RESEARCH - WHEN ARE TRAILERS SHOWN?

RESEARCH - WHEN ARE TRAILERS SHOWN? 

Most trailers are produced at the same time as the film is being edited. The timing of the whole campaign is important as well: the trailer must be show far enough in advance to start to generate excitement about the film’s release, but not too early that people forget about the film before it even comes out. 

TOY-STORY

Woody attempts to make Forky, a toy, suffering from existential crisis, realise his importance in the life of Bonnie, their owner. However, things become difficult when Gabby Gabby enters their life. This film creates a “buzz” behind the film as many of the same characters are seen on screen as the previous three films (as part of the sequel). There are characters such as: Woody (the central hero) who children will recognise them from previous films, and this will create “buzz” as their favourite characters are on their screens, again. The use of the character Bonnie, has had character development since the first film; from going the the typical damsel in distress, and in the final film she has developed into a strong, independent women/character. This would especially target young girls, as a role model character to look up to. 

Finally the use of the timing of this movie being released has been also creates “buzz.” Toy-Story 4 was released in June 2019, during the summer where the film is set in the summer: with sunset cinematography, summer holiday feel (“you are going to create happy memories,” is mentioned in the trailer and this will resonate with parents who want to make memories and bond with their children over the summer holidays or when their on holiday) and road trips.

YESTERDAY 

Jack, a struggling musician, meets with an accident during a blackout and wakes up to find out that only he remembers The Beatles. Later, he starts singing the band”s songs to gain fame. Yesterday creates buzz by creating a new take on The Beatles, through a altered reality. In the opening scenes, and traced throughout the trailer are festival clips with the main character at the front of the stage with all his fans. The use of the festivals gives the theme/feel of the movie a wholesome summer feel/tone. As festivals are a summer activity that many teenagers, young adults tend to go to and celebrate life. Throughout the trailer there are many guest appearances by hugely famous, recognisable people, such as: Ed Sheeran and James Corden. This creates “buzz” as  they will recognise who these celebrities are, and will create more excitement to watch the film. 

THE BRINK  

Filmmaker Alison Klayman follows after white nationalist Stephen K. Bannon as he tries to mobilise and unfit far-right side and neo-Nazi factions during the 2018 US midterm elections. The film was released on the 12th of July. The target audience is adults and adults who want to understand what has happened in political history. Audiences may find from the trailer, that they will have a deeper insight and possibly reveal more truth behind the political party and the people involved in the US government. I went to two articles to gain more information about the film, one written by Peter Bradshaw who reviewed  the film. The article was released on The Gaurdian, which is left/centre wing Newspaper Outlet. Peter Bradshaw wrote that “it is not a film that asks tough questions,” but is just offers you evidence, and then the audience can make an informed decision about their political beliefs after watching/gaining all the evidence the film. 

RESEARCH - WHERE ARE TRAILERS SHOWN?

RESEARCH - WHERE ARE TRAILERS SHOWN? 

Many trailers are produced at the same time as the film is being edited. The timing of the trailer campaign is important: as it must be shown far enough in the advance to generate excitement about the film’s release, but not too early that people forget about the film before it even comes out. 

Dedicated trailer sites and official film websites often carry trailers that have been cut for a general audience and are suitable for viewers of any age, whereas trailers shown in the cinema usually corresponding to the classification of the film being screened for viewers. 

Trailers in different media

After discussion, from todays lesson, I learnt that the FDA tells us that trailers are shown at the cinema, on TV and online with poster campaigns and radio campgains as well as givng wide coverage for new film releases.

The Teaser Trailer

The teaser trailer is often the first trailer that is released. It tends to be shorter (30-45 seconds worth). It also tends to be less storyline/plot line based than a main trailer is, mainly because there is a lot less time to show a brief storyline. But it is also used to generate excitement, and for audiences/consumers to generate their own theory’s, and storylines before the main trailer is released. Fewer shots are also often not showed on the teaser trailers, mainly because the shots are not finished yet.

The Main Trailer

The main trailer of the film are often, longer than teaser trailer (between 2mins-2:00). A main trailer will give you a much deeper sene of the movie. The main trailer has a three act structure, this means that it has a beginning, middle and end. This will tell a story. The beginning will set the scene, the tone, the characters etc.., the middle will often set up the storyline (who the antagonists are in the film) and finally ending / the third act will have a big montage in it, which are sued to generate excitement for the audience. And inter titles/cards and of the a’list cast and directors will be traced throughout the trailer, to generate recognition of the people who are involved in the making of the film. This tends to be a major selling point, as audiences will recognise major actors and directors, making them want to watch the film. 

TV Spots 

At the very end of the cycle you have TV spots, which are much shorter. In TV Spots, they will expect the audience to have watched the two previous trailers before watching the tv spot. These are not so story focused but more about creating an impression (length 20-30 seconds). It often contains the most exiting lines, or scenes to generate excitement for audiences. 

Using Graphics

Graphics are also used in a trailer. One type of graphic is called copy / copy writing. This helps to tell the story (the cards that come up to help tell the story). The second type of graphics that are used are called pedigree. Examples might include  the studios, Director, writers: Paramount, 20th Century Fox, Universal etc.. And as for directors it will show their other successful movies as well, to show that they have had experience working in the film industry.

Trailers used in the Digital Age

When editors cut a trailer, that is in its first insane may go into a trailer with, surround  sounds or Dolby Atmos, and depending on where the trailer is being shown (cinema, theatre etc..) editors needs to cattier it to the specific locations. For example is it being shown. So if your in a theatre and you in a spaceship the sound will move form behind to in front of you. But the pictures and graphics need to be as crisp, and clear as they could possibly be. The advent of online, social and digital means that you have to think about how the sound will work with different devices. So there will be one in the theatres, which will be surround sound. And one specific to sounds that can be as clear and crisp as it can be, this is called a stereo mix. To make sure sounds affects, dialogues, and music are all clear and easy to correlate with the visuals on screen. Furthermore, there is need for “stackable content” on social media platforms such as Instagram or Twitter. This is a faster way for audiences to gain more content, quickly, on small devices such as phones or computers (this does not need as much time to edit and alter, when posting on these platforms).

RESEARCH - HOW TRAILERS HELP FILL CINEMA?

RESEARCH - HOW TRAILERS HELP FILL CINEMA? 

The FDA resource “Teaching Trailers” suggest that whilst a film should cleary indicate a genre in order to further help audiences make decisions about whether they would enjoy the film. But the marketing ccampgain and the film trailer should also be important factors that offer audiences new experiences that make the film fresh and different from others within the same genre. This is also known as a Unique Selling Point USP.

The USP is what separates one film title from another released at a similar time or within the same genre. The USP could be many things, for example:

• the innovative use of special effects

• an unusual mix of genres

• a popular star

Given three trailers, I identified what was the USP in each:

The Lion King 

The first trailer I watched was called The Lion King. A cub, Simba is forced to leave the Pride Lands after his father Mufasa is murdered by his wicked uncle, Scar. Many years later, he returns as a young lion to reclaim his throne. The lion King is the highest-grossing hand-drawn animated feature film of all time, with a total box office of over  $986million. One USP is that animals, as the main character in the trailer. And the talking animals, are very realistic. Another USP for The Lion King, is that the animation is of high quality, to make it extremely realistic. 

Late Night

The second trailer I watched was called Late Night. Late-night show is forced to hire a female writer because of her decline in popularity/fame. Soon things go upside down when her personal emails are leaked. The USP (unique selling point) would include the Star Talent: Emma Thompson and Mindy Kaling. Giving strong, positive connotations of female empowerment and equality in the workplace. Creating a unique selling point for Late Night. 

Spies in Disguise 

The third trailer I watched was called Spies in Disguise. Lace Sterling, a secret agent, finds himself transformed into a pigeon. He then sets out with his associate Walter to stop a villain who is using Sterling’s disguise to carry out a dangerous mission/plan. Again, the USP for Spies in Disguise would include the star talent: Will Smith and Tom Holland. The second USP would be the use of special effects in the film and high quality action/movements that we see on screen. The final USP is the narrative (not the typical plot/narrative according to the genre), where the spies turn into pigeons. Hence the title of the film “Spies in Disguise.”  

RESEARCH - WHO ARE TRAILERS AIMED AT?

RESEARCH - WHO ARE TRAILERS AIMED AT?

I watched the trailers for three films, of which included: VITA AND VIRGINIA, FROZEN 11 and APPOLLO 11.

Trailers are generally aimed at the same audience a the films they publicise. Different types of audiences like different genres of films and whilst everyone is an individual there are particular features that will have a wide/global appeal to specific groups of people. I analysed these three trailers and attempted to match the potential target audience/market to the sections below: 

VITA & VIRGINIA

The first trailer is VITA and Virginia. Virginia Woolf meets fellow author Vita Sackville-West in London in the 1920s. Despite both of them being married, they embark on an affair that later inspired on of Virginia’s novels. Vita and Virginia are situated to ages 25-35 skewed to women. Their primary audience would be women ages 25 to 35, this is because the actors/character played in the trailer seem to look and act around this age, figuring out who they are as a person, their sexuality and independence. I would also suggest that to be more specific the audience would be targeted to young adults/women who are growing up, and becoming more socially aware of feminism and independence. The secondary audience could be targeted towards the LGBTQ+ community, as the main plot line is two married women having an affair in a time where is was socially unacceptable to be in a same sex relationship or marriage. So in this trailer, they are showing the difficulties the characters having to express their true sexuality, and targeting the LGBTQ+ community who could relate to this / or situations like these.      

FROZEN 2

The second trailer is Frozen 11. Queen Elsa starts hearing a mysterious melodic voice calling to her. Unsettled, she answers it and from then it awakens the elemental spirits that lead her to quest to restore an old injustice. Frozen 2 is aimed towards children, especially young girls. Throughout the trailer their are traces of magical elements; such as the main character Elsa having magical powers to push through the sea. This reflects the young audience, they the production company/business wants to make them believe this is real/true. The main character Elsa, shows her adventurous and powerful side, which suggests that the film could be aimed towards young girls, as it is teaching them to be independent and powerful. However, this could also be aimed as a family-friendly film because this rating is PG and streamed on Disney+ it ensure parents that it is suitable for children, and this film may be streamed as a family rather than just the children. 

APPOLO 11 

The third trailer is APPOLO 11. Apollo 11 was the spaceflight that first landed humans on the Moon. commander Neil Armstrong and lunar module pilot Buzz Aldrin formed the American crew that landed the Apollo Lunar Module Eagle on the 20th of July, 1969. The primary audience would be those interested in Space or NASA, as throughout the trailer the audience see space shuttles, aircrafts and pilots driving the vehicles. The secondary audience could be ages 25-35 skewed by men, as young adults or children may not fully understand the complexity of space etc.. This helps the film to be more elaborate when filming as they know the target audience will understand what is happening in each scene. It consists of achieved footage, which makes it more realistic for the audience to watch, especially for a trailer where the scenes and clips are shortened. In Apollo’s 11 trailer theres seems to be a problem, solution narrative when watching this trailer. Compared to Gravity where the trailer seems to have an unsettled conclusions, thus making it slightly more confusing for the target audience to watch/understand. 

RESEARCH - WHY IS A FILM TRAILER MADE?

RESEARCH - WHY IS A FILM TRAILER MADE? 

I watched all three trailers on the Teaching trailers resource, made by the FDA online, in order to deepen my understanding on why trailers are made and how they indicate the film’s genre. 

The Mustang

The first trailer is “The Mustang.” Roman the main character, is a prisoner nortorious for his violent behaviour. He finally recieves a channce to tranforms and rebuild his life when he is selectd for rehabilitaion therapy that requires him to trian a wild mustang (horse). This film fits under three genres, which include: Fantasy, Drama and Action Adventure. For the Mustang, another genre this could possibly fit into could include Western, as this is set in Carson City, Nervada - with traces of “Western” elements throughout the trailer. Such as; cowboy characters and horses. 

Atermis Fowl

The second trailer is Atermis Fowl. Its three main genres, include: Fanatsy, Drama and Action Adventure. The 12-year old criminal prodigy comes across the secret world of fairies and eventually ends in a dealy battle with powerful fairies. Atermis Fowl, comes across as a children’s fantasy film becasue the main character was confident, creative and adventurous. Who sets off on an interesting, magical adventure and throughout the trailer the audience encounters magical clips/scens of him climbing thorugh trees into a new world and working with powerful fiaires/creatures.There seems to be another underlying theme of quest; as this is very common/popular in adventure films, and is emulated in this film trailer. 

Hobbs & Shaw - Fast & Furious 

The third trialer is Hobbs & Shaw. Fast & Furious, is a sequel/series of films. Hobbs & Shaw is a part of the series. Its three main genres, include: Fanatsy, Drama and Action Adventure. It Is about a US agent Luke Hobbs and British mercenary Deckard Shaw, who both are forced to put their rivalry side and work together to stop a genetically enchaced supervillian. The movie trailer includes fast pace scenes, with hard cuts to help emphasie the violent nature of the movie. Thoughout the trailer there are also short scenes of humour and amsued dialgoue, to entertain the audience. This would also fit into another film genre of “feel-good movies,” as the humourous tone is used to let audiences escape from reality.  

RESEARCH - WHAT IS A TRAILER?

RESEARCH - WHAT IS A FILM TRAILER?  

This is the start of my research into trailers, using the FDA Handbook. I have completed online courses, in order to further my understanding of film trailers. 

During my study in my first year of A Level Media Studies, the main topic I studied included: The Film Industry and learning about Hollywood Majors, Low Budget Independent Films and British Films Each film, had created different marketing capmgains to reach and enage their specific audiences (e.g. mainstream, prestige, grassroots). A film’s marketing campgain, will cover many different factors in order for the film’s “message” to reach/present potential audiences. 

1. What do you think are the major elements of a film marketing campaign?

Taking as an example; Captain Marvel. Captain Marvel is a mainstream family audience. Captain Marvel’s film website was a major element its film website. Where the website had a convegent hub (at the top of the page) with convergent links to create an interactive platorm with the audience and the text producer. 

2. Where might you expect to see each of the different parts of the marketing campaign?

You may expect to see different parts of the campgain in cinama, and on television (teaser traielrs, trailers); online websites - with convergent links to other social media networking plaftorms. Social media platforms inlcude: Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Other ways in which prodcutions market their films, will be the use of “influencers” promoting the films on their specific platforms and encourgage their fans to watch/stream the films. Interviews, TV chat shows, newspapers, reports and fetures; PDA (posters, fleet media, cinema lobby posters) are all used to create a successful marketing campgain. 

3. What factors make you want to go and see a film? How do you decide which films to see?

I would say, that the use of influencers and social media would be an important factor to encourage me to go and watch a film. Because I use social media platforms a lot and seeing films on the platforms will persuade me to go an watch/stream them. 

SOCIAL MEDIA ANALYSIS

CONSTRUCTION: SOCIAL MEDIA

PLEASE FIND LINK TO INSTAGRAM PAGE HERE

https://www.instagram.com/_groundfloor._/

I was responsible for the Instagram Account for Ground Floor. 

Screen Shots of GROUND FLOOR INSTAGRAM ACCOUNT

Interactive Competition 

On my Instagram Account for Ground Floor, I carried out a interactive competition/quiz for my audience to answer. The winners of the competition would win a two tickets to the premiere of our film [please find attached link for my Instagram Account above for more questions on highlighted story].

March 5th 2021

PREESHA: Instagram 

TOM: Twitter

As a group we decided to separate, creating the two social media platforms, to be able to engage and interact with our audiences. I have created an Instagram Account for our film and named the account “Ground Floor”

I have put information in the bio of the instagram page. Which is a function on Instagram (see research on social media), where I informed the audience where the film is hoping to be streaming and the estimated time it is being released: “coming soon.” 

Finally, I decided to follow film related content accounts to help build our audience. For example film festivals such as “Edinburgh Film Fest” and “BFI Film.” 

SOCIAL MEDIA DEVELOPMENT | March 5th 2021

SOCIAL MEDIA ANALYSIS | September 9th 2021

SOCIAL MEDIA ANALYSIS by Preesha Patel

FILM WEBSITE ANALYSIS | September 9th 2021

FILM WEBSITE ANALYSIS by Preesha Patel