Film Trailers

Film Trailer Evaluation

 

Purpose:

The film trailer that my group and me made was called ‘After Hours’.  We decided to make the genre of the film horror as we had a lot of ideas for it. The basic story line is about a girl who has been killed in her school by someone or something. The rest of the students start experiencing strange events happening in the school building and are trying to find out the rest of the story of the murder.

 

Audience:

The target audience for our film is 15+ as it has some mild gore and a lot of suspense. Also there are a few scenes with some strong language.

 

Representation issues:

I think our trailer showed mostly negative messages as we used screams and shocking scenes but some messages you could say were positive as the voice over mentioned ‘hope’ in the trailer as if the actress is going to survive.

Our film included both boys and girls because the actor was female and the voice over was male so it appealed to both target audiences.

We didn’t have any ethnic groups in our film as we stuck with the actors from our group for the film.

Our music included suspense and a sense of mystery. It sounded creepy and slow as well which went really well with our horror trailer. Also it went throughout the whole film and the pace was slow and towards the end it got faster which went really well with parts of the scenes.

The locations of the film was very appropriate as the story line was about a girl killed in her school so all of the shots are within the school grounds and the actors had their school uniform on as if they were being school students. We thought the uniforms connoted that they were young and vulnerable and they had bland colours but it didn’t really matter, as the whole film was black and white.

The language used in the trailer is appropriate for any audience; however, the actual film has some strong language, that’s why decided to have it as a 15.

The video looked realistic for the genre because it featured shocking scenes that included creeping about, running, screaming in most of the film, there was only two screams, at the start and in the ending scene. We used quite a bit of running as it connoted being chased after or being frightened.

Technical Issues:

The levels of music weren’t too loud or quiet but at times when the voice over spoke we lowered the volume. At the start the first voice over is a bit loud but for the rest of the film it’s just about right.

In part of the film we cut out my voice in one of the scenes. I only said ’hello’ but it made the scene really affective because it suggested that something or someone was there and I was calling out to feel brave and try and be aware of what it was, although without it, it still sounds good.

I think the camera work worked really well in all the scenes; especially in one of the scenes where there’s 2 people running up the stairs in the middle of the trailer and at the end where the main character get dragged into a room because it shows what part of how the girl gets caught by her murderer and creates tension so that you think what happens next but then obviously the trailer ends which I feel creates a good cliff hanger.

The trailer had quite a lot of variety to keep the audience interested as all the scenes were in different rooms/places of the school and we used interesting parts right at the start of the film with newspaper headlines of ‘girl murdered’.

We used some transitions in our trailer which were fade in fade out which made the scenes gently fade into the next one which makes the film gives it a sense of mystery as it doesn’t want to show all of the scene so it fades slowly to the next. We also made the film have an aged look to make it seem eerie. Some of the scenes go really well with the music like at the end as the title of the film appears with the date of the release; the music gets calmer and fades down.

The title was affective because it was quite large and bold; the text was also jagged and bloody to give it that scary affect.

 

Conventions/Narrative:

What I think was typical of this genre:

-The eerie music

-Screaming

-Running

-Shaking

-Shocks

 

In a professional product I think it would have features like the list above, which was from our trailer.

A professional product would have more of an advantage than us as they would have the right programs to use for special effects and they would also have professional actors and a range of actors to choose from. They also have money to buy equipment for the sets/scenes etc.

Our film had heroes, who were the students; the villain was the person/creature that killed the girl. The equilibrium was people finding out about the murder. The disruption was the students noticing weird things happening in the school and the resolution was when they found out why these things were happening and the killer of the girl.

I would regard our film as multi-strand as they’re not just trying to find out who killed the girl but they’re trying to find out why strange things are happening.

 

 

Own Performance/Self Evaluation:

 

Throughout making the film I learnt how to add music/sound to the video and how to use the cam recorder.

Our strengths I think was the music we used as every part of it went really well with the scenes. Also I think the acting was good and certain scenes with the camera angles and the shocking parts went really well together.

The weaknesses of the trailer were the parts when there was screaming as the audience found them too loud. I would also have made the voice over a bit more as it seemed a bit repetitive and should have used some sound clips from the film itself.

I think I was a good team member as I was the one who provided the screaming and most of the acting. Also I came up with some of the ideas for most of the scenes.

I was prepared to listen to my other members opinion because that then gave us all more ideas what to do and then came up with the best one.

 

 

Audience Feedback:

Positive

How the scene wit the actor’s eye opens. It was an extreme close up and had a sense of panic.

The choice of music was excellent.

Good use of effects, black and white, ghost trails etc.

Improvements

Make the screaming quieter.

Voice over should be less repetitive.                

Laws/Controls.

We have no problem with OFCOM, as none of the music we included was copy write. 

Textual Analysis - Film Poster

Media Exam – Comparing 2 Film Posters

Paper 1:

The Disney Corporation is the biggest media corporations in the world. They have made so many well known/successful animated films such as Bambi, Snow White, The lion King, The Sleeping Beauty and so on. Walt and Roy Disney founded the company as an animation studio in 1923. It’s one of the largest Hollywood studios and owner of eleven theme parks and several television networks including ESPN and ABC. Mickey Mouse serves as the official mascot of The Walt Disney Company.

2. DreamWorks Pictures is a major film studio in America that produces films, television programmes and video games. Its most successful film to date was Shrek 2. It has produced more than 10 films totalling more than $100 million each. In 2008 Dreamworks announced to end its partnership with paramount.

Regulation and Control

The BBFC (British Broadcasting Film Company) certifies films in the UK. It is an independent, non governmental body, which has classified cinema films since it was set up in 1912.

The criteria the BBFC need to look for in a film are:

Violence - if it's very strong and used throughout most of the film it will most likely be classed as an 18.

Nudity - If the film was a 12, nudity would have to be very mild and sexual content must be very brief and discreet.

Horror - Moderate threat is acceptable for 12 films but if it was an 18 it could be very strong. Other criteria include the main theme, sex, language Imitable techniques (Stunts, suicide, self harm etc) and drug use.

The motion picture production code also known as The Hays Code were the people who rated the films in the US. It started in 1930 and ended in 1968. The production code had 3 general principles:

1. No picture shall be produced that will lower the moral standards of those who see it. Hence the sympathy of the audience should never be thrown to the side of crime, wrongdoing, evil or sin.
   
2. Correct standards of life, subject only to the requirements of drama and entertainment, shall be presented.
   
3. Law, natural or human, shall not be ridiculed, nor shall sympathy be created for its violation.
   

Other provisions were used such as:

• Nakedness was prohibited
  
• The ridicule of religion was forbidden
  
• Murder scenes had to be filmed in a way that would discourage imitations in real life.

The ratings they use in American films are:

• G - All ages admitted, no sex, drugs, minimal violence and limited use of language.
  
• PG - Parental guidance suggested, may have mild violence and brief nudity.
  
• PG 13 - Material innapropriate to children under 13, may contain moderate language, some explicit nudity etc.
  
• R - restricted, A film with this rating requires a viewer under the age of 17 to have a parent or other adult guardian accompanying the viewer. May contain very strong language or strong sexual emphasis etc.
  
• NC17 - no children under 17, may contain very strong language and gore etc.

Advertising

These days you can advertise films in many different ways:

• Billboards
  
• Trailers
  
• Buses
  
• Websites
  
• Flyers
  
• Cinemas.
  

Advertisements in public for e.g. buses are also known as outdoor advertising.

In the film Shrek, all of the advertisement spaces listed above would have been used for marketing the film. On the other hand with Bambi advertisement would have been quite different. Bambi was released in 1942 and back then not many people had television so they're probably wouldn't have been any trailers. Billboards, posters and flyers could still be used in that time too so that doesn't change, but obviously computers weren't invented in those days so for Bambi less advertisement would have been used.

Over the years Bambi has been promoted more as you can buy merchandise such as costumes, posters and in the resort disney land paris/florida. Also they have modernized the film and released the dvd of it as when it first came out it would have been a video. In the disney store they still sell bambi merchandise such as teddies, pajamas, key rings, anything you can really think of.

The dress code in shrek is historic as they use cobble streets, castles and the outfit shrek wears looks as though its medieval (1700). Also the princess looks historic as she has a long dress and looks like a typical old fashioned or fairy tale princess. The castle and the type of characters anchors what type of film it is which is medieval fairy tale.

In the bambi poster it cant really give you an idea of what year it is set in but it gives you an idea of what type of film it is and who is the target audience. Sparkles are used as the border on the poster and this suggests that its going to be somewhat magical, girly and innocent. This shows that the target audience is children but it is perhaps mostly a girls film.

The gesture codes of both films are both quite happy. On Shrek all the characters are smiling even though theyre being attacked by a dragon behind them. But the fact that they are running and there is mythical creatures on the poster connotes that the film will be adventurous. This is the same for bambi as again theyre smiling but they look interested at the same time at this butterfly that has landed on bambi which could also suggest that the film will be adventurous and exploring new things.

The shrek poster has alot of binary opposites as the dragon is classed as bad and shrek, the princess and the donkey are good so it contains the theme of good vs evil. Also the fire that the dragon is breathing out could be seen as hell and the sky it contrasts with is heaven.

The Bambi poster doesnt really have any binary opposites except for brightness of the animals and their surroundings against a dark background which could show that there is some sort of evil involved in the film.

The Bambi poster seems to be the equilbrium as everything seems to be happy and nothing is disrupted, yet. However in the shrek poster, its the disruption as theyre in the middle of running away from a dragon. In posters the resolution (ending) can't be used as it will basically tell us how it ends or how everything ends up so posters have to either be the equilibrium or the disruption.

Both of the posters are long shots to get in the characters. Shrek is a low angle to make the characters look bigger to make them look powerful, whereas the Bambi poster looks as though the animals are being spied or looking down the barrel of a gun which suggests they're being hunted. Also the picture is indirect as they don't know we're looking at them. However shrek is direct as they are looking straight at you and are running right at you as well.

Alot of films that have personal identities which means they're are particular relationships or activitities between characters that can relate to other peoples in real life. Personal identity would feature in Shrek as he is rude, loud and enthusiastic so some of the younger male audience could identify with him.

Personal Relationships

Films and other type of media can also create relationships between people in real life as you speak about certain films, TV Programs etc that interest you and you can share that with someone else. Other media like socialising sites such as myspace and facebook, you can add friends and talk through the web and yet again share interests. These days this is one of the most modern, used ways of socialising.

Propps theory of the hero, villian and damsel in distress applies to Shrek as Shrek and the Donkey can be heros from saving the princess from the castle. The princess is the damsel in distress by being trapped in a tower in a castle.

Todrov's theory can also apply because the film has an equilibrium, disruption and a resolution. At the beginning of the film Shrek is living a normal day in his swamp. For the disruption his swamp gets invaded by fairytale creatures and has to rescue Princess Fiona to get his swamp back.

Pre production - Music Video