The document discusses and analyzes two movie trailers - one for the comedy film "Life as we know it" and one for the horror sequel "Paranormal Activity 2". Key points made about the trailers include: showing the film title late increases memorability, using stars can attract audiences, music and pacing help set tone, and clips provide more context than posters to entice viewers without giving too much away. Both trailers aim to tease and build intrigue about the films' plots through suspenseful images and minimal text or voiceover.
1. ‘Life as we know it’ Movie trailer:
1. At what point in the trailer are we told the name of the film? Why is
this? The trailer is 2.33 long and you don’t find out till 2.20 what the
name of the film is, this is because the audience will watch the trailer
and be drawn in and then by showing the name of the film at the end it
will be more memorable as it is one of the last things you see, if it was
at the beginning by the end of the trailer the name will have been
forgotten by most people.
2. Why are we told who is starring in the film? How is this
information given to us? So we can remember the film also by who
starring in it, if someone has an actor or actress the like or have good
reviews or are well known than this might encourage people to go see
it, it also helps make a name for these actors and actresses. This is
given in the end credits of the trailer.
3. What type of action from the film do we see? We see the struggle of
two people coming together trying to raise a child under unique
circumstances, we see a comedy element to the film, as well as being
heartwarming while romance is also undertaken.
4. What clues does the music give us as to what type of film the
trailer is advertising? The music starts upbeat and as the mood of the
trailer changes briefly the music losses the beat to fit the images then
the beat picks up and the fun loving, happy music continues.
5. What can you say about the voice of the person delivering the
voiceover? There is no voice over on this trailer instead all the
narrative is done by the characters and what they say in the clips,
therefore these clips will have had to have been thought about carefully
so that hints to the story is told through the characters dialogue in the
clips.
6. Why do you think this voice was chosen? What effect does it
have? I think no voice over was chosen as the film clips tell enough of
the story without needing this.
7. How does the speed of what we see compare to watching a clip
from a film? Why is this? It is fast pace, we get to see little snippets of
the important and storytelling parts of the film. A clip would only show
you information from that section of the film, and it would be hard for
you to understand the whole concept of the film from just one clip, this
way it shows you lots of little scenes that all add together to give a
rough idea of the story.
8. Does the speed alter through the trailer or stay the same? It starts
at a fairly average pace showing the initial story which quickens up as
the trailer continues, the point in where it quicken is when the baby is
2. introduced into the story, this way not too much is given away but
another is shown to sell the film.
9. What information are we given in the very last frame of the trailer?
About the hard work yet comical value of being a parent and looking
after a baby while having a social life, continuing to emphasize the fun
loving nature of the film.
10. Which is more effective in making you want to see the film, the
poster or the trailer? Why is this? The trailer is more effective as you
get to understand the film and the storyline, you can also relate to
certain parts, you can see the genre of the film on a more focused level
as clips from the film is shown. Were as the poster does not transmit all
these things, it will give you a brief hint to the genre, characters and a
brief content of the storyline usually done by the use of a tagline.
11. Where would you expect to see this trailer : (give reasons)
a) before what films at the cinema? Comedy’s, films aimed at
females or young adults ranging from 15-25 years old.
b) before what TV programmes ? Evening programs aimed at
females, programs that contain a hint of comedy. Fun loving dramas.
Paranormal activity 2 teaser trailer:
12. At what point in the trailer are we told the name of the film? Why
is this? You see the name of the film at the end of the trailer, this is so
it is more memorable to the audience as its one of the last things they
see, it also leaves them guessing and unsure about the movie name so
that they can’t make any prejudgments from the name.
13. Why are we told who is starring in the film? How is this
information given to us? It is another way of attracting in an
audience, as if someone they recognize or an actor or actress they like
is they maybe more likely to watch the film. This trailer does not show
you who stars in the film, this maybe because there are no well know
recognizable stars in the film that would make a difference to the
advertising of the film.
14. What type of action from the film do we see? We see several
spooky clips in order to grab the attention of the audience and reflect
the content of the film. At the beginning we see a clip from the end of
the first film which then links us to the second, we also see the
audiences reaction to this. Then the trailer shows us some shots from
the film setting the scene of the film which is set in the house, then it
shows you some clips as the action picks up e.g. dog barking at the
door, women standing in doorway, these do not show you the full
action of the film but is there to teaser the audience and make them
want to watch on more.
3. 15. What clues does the music give us as to what type of film the
trailer is advertising? This particular trailer has no music, it is just
purely sound effects, this has been done so that the spookiness of the
film is reflected, it is there to make you feel on edge and jumpy to get a
feel for the films content.
16. What can you say about the voice of the person delivering the
voiceover? Also again there is no voice over, there is just images and
sound effects to show the true content of the film and this does the
trailer enough justice without having a voice over or music. Instead
there are a few lines that have been used in between the clips in the
trailer where maybe a voice over would have been, this is to keep the
mystery of the film.
17. Why do you think this voice was chosen? What effect does it
have? No voice over.
18. How does the speed of what we see compare to watching a clip
from a film? Why is this? This way key clips from the film can be
chosen that reflect the film the best showing important elements. Were
as just one clip would not be able to reflect the true content of the film.
19. Does the speed alter through the trailer or stay the same? The
speed throughout the trailer stays pretty constant, this just adds to the
anxiety and build anticipation of the audience.
20. What information are we given in the very last frame of the trailer?
There is a women’s outline standing in the doorway which is very
suspicious and leaves you wondering who it is, what she wants and
what’s going on.
21. Which is more effective in making you want to see the film, the
poster or the trailer? Why is this? The trailer is more effective in
making you want to see the film as it shows you more aspects of the
film, you are seeing more than just a single images and a few words,
as you are seeing clips from the film you are able to decide if it takes
your interest or not.
22. Where would you expect to see this trailer : (give reasons)
a) before what films at the cinema? Before horrors or thrillers as this
is more likely to attract the audience.
b) before what TV programmes? Late evening programs or before
programs containing some horror, unexplained incidents, murder ect…