When analysing these trailers, I looked at the questions below:
- how does the trailer signal its genre through visual and sound codes?
- how does the trailer draw attention to the roles taken, particularly star talent?
- what essential narrative elements are explained in the inter-titles?
- how does the trailer use dialogue?
- what institutional information does the trailer contain, such as names of production company, talent, director, release date?
- how does the trailer utilise accolades ("five BAFTA nominations") or other key hooks ("from the director of Gravity")
- what many different elements make it a good trailer?
- why does it inspire you?
TRAILER ONE:
ANNABELLE:
ANNABELLE:
Annabelle clearly belongs to the horror genre as it shows all the common tropes- an empty rocking chair, a creepy doll that goes missing, and even a haunted music box. The music it uses is also indicative of the horror genre, using quiet pauses and sharp violin notes out of the blue, accompanying the jump scares within the trailer. The trailer does not announce who is in the film as it is part of an existing universe, that of 'The Conjuring', but uses a lot more shots of the characters Ed and Lorraine Warren, as the audience will immediately want to watch the next story from the Warrens, especially as the Warrens were actually real people, who collected haunted objects, including the real Annabelle doll.
Annabelle's trailer shows that the plot starts with her being released from her cabinet, and that the characters will have to find her and put her back before too much damage is done. The trailer also shows that there are certain characters in the story who don't know who she is and that this will be part of the downfall of the characters in Annabelle.
There is not much dialogue within this trailer, as a lot of the suspense in horror comes in the form of the absence of dialogue. What little dialogue there is, is essential to the story line, like the creepy "Can Annabelle come out to play?" or the line that sends the characters into doom, "I touched everything." In trailer, dialogue must be used to move the plot along, but in a dramatic way, which gives another plot point away as a tease.
What information that is given, is given very rarely, in very quick bursts. These are presented as a black screen with white lettering, only giving out essential facts like Release Date 28th June, or the Warner Bros. logo which only flashes up for about 1 second. The only hook used in this trailer is the information that it belongs to 'The Conjuring' universe, as it already has a target audience, and to fully understand the Annabelle film, you have to have watched the other Conjuring films, as they give away bits of information leading up to the Annabelle film.
Annabelle is a good trailer as it doesn't focus on accolades to create a target audience. It shows off some of the scary sequences used in the films but doesn't give away all the key scenes. The score is used in a brilliant way, using the Annabelle's Music Box theme throughout to ensure the audience is constantly on the edge of their seats. This is partly why this trailer inspires me but there are also many other reasons. There are so many horror films in the industry and its hard to make them unique, using the tropes but not becoming predictable. Annabelle has the unique perspective of being based on real life events whilst still being a work of fiction, as there were liberties taken with the type of doll Annabelle is, but still making the material true to the majority of its source material.
TRAILER TWO:
GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY VOL. 2:
GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY VOL. 2:
GOTG is a sequel and the visual and sound codes are used to link it to the first film. Similar songs from the 80s are used in reference to the soundtrack from the first film as a key plot point of the first and second film is that of protagonist Quill's parentage. The colour palette is full of oranges and blues, mimicking the space ship within the story. Peppered throughout the trailer, there are title cards which alert the audience to the talent within the film, such as Chris Pratt, Vin Diesel, Bradley Cooper, Dave Bautista, Pom Klementiff and Zoe Saldana, but referring to their character names as they have already been introduced in the first film. As this film belongs to the MCU, many of the actors are A-listers and will have a following for the talent itself.
GOTG's trailer shows that the plot will contain a big battle, as is common with films in the MCU, but hint that Baby Groot will have a vital role. The trailer mainly shows off the VFX used within the film as this will encourage an audience to see it in the cinema as opposed to staying at home to watch it. It also shows off Baby Groot for the majority of the trailer as the audience will have been given a hint that Baby Groot exists from the last film, and provides light comedic relief from the arrogant and rude Quill.
The trailer uses lines such as "I wanna put some tape over the death button." and "Show time, A-holes", to give the audience a taste of the characters from the first film, without giving away the majority of the plot lines. It also shows the characters still have the same personality, with the exception of Baby Groot, as it was confirmed that Baby Groot, while being related to the original Groot, does not contain the same personality or memories from the first film.
This trailer contains the ident for Marvel Studios and the release date, however, this is it for institutional information and accolades. As it is part of an established universe, the trailer doesn't need to boast about who is in it or who it is made by as the audience trusts that it will be a top quality film, based on the previous GOTG film and other MCU films as well.
This trailer is one of the best I've seen, mainly as it acknowledges the best parts of the previous film that the audience picked up on, and improved on those, and showed the audience the new plot lines. It gives enough away to the audience, without leaving the audience annoyed that they knew too much about the film or that they knew not enough to be convinced to watch GOTG in the cinema. I personally love the balance between switching from Baby Groot's comic relief, and Quill's struggles, especially concerning his parentage. I also loved the brightness of the colour palette and the soundtrack as the Guardians of the Galaxy films are almost the comic relief of the MCU, which works so well within the universe, in my opinion.
TRAILER THREE:
TO ALL THE BOYS I'VE LOVED BEFORE:
TATBILB is a Netflix original and belongs to the romance genre although it could also be described as a coming of age film. The music really signals this through an upbeat score while still carrying the story forward. The colour palette consists of mainly pastel and whites to show that this is a film from the perspective of a teenage girl. This film was the first of a line of similar Netflix originals and introduces Noah Centineo and Lara Condor in a series of pink panel slides throughout the trailer, but also introduces the characters in the trailer effectively through the showing of who the letters were written for.
The first parts to the plot have been revealed in the trailer, showing Lara Jean's coping mechanism and security in knowing the letters will never be see by the intended recipients. However, we are shown that the letters did get sent, although we don't know who sent them yet. The trailer shows the start of the deceit from Lara Jean when she gets into a fake relationship with one of the five letter holders. The dialogue shows it as it unfolds, as well as some cheeky comments made by Lara Jean's dad. The dialogue also reveals Lara Jean's mum has died, which doesn't seem significant in the trailer but becomes a bigger plot device in the actual film.
Netflix keeps their logo in the bottom left hand corner instead of putting a single slide in crediting them, so the production company slide is not present. The main actors are not named on a slide but the release date is announced through the signature font upon a shot from the film. As the film was created by Netflix, it is not eligible for any major awards and so cannot boast of any accolades, but hooks the audience in with the unique plot.
I find that the trailer instantly makes Lara Jean relatable by showing her flaws and the impossible situation she is in. Shots such as the last, where Lara Jean rolls out of her window, and off the roof just to avoid a boy she once used to love, allow the audience to feel sorry for her, which also is supported by the romantic but goofy score underneath. This trailer inspires me because when I saw this film, I very much felt the trailer managed to encompass the film in a succinct way without giving away the big plot points, which is what I want to achieve with my trailers.
ANNABELLE: you explain how the trailer delivers the central premise of the film, that of the release of the sinister eponymous doll and the attempts to recapture her. You show clear understanding of both the horror genre with its use of conventions such as haunted houses, rocking chairs and jump scares. It is a very dark piece of work, which is another horror convention. You refer to how the trailer uses dialogue, music and sudden sounds for dramatic effect.
ReplyDeleteGUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY VOL. 2: You write confidently about the trailer and have clear knowledge about how it fits into the franchise, and therefore you are a typical GOTG fan, appreciating how this film is both part of the Marvell Universe but with its own USP: in particular, you draw attention to the high profile of Baby Groot both in terms of the narrative and as a source of humour. You appreciate how these elements promise the film's pleasures to the audience.There is a good deal of visual spectacle as you say, as it is the product of a big budget production company; you note the A-list talent and the fact that there is no need to explain the backstory.
ReplyDeleteTO ALL THE BOYS I'VE LOVED BEFORE: you clearly relate to the subject matter and its treatment in this romcom / coming of age trailer. There is a great deal of gentle comedy in the embarrassments suffered by the protagonist, and the trailer tends to focus on the increasing complexities when her secrets are out and how she deals with each setback and complication. You do refer to the upbeat score and the avoidance of melodramatic references to her mother's death, but perhaps could account in more detail for the feel-good quality that the trailer promises.
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