailers seem to have a unique way of
building excitement and tension.
(UNFINISHED)

4. Existing Product: Goodnight mommy (Trailer)
Goodnight mommy trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DzSsE5t7JNk
This trailer is very similar to what I would like to achieve with my trailer, one of the biggest factors is the way
it is edited and lots of the image composition. The shots where she is looking at you through a reflection and
not directly, those shots are very unnerving and uncomfortable. The whole trailer helps us understand that
the woman is their mother who had a surgery and that’s why the kids aren’t frightened until the start to think
it isn’t really their mother. However important information such as why she needed the surgery is not
included, this keeps the viewer guessing and creates interest so they will want to go see the film(which
ultimately is what a trailer is trying to achieve).
I really like the slow paced beginning, the shots are quite long and the editing is very slow, only hard cuts are
used. This changes throughout the trailer as the shots get shorter, the editing pace increases and black fades
are used more often. The editing, lighting, colouring and sequencing makes for an extremely creepy trailer
that entices any one who would like to see a horror film. The simple and clean mise en scene, makes the
mother with her bandages stand out even more and makes her look anomalous and out of place. The trailer
seems to have little/no VFX which makes it even more creepy as personally I think horror films that use lots
of VFX instantly become less scary because it instantly divides the film from reality, and therefore reduces the
fright you feel (though that is very subjective). During the trailer the horror aspects tend to implement low-
key lighting.

5. Existing Product: All the money in the world (Trailer)
All the money in the world trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VJneeDGMMtk
This trailer feels very linear as it uses one song throughout the trailer but the song is edited to match the tempo and
intensity of what is seen on screen, when the trailer has begun and everything is normal, so is the music but as
aspects of the characters lives and relationships change the music adapts to match a reflect the tone and mood of
the trailer, at points the song almost halts completely and is only a few ticks on repeat in the background. The music
follows the rhythm of the trailer, the cuts are influenced by the music, the music is used to build tension etc. This
trailer is weaved around the music. The fact that the song is normal at the start of the trailer and returns to being
normal for the end of the trailer after changing drastically throughout makes it feel concluded and well rounded.
Further more the style of cinematography, the lighting and the colour grading is very, very similar to what I would like
to achieve within my own product, the cool colour tones and the teal and orange colour contrast. The film overall has
a very cold and lightly desaturated tone this works extremely well as the story being told is also very ‘cold’ so the
colour reflects the somber tone of the film. The way the music is utilized to build and release tension is extremely
immersive, for example nearing the end the song builds to a climax that is released a few seconds before the climax
of the trailer when Mr. Getty states he would pay ‘Nothing’ which is then followed by music kicking back in almost
bringing the trailer full circle. Overall this trailer really utilizes the music to create interest, tension and excitement. I
think music is very important in a film trailer and this trailer (subjectively) perfectly executed the use of music.

6. Existing Product: The silence of the lambs (poster)
The movie poster for ‘the silence of the lambs’ is arguably one of the greatest movie posters of all time.
The poster draws your attention in 3 areas, the title, the butterfly and the eyes. This is due to the heavy contrast
compared to the rest of the image, the red eyes signify danger, the butterfly over the mouth is very brightly coloured
with orange red and yellow tones, (butterflies being a symbol of change, suggesting the movie is about a person who
changes/changed). Compare these bright colours to the pale, soft skin colours of the character and a huge amount of
contrast is created, the image seems to blend into the background which creates a perfect area for the text to be placed.
Almost 3/4 of the poster is taken up by the image of the character, who is dominating the poster, the close up of their
face while they are staring straight into the lens, and therefore at us, this makes the viewer feel slightly uneasy and
uncomfortable as we feel as though we are being watched. The poster again uses heavy contrast by going from a
bleached white over to an abyss-like black with only a little bit of purple in-between, this is another example of using
contrast as interest as the poster is nearly half bright white and half deep black, this could be associated with balance or
the ‘yin and yang’ signifying balance this suggests the film will include decisions and the characters might need to do
things that are considered wrong to do good.
Its almost as though the poster designers wanted the image to speak for itself, leaving
only around ¼ of the image to the cast, title etc. This shows huge confidence and creates
a poster that is visually pleasing while also effectively selling the product.
The title text is very simple and all lowercase, again bright orange/red is used to evoke
contrast so that the text stands out from the background while not. Above the title we
have a list of the main actors in white and below in a again white but highlighted in black
using 12-point Courier is a tagline reading ‘from the terrifying best seller’ this is shows
the viewer that the plot of the film already was successful as a book which may well
cause some viewers to be more likely to go see the film. Overall the I personally really
like the style of this poster, when you look at you instantly feel un easy, from the eyes
that stare at you to the butterfly over her mouth, the poster is both creepy and
interesting, the poster only gives us minimal basic information like the title and cast as if
it doesn’t want to take away from the image itself.

7. Existing Product: The Dark night (Teaser Poster)
The colour scheme for this poster is red and blue, the red writing reading ‘why so serious?’ is the first thing
that catches your eye when you look at the poster. This is because the red strongly contrasts with the bright
background, the rest of the image is dark blue and teal using contrast to bring attention to the red text.
The poster also uses focus, the main image is of a character (the joker) stood writing in what appears to be
blood the text is perfectly in focus, the text makes is distressing as we associate red with danger and
passion, combine this with scraggily writing similar to that of a child and we instantly think of someone
psychotic. The rest of the character (other than his hands) is out of focus, this is to tease the audience, as
the character portrayed looks very different to previous examples of
the joker. However the ‘Glasgow smile’ drawn over his mouth makes it
clear as to who the person in the frame is.
The rest of the text within this poster is very simple, the title of the film
is in all caps spaced out evenly across the bottom of the page, with a
rough release date and a link to a website to keep up with the film.
Additionally the famous and recognisable batman logo is underneath
the title text quickly reminding us of what franchise the film belongs
too.
To conclude the poster is very visually pleasing as it is simply made to
‘tease’ the audience, it is to build hype so that when the main ad
campaign begins there is already an interest in the film. I think the
poster achieves this perfectly, it shows us what to expect by simply
placing the silhouette of an iconic character, in a way they have never
been seen before.

8. Existing Product: Orphan (Poster)
I chose this poster as is very similar to what I would like to create myself, the protagonist dominates the frame and it almost
feels like they have take control of the poster and are staring you down, almost as though she is challenging you. The colour
scheme is heavily green and teal, which can be associated with greed and jealousy, we also associate green with sickness
hence the phrase “green around the gills” or the ‘Mr yuck sticker’ which is used to warn children from potentially hazardous
chemicals.
The character herself is as I mentioned dominating the picture, though she is only a child her hair is very tightly pulled to
the side and perfectly parted, the clothes she is wearing are simple and sophisticated, this gives her an overall look that is
menacing and as though she is far more mature than the young girl we see. Overall this makes for a visually interesting
image as we try to decipher what is going on, as at a first glance it seems very simplistic, it becomes more and more
uncomfortable to look at the image, I can only imagine this is the aim.
Mr yuck sticker
The text on the image kept to a very minimum we have a tag that in white and
simple all caps font, this causes it stick out from the background as it is very eye
catching compared to the green. The title is also in white however it is written in
a childlike scribbled font with lower and uppercase letters all over the place,
which again signifies childishness. One of the most eye-catching aspects of the
poster might be the Rhetorical question reading ‘Can you keep a secret?’ this text
is written in bright red, which we associate with blood and danger, hence as the
aim is to create interest so that the reader will want to find out more about the
‘secret’ which will give us motivation to go see the film as combined with the
release date (written in white) next to the phrase the question almost acts as an
invitation to come see the film.
In conclusion the whole poster is designed to make you feel uneasy and almost
cautious of the girl in the image though simultaneously it builds a certain interest
that makes you want to take a closer look and find out more about,
this Esther, what is her secret? This is why the poster works perfectly
as a poster for a horror film.

9. Research Analysis (POSTER)
The posters all use colour contrast to guide the attention of the audience to see or read first what
they want you to read/see first, the use of contrast in general is also a coherent them all of the
posters have quite defined shadows and highlights. The posters are all dominated by one
character and therefore are all quite simple. I think I will definitely include both the simple design
and colour contrast in my production work as it works extremely well to create interest, if it is
appropriate I will also include a rhetorical question (as two of the posters have) this is because I
think rhetorical questions work very well at indulging the audience and reeling them in, to have
another look at the poster, so that they can try to figure out what it is that is going on, in the
poster. Another common theme was the use of red text, all the posters used red text for
(subjectively) the most important piece of text on the poster. I will also spend time researching
what colours to use and what levels of contrast to use as I think with all of the images a lot of
time and thought has gone into just how much contrast should be used or what colour schemes
they should utilise, for far better reasons than ‘it looking good’. I would hope to include a similar
level of sophistication and creativity/ originality within my posters.
(UNFINISHED)

10. Questionnaire Analysis

11. Survey
• https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/9ZZCT8M

12. Audience research
The first 2 questions were very basic questions to establish an audience and an idea of who is taking the
survey. This will help me throughout the survey to determine why answers might be heavily one sided
(e.g. only men are taking the survey)
From the results we can see that the gender is relatively balance though the though there was 4
more male participants, However the age range is heavily dominated by 16-19 year olds. This
means if there is a trend of similar answers it could be due to the similar age range. This will be
useful information as it will give me an idea of the interest of that age range.

22. Audience research
• Observation:
• What this says about my audience:
• How will your product appeal to this audience:

23. Audience research
• Observation:
• What this says about my audience:
• How will your product appeal to this audience:

24. Audience research
• Observation:
• What this says about my audience:
• How will your product appeal to this audience:

25. Audience research
• Observation:
• What this says about my audience:
• How will your product appeal to this audience:

26. Interviews

27. Interview 1
Do you like narration or voice overs from the characters in film trailers? Why? Or Why
not?
Do you prefer the generic ‘movie trailer music’ or do you prefer trailers that use music
from real bands? Why?
When watching a trailer what do you pay more attention to, the editing, the shots, the
music? Which is it and why? (feel free to chose multiple options)
When watching a trailer do you prefer it to be broken up with reviews, release dates
etc. Or do you prefer the trailer to be in one piece and the reviews and release dates
etc. to be shown after wards? Why?

28. Interview 1
• Observation:
• What this says about my audience:
• How will your product appeal to this
audience:

29. Interview 2
Do you like narration or voice overs from the characters in film trailers? Why? Or Why
not?
Do you prefer the generic ‘movie trailer music’ or do you prefer trailers that use music
from real bands? Why?
When watching a trailer what do you pay more attention to, the editing, the shots, the
music? Which is it and why? (feel free to chose multiple options)
When watching a trailer do you prefer it to be broken up with reviews, release dates
etc. Or do you prefer the trailer to be in one piece and the reviews and release dates
etc. to be shown after wards? Why?

30. Interview 2
• Observation:
• What this says about my audience:
• How will your product appeal to this
audience:

31. Colour and colour schemes

32. Bibliography

33. Bibliography
1. Your, Name. (2018) Target Audience Research Survey (conducted on DATE)
2. Interviewees, Name. (2018) Target Audience Interviews (conducted on DATE)
3. Richard Lackey. (2015). 5 Common Film Color Schemes – Learning Cinematic Color Design. Available:
https://www.cinema5d.com/film-color-schemes-cinematic-color-design/. Last accessed 12/04/18.
4. ANON. (.). How to Use Color in Film: 50+ Examples of Movie Color Palettes. Available:
https://www.studiobinder.com/blog/e-books/how-to-use-color-in-film-free-ebook/. Last accessed
12/04/18.
5. shanovitz. (2014). Lighting in Film. Available: https://www.slideshare.net/shanovitz/lighting-in-film. Last
accessed 12/04/18.
6. LEWIS MCGREGOR. (2016). Lighting 101: A Quick Guide for Lighting Film. Available:
https://www.premiumbeat.com/blog/basic-light-placements/. Last accessed 12/04/18.
7. Severin Fiala, Veronika Franz. (2014). Goodnight Mommy. Available:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3086442/?ref_=nv_sr_1. Last accessed 13/04/18.
8. Reginald Hudlin. (2017). Marshall. Available: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt5301662/?ref_=nv_sr_3. Last
accessed 13/04/18.
9. Ridley Scott. (2017). All the money in the world. Available:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt5294550/?ref_=nv_sr_1. Last accessed 13/04/18.