Research into Film Promotion through Print

Part of the coursework for Media is to design our own magazine front cover for our new production. Therefore, I've taken three different magazine front covers which are relevant to my own production. I've decided that Empire Magazine would be the best magazine to promote my new production; it is one of the most successful film promotion magazines on the market, having sold issues for over twenty years. Empire magazine's strapline states that it's "The World's Biggest Movie Magazine". I have selected three recent front covers from Empire Magazine, two of which feature actresses as the image on the cover. I will also include an image of the main female protagonist on my front cover, alongside conventions I have discovered from my secondary research. I have also included a front cover promoting the recent production 'The Dark Knight' (Christopher Nolan, 2008). This is an excellent front cover, as the entire style, including fonts and other images, are consistent with the image presented and the style of the film.

This front cover of Empire magazine features Megan Fox, as she is promoting the release 'Transformers 2: Revenge Of The Fallen' (Michael Bay, 2009). The magazine is using sex appeal to sell more copies of the magazine and further promote the movie; Fox is wearing nothing but tight leather trousers. The posture of Fox within the image shows vulnerability to add to the sex appeal. Moreover, the image is placed on top of a clean, white background, so that the focus is entirely on the actress. The magazine's cover line displays her name in bold silver font - a glamorous and attractive convention, attracting more eyes to the cover. The image of Megan Fox does not promote the film itself, but more the fact that this 'hot' female is a star of the film. The plug below her name is a description of the article, which uses intimate and impressive vocabulary to impress the reader, and encourage them to purchase the magazine and consume the promotion: "One-to-one with the most wanted woman in Hollywood".

Although this is a foreign magazine cover, it is still very simple to analyse the features included which make it so successful. This magazine front cover, similar to the above example, also features the female protagonist from a then forthcoming production. This cover is promoting 'The Duchess' (Saul Dibb, 2008), and featuring Kiera Knightly. The image, however, unlike the above example with Megan Fox, is relative to the production itself; Knightly is in full, recognisable costume, consistent with the misé-en-scene from the film. It is a simple close-up shot, with a dark shadow across one side of her face. There is text around the edge of the cover, but leaves the face uncovered, meaning it is easy to view and pleasing to the eye of the consumer. Again, the image is placed on top of a plain background - this time a dark shade of green, to stay consistent with promotional posters of the production. The cover line stands is in a larger, bold font, to stand out from the rest of the page. The red colour is consistent with the magazine title, thus feeling neat but still exciting.

This final magazine cover I am analysing features the late Heath Ledger promoting 'The Dark Knight' (Christopher Nolan, 2008). Ledger is in full costume, promoting the villain for this movie, The Joker. As always, there is the recognisable red title at the top of the magazine, layered behind the image of The Joker. This magazine front cover is very interesting, as every detail, from the puff to the plug and teaser, are consistent with the style of the main feature. The character of The Joker is twisted and weird. His costume is green and purple. Therefore, the creators of this magazine front cover have taken this into account, and creating a neon green / purple style for the front cover. The fonts used for the text are also very weird, and could be considered sinister. The image of The Joker is dark and menacing, demonstrating his character to the reader. I think this is one of the best front covers of Empire magazine, because of the brilliant consistent style with the feature production being promoted.

It is, moreover, important to note the regular conventions included in magazine covers, also included in the above examples. For example, magazine front covers all must have simple features such as a bar code, and information on the articles inside the magazine. The majority of magazines also regularly use puffs, teasers, and most importantly, exciting cover lines, to encourage sales of the magazine. The above magazine covers from Empire use all of these conventions exceptionally well. It's a very successful film magazine, and would be an excellent magazine to promote my own production in.

Research into Digital Film Marketing

Part of the coursework for Media is to design our own website for our new production. Therefore, I've taken screenshots of five websites which are relevant to my own production. I've chosen to analyse the websites promoting the motion pictures 'The Dark Knight' (Christopher Nolan, 2008), 'Slumdog Millionaire' (Danny Boyle, 2009), 'District 9' (Neill Blomkamp, 2009), 'Aeon Flux' (Karyn Kusama, 2005), and '2012' (Roland Emmerich, 2009).

Here is a screenshot of the 'About The DVD' page of promotional website for the film 'The Dark Knight' (Christopher Nolan, 2008). To go to the official website, please click here. The first impressions of this website design is how dark it is. This film is known for its dark and sinister atmoshpere, and the promotional website excellently reflects this. The main villain for this film is The Joker. This page features the joker cards from a pack of cards, which are props seen within the production. Even the 'About The DVD' section of text is layered on top of an image of a joker card. The main image on the page displays the DVD and Blu-Ray releases of the production, thus encouraging consumers to go out and buy that product. Showing the products also makes it easier for consumers to recognise the product when they are out shopping.

Here is a screenshot of the 'Synopsis' page of promotional website for the film 'Slumdog Millionaire' (Danny Boyle, 2009). To go to the official website, please click here. In the UK, this production was promoted as 'The feel-good film of the decade'. All of the promotion, including this website, reflects this idea; it is very bright, very happy, and very exciting. It is a very simple website design, featuring an image of a main character from the film on each page - in this case Latika, played by actress Freida Pinto. The text is layered on top of the image, informing the reader with the information they want. The navigation around the site is very simple, making it user-friendly. This is, quite simply, and excellent design, and very appropriate for the film.

Here is a screenshot of the front page of promotional website for the film 'District 9' (Neill Blomkamp, 2009). To go to the official website, please click here. The main image on this website is of the desolate District 9. There is not much movement, or any particular subject within the image, meaning although it gives some information to the consumer, it isn't really very interesting. However, it does show the consumer what District 9 looks like, and show how dirty and desolate it has become. The navigation for the website looks relatively simple; as the consumer moves the mouse, the page moves with it to give the consumer a view of District 9. It is important to note that the institutions and the film's certificate is displayed on this page, and strangely above hyperlinks to other promotional websites; usually, this sort of information is placed at the bottom of the page, to stop the page from looking untidy. The hyperlinks on the page will take the reader to pages with further information. I don't think this would be an excellent template to base my own website design on, as it would be very difficult to create such an advanced template. Nevertheless, it is an excellent website for that production.

Here is a screenshot of the front page of promotional website for the film 'Aeon Flux' (Karyn Kusama, 2005). To go to the official website, please click here. This website features Charlize Theron as the character Aeon Flux as the main focus of this front page. She is in the recognisable costume for the character, and is reaching for her gun, which, again, is in line with the narrative of the production. The background features the city Bregna, as shown in the film. The navigation options are displayed to the left of the page, with information promoting the film's DVD taking the centre of the page. The film is quite dark but futuristic, and I believe that the construction and presentation of this webpage well represents this. This webpage gives the consumer all the options and information they could need making it good for the production.

Here is a screenshot of the 'About The Film' page of promotional website for the film '2012' (Roland Emmerich, 2009). To go to the official website, please click here. This website, similarly to the others shown above, is again a very simple design, very user-friendly, yet still gives the reader all the information they could want. The picture shows the plane used in the film, which those who have seen the production will recognise. The layout and navigation is very simple, with all the controls to the top of the page. All of the images displayed as backgrounds to the pages are of the destruction and carnage caused by the fictional natural disasters, which is consistent with the theme of the film. Moreover, features such as the film's logo are present, which is an absolute necessity. I think that this type of webpage, with the simple navigation options and layout, would make an excellent template for my own production.

Photographic Storyboard

Here is my completed photographic storyboard. Th images are cropped screen shots of the storyboard. I have used my drawn storyboard to direct the photographs taken. These photographs represent the shots planned for the production; however, actual shots may differ to those shown. Moreover, I have used the same actors throughout the storyboard, even though they represent different characters, and a different cast will be used for the actual production.

Copyright, Designs, and Patents Act 1988

I have personally researched the UK Copyright act, in regards to the frankly pathetic rules put in place by OCR which restricts the use of copyrighted music within our coursework production. I found the following information from this official website.

---

Education -
32 Things done for purposes of instruction or examination

(1) Copyright in a literary, dramatic, musical or artistic work is not infringed by its being copied in the course of instruction or of preparation for instruction, provided the copying—
(a) is done by a person giving or receiving instruction, and
(b) is not by means of a reprographic process.

(2) Copyright in a sound recording, film, broadcast or cable programme is not infringed by its being copied by making a film or film sound-track in the course of instruction, or of preparation for instruction, in the making of films or film sound-tracks, provided the copying is done by a person giving or receiving instruction.

(3) Copyright is not infringed by anything done for the purposes of an examination by way of setting the questions, communicating the questions to the candidates or answering the questions.

(4) Subsection (3) does not extend to the making of a reprographic copy of a musical work for use by an examination candidate in performing the work.

(5) Where a copy which would otherwise be an infringing copy is made in accordance with this section but is subsequently dealt with, it shall be treated as an infringing copy for the purpose of that dealing, and if that dealing infringes copyright for all subsequent purposes.
For this purpose “dealt with” means sold or let for hire or offered or exposed for sale or hire.

---

This official UK copyright act clearly states that the use of copyrighted materials, such as music, is not applicable to those using the copyrighted material for educational purposes - aka, constructing a professional-looking Media production for educational purposes. The materials Media students need are digital, meaning no reprography would be used in the use of these materials. Moreover, the finished product is not being used for any business or profit-making organisation, which further allows the use of copyrighted materials in this instance.

OCR have asked Media students to create a realistic- and professional-looking production to submit as coursework. One of the most important factors in ensuring the production is well-constructed, and creates the atmosphere and demonstrates the message desired by the director, is through the music included in the production. Therefore, asking Media students - students who have shown an interest in film, magazine, and communications - to then create a piece of music which would successfully suit a Media production, is wrong. If we, as a group of students, were interested in the construction and understanding of music, we would have taken a Music course - in which I assume we would not be asked to shoot a music video to fit our music.

In order to create the soundtrack we want as a part of our product, to create the atmosphere we desired in pre-production, we would need years of music training, skills in multiple musical instruments, access to a recording studio, an orchestra, and a ridiculous amount of money. Fortunately, the copyright law allows students to use copyrighted music for educational purposes in the creation of film. Unfortunately, OCR have disregarded this important fact, to further burden their students with an almost impossible task.

Moreover, I can't think of any directors within the film industry which both direct the entire film product, and create a soundtrack which would fit with the film. Danny Boyle, director of hit 2009 feel-good success, 'Slumdog Millionaire'? No. World famous and successful science-fiction director George Lucas? No. How about the incredible Steven Spielberg? Also no. The directors of these successful films hire those who have extensive knowledge in music, to create the perfect soundtrack to an excellently constructed production.

Without an appropriate soundtrack, the best production in the world would be pathetic. Indeed, it seems OCR would rather we, as successful Media students, don't make use of the materials already created which would fit our production perfectly - even though the Law itself states that this is acceptable for educational purposes. Instead, we will put effort in and do our best to create an excellent production, before then attempting to create an appropriate soundtrack, which will probably lower the overall standard of the finished product.


COMMENT. BEAUCHAMPS MEDIA SAID:

I fully appreciate your frustration and share your concerns Luke. However, the fact remains, as previously stated, that if the examiner wants to examine your production using public file sharing networks and the sound has been removed by an outside agent due to THEIR interpretation of copyright rules, your production will inevitably lose marks for being silent. Since it would have music if you had followed the recommended guidelines, that will be seen as your responsibility and choice and you will be marked accordingly. Harsh but true.

Locations

The main events of the teaser trailer - the television, the kitchen, the hostage, etc. - will take place in a house, in an undisclosed location. I will not include an establishing wide shot to show the location of the house, but all interior shots; I want the audience to focus on the events of the trailer, rather than the location. The filming will take place in a living room, then as the female walks into the kitchen a hallway, before shooting in the kitchen. The house I have decided to film in is very modern, with a warm and welcoming feel to it - which contradicts the actions taking place there. Everything will be neat and tidy, with all the misé-en-scene showing the audience more about the lead female character who lives there.
      In contrast, throughout the remainder of the teaser trailer, all the shots will be exterior, although again no exciting or intriguing locations will be shown - I want the audience to focus on the action rather than the location. Moreover, these shots are so short, that an establishing wide shot, instead of a shot which adds to the intrigue and enigma of the over trailer, could be considered a waste of a shot. But the locations will reflect the action, and add to the atmosphere that the action is presenting. For example, roads will be used to shot the car and motorbike scenes, and I will use a large field for the kissing scene. I have decided to use a large field to show isolation with the couple, and add to the romantic feel of the shots. Although I am using a large field for the kiss scene, two of the three shots I will use will be mid- or close-up shots, to show the audience the love between the couple.


COMMENT: BEAUCHAMPS MEDIA SAID-
I like the way you are creating a claustrophobic atmosphere with a wealth of interior shots Luke and the way that your non-specific location brings a universality to the theme. Perhaps a google earth jump shot would make an interesting feature to emphasise that this could be any house in the world...

Costumes

Female
Main: Red sport trousers / shorts; black vest top.

Fighting: Red top, under black leather jacket. Black trousers / dark jeans.

Field: White summer dress.

Male characters:
Main: Smart casual: Shirt, jeans, suit jacket, shoes.

Fighting: Grey top, black jacket, jeans.

Field: Vest top / t-shirt, combat shorts, low-top cons.

After having watched and analysed many different teaser trailers, and whole productions, which include characters similar to those in my own production, I have decided that these clothes would be best suitable for them in the situations they would be facing. The female character is a positive representation of the physical and emotional strength woman can have, and the clothes reflect this; being sporty when necessary, yet elegant and beautiful at others. Moreover, the males' clothes are much more simply, casual, and everyday.


COMMENT: BEAUCHAMPS MEDIA SAID -
Good ideas for costumes but perhaps some more character could be added with specific accessories, watch, chain, necklace, hair bow etc. At the moment they are very general and a bit vague; a few signifiers might be interesting – think Electra with the red leather and the use of a chain...

Storyboard - Drawn

Shooting Script

Shot #	Shot Description	Audio and Dialogue
1	Graphic shot of institutions.	-
2	MS of newsreader talking at desk.	"...for the last time this year. Now back to our main story, Daniel Woods has gone missing from a party in central London, where he was out celebrating with friends. Police are not involved, and a search is being conducted. It is feared that..."
3	Slow reverse zoom away from television, to CU of using the remote control to turn off the television, to a low MCU tracking shot of feet walking (towards camera), to a CU of hand switching on a light, to a LS, to a MS, to a CU of character drinking a glass of water.	Feet walking on a floor; cupboard opening; tap running; etc.
4	CU of glass being put down on the side.	Diegetic noises of glass being put down.
5	CU of gun being taken out of female's trousers.	Diegetic noises.
6	CU of fingers holding the trigger, before camera quickly pans left.	Diegetic - breathing etc.
7	OTS, behind a person, looking at the female holding the gun.	-
8	OTS, now behind the female's left shoulder, pan over the right shoulder, then TS-FS, with the female on the left, and the male hostage on the right.	Intense, non-diegetic atmospheric bass swelling begins.
9	CU of hand lowering helmet visor.	Non-diegetic: Swelling continues, plus a beat as shot is shown.
10	OTS of hand revving motorbike engine.	Motorbike engine revs. Swelling noise continues. Beat as shot is shown.
11	CU of motorbike pulling away from camera.	Motorbike engine. Swelling noise continues. Beat as shot is shown.
12	ECU of male's eyes.	Swelling noise continues. Beat as shot is shown.
13	CU of female's head slammed against a brick wall.	Noise of head against wall. Swelling noise continues. Beat as shot is shown.
14	CU low shot of male being pushed to the floor by female.	Body hitting floor. Swelling noise continues. Beat as shot is shown.
15	LS of female walking away from body.	Footsteps. Swelling noise continues. Beat as shot is shown.
16	High angle long TS-FS, looking at female pointing the gun in the kitchen.	Swelling noise continues. Beat as shot is shown.
17	Low shot of car driving forwards towards camera.	Car engine driving. Swelling noise continues. Beat as shot is shown.
18	CU of hand changing gear in car.	Car engines driving. Swelling noise continues. Beat as shot is shown.
19	Low shot of car driving forwards over camera.	Car engine driving. Swelling noise continues. Beat as shot is shown.
20	Handheld ECU of gun. (Camera looking towards female.)	Swelling noise continues. Beat as shot is shown.
21	Low shot CU tilt of female laying on grass.	Swelling noise continues. Beat as shot is shown.
22	Handheld OTS CU of female face - looking at male.	Swelling noise continues. Beat as shot is shown.
23	Low LS of male kissing female on the grass.	Swelling noise continues. Beat as shot is shown.
24	CU of female's face.	Swelling noise continues. Beat as shot is shown.
25	Handheld CU of gun pushed against male's forehead, before camera pans to the left.	"Tell me what you know..." Swelling noise continues.
26	Graphic shot - 'It's time to face the truth...' fades into 'facethetruth.com'.	Male speaks (truthfully, whisper): "I don't know anything...". Swelling and beats stop.
27	CU of gun hitting male on head.	Gun hitting head. Swelling begins again suddenly - more intense than previously.
28	Low angle CU tilt of male falling from chair, towards camera.	Body hitting floor. Swelling noise continues.

COMMENT: BEAUCHAMPS MEDIA SAID –
Excellent work Luke, a full range of shot types, distances and angles, all used effectively to create meaning. Well done!

Shot List

1. -Graphic shot of institutions.

Fade through black

2. -Mid shot of newsreader at desk talking.

Fade

3. -Slow reverse zoom away from television, to close-up of hand turning off television with remote control, to (as female gets up from sofa and walks) a low tracking shot of feet walking (towards camera; camera moving backwards), to close-up of hand switching on a light, to long shot (as character moves away from the camera), to mid shot (as camera continues movement towards her), then turn clockwise and move up for a close up of the character drinking a glass of water. This shot is all one fluid shot, where the camera follows the character, and shows the actions and the female character, but at the moment avoiding her face.

Cut

4. -Close-up of glass of water being put down on the side.

Cut

5. -Close-up of gun being taken out of female's trousers.

Cut

6. -Close-up of fingers holding the trigger, before the camera begins to quickly pan left (to see what the gun is aimed at).

Cut

7. -Over the shoulder shot, behind a person, looking at the female holding the gun.

Cut

8. -Over the shoulder shot, now behind the female's left shoulder (to keep the 180-degree rule), then pan to go over the right shoulder (to break the 180-degree rule), before moving the camera backwards to create a two-person shot, with the female on the left, and the male hostage on the right.

Fade through black

9. -Close-up of hand lowering helmet visor.

Fade through black

10. -Over the (right) shoulder shot of hand revving motorbike handle / engine.

Fade through black

11. -Close-up low shot of back motorbike wheel pulling away, driving to the left of the camera.

Fade through black

12. -Handheld close-up of male's eyes.

Fade through black

13. -Close up of female's head being slammed against a brick wall.

Fade through black

14. -Close up low shot of a male being pushed to the floor by the female.

Fade through black

15. -Low shot of female walking away from motionless body.

Fade through black

16. -High angle long two-person shot (in corner of kitchen) looking at the female pointing the gun at male.

Fade through black

17. -Low shot of car driving forwards towards camera.

Fade through black

18. -Close-up of hand changing gear of car.

Fade through black

19. -Low shot of car driving forwards over camera.

Fade through black

20. -Handheld close-up of gun (looking towards the female).

Fade through black

21. -Low close-up anti-clockwise tilt of female laying on grass with male.

Fade through black

22. -Handheld over the (right shoulder shot) of female looking from left eye to right of the male.

Fade through black

23. -Low long shot of male kissing female in the field.

Fade through black

24. -Close-up of female's face.

Cut

25. -Hand-held close-up of gun pushed against male's forehead, before camera pans to the left to see female - "Tell me what you know..."

Cut to black

26. -Male speaks: "I don't know anything..." Graphics appear on screen, 'It's time to face the truth', before fading into 'facethetruth.com'.

Cut

27. -Close-up of gun hitting male on head.

Cut

28. -Low angle tilt close-up of male falling from chair.

Cut black

COMMENT: BEAUCHAMPS MEDIA SAID –
Terrific vision and attention to detail; I can completely visualise your planned shooting. Very effective planning

Idea Pitch

As the photo of my written pitch above shows, the narrative of my teaser involves a female character - the lead character - watching television, seeing on the news that someone has been kidnapped. She then very calmly and naturally proceeds to the kitchen to get a drink, before turning and confronting the man she has hostage - who was featured on the news.
      The first shot will be a mid-shot of a newsreader at a desk. The camera will then reverse-zoom away from the television which the newsreader is now on. I got this idea from my previous research into teaser trailers, where I saw the convention used in the teaser trailer for 'Resident Evil: Extinction', and decided to use it in my own production. The shot will then continue, and follow the actions of the female, as she moves into the kitchen to get a drink. This is a similar style to the teaser trailer for the video game 'WET', which I analysed previously, and includes a very fluid construction.
      The beginning of the teaser will have quite a slow pace, created using long shot lengths, each with very simple actions. This will then suddenly change into a fast pace, including lots of different shots and actions. This will also make use of Todorov's theory, beginning with equilibrium, where everything appears to be normal and average to the viewer, before the disequilibrium begins when the viewers see that the kidnapped male in the news is being held hostage by the female. Moreover, I will create an enigma from the teaser, by not resolving this mystery; just adding to it through dialogue and actions. I found this to be effective through my previous research into teaser trailers, where the teaser trailer for the video game 'The Secret World' used Todorov's theory in its construction, by beginning with equilibrium, and finished with an enigma and disequilibrium. It also ended with a website for viewers to visit for more information on the product. This was a very effective teaser trailer, and I decided to use the best conventions in my own production.
      I want the events and acting-style in the teaser trailer to be as realistic as possible, thus heightening the tension of production. The music I plan to create will add to this tension. I will also use a consistent style of red, white, and black colours for the female's clothes, and graphics within the teaser trailer. I noticed during my research that other female leads, such as Aeon Flux and Lara Croft also have their own unique and identifiable style through misé-en-scene. This will increase the strength of the character, and allow the character to be instantly recognisable.
      I have decided in my teaser trailer to include the institutions of the production, such as the production company, and the distributors. I will also include a website address for viewers to visit for more information on the film. This website could then contain more banners and advertisements to promote the film, and create 'hype'.
      Included in my teaser trailer are two main characters - a female and a male. After having studied Propp's character functions, I have decided that the female character will be the 'hero' of the overall production, and the male seen held hostage in the kitchen scene will be the 'helper' of the overall production. This will subverge the initial reactions towards the character, as the audience viewing the teaser trailer will assume that that character is the 'villain' of the production. The other male characters seen in the production could be the 'villian', 'donor', 'false hero', and 'princess' respectively.


COMMENT Beauchamps Media said:

Excellent planning Luke, you have worked hard and organised your production well, I'm glad it's now accessible for comments!

Femme Fatale Research

I began research into similar female-lead action-thriller films, such as 'Aeon Flux' (2005, Karyn Kusama), 'Lara Croft: Tomb Raider' (2001, Simon West), 'Catwoman' (2004, Pitof), and 'Elektra' (2005, Rob Bowman). All of these productions include a female lead character which takes on the role of the 'femme fatale'. Traditionally, the femme fatale - a French phrase for 'deadly woman' - is a female character who is beautiful and charming, using her beauty to attract others - often male - before then leading them into dangerous and deadly situations. In the past, her abilities have been considered literally supernatural, and linked with witchcraft, but as shown in modern popular culture, the femme fatale uses charm, beauty, and sexual allure alongside impressive strength and technique in their actions. Typically, the femme fatale is the villain within the narrative - such as 'Poison Ivy' from the Batman series - but, as shown, can also be the heroine - like in 'Lara Croft: Tomb Raider'.

I will use the idea of femme fatale to create a strong, indepedent, skilled, and beautiful character for my production to use as the heroine of the narrative. From my previous audience feedback, I know that the male audience like female lead characters for the sexual appeal, while the female audience enjoy the representation of a strong and indepedent woman. By creating such a character, I can ensure that my production can be enjoyed by a large demographic.

COMMENT: BEAUCHAMPS MEDIA SAID –
Super research and a strong theme, you’ve used some marvellous examples.

Genre

From the results of my questionnaire and audience feedback, I have decided to create a teaser trailer for an action-thriller genre production. I have also decided that I will include a female lead in the teaser trailer - even though I plan to include a male main character alongside the female in what would be the distributed finished production - therefore, he may also be featured in the future auxiliary texts.

I believe creating a teaser trailer for a new fictional production of this genre will be very interesting and challenging.

COMMENT: BEAUCHAMPS MEDIA SAID –
Great idea; ‘Wanted’ is another example with a strong female protagonist in the trailer that you may wish to consider.

Primary Research and Audience Feedback

Before I begun the construction of my own teaser trailer, I decided to get audience feedback from a varied demographic based their favourite film genres, and their expectations. I created a questionnaire with open questions, giving them the freedom to express their preferences and gratifications from viewing these genre of productions without restriction.
To the right is a copy of the questionnaire I created.

In the questionnaire, I began by asking questions based on their favourite genre, to gain insight into their preferences and requirements for that production. I was also interested in making an action-thriller teaser trailer, so at the end of the questionnaire, I included questions to discover their view on the genre, and whether it would be a good decision.

Interestingly, the majority of responses to the first question 'What is your favourite film genre to view?' was in fact action-thriller, with over 50% of all those who participated, male and female, mentioning this genre. I had already previously considered creating a teaser trailer for an action-thriller production, and from these initial results alone believe it will be a very successful and appropriate genre. Also included in response to this question were the genres romantic comedy, and comedy.

At this point in the research, I wanted to keep my options open, and have an open mind; I allowed those surveyed to tell me why they enjoy the genre of film they enjoy, and what they expect to gain from the film. Other questions I included in the questionnaire were: 'What are some of the conventions and ideology you expect to find within this genre of film?'; 'Why do you enjoy watching films of this genre?'; and 'What are some of the gratifictions you get from watching films of this genre?'.

Here are some of the responses I got from the questionnaire:

"I see people on films and draw confidence and courage from them."

"[I enjoy] intriguing characters, [and] great tense scenes."

"I feel exhilarated after watching."

"Fast paced, good storylines help you escape from everyday life."

All of these conventions and gratifications can easily be included in a teaser trailer for an action thriller film. At the end of the questionnaire, I included a section based on the action-thriller production, beginning with simply asking if they enjoyed watching action-thriller productions. Of those surveyed, over 77% stated 'Yes'. This is a very strong result, meaning, obviously with a good construction and narrative, a film and teaser trailer of this production really would be successful and popular. I also discovered from my questionnaire that the audience enjoys both male and female lead characters, with over 40% selecting the 'Both' option, and the other results spread equally throughout the 'Male' and 'Female' options. Reasons for this include "I can relate to [male leads]", "Female leads... [show] strong characters", and "relationships develop [which] is fun to observe", and "[It's] good to see women involved in action packed scenes!"

More Research into Teaser Trailers

I continued my secondary research into teaser trailers, watching teaser trailers on the Internet, and on my own DVDs and Blu-rays where possible. I found the following three teaser trailers particularly interesting:

The first is the teaser trailer for the 2007 Michael Bay production 'Transformers'.

This teaser trailer contains few of the conventions I have previously mentioned, including only varied shot types and graphics. However, included in the teaser trailer is a twist based on a true life event, which will draw in the audience as they initially believe the trailer to be non-fictional. It is also interesting to point out that no shots from the movie were used in this teaser trailer, and very little of the storyline was offered. The teaser trailer merely presented the audience with an enigma.

Another teaser trailer which is similar is the first of the two teaser trailers for the production 'The Da Vinci Code'.

This teaser trailer again includes no shots from the movie itself, and is instead created entirely from CGI. It is key to note that this teaser was released before even a single frame of the production had been shot. (See here.) This teaser trailer fulfils its purpose by simply informing and exciting the audience of the adaptation of the highly successfully novel, and creating the hype for the movie long before the release, thus ensuring a maximising of ticket sales and profits. The teaser trailer also includes credits from the production, so fans of the cast can also be excited for the release of the production. Overall, an excellent example of an early but successful teaser trailer.

The recently released teaser trailer for the forthcoming Disney Pixar production 'Toy Story 3' is also an excellent teaser trailer.

This trailer uses the popularity of the Toy Story series and it's characters to it's advantage, by giving each character it's own spot on the teaser trailer and including scenarios that fans of the series will enjoy and be excited about. It keeps the consistent character traits and situations that fans of the series will know and love, and brings back to the audience the overall 'feel' of the original Toy Story films. This will definately excite the audience, which is complimented by the release date of the production - June 18, 2010. The release date is very rarely a convention included in the teaser trailer, as it is more often than not unknown to the production company or distributor that the production will be ready as planned. However, as this is an animated feature, and the same company produces and distributes the production, it is appropriate to include the release date, and very exciting for the audience.

COMMENT - Beauchamps Media said: Again, some impressive, focused research which is effectively based in deconstruction to inform your own planning.

Conventions of a Teaser Trailer

There are certain conventions which need to be included in the production of a teaser trailer. However, it is the form and successful construction of these conventions which will make the teaser trailer either succeed or fail in it's aim to inform and excite the audience of the forthcoming film. The conventions include:
         Institutional reference - informing the audience of the businesses which produced and distributed the movie.
         Varied paces - both fast and slow to vary the on-screen action, and to inform and excite the audience.
          Appropriate music - The music should fit the genre of the production to compliment the overall feel of the teaser trailer. However, it should also be remembered that contrapuntal music can be used for a varied effect according to the genre of the production.
         Credits - These are not used in all teaser trailers, but may be used to inform the audience of stars that are in the film, thus further excited the audience and increasing their desire to view the exhibition of the production.
        Voice-over - The voice-over is non-diegetic narration which can be presented as the thoughts of one of the characters within the production, commentary from an off-screen person external to the story, or as a sound bridge to a conversation within the teaser trailer which will appear later.
          Graphics - Any writing within the teaser trailer will need to use the correct font to present both the genre of the production, and fit with the consistent style of the overall production itself. For example, for a period production, the graphics will usually be calligraphic, whereas for a science-fiction production, the graphics will be bold and metallic in colour.

Beauchamps Media said: Excellent work Luke, with some terrific understanding and effective terminology
Target: ‘ it’s ’ always means 'it is'; like ‘his’, ‘hers’ and ‘ours’, ‘ its ‘ has no apostrophe
Complement = something that perfects or adds to something else
Compliment= statement of praise

Research into Teaser Trailers

As soon as I was informed that we were going to be studying and producing teaser trailers this year as part of our A2 Media course, I went onto the Internet to research my favourite teaser trailers I have viewed in the past, alongside other successful teaser trailers.

As I was researching teaser trailers, I did not restrict myself to viewing just teaser trailers for moving picture productions; I also viewed teaser trailers from video games, to ensure I had viewed and collected as many conventions of a teaser trailers as possible.

I begun by searching on Youtube for a teaser trailer I had viewed in the past that I was particularly impressed with - the teaser trailer for the forthcoming video game 'WET'.

This teaser trailer begins by informing the audience of the institutions - or in the case of video games, the developers and / or publishers - and then begins the game footage using a continuously moving camera. We are shown the setting - a dirty and abandoned aeroplane - through an establishing wide pan shot. The shots that follow use a consistent style as we are shown mise-en-scene and introduced to the character. All of the shots throughout the teaser trailer fade into one another to give a flowing and relaxed feel, which strongly contradicts the action being shown on screen. A cliffhanger is used at the end to both shock and intrigue the audience, as we see a beating heart in an ice box. Throughout is music which represents the main female character, which is relaxed and lazy, yet with intense lyrics. This well portrays the female character, who, from the teaser trailer alone, we see is feisty and violent, but at the same time very stylish and chill. The teaser trailer ends with the title of the game, the year of release, and the website, so the viewer can find more information if they want to.

The second teaser trailer I viewed as part of my research was a teaser trailer for another video game, this time the forthcoming 'The Secret World'.

This trailer again begins very briefly informing the audience of the video game institutions, before beginning the teaser trailer. As an audience, we are very quickly informed that everything isn't alright as we hear the unusual noises from the opposite end of the corridor. A long zoom shows us the female is alone, initiating the suspense, followed by a close up as we see her reaction and concern to the odd noises. Nevertheless, we begin to forget this as she ignores the noises, enters her apartment, and continues as normal. Up until now, the pace has been quite slow, but speeds up with fast cuts as she makes herself a smoothie. Suddenly we are thrown back into the action as she casually turns around to find a hideous monster staring her in the face. The action begins again, complimented by fast-paced music. I particularly liked this trailer as although it previously hinted to the audience of foreboding events, nothing occurred until later in the trailer, thus shocking us with the action. I also like the cliffhanger with graphics stating "to be continued", followed by a website for the viewer to visit if they desire more information. The website address is the slogan for the game, thus making it easier to remember than even the name of the game itself.

A very successful motion picture this year was the recent 'Terminator Salvation'. I was very impressed with construction of the film, and so searched for the teaser trailer on Youtube. This teaser trailer excellently represents the feel and narrative of the overall film, and introduces the audience to the new characters, without giving away the storyline.

The use of fast cuts and fast pace - often with blocked vision so the audience cannot see the threat present in the shot - draws in the audience, as the tension is heightened throughout the teaser trailer. The intensity of the teaser trailer is created through the brief action we as an audience get to see throughout the clips of the movie shown. All of the clips are brief, yet each one shows a different type of threat or horror: in one, a man is running through a dark building; in another, trees are being destroyed at an abnormal rate; in another, a man is hanging from a broken electricity pylon. These shots will both disturb and intrigue the audience, informing them of the genre of the production, yet inviting them to find out more. The music throughout the teaser trailer definitely has a huge impact on the audience, heightening the tension of the piece. The font of the graphics is key to audience-identification of the genre of the movie - in this teaser trailer is it obvious that the genre is science-fiction; the fonts are bold, metallic grey, and futuristic. Moreover, it is important to note the use of edited institutional logos to fit the dark, futuristic theme of the movie. This convention is used well, and prepares the audience for the remainder of the teaser trailer.

One of the other trailers I viewed was a teaser trailer for the final instalment of the Resident Evil trilogy, 'Resident Evil Extinction'.

This teaser trailer challenges the conventions of most other teaser trailers by not first informing the audience of the institutions of the production. Instead, this trailer goes straight shots of a glamorous Las Vegas, showing the audience shots of casinos, luxury sun, and exciting night-life. The voiceover is smooth and alluring to the audience, as the shots fade into one another, presenting a positive and attractive life-style. It is then a shock to the audience as the camera reverse-zooms to reveal the position of the television on which the advertisement is playing - in the middle of a deserted wasteland where nothing but official army-style vehicles pass on the ground below. As the camera continues to reverse-zoom, the tension is heightened through the use of blocked vision as dust passes the camera. It is only when the dust and dirt clears that the viewer discovers this is Las Vegas, but broken and ruined. The camera continues to reverse-zoom, with the music continuing to heighten all the time, until the camera leaves the Earth's atmosphere and stops at a satellite presenting the familiar Umbrella Corporation logo. As the teaser trailer begun, it was not obvious what genre film it was presenting, until it quickly contradicts any assumptions the viewer may have made and throws them into a ruined, deserted, and empty future. The teaser trailer then continues with very fast action shots from the movie, before ending with the graphic title, a website, and some institutional reference.

COMMENT: Beauchamps Media said -

Excellent research Luke - an interesting idea to explore video game teasers as well as film.

Hey.

This is my rough new blog which I'll use to collect my research and work for my A2 Media project.