The four film quadrants..
The four main quadrants that research companies break the audience into is... Older Males (>25) Older Females (>25) Younger Males (<25) Younger Females (<25)
We have decided that our film is going to be a two quadrant film.
We think our film could appeal to Younger Females (<25) and Younger Males (<25).
We think our film would defiantly appeal to males due to the genre crime and action is more stereotypically related to men, however we are hopeful that are film will challenge this stereotype and apply to females too.
Out of the 3 main film categories: Mainstream Specialised Niche
We have decided that we feel as if our trailer will fit best in the mainstream category due to the genre being widespread appealing to a variety of audiences.
To ensure that our target audience for our film/trailer is actually correct and not just an assumption we have decided to research, using IMDb, the target audience of films which follow the same genre and idea as ours.
Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials
This diagram tells us that more commonly the film has been watched by female users on average 7.5. This is more than the male vote of an average of 6.9.
However the film has been watched mostly by females under 18 compared to any other category on the vote list.
This information tells us that we are right in targeting two quadrants, younger females and younger males. This table proves that our idea to target females just as much as males is an appropriate one as females voted for this action film more than men. We will not target our film towards viewers aged 45+ due to them having one of the lowest votes at an average of 6.5.
Legend
This diagram from IMDb tells us that on an average of 7.7 woman have watched the action film Legend more than men who voted on an average of 7.4. This information follows the information that Maze Runner has given us that woman watch these action films on average more than men.
On average the film is most popular for people aged 18 and under, however it is more popular between males under 18 by 1.8 votes (males under 18 8.7 votes).
Taken 3
Overall this diagram tells us that females have watched this particular action film over males. On average 6.4 woman voted for this film compared to men which was 6.0. Once again its proven in this diagram that more people under 18 voted for this film at 6.8, this proves that our idea to aim our film at people aged 18 and under is correct due to the action genre mainly applying to this age category. Females under 18 have also voted for this film more than males under 18 by 0.6.
We looked at images from real media directly focusing on the genre action. One film we looked particularly at and went to see in the cinema to get inspiration and outside knowledge from was the film Legend. This film is based on a true story about the Kray twins, two gangsters Reginald and Ronald, set in East End London during the 1950's and 60's. We included them in our mood board as the storyline inspired us with ideas we could interpret into our trailer. In our mood board there is also two images from the old TV drama The Sweeney (1970's) and the updated film version which was made in 2012. Unlike the film Legend this action film is seen from the police's perspective of crime in that period. We liked the idea of looking from the police's perspective as usually we see the crime from the criminals point of view, we thought this was interesting. Another thing that is repeatably used in our mood board is guns, the gun is used as an object of iconography and we feel it is key to represent the action genre correctly.
Edited Images:
we edited these images to be featured on our mood board, however we found there wasn't enough room so decided to show them separately. In order to edit these images we we picked two images which we thought would go together quite well and tried to edit them together.
Taken image:
The first thing we did to the original image of the man holding the gun is made it brighter.
2. We then played around with making the image black and white, and adding tones of red to it, but decided it would be more effective to have it in full colour when another image was edited with it.
3. Next we used the quick selection tool to remove the background of the image. We felt that the image would be more effective with the background removed so the focus is directly on the characters facial expression and that he his holding a gun.
4. Next we found an image online that related to the film taken. We found an image of the main characters daughter whom in the film he is trying to save, we thought that the image of the main character on the phone whilst holding a gun would blend really well with the image of his daughter trying to run as it represents the main plot of the film through an image.
5. Once both images were on the same canvas we started to play around with the blending options between the images. We thought the blend mode 'Hard Light' looked the most effective with 100% opacity as it meant that you could see the daughter running slightly through the main characters concerning face. The images over lapping each other also created some really nice colours on the image.
This is our final product......
Our second image is a double shot of Angelina Joile holding a gun.
To edit this image we first chose two images of Angelina Joile.
2. We then put them both into the same canvas by using the option 'Stack Files'.
3. Once they were both in the same canvas we then edited the layer style of the two images so that they would blend nicely together, we chose the blend mode 'Screen' with opacity 52%. We liked this blend mode the best as you could see both images mirroring one another, showing two separate shots of the main character holding a gun. The gun really represents the genre action.
Our finished image..
Summary:
The key things we noticed in the pictures we have chosen for our mood board are firstly the colour scheme is mainly darker tones, specifically black. In our trailer we will ensure that not only our actors are wearing black but we create dark lighting to give off the tone of the film. We noticed in our mood board that the characters are mostly men who were in black suits with ties or wearing leather jackets. Even though these images are taken from action films the characters still look tidy and attractive. We would follow this theme by dressing our actors smartly. The main prop shown in our mood board in the gun, this is iconography of the action genre, so we will defiantly be using the gun as a prop in our trailer. The settings shown on our mood board are mostly in the streets and one which is in a car, therefore in our trailer we will make some of our location on the streets.
The Maze Runner: Scorch Trials is an action film. This trailer in particular caught our attention due to the effective suspense building, sound effects and voiceover. Also as there is already a previous Maze Runner film, we already had a good amount of background knowledge about the characters, the plot of the film and its intentions. One thing in particular that we found very effective throughout was the voiceover, as the trailer begins the voiceover is the enemy portraying that they hold all of the control as they have Thomas and other characters captured in the 'maze' brainwashing them. However, as the trailer progresses and secrets are discovered and revealed causing Thomas and other characters to escape the maze into the scorch Thomas becomes the voiceover implying they are now in control of themselves.
We found the voiceover very effective because even if you hadn't watched the previous film it helps the audience understand the storyline so you have a good understanding of the aim of the film.
The suspense building in this trailer we found to be very influential as when watching the trailer for the first time we couldn't take our eyes off the screen and was drawn in by the action filled scenes and quick cuts. Throughout the trailer there are so many moments where Thomas or another character has a near death experience but at the very last minute they escape or are saved, this is effective because although they are showing a lot of action in the trailer it isn't too much and as the audience we know that there is still so much unseen action which will be shown in the actual film.
We feel that the technique of suspense building and voiceovers are key when making a trailer because if your target audience isn't being drawn into your trailer then no one is going to be attracted too see then film when it comes out, causing the film to be a failure.
Sleeping with other people
Sleeping with other people is a romantic comedy. The reason we have chosen to look at this trailer in more detail is because of the special effects used on it added in the editing process.
One thing that we really liked about this trailer is the way when the two main characters are introduced the character has a conversation with another character about how they have cheated, the shot freezes, one half of the screen gets blurred out and opening credits are shown of their character names introducing them to the audience. For example 'Jake'.
We really liked the idea of introducing the main characters with a piece of dialogue that describes them then their name to the audience in the trailer as it makes the audience begin to form an opinion of them immediately before even watching the film. If the character is introduced in a good way it will make the audience like the character and therefore take more interest in them and the storyline, this encourages the audience then to watch the film. Both of the two main characters in this film are introduced in a similar way, having the problem of sleeping with other people. Jake gets caught sleeping with his girlfriends best friend and Lainey admits to cheating on her boyfriend.
This immediately draws the two main characters together in a humorous way and the audience can already see that some sort of relationship is going to form between the two. We quite liked the idea of the audience already having an insight of the characters personalities in the trailer and is something we may use in our own.
Credits are then again used more frequently throughout the trailer to tell the audience small snippets of the main storyline and main theme of the play - two people who have issues sleeping with people. Part of the storyline is revealed through the credits when firstly the two characters are introduced
'Jake' 'Cant stop sleeping with other people'
'Lainey' 'Cant stop sleeping with other people'
'But sleeping with each other..'
'Is out of the question'
We really liked this idea of the credits almost moving the trailer along and explaining the plot as when we looked at other trailers which had no credits, we found them quite confusing and less effective. This was because instead of concentrating on whats going on on the screen you are trying to figure out whats actually happening in the trailer, or what the main plot could be.
Lastly, this trailer also had a lot of reviews shown such as 'One of the most entertaining and honest love stories of the past 10 years' and 'Show up for the sex jokes then be knocked out by the heart'. Having these reviews on the trailer is really effective as it gives an opinion on the film and also reveals a lot to the audience about the genre and what type of film they are going to see. For example the way one review mentions its a love story, attracts audiences which like a romantic film, but the other review mentioning sex jokes, makes the film appeal to audiences who like to view a comedy. We found the reviews make the trailer look professional and we will defiantly consider using some reviews in our trailer.
When you first begin to watch the trailer you are shown an array of different special effects showing galaxy's and planets. The voice over, which sounds a lot like Stephen Hawking, begins to tell the viewer about how the world was formed making reference to 'The Big Bang' and the 'infinite galaxy's'. As the cameras focus goes from space and plummets into the human eye into the human body at this moment the trailer gives the audience the false idea that this film may actually be a sci-fi film with quite a lot of depth to it, about the how the world was formed and the human race.
The audience get mislead into thinking this as at 00:38 seconds the music drops and there is extra emphasis on the words 'The Human brain', this may lead the audience into thinking that this is going to be a topic of great importance in the film. The music that is playing in the background whilst the camera travels through space and then the human body starts off slow and builds up and up into quite fast paced action building music. This builds the tension when the camera is going through the human brain and makes the trailer get a more serious and science based feel to it. However at the same time as this is happening slight hints towards the actual genre of the film begin to show, and if you have watched the previous Zoolander film a few objects may come up which you recognize. Inside the animated human brain objects which were related to the main character, Derek Zoolander in the previous film, begin to show in different shots. For example a slush puppy is shown, which is the drink Derek and his model friends were drinking just before they all got killed at a petrol station, flashing cameras are shown which is because he is a male model, and a large monkey holding symbols - this is iconic and humorous as we saw Derek mimicking this monkey whilst in a photo shoot. The music builds up and the voice over says 'And the one question that has puzzled the minds of man kind from the beginning of time' as if something massively important is going to happen right at the end of the trailer......
Then Ben Stiller (playing Derek Zoolander) appears on screen pouting saying 'If God exists why does he make ugly people?'. This is a moment of comedy and completely contrasts with the first part of the film. This is the first thing in the whole trailer which hasn't been animated and really sets in the real idea and genre of the film.
The trailer ends with the audience getting the idea that the main character of the film is incredibly stupid as he cant even read the title of the film right when the logo appears on screen, he mistakenly calls in 200 Lander , instead of the pun 2oolander.
As someone who has seen the previous Zoolander film I think the trailer is a perfect introductory for the sequel as it is humorous and has links to the previous film, which is a good way to get previous watchers to watch again. However for someone who hasn't seen the film before, i think that the trailer may be a bit confusing for them and not really give them an understanding of what the film is about or why they should watch it - apart from the fact the main character is stupidly funny.
Hateful Eight
Here is the trailer for Hateful eight.
The trailer begins showing the audience an establishing shot of the type of area the film is shot in, a snowy, deserted mountin top.
The shots establishing the location are then followed by cuts between a horse and carriage and the man riding it. Already in the first few seconds of this film the audience are being well introduced very important aspects to a film, the location/set, the characters and the time period. This already gives the audience a chance to decide weather they think its going to be a film they may enjoy. Just 17 seconds into the trailer the audience are then again being shown somthing that may be an essential to the plot, a man sitting on two dead people - this once again reveals a lot to the audience such as the genre.
The tension builds in the trailer when the camera pans upwards to a characters face, a sharp sounding noise is played while his face is reveled and the music stops when he says 'Got room for one more?', this may put the audience on edge and makes them want to find out more about this character.
In this trailer more or less all of the characters get introduced, 1 minute into the trailer the woman gets introduced as one of the characters says 'This is Daisy Donough, shes wanted dead or alive'. This is then followed by a mid shot of each of the characters inside the house looking confused, shocked and nervous. The introduction of the characters like this is quite effective as it made me as an audience member want to find out more about each one of them, which i would have to do by watching the film.
Slight dark humour is used in this trailer, for example when one character announces that Daisy Donough is going to be hung if found, the music drops and a sound is made to draw attention to her mocking hanging herself. This is affective as it makes the film look like one with a serious plot but is nothing too heavy and grousome - its still enjoyable to watch.
Text is also used in this trailer quite a lot at the end, for exmaple '8 strangers' 'One deadly connection', the text is alongside action building music and highlights how the story of the film will be intresting. Also the font that the text is written in also may reveal that the film could be counted as a Western or a 'Neo-western', due to the strerotypical western font being used.
Lastly, another thing that is highlighted in this trailer is one of the characters revealing part of the plot twist through dialogue, he says 'one of these fellas is not who he says he is'. At this point the music drops and the character slams a knife onto a table. This draws attraction to part of the plot and gives away just enough of the film to make the audience intrested.
James Bond Spectre:
This is the trailer for James Bond Spectre.
This trailer starts with a very dark and depressing establishing shot of London, the sky is grey and the setting looks miserable. This sets the mood of the film immediately alongside the daunting music which adds suspense. Just 19 seconds into the trailer dialogue begins, a female character. The female character immedtily reveals to the audience a potential main part of the plot, a package. She says 'Forensics have finally released this', she then slides a black package into the view of the camera, this makes it look mysterious and makes the audience keen to know what it is. The trailer then adds a mysterious twist to the plot when the audience is shown James Bond looking at old pictures and the womans voice can be heard again saying 'you've got a secret, something you can't tell anyone because you don't trust anyone'. This foreshadows how the films plot is going to pan out - there is a secret and James Bonds loneliness in the film gets revealed. This piece of dialogue also would interest the viewer as it will make them ask questions like what is the secret? What is the package? Why doesn't he trust anyone? Throughout the rest of the trailer the suspense music builds up as different locations get shown to the audience which fade in and fade out from each other. Alongside these locations being shown little snippets of drama are seen which reveals little parts of the plot, but not too much that gives the storyline away. This is a really good feature of this trailer as it makes the plot look interesting but in a way that it isn't revealed and spoilt. At 1:22 a new piece of music is heard as the daunting music fades. Bells are heard which make it sound like a horror film, this horror film theme continues as a character gets shown in a mid shot, you can't actually see the characters face only their silhouette, they look like a shadow. Alongside this mid shot the character says 'Welcome James its been a long time'. This builds suspense and makes the audience continue to want to find out more about the plot. At the very end of the trailer the title of the James Bond film is shown in a bullet broken glass, the traditional James Bond music then plays in a dramatic manner. This really shows the genre of the film at the end due to the bullet shot showing that the film will have crime and action in it.
Insidious: Chapter 3
Here is the trailer for Insidious: Chapter 3..
The trailer starts with an establishing shot of the building in which the main girl (Stefanie Scott) and her father (Dermot Mulroney) live, this shot emphasises that the action in this film will mainly take place in their home. Although we know from the history of this film that its genre is horror the slow tempo calm music makes the viewer think otherwise, in particular it looks as if it could be a rom-com. As the beginning of this trailer starts as a classic film it moves towards something a lot darker and sinister, the same establishing shot of the building is then repeated but in a darker lighting porting that it is now night time perhaps indicating that now the action is going to kick in. As soon as the knocking through the wall starts we as the audience know something is going to go wrong.
The text from Hector that particularly changes the whole tone and mood of the film is 'Im not at home. Im at my grandma's right now' this informs and makes the audience certain that the genre is horror/ thriller and this is the moment which the genre sets in and the original insidious theme tune begins. The scream is the key focus of the trailer this is where the trailer turns jumpy and the quick cuts from the brutal parts in the film appear.
Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2
Here is the trailer for Mockingjay part 2:
This trailer begins with a long/establishing shot to show you the setting in which the film is set, it begins as wedding claiming that this film is full of happiness and love, the emotions that you gather from a wedding although that is not the case. Katiness is the voiceover, this is very effective as she is the mockingjay and most importantly she is well known to the viewers from the previous Hunger Game films so they know her role and importance. 'Someone has to pay for what he has done' when Katiness says this the mood of the whole trailer changes, music is introduced, the build up kicks in and it cranks up the tension to see the film, there is then an establishing shot of the city to show where the action takes place. Also in this trailer is many close ups to show the characters emotion and how they feel about what is coming to their city, it is good to have a good contrast of camera angles so it captures the audience's attention and locks their eyes on the trailer.
Throughout the trailer the music gradually gets louder, more dramatic and the shots get busier to show the audience this film is full of action and its building up to something big.
Although Katiness has many lines throughout the trailer to imply the energy and adventure of the film, you don't see too much battle which makes you want to go and see the film. Also the trailer is left on a cliffhanger where it looks as if one of the main characters is going to die which has the same effect, it is making you want to go and find out what happens next.
The Secret Life Of Pets
This is the trailer for The Secret Life Of Pets:
This trailer opens with an ordinary mid shot of the cat being pampered by its owner before it leaves their home. It is very noticeable that the cat and other animals only start speaking and the loud upbeat music kicks in after the humans leave, the bouncy fast paste music indicates the wild and exciting life animals live when left alone. It also emphasises the pets 'secret life' which makes direct reference to the title of the film. The dialogue between the cat and the dog Max at the start 'hey Max got any plans today' is very friendly implying that pets are caring and loving and in-fact similar to humans.
It is very interesting that in the trailer the humans face is never seen only their bodies which could convey how humans aren't a focus in the film and that they don't have that much relevance , this shows how important pets are in the film and reestablishes their control.
The lighting in this trailer is key as it shows the films personality which is fun, bright and happy. It also presents that it is going to be a bouncy film which people of all ages will love watching, it is a family film. The fast rocky music at the end when the poodle changes its characteristics in a split second from being posh and snobby, implies that animals have to hide their real identities from humans to fit in with their owners life.
Summary:
Looking at the above trailers, we are now able to pick out the key elements which make a successful trailer. We have gathered that the key elements of a successful trailer are, firstly having music which will directly address and fit the genre of the film. Music is important also as it can build suspense in the trailer, this making the audience want to watch on and will eventually go and see the film in the cinema. Music can also make the audience grip to the plot of the film. Another thing which is important in a film trailer is the overall lighting, for example the lighting in the 'Secret Life Of Pets' is very bright revealing that it is a happy film but the lighting in 'James Bond Spectre' was quite dark implying the dramatic mood of the film. By looking at these trailers we can see that you have to have the right balance of plot shown, if you show too much of the plot it ruins the film, but showing too little of the plot makes the film seem uninteresting and won't attract any direct audience. Therefore in our trailer we have to make sure we show just the right amount of plot to attract our audience. Another thing used in the trailers which we liked was the location shots shown, we thought this was an interesting and essential thing to include in our trailer.
