Trailer Analysis

5. From the very beginning of the trailer we are introduced to a strong Sci-Fi theme; Laurence Fishburne is heard asking “Are you from earth?” Mystery is
built through the almost contrapuntal voiceovers and visuals, allowing the viewer to only see montage shots of Brendon Thwaites and co-star Olivia
Cooke, but hear a tension-filled conversation between Fishburne and Thwaites about ‘conditions’ and ‘limited information’. The montage differs in shots
from extreme close up shots of the stars to display an obvious romantic connection between certain characters and extreme long shots and establishing
wide shots of weather, nature and the landscape as the characters are driving.
Suddenly a side profile close up of Fishburne in a contamination suit ends the montages and the sound becomes synchronous. The Mise-en-Scene is
minimalist but effective as we are given glimpses at huge white rooms with very little inside. Lighting is a strong element in the overall effect of the
trailer, as it is constantly evolving from blindingly bright white rooms to eerie red dimly lit corridors, then back to bright and suddenly natural light
outside the facility.
Between the increasingly chaotic shots we start to witness a narrative. Thwaites is seen escaping with Cooke’s character through a tunnel where they
seem to be met on a bridge by Fishburne and the guards of the facility. With the tension in the soundtrack the shots enter disarray and the clean cut
modernist shots are lost to earth brown explosions, car chases, fire, screaming close ups and utter anarchy with great effect. As quickly as it appeared the
shots then fall back into a pattern alternating between montage clips before the events of the film, reviews and the chaotic shots.
From the trailer there is a strong indication of the workmanship that comes with independent films; the impact of every shot is both innovative, creative
and interesting. Although the trailer harnesses conventions that we, as an audience, are used to; it also uses continuously similar locations which is
something not often done in Thriller films.

6. Transitions like Fade to Black are to be expected in trailers for films, especially films with elements of drama or seriousness within them; The Signal is no
exception. Within the beginning this transition is used to create a sense of distance between the couple. The audience watch a montage of shots of
Thwaites and Cooke with no transition (cut) before Fade to Black is used suddenly adding tension to the trailer. It is used only four times before suddenly
we are within the facility. This is an effective way of introducing a story and its impact within a very short space of time and something I will look towards
doing within my own trailer.
The Signal’s successful trailer is the product of careful consideration of the strengths of the film, its differences and its similarities to convention. Its
because of this that we feel that the film will be something different but built upon foundations that are familiar and therefore comfortable for a wider
audience. I will thus focus on this trailer in particular in order to create a successful trailer.

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15. From the mind of one of the most celebrated modern directors, Christopher Nolan’s Inception is widely regarded as one of the greatest films of recent
times. Nolan’s ability to mess with the mind of his audience is awe inspiring, so with a great film comes an equally great trailer. Within the first ten
seconds the audience are already hooked with the introduction of actors like Leonardo DiCaprio and Michael Caine.
With it’s clear and quick addition of mise-en-scene like guns and weaponry coupled with Bond-esque suits we are falsely led into a trailer we presume is
just another film about a heist. What starts however, as a typical action/adventure film with elements of espionage suddenly is flung into a hypnagogic
world of the impossible with shots of warped rooms, slow motion falling and anti-gravity fight scenes. Using the special effects from the start gets the
audience used to the style of the film.
The trailer presents the actors in an order that runs with its captions like “the architect” and “the point man”, allowing the audience to evaluate the
characters without even seeing the film. Stars like Ellen Page and Joseph Gordon-Levitt are used as selling features for the film, with the studios that
create the trailer attempting to capture the fans and thus attract a wider audience.
The camera angles, distances and styles are very varied as the director of the trailer tries to balance the quirkier camera shots of the special effects and
stunts, like a slightly tilted long shot of DiCaprio falling backwards into a bath; with the generic heist camera work that nearly always feature a mid shot
distance that pans slightly either left or right of the actor.
The transitions are with convention featuring Fade to Black in an attempt to create extra drama and tension between shots, but also keeping to standard
cuts between shots. With the variation featured in its trailer, Inception’s action/drama is a rollercoaster of tension building and action dropping. It is this
that makes the trailer successful, and it is this that I will keep in mind when working on the trailer’s shot list.

23. The Zero Theorem is the latest work of Terry Gilliam and is a visual masterpiece. Its trailer is nothing short of remarkable through its use of every unique
feature of the film creating a cacophony of overwhelming urges to see the film.
One cannot watch this film, nor its trailer; without commenting on the truly awe-inspiring quality of the mise-en-scene which creates a perfectly formed
world of unique and colourful chaos. The setting uses hybrid ideals of old and new to create a more spectral steampunk effect, like for instance the
church setting for a high tech laboratory. The use of sci-fi elements like high-tech televisions, artificially intelligent computers and large imposing
laboratories are cleverly blended with retro looking modems that use colours from the 1950’s and 60’s with no intention of targeting any market, playing
on the themes of post-modernism. The elements themselves in the rawest form will entice anyone because of the detail, much in the same way Avatar
did with its special effects.
The soundtrack is a key feature in this sequence because of its synchronous quality. At first it opens with a cheerful sound that seems to mimic the
whimsical world of the visuals, in effect laughing at its own obscurity. As the narrative begins to thicken and themes become more dark the soundtrack
adapts to this and becomes deeper, louder and more atmospheric. However unlike most other trailers of similar films, this one doesn’t build to such a
grand level, and it is this that makes it so successful, as you are left feeling like there is more to see.
The film is so heavily decorated in props and what one would call ‘real mise-en-scene’ (opposed to special effects bonanzas) that when Gilliam uses SFx in
the trailer it is effective. There are odd scenes of large scale CGI but the majority of scenes use coloured filters instead to simulate such an element. The
costumes are elective, eccentric and enigmatic yet familiar, all at the same time. Again the blend of old fashions with new creates a mish-mash of
colourful steampunk-ness.

24. The Zero Theorem uses conventional techniques that are universally applied to trailers. It uses conventional Fade to Black transitions between shots but
not in a necessarily normal way, as they are used very sparsely in the trailer, opting instead for no transition between shots. This creates a sense of
difference on a subtle level and allows for the Fade to Black to be used for high impact ‘money shots’.
The camera angles aren’t as experimental as would be expected of a film like this, however they feature an interesting array of angles and distances that
don’t have the habit of repeating themselves. In the beginning the shots follow a simple pattern of mid shots and close ups; nearly all of them featuring
an angle (whether it be a large canted angle or a small subtle angle). This builds a sense of movement within the scene and helps towards the surrealist
styling that Terry Gilliam was aiming for. By the end of the trailer the shots are focused more on wider distance shots like long and mid shots to help
display more of the world to the audience and give them a taste for what they could see.
One of the prominent selling points of The Zero Theorem is its surreal setting and therefore surreal characters. The performances are focused on quite
heavily, none more so than star Christoph Waltz; through cuts in the soundtrack in order to display the rather novel dialogue between characters which
seems to blend different tones and phrases of multiple cultures and contexts into one quirky hybrid accent.
This trailer is thus one I will heavily focus on during the earlier stages of my development in order to create something that is successful in marketing
itself to a wide audience.

31. Jonathan Glazer’s adaptation of the novel Under The Skin is bleak and sparse, yet stunning and overtly photogenic. Studio Canal’s trailer captures the
elements of the film in such a way they are neither too much, nor too little; creating complex enigma codes from a simplistic narrative that give way to
gripping proairetic codes the further we travel through the trailer.
Despite the film (and novel) featuring heavily sensual themes, the trailer seems to balance itself in an equilibrium where the audience is comfortable
with the level of sexuality being displayed, but displays enough to keep a certain percentage of viewers hooked. This is something that I find quite
interesting, as it is a trailer that plays on its strengths, in this case the universally recognised Scarlett Johansson.
Themes of Sci-Fi are displayed through the use of neo-noir lighting and bleakness of shots, coupled with eerie mise-en-scene like the motorcyclist helmet
and CGI black tar. An extreme close up on an eye also helps to cement an aura of science-supernaturalism alongside a mid shot of Johansson lying down,
completely surrounded by white. As this is a hybrid film, I feel it is necessary to discuss the following shots that suddenly turn urban and more
importantly, real. The unnamed female (Johansson) under goes a rapid change in costume as suddenly she is dressed in fur and donning red lipstick;
clearly playing on a stereotype of a prostitute and creating a stark contrast to her previous sci-fi influenced scene.
Sound, or more specifically; soundtrack plays a key role in emphasising the aspects of Thriller and Sci-Fi in this trailer, presenting them in a minimalist
manner with limited sounds. This shows the success of the phrase ‘less is more’, something I will look further into at a later stage. Towards the end of the
trailer the soundtrack takes a twist suddenly becoming romantic with the replacement of strings, which in a matter of seconds warp out of tune and
create something that is actually quite terrifying. I personally love this effect as it is so effective yet so simple.
Any aspects of a cogent storyline being introduced to us in the beginning is plunged and drowned by the end, being replaced with a multitude of long,
and extreme long shots. This effect is used often in trailer-making for its effectiveness, and nonetheless here it is effective as it leaves the viewer with a
void in the understanding of what they have seen, therefore filling them with a hunger for more information, and a hunger to see the film.

32. I chose Under The Skin to analyse because of its rather more unique style of presenting mental manipulation. Scarlet Johansson’s portrayal is of a
Succubus but in the genre of Sci-Fi. The trailer plays on this information and presents scenes that are heavily influenced by Succubus Legend, like for
instance the black liquid which relates to the legend of Sirens luring men to their death. Again this trailer really plays to its strengths, its creativity,
thoughtfulness and artistry are spotlighted, increasing interest and demand for the film.
This trailer is clever in its ability to portray something that is actually incredibly sinister and sexual, in a mature and somewhat comfortable-to-watch
manner. I will use this trailer however because of its low budget art-house production, similar to my own.

39. Despite its recent flop at the cinema and terrible reviews, Transcendence offers up a solid trailer displaying its philosophical themes of morality and
humanity, whilst balancing itself with a good amount of action. It also gives light to it’s A-List actors like Morgan Freeman and Johnny Depp in order to
pull in more fans and attract a wider audience.
In terms of convention, Transcendence is very generic especially with its choice of camera work. Because of this the trailer does seem bland in
comparison to certain others of the same genre. Many of the shots are straight angled mid or long shots with the exception of close ups on actors they
want to market. Basic panning shots of Depp on stage giving speeches seems to also be a strong theme and doesn’t, in my opinion; offer enough visually
to make the film exciting. It seems to me that the trailer director could of used the important speeches as voiceovers rather than visual mediocrity.
The sound is a collection of reverse rim shots used to build impact alongside visual ‘selling points’. Towards the end of the trailer a generic soundtrack
builds but is subtle in comparison to the high impact bass notes and voiceovers that overplay it. This does successfully build tension and make the film
one that is somewhat anticipated.
Pace is built quite well in this trailer with the variation of fade to black transitions towards the beginning and montage of high impact action scenes. The
ordering of this is, whilst prominent in around 99% of trailers; completely generic but prevalent and impressive nonetheless.
With a Hollywood blockbuster we come to expect standard mise-en-scene, and Transcendence is no exception with its Sci-Fi cliché locations like a solar
farm in the desert and clinical high tech laboratories that are reminiscent of Tony Stark’s home. The props and costume are also standard and feature as
inferior to special effects like explosions and hologram Johnny Depp. There are however small glimpses at thoughts that may have been conceived
‘outside of the box’ with the clever addition of the words “unplug” on the assassins arm, hinting at a large part of the films narrative.