look at that alliteration, aren't I a genius

1. Teaser trailer timeline
Liam Woodgate

2. The Revenant (2015)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tww6754vZIc
The Revenant is an action thriller set in the early
19th century, it stars Leonardo DiCaprio and
Tom Hardy.

3. 0:06 – 0:22
The teaser opens with a low angle of a character staring up at something off
camera, it slowly pans around to show a male character holding a rifle. The
shot builds tension by taking it’s time to reveal the characters face and
exactly what they are doing. The low angle makes the character seem
important of intimidating to the audience, it therefore builds up tension
allowing the audience to anticipate what could happen next. There is diegetic
sounds like the wind playing, as well as non diegetic soundtrack and
narration.

4. 0:23 – 0:26
In this shot it is another low angle but paired with a tracking shot as another
character is running through the woods, the way they are running and the
angle makes the character look confident and intimidating. The tracking shot
is quite slow and again builds up tension for any upcoming events that could
take place. When the cut takes place there is a beat in the soundtrack,
diegetic sounds such as footsteps can be heard.

5. 0:29 -0:32
As before, the cut is accompanied by a beat in the soundtrack, there are
diegetic sounds as the horses gallop however the sounds are muffled and
quiet. It is a low angle that makes the riders seem intimidating

6. 0:33 – 0:35
The sounds in this part are more defined but still faint, the angle is low and as the
character misses his swing he is taken down by the other character in a very brief
tracking shot that follows the fall, the angle after he has hit the ground is slightly
raised which makes him seem weak on top of the fact that he has been taken
down. The soundtrack is becoming more defined and is speeding up with multiple
beats.

7. 0:35 – 0:35
This is a shot of the implied antagonist strangling the implied protagonist, it is a
close-up to show his facial expression which is strained, it also shows his
emotions. He looks angry. There is very faint sounds of shouts and fumbling as
the two characters fight and struggle. The soundtrack continues to pick up
speed, the edit is just a simple cut to a different angle.

8. 0:36 – 0:37
In this shot we see the protagonist on the ground being strangled but then
suddenly the antagonist stops and his hands fall away limply. In the shot, the
camera is slightly raised to show that the character is at a disadvantage and it
is a close-up to see his reaction. The edit is a fast cut to quickly skip to see
exactly what is happening to the characters who is being strangled.

9. 0:37 – 0:41
This is a jump cut that leads into a tracking shot of the protagonist as he
shouts at an unspecified person. His voice and other sounds is still muffled by
the other sounds. The soundtrack still takes full precedent here and is the
most prominent thing in the trailer so far. It is a jump cut because we do not
see the main character actually go from on the ground to standing up and
walking.

10. 0:42 – 0:45
This is largely another tracking shot of another character who can be slightly
heard shouting. The technique used here is shaky cam in order to build
tension for any more actions and scenes. The scene starts with a low angle
as the character hits someone with his gun, this makes him seem powerful,
it then goes to a mid shot to show the character as he shouts.

11. 0:46 – 0:49
This is a slight over the shoulder shot/low angle that shows our protagonist
shoot someone in a tree and then track their decent to the floor with a
tracking shot. The low angle makes him seem powerful and the tracking shot
shows us exactly what happened. As before the gunshot and thud are slightly
muted in favour of the soundtrack. The cut is another jump cut.

12. 0:50 – 0:53
This shot is mainly a pan around to the other side of the character to show the
audience where they are being attacked from and where they are running to.
More shouts can be heard, still muffled by the soundtrack. The cut is another
jump cut to different events.

13. 0:54 – 0:56
This is a slight tracking shot as it does follow the characters to the boat
but it remains further behind. It is a wide angle, showing a lot of people
and objects in the frame. Again, sounds like gunshots are muffled and
quietened in favour of the heavy beats in the soundtrack.

14. 0:57 – 1:01
This shot consists of a pan around to the river bank as the boat leaves, it starts
as a mid shot focusing on one character, but pans around to show the river
bank and the people on it. A gunshot sound effect breaks the silence and the
music is muted while all other diegetic sounds – horses, explosions, water
splashes and gunshots – are free to play out.

15. 1:02 – 1:04
This is a title card showing the name of the director. It appears on an
audio cue with a beat in the soundtrack.

16. 1:05 – 1:24
This is a series of quick cuts, all 1 or less than 1 second long, that shows us
the main character as well as a few events surrounding him and his
companions. A breath sound effect has started between cuts that is
sometimes in line with cuts, other times it isn't.

17. 1:25 – 1:27
This includes the title card displaying Leonardo DiCaprio and
several shots that include him. The audio is still muffled and
every other cut is accompanied by a breath sound effect while
the rest get a beat from the soundtrack that slowly raises in
speed as the trailer continues.

18. 1:28 – 1:44
This is another series of fast cuts that includes to title card fro Tom Hardy, The
'breath cut' is still continuing and is raising in pitch and intensity as the teaser
goes on.

19. 1:45 – 1:57
This is a tracking shot of the main character riding a horse during a chase scene,
all other sound effects except the breathing sound effect are muted. The music
still goes on through the whole scene. It pans round showing some of the
surroundings but the focus is on the protagonist for this section. It cuts to black
and all sound effects cease.

20. 1:57 – 2:25
This last section contains no sound effects, no music, it is juts eerily silent
and puts the audience slightly on edge. The only visuals we are treated with
are the title card, actor and director credits, production company credits and
the obligatory 'coming soon' title card.

21. Conclusion
In conclusion I have seen what makes up
the typical teaser trailer and I have seen
how they can be structured, this particular
teaser is typical of the genre which is
thriller. This research will help me when I
come to writing my own trailer because I will
be able to match the structure of similar
ones to mine so that I don't go a completely
different route and make something that is
not a thriller teaser in any way shape or
form.