Film trailers are used to promote or advertise an upcoming film, traditionally
   they were shown at the end of the film, but this was seen ineffective due to
   crowds leaving after the film, hence the name trailer. The first was shown in
   1913 for the film musical The Pleasure Seekers.

Film trailers have many different conventions, for example, a voice over or a
   soundtrack, snapshots of the actors involved, or if they of a high enough
   profile names of the director/producer/actor/actress will be shown to capture
   the audiences attention. These names will also be shown for example if
   Tom Cruise was shown the audience would immediately affiliate the actor
   with an action film due to the previous genres and successful films the actor
   has starred in.

The genre of films I am going to look at are crime, famous directors of this
  genre include Martin Scorsese and Quentin Tarantino. The films I am going
  to study are The Departed (2006), Dead Man‟s Shoes (2004), and Harry
  Brown (2009).
The trailer is 2:31 minutes long, making a fairly long trailer. The Departed, one of my films
  I have chosen, focuses on the crime genre. But there is also a very strong theme of
  identity, it "affects one's actions, emotions, self-assurance and even dreams” Stanley
  Kauffmann the film critic quotes. In the trailer all the main themes are portrayed, such
  as action through gun fighting, sex and relationships, and betrayal. Special effects are
  used such as slow motion as the gangsters move from their car, this is used to signify
  their importance and malice. Transition between slides cuts to a black out to show a
  slower and more effective change of scenery and actors, most of but not all screen
  shots are of an action such as loading or shooting a gun or of a conservation and then
  it is usually a mid-shot, close ups tend to be used more on scenes which want to show
  you something, either typing on a phone or once again, loading a gun.
Captions such as Sacrifice is a test give the trailer a break from its vocal and more confrontational style. The trailer
   features 4 different soundtracks, ranging from The Rolling Stones‟ Gimme Shelter to Dropkick Murphys‟ I'm shipping to
   Boston. However, the music soundtrack only features as a background track as vocals (mainly conversations) take the
   main part in the trailer, mainly conversations about “killing” or crime. Supporting and emphasising the genre of the trailer.




                                                                                         Caption placed for
                                                                                         deliberate effect to indicate
                                                                                         the themes and to indicate
                                                                                         death and loss, which
                                                                                         features heavily in the
                                                                                         movie.

                                                This director is renowned for his “gangster” and crime type
                                                movies, this indicates to the audience the type of film. Also
                                                the colours used for the forename and surname seem to
                                                indicate that the blue colour indicates the police force and
                                                the white the crime. Another subtle hint to the films theme.




                                                                                 The final slide in the trailer shows the release
                                                                                 date and the films website along with al the
The list of very popular and well
                                                                                 films institutions, this is a fairly traditional end
known actors will catch the
                                                                                 to a trailer for a big budgeted movie.
audiences attention and realise
this is an “all-star” cast.
The opening of the trailer shows one of the main
                                                             characters – Jack Nicholson – as the voiceover
                                                             and in the scene smoking in a part of a town,
                                                             giving the effect of his superior role in the film.




 Themes of the trailer are portrayed early on, for
 example, action, through the image of a gun
 firing. The camera is showing a close up of the
 gun , this shows that guns and violence is a
 main theme in the film.




                                                                  The depiction of violence is
                                                                  demonstrated through the anger of the
                                                                  attacker and his fist about to omit paid in
                                                                  to the victim.




These connotations of action and screenshots show the stereotypical action shots. This gives off the genre of
the film and the trailer. The trailer starts off with slow side transition to set the motif and also with longer
scenes to let more vocal and peaking patrts from one of the main characters, then as the trailer gets into the
depth of the pot, action shots tart to appear followed by a screenshot with some text on it. The slide transition
speed up and so does the amount of action and the trailer comes to a close after an action pcked 2:31
seconds.
The trailer for Dead Man‟s Shoes is 1:39 seconds long, making for a medium length
  trailer. The film is about a disaffected soldier who returns to his hometown to get even
  with the thugs who brutalized his mentally-challenged brother years ago. Richard
  returns home from military service to a small town in the Midlands. He has one thing
  on his mind: revenge. Payback for the local bullies who did some very bad things to
  his brother. At first his campaign employs guerrilla tactics, designed to frighten the
  men and put them ill at ease. But then he steps up his operation, and one by one
  these local tough guys are picked off by the terrifying angel of vengeance that Richard
  has become.
The film is part of the thriller genre but also drifts in and out of crime and drama genres.
  The films motif is very much focused on revenge and I am planning to focus this as
  my own main plot in my own trailer. Because the films motif is revenge and
  vengeance, the film is basically a tragedy.

Towards the end of the trailer the main character (Paddy Considine) is heard to be
   saying‟ God will forgive them and allow them into heaven, I cant live with that.‟ this is a
   very sinister line and foreshadows the tragedy, drama and thriller in the film.
The trailer starts out very soft, the
                                                        soundtrack is soft and gentle under the
                                                        conversation between the two characters,
                                                        which is not in sync with the films genre.




This is still continuing the strange vary in
genre, representing the drama side of the
film, the technique used to show a lack
screen and a faded out use of text give the
impression of something being hidden and
subtext that will later be revealed.



                                       This
                                       screenshot is
                                       placed before
                                       this one

                               This gives the affect of how a brother will
                               do anything for his own, and the
                               „Vengeance‟ typeface is very aggressive
                               and explosive. It shows the anger and
                               violence intended throughout the trailer.
The scene is showing a struggle of a man being almost                 The creepy mask indicates that of a serial killer (again a
forced into something – he is being dragged by a rope                 code and convention of a thriller genre) which sends out
(almost animalistic) this gives off the traditional codes and         the fear to the audience.
conventions of thriller.




The use of the axe indicates the violence in the trailer              The stance of the character shows his confidence and
throughout the film, it also is a foreshadowing of the blood          composure whilst holding an axe which makes the whole
and gore.                                                             scene look incredibly sinister.




Text is displayed in a dirty red colour (probably blood) and         The review and quote from a famous correspondent gives the
shows the violence, horror and thriller aspect of the trailer. The   audience a reassuring vote of confidence and shows the
text itself, „One Down‟, is a disturbing term which indicates the    scary aspect of the text used, „Disturb‟ and „Gripping‟, give the
elimination and murder of people.                                    quote a reminiscent to the thriller genre of the film.
Harry Brown is a 2009 British crime thriller film directed by Daniel Barber and starring
  Michael Caine, Emily Mortimer, Jack O'Connell, and Liam Cunningham.
The film also features actor and artist Plan B who, with Chase & Status, is also
  responsible for the film's theme music track "End Credits.”Harry Brown had its World
  Premiere as a "Special Presentation" at the 2009 Toronto International Film Festival
  and was released theatrically in the United Kingdom by Lionsgate UK on 11
  November 2009; the film was released in the United States by Samuel Goldwyn Films
  and Destination Films on 30 April 2010.
The story follows Harry Brown, a widowed Royal Marines veteran, who had served in
  Northern Ireland, living on an Elephant and Castle housing estate that is rapidly
  descending into youth crime. Harry fights fire with fire after a friend is murdered.
                                                         The trailer is 1:48 long and
                                                         features varied slide transition,
                                                         different character voiceovers
                                                         and towards the end of the
                                                         trailer it features a song from
                                                         the director himself.
The early signs at the start of the trailer
show violence and fighting. This is a
foreboding factor on how the genres are
represented in the trailer.




  The depictions of violence are
  showing vandals and youths(the
  main antagonists) are seen
  throwing petrol bombs at a car
  and starting fires. This is in tune
  with the codes and conventions of
  thriller.




Scenes of a man being brought
away by police, again coincide
with the codes and conventions
of thriller and crime and drama
genre.
The depiction of the threatening with a knife      Another representation of weapon         An explosion indicates the action side,
and the clothing chosen to represent the           which shows that the thriller genre is   it also is a good code of thriller. The
attacker is very much in sync with the codes       ever-present throughout this trailer.    fire is a great part of portraying
and conventions of the traditional „hoody‟.                                                 violence.




 The scene with a character tied up             The relaxed position the gun holder          The quote from the well-known
 with a bag over his head is a very             is in proves his capability and ease at      correspondent supports the idea
 thriller-esque code and convention. It         the situation, supporting the thriller       for a viewer to watch the film.
 demonstrates the struggle and fight            genre.                                       This also supports the trailer, as
 people have to overcome in times like                                                       in it bolsters the strength from
 this.                                                                                       numbers of the likeness of the
                                                                                             film.
Film trailers

Film trailers

  • 2.
    Film trailers areused to promote or advertise an upcoming film, traditionally they were shown at the end of the film, but this was seen ineffective due to crowds leaving after the film, hence the name trailer. The first was shown in 1913 for the film musical The Pleasure Seekers. Film trailers have many different conventions, for example, a voice over or a soundtrack, snapshots of the actors involved, or if they of a high enough profile names of the director/producer/actor/actress will be shown to capture the audiences attention. These names will also be shown for example if Tom Cruise was shown the audience would immediately affiliate the actor with an action film due to the previous genres and successful films the actor has starred in. The genre of films I am going to look at are crime, famous directors of this genre include Martin Scorsese and Quentin Tarantino. The films I am going to study are The Departed (2006), Dead Man‟s Shoes (2004), and Harry Brown (2009).
  • 3.
    The trailer is2:31 minutes long, making a fairly long trailer. The Departed, one of my films I have chosen, focuses on the crime genre. But there is also a very strong theme of identity, it "affects one's actions, emotions, self-assurance and even dreams” Stanley Kauffmann the film critic quotes. In the trailer all the main themes are portrayed, such as action through gun fighting, sex and relationships, and betrayal. Special effects are used such as slow motion as the gangsters move from their car, this is used to signify their importance and malice. Transition between slides cuts to a black out to show a slower and more effective change of scenery and actors, most of but not all screen shots are of an action such as loading or shooting a gun or of a conservation and then it is usually a mid-shot, close ups tend to be used more on scenes which want to show you something, either typing on a phone or once again, loading a gun.
  • 4.
    Captions such asSacrifice is a test give the trailer a break from its vocal and more confrontational style. The trailer features 4 different soundtracks, ranging from The Rolling Stones‟ Gimme Shelter to Dropkick Murphys‟ I'm shipping to Boston. However, the music soundtrack only features as a background track as vocals (mainly conversations) take the main part in the trailer, mainly conversations about “killing” or crime. Supporting and emphasising the genre of the trailer. Caption placed for deliberate effect to indicate the themes and to indicate death and loss, which features heavily in the movie. This director is renowned for his “gangster” and crime type movies, this indicates to the audience the type of film. Also the colours used for the forename and surname seem to indicate that the blue colour indicates the police force and the white the crime. Another subtle hint to the films theme. The final slide in the trailer shows the release date and the films website along with al the The list of very popular and well films institutions, this is a fairly traditional end known actors will catch the to a trailer for a big budgeted movie. audiences attention and realise this is an “all-star” cast.
  • 5.
    The opening ofthe trailer shows one of the main characters – Jack Nicholson – as the voiceover and in the scene smoking in a part of a town, giving the effect of his superior role in the film. Themes of the trailer are portrayed early on, for example, action, through the image of a gun firing. The camera is showing a close up of the gun , this shows that guns and violence is a main theme in the film. The depiction of violence is demonstrated through the anger of the attacker and his fist about to omit paid in to the victim. These connotations of action and screenshots show the stereotypical action shots. This gives off the genre of the film and the trailer. The trailer starts off with slow side transition to set the motif and also with longer scenes to let more vocal and peaking patrts from one of the main characters, then as the trailer gets into the depth of the pot, action shots tart to appear followed by a screenshot with some text on it. The slide transition speed up and so does the amount of action and the trailer comes to a close after an action pcked 2:31 seconds.
  • 6.
    The trailer forDead Man‟s Shoes is 1:39 seconds long, making for a medium length trailer. The film is about a disaffected soldier who returns to his hometown to get even with the thugs who brutalized his mentally-challenged brother years ago. Richard returns home from military service to a small town in the Midlands. He has one thing on his mind: revenge. Payback for the local bullies who did some very bad things to his brother. At first his campaign employs guerrilla tactics, designed to frighten the men and put them ill at ease. But then he steps up his operation, and one by one these local tough guys are picked off by the terrifying angel of vengeance that Richard has become. The film is part of the thriller genre but also drifts in and out of crime and drama genres. The films motif is very much focused on revenge and I am planning to focus this as my own main plot in my own trailer. Because the films motif is revenge and vengeance, the film is basically a tragedy. Towards the end of the trailer the main character (Paddy Considine) is heard to be saying‟ God will forgive them and allow them into heaven, I cant live with that.‟ this is a very sinister line and foreshadows the tragedy, drama and thriller in the film.
  • 7.
    The trailer startsout very soft, the soundtrack is soft and gentle under the conversation between the two characters, which is not in sync with the films genre. This is still continuing the strange vary in genre, representing the drama side of the film, the technique used to show a lack screen and a faded out use of text give the impression of something being hidden and subtext that will later be revealed. This screenshot is placed before this one This gives the affect of how a brother will do anything for his own, and the „Vengeance‟ typeface is very aggressive and explosive. It shows the anger and violence intended throughout the trailer.
  • 8.
    The scene isshowing a struggle of a man being almost The creepy mask indicates that of a serial killer (again a forced into something – he is being dragged by a rope code and convention of a thriller genre) which sends out (almost animalistic) this gives off the traditional codes and the fear to the audience. conventions of thriller. The use of the axe indicates the violence in the trailer The stance of the character shows his confidence and throughout the film, it also is a foreshadowing of the blood composure whilst holding an axe which makes the whole and gore. scene look incredibly sinister. Text is displayed in a dirty red colour (probably blood) and The review and quote from a famous correspondent gives the shows the violence, horror and thriller aspect of the trailer. The audience a reassuring vote of confidence and shows the text itself, „One Down‟, is a disturbing term which indicates the scary aspect of the text used, „Disturb‟ and „Gripping‟, give the elimination and murder of people. quote a reminiscent to the thriller genre of the film.
  • 9.
    Harry Brown isa 2009 British crime thriller film directed by Daniel Barber and starring Michael Caine, Emily Mortimer, Jack O'Connell, and Liam Cunningham. The film also features actor and artist Plan B who, with Chase & Status, is also responsible for the film's theme music track "End Credits.”Harry Brown had its World Premiere as a "Special Presentation" at the 2009 Toronto International Film Festival and was released theatrically in the United Kingdom by Lionsgate UK on 11 November 2009; the film was released in the United States by Samuel Goldwyn Films and Destination Films on 30 April 2010. The story follows Harry Brown, a widowed Royal Marines veteran, who had served in Northern Ireland, living on an Elephant and Castle housing estate that is rapidly descending into youth crime. Harry fights fire with fire after a friend is murdered. The trailer is 1:48 long and features varied slide transition, different character voiceovers and towards the end of the trailer it features a song from the director himself.
  • 10.
    The early signsat the start of the trailer show violence and fighting. This is a foreboding factor on how the genres are represented in the trailer. The depictions of violence are showing vandals and youths(the main antagonists) are seen throwing petrol bombs at a car and starting fires. This is in tune with the codes and conventions of thriller. Scenes of a man being brought away by police, again coincide with the codes and conventions of thriller and crime and drama genre.
  • 11.
    The depiction ofthe threatening with a knife Another representation of weapon An explosion indicates the action side, and the clothing chosen to represent the which shows that the thriller genre is it also is a good code of thriller. The attacker is very much in sync with the codes ever-present throughout this trailer. fire is a great part of portraying and conventions of the traditional „hoody‟. violence. The scene with a character tied up The relaxed position the gun holder The quote from the well-known with a bag over his head is a very is in proves his capability and ease at correspondent supports the idea thriller-esque code and convention. It the situation, supporting the thriller for a viewer to watch the film. demonstrates the struggle and fight genre. This also supports the trailer, as people have to overcome in times like in it bolsters the strength from this. numbers of the likeness of the film.