Research: Teaser Trailer Research

 Teaser Trailer

The task is create a Teaser Trailer for a new movie, create a magazine front cover based on the movie and a poster for the movie.

A Teaser Trailer: A short trailer that is used to advertise an upcoming film to an audience. They contain short sequences in order to entice the audience to want to see the movie. They are also brief so that the release of this movie is made out to be a big important event.

Conventions are what we usually expect to see in all trailers. Common conventions are listed below.

Conventions of teaser trailers include: 

Titles - These are shown so that the audience know what the film is called, and if the title is produced well within a teaser trailer with good fonts and attractive colours, these titles tend to linger in the audiences mind.

Voice-Over - This is a narrated, non diagetic sound that could represent the protagonist telling a brief outline of his story, or could be part of a scene within the movie itself.

Release date - This is shown so that audience know what time the movie is coming out, therefore bringing more excitement for the coming months towards the movie.

Music - Music is key when incorporating it in to a teaser trailer, as it can aid attributes of the trailer such as the high pace and storyline. The producers must make sure that the music is suitable for the genre of the trailer in order to assist it's effect on the audience. Music within the trailer is usually diagetic.

Pace - This can vary throughout the trailer, usually to stimulate and thrill the audience.

Institutional References - Companies that have produced and distributed the movie are shown to the audience in the trailer.

Below are examples of teaser trailers.

Fast Five

Conventions of Fast Five:  

• An institution is shown at the beginning of the trailer, showing the audience that the trailer has been approved  for appropriate audiences by the MPAA.
• A wide shot of Rio De Janeiro is shown, establishing the location of the following events. A caption saying the location is also displayed.
• The pace starts off slow and as music is introduced it gradually gets louder as the pace becomes more intense. 
• After the action starts, the institutions who produced the movie are displayed.
• Voiceovers used while others events are shown, so that the situation can be more fully understood by the audience.
• Instead of a date, the season Spring is displayed as the release time. 
• Various title captions are used to excite the audience.
• Many conventions of the action genre are included such as car chase scenes, guns and explosions.
• Many cuts to different scenes very quickly in order to keep the pace fast.
• Movie information is displayed at the end of trailer such as the movie website, production company and where to see the movie. 

Taken


Conventions of Taken:

• MPAA approval certificate is shown at beginning, to inform the audience they have legal consent to watch the trailer.
• Movie institutions are shown (20th century fox & Europa) 
• Pace start off slow, and through different shots of an innocent daughter and gentle diagetic music the equilibrium starts off stable.
• Music dramatically changes signifying a change to the equilibrium.
• Two scenes are shown at the same time of a phone call, showing both fearful and nervous expressions of the father and daughters faces. This also helps the audience to understand the situation the protagonist finds himself in. 
• Fast cuts to different scenes are used in order to create pace in this situation, giving the audience discomfort and tension. 
• Diagetic music is again changed to give a sense of mystery of who is on the other end of the phone call.
• One scene is played with it's speech, whilst many flash forwards are quickly flickered in between this scene to show what action is to come.
• As the phone call is coming to an end a sinister piece of diagetic music starts and gets quicker, giving a sense of panic to the audience.
• All diagetic music is stopped, in order to give the dramatic effect of the response, which the person on the other end of the phone call says "good luck".
• Title of movie and director name are displayed whilst a hanging up tone is played, then another, gradually slower breathing sound is used as actors names, the release date and the movie website are all displayed to the audience.
• The hanging up tone and heavy breathing sound, leaves the audience in tension and wonder of what will happen. Leaving the audience in this cliffhanger state, attracts the audience to want to go and watch the movie, therefore making the aim of the teaser trailer a success. 

Transporter 3

Conventions of Transporter 3:

• MPAA certification shown at beginning.
• Opening shot wide shot of paris showing the audience main location of events.
• Gentle beating music in background to give a seedy pace.
• Voiceover of a conversation while other scenes are being shown.
• When the tension of the conversation is at a climax, the scene of the conversation is shown watching the response from the protagonist.
•  When response is said, all music stops to hear the response clearly, therefore showing the power and confidence that the protagonist has.
• As fighting starts, music also starts again, this time being a lot more louder and faster therefore increasing pace.
• After fight scene ends the institutions that produced the movie are shown and music is back to a steady pace.
• A pedestal wide shot is used to shown the protagonist strapped up and in a dangerous situation.
• Voiceover is yet again introduced giving the audience more information to understand the situation, while other scenes are being shown, in order for more action to be viewed.
• The conversation in the voiceover is shown as a scene, and yet again the music is stopped so the protagonist can tell the 'bad guy' "i drive my own car" showing confidence and no fear.
• Female character is introduced, showing that their may also be a love relationship within the action movie, and seeing that relationship developing through all this high paced events also interests the audience.
• Steady music yet again introduced, and then ceased when the bad guy' tells the protagonist that if he moves 75 feet from the car he will explode, this effect is useful as it shocks the audience into realising the task the protagonist has to undertake.
• When fast driving starts, faster music is again introduced to aid the increased pace, thus exciting the audience.
• A POV (point of view) shot of the car driving fast along the road is shown as well as a closeup of the speed dial, showing the speed in which the protagonist is driving. This is effective as a lot of action movies have high paced car chases, which tend to exhilarate the audience.
• Music is again stopped when friend of the protagonist creates a joke in response to something the protagonist had said when he states "with you its always complicated".
• Narrator is introduced and reads out captions being displayed in a deep and clear voice.
• Release date is mentioned by narrator.
• Faster and louder music is played as well as more action scenes. The more action scenes shown encourage the audience to go and watch the movie to find out why there is all this action.
• Narrator reads out more captions in between speeches of characters, telling the audience "do not" "step out" "of the vehicle"therefore the audience is motivated into thinking what if the protagonist does step out the vehicle and does he.
• Mise en scene shown such as explosions, stunts are shown and fight scenes giving a the genre of the movie a more and more clear defilement that it is action.
• Narrator reads out main characters name, showing the audience who will be taking on the roll of the protagonist.
• Around 1:45 all music is ceased, to show a climax to whether or not the protagonist will take the risk in the situation he finds himself in. This scene is then cut to another scene yet again enticing the audience to asking questions such as what will the protagonist do.
• As car lands on train, title is added to the camera shot and the narrator reads it out. 
• Last scene of action is shown when protagonist breaks through window to take out bad guys.
• Music is at a fast and steady pace, it therefore suits all names of institutions and people involved in the production to be shown.
• Coming soon caption is shown and then comes towards to camera and then fades out to a black image and music is ceased at same time, to show the end of trailer.

Conventions of an action film trailer

Trailer

1. Narrative: The protagonist, involves the audience from his/her point of view which creates a sense of sympathy for the protagonist.

2. Clothing: Typical everyday clothing such as t-shirts, jeans, tracksuits to outfits such as an army outfit or suit.

3. Setting: These can be in any location such as urban, towns, cities or the countryside.

4. Camera Shots: tracking shots are used for high paced scenes.

5. Mise en scene: weapons e.g. guns, knives

6. Themes: Revenge, Heroism

Using many of the above conventions in the trailer, will keep the action genre very much recognised throughout the final cut trailer, therefore the audience will not fail in identifying it. The challenges that will be faced when filming the trailer, is that when using tracking shots, it is hard to keep them stable.