Barthes Audience Theory

Roland Barthes is a narrative theorist who bases his supposition on 5 narrative codes - These are as follows -

Enigma Code - The structure of puzzles in the text and the way in which we are hooked into the narrative by a desire to find the answers
Action Code - The ways in which we identify familiar situations and actions though conventions of language and the use of key phrases and words; we do not need everything spelt out for us, so from words such as "betrayal" and "love" we can decode plot elements
Semic Code - Details concerning individuals in the work which allow us to build up a profile of the character
Symbolic Code - Refers to the way in which themes are developed throuh the use of recurring symbols, usually in order to convey a message
Cultural Code - Details in the narrative that confirm the cultural context, such as its location, when it was taking place and the kinds of moral values, ideas and fashions which are associated with the time

In order to make our trailer appealing to an audience we must include some of the above narrative codes as it creates either a link between the characters in the film and the viewer or an interest in the narrative/characters in the film which must then be followed up by going to watch the film. In our trailer, we are planning on utilizing the Enigma Code, the Action Code and the Semic Code which will have the effect of creating a mystery which the viewer would wish to complete, as well as emphasizing the previously mentioned link through the familiarity of characters and situations to real life/the viewers schema of what certain characters should be like.

Barthes also had a theory concerning Readerly and Writerly texts. The idea is that the readerly text the reader follows easily, while and writerly text makes the audience construct the narrative for themselves. Usually, the first act is completely readerly while the second act introduces a sense of the writerly. In the final act, the montage, there is majorly writerly however the aim of the montage isn't to show narrative but the best shots in the film. We wish to emulate this structure as it will maximize audience interest while maintaining ambiguity in the narrative.

When considering the certification that the film we are making a trailer for might receive, it is key to look at the certifications given to films that influence ours. The parents guide on films on IMDb is a good way to look at this, as I have done for two films that influence us.

Eastern Promises (BBFC 18)

Welcome To The Punch (BBFC 15)

Our certification would certainly place between these two, with likely violent scenes and profanity, but probably nothing too frightening or discriminatory toward minorities. I would place the film we have proposed in the 15 bracket, as it bears more narrative resemblance to Welcome To The Punch than the grittier and more violent Eastern Promises.

CM

Trailer Concerns/Ideas

In the group as a whole there have been some concerns regarding act three of the trailer, the montage. The introduction of the characters, especially in terms of the low budget we have, can relatively easily be made and made well. The same can be said about the second act, with a slight bit more difficulty. This is because we must show the disruption which causes conflict, which can be quite difficult to show and show realistically. The final act will be the most difficult however, including up to 25 shots and having to make each relate to the narrative in some way while still keeping them exciting and keeping the audience captivated. On our previously mentioned low budget (nothing) replicating scenes such as that in Hummingbird with high quality martial arts scenes, or Welcome to The Punch with ambiguous men immaculately dressed walking through shining clean buildings with bags of money and guns, will be a lot of work in itself. It may be something we will have to address when we come to it, however an idea I had was to include art house-esque shots such as dark, shadowed panning shots and over the shoulder shots with an effective blur to compensate for a possible lack of action. It would also allow me and my partners to show our skill with the camera, and the variety of shots we are able to execute well.

Certification

As part of our audience research we must obviously find out who our target audience, and if applicable, an obvious niche audience who we will be catering towards. In order to gage what sort of certification we should be aiming towards, we should first look at films in a similar genre to ours. On the whole, as the below collage shows, popular films of the genre very much take a norm of the 15 rating. The main exception to this is Eastern Promises, which can be explained by its sub genre as a gangster/mob film with the violent and graphic scenes commonly expected. 

The specifications for films attempting to be a 15 are shown at the bottom of the post, and we will very easily be able to have our trailer fit these specifications, however what would differentiate our film from one such as Taken (12A) is that we wish to set our film in darker areas of London, with more emphasis being placed on the psychological. In terms of accessibility, making our film a 12A or 12 would obviously increase the age range of our viewers, however older/more experienced film fans may not be enticed by the idea of a serious crime thriller as a 12A. This would lower our viewing figures in the elder age groups, and with the 15-24 bracket being who we are aiming for this would not be beneficial. Having the film as 15 allows for the guidelines of a 12 to be broken, making the film darker and more sinister while still maximising the age range of audience. It is also well known that people younger than the legal age sneak/are allowed to see 15 films so we could include a niche audience of a younger generation.

There is also the perk of being able to conform/replicate some of the things seen in our trailer inspirations mentioned in a previous post, as these are all 15 rated. If we were inspired by 18, the tone and even some of the things shown would not be able to be replicated and as such we would have to be completely original, not taking inspiration from anywhere. 

15 Film Guidelines -

Possibile Narrative - 1

The first possible narrative was put forward by Charlie, and although overused, can easily be produced and gives us the opportunity to show our skill in filming and truly take advantage of our location, of which we wish to use China Town and the centre of London, in combination with dark, desolate locations. The narrative goes as follows -

1) There is a police officer who has been chasing his rival for a long time - there is a personal rivalry between the two as the antagonist has killed/fatally injured someone close to the protagonist, but as he thinks he has finally reached his rival and is able to kill him he breaks down the door and see's him dead in his apartment/accommodation.
2) There is some sort of lead in the room which takes our protagonist to his next target, as he starts his tangent to get revenge on everyone who was involved in the death/injury of his partner
3) As he rises up the ranks, he becomes more and more embroiled in the danger of the situation and starts to look for a way out.

If this is the narrative we eventually choose, the acts of the trailer will be very similar indeed to that of Welcome to The Punch. The opening, establishing shots of all three acts was something the three of us were all massive funs of and something we wish to replicate in our trailer - although this may not be possible to the extent that Welcome to The Punch does, we will certainly do our best to make something similar.

Also similar to Welcome to The Punch we will follow the regular 3 act structure - with the first act introducing the main character or any accomplices he has. The second would then disrupt the continuum, showing both the death of the protagonists partner and the original antagonists death - finishing with the lead to the rest of his targets. As with many film trailers, we will have the third act as a montage involving chase scenes throughout the city, but unlike other films of the genre we will have these cut up with slower paced shots - giving the film an Arthouse filming type of feel but with a very much mainstream genre and narrative. Locations such as the shot of china town in Hummingbird and the previously mentioned Welcome to The Punch shot will be used proficiently.

Audience Survey Questions

These are just a few questions we are going to ask our specified audience in order to gain some valuable information for our particular trailer. It will help us to avoid things which are seen as corny/cliched in our trailer as well as enlightening us concerning which tone and feeling of our trailer we should be looking to emulate, in regards to the below listen films.

1. How often do you go to the cinema?

2. What is your preferred type of cinema?

3. In what ways do you find out about new films?

4. What about film trailers entices you to watch them?

5. Rate these genres in order of preference?

•  Romance
• Comedy
• Horror
• Thriller
• Sci-Fi/Fantasy
• Mystery
• Reality/Drama
• Crime 

6. Which of these films have you seen?

• Hummingbird
• Memento
• Gangster Squad
• Welcome to the Punch
• Eastern Promises
• Shutter Island
• Se7en
• Dark Knight Rises
• Only God Forgives

7. Place the previously mentioned films (that you have seen) in order of preference?

8. What do you like about Crime/Thriller films/Trailers?

9. What do you think has been overdone in the films/Trailers linked with the Crime/Thriller genre?

10. What is the first thing that comes to mind when you think of a Thriller film?

MT/JL

Todorov Narrative Theory

Todorov suggests that there is a common narrative structure, and there are 8 of these stories, however for our films only some of these are applicable as they would be too difficult to replicate, or are too complicated to show in a 2 minute film trailer.

1) Quest - hero sent to challenge evil and save the holy grail
2) Redemption - Character has sinned
3) Journey to another world - 
4) Beast transformed by love - Bad boy who turns themself around
5) Solving of riddles
6) The biter-bit - the oppressed rise and throw off the tyrants
7) Stranger saviour - Unknown comes to town x 
8) The rise and fall - Family or empire rises up and collapses

Those that we are left with are a Quest, Redemption, The Biter-Bit and The Rise and Fall of which Redemption and The Rise and Fall are the most likely. Examples of these structures are American Hustle, 21, Gangster Squad, Hummingbird, Memento, and 300.

Trailer Narrative Tone Changes

In order to best make our thriller trailer exciting, enticing and not overdo one of the three acts I have noted the change in tone for each of the trailers we wish our product to most be like, from introduction to the disruption in the plot, and then montage if applicable. This is especially crucial in films of the psychological genre, such as Memento, Se7en, Shutter Island and Fight Club as this is the sort of tone we wish to portray. The psychological thriller genre generally has 3 tropes, the first being an introduction of the main character or the location, the second being the event which disrupts the continuum of everyday life, and the third being voice overs/sound snippets which enforce the ambiguous nature of the trailer.

The Change From Introduction To Disruption

Memento - 0.44 seconds - The cut in music, with the diegetic sound of the mirror smashing acts as a jolt to the norm and gives narrative to a previously ambiguous trailer.
Fight Club - 0.26 seconds - Slightly harder as there is no obvious transition between the acts, however the desire for something above the norm is what causes his obsession with Fight Club.
Shutter Island - 0.20 seconds - again, like in fight club, the deviation from the norm in having to surrender weaponry in an institution for the criminally insane.
Se7en - 0.40 seconds - "Ladies and gentlemen we have ourselves a homicide".

Voice Over/Sound Snippets/Sound Bridges

Se7en - "They are caught in a game", "Let he who is without sin try to survive", as well as multiple occurrences of "Help me" and other phrases of a similar meaning placed throughout. There is no set time for these quotes, however they must be prominent in order to emphasize the genre.
Shutter Island - "Its almost as if she evaporated, straight through the walls", "Do you know what fear does to the mind", "When you see a monster, you must stop it". The non-diegetic music in this film is also essential, heightening tension at every turn and ever present, always synchronized with the tone of the trailer.
Fight Club - "We all started seeing things differently" - there is not a prominent amount of speech which supports the film being in the psychological thriller genre, however I thought the subtlety of the quote was interesting as having seen the film, it explains a lot.
Memento - "You can question everything" in combination with the excessive use of the non-diegetic speech of "What" and "Okay wait" raises questions as to the protagonists mental state.

Trailer Narrative Notes

Welcome to The Punch -

1) Starts with an aerial panning shot of the city, shows location and is followed by a mid shot of James McAvoy in a car - establishing him as the main character. Voice over in the following shots, combined with the cuts between Strong and McAvoy show Mark Strong as an elusive villain who the protagonist has a strong (no pun intended) hatred towards. "When you take him down this time you take him down hard", again suggestions of previous conflict between the two but also shows what is suggested to be Max Lewinsky's team.
2) The second act opens with various shots showing what is said to be Mark Strong's son being attended to in a medical facility, this acts as an opening to the previously elusive antagonist and gives the film a direction and strong narrative which can then be expanded upon in the following shots. There are also suggestions of obsession, with Max being told to "take a step back" which again shows a direction which the film could be moving towards. Interestingly, the second half of the second act challenges the viewer and Max himself as to what they already know, with three narrative board coming up stating individually "Know", "Your", "Enemy". This places a doubt in the viewers mind, corroborated by the voice over claiming "Maybe its not all about Jacob Sternwood". The act comes to a close confirming these doubts, with Max and Jacob ending up fighting on the same team.
3) The final act opens with "From Executive Producer Ridley Scott", enticing those who have an affinity to his previous films, and is followed by a mainly action montage containing some of the best shots of the film. The ending, pre-credits adds yet more mystery to the film with Max, who had supposedly formed an alliance with Jacob, turning on him in a rapid mid shot.

Interestingly, all three acts open with aerial panning shots of London, two at night and one in the daytime. From seeing the film, the two acts which open with shots at night are the ones which are actually misleading as to the final narrative of the film, with the one opening in a day time shot (Act 2) being closest to the truth of the film. Although maybe not done deliberately, perks like these can make trailers that much more interesting for those who study media products such as Welcome to The Punch

Hummingbird -

1) Again starts with an aerial panning shot of London, and is followed up by a slow zooming establishing shot of a deserted street in China Town. Immediately we are introduced to the main character, Jason Statham playing a down and out called Joey. The viewer is also introduced to Isabel, who is implied to be his girlfriend. There is also a sense of ambiguity introduced, with Isabel saying to Joey "Don't fight back" while getting attacked by a group of men. Following the various media idents, an obviously hurt and suffering protagonist is shown taking up another man's identity, with multiple narrative boards coming up saying "A Safe Place" and "Time To Heal", suggesting something more dangerous being imminent.
2) The second act starts with a third narrative board, "A Second Chance", followed by seemingly regular shots of Joey in his job. This is then thrown on its head however as his employer mysteriously states "You want to work? You know what kind of work I do", giving the film a direction it didn't previously have. Finally in act 2, the girl in the first act called Isabel is said to be found dead and in combination with the emotion felt sets up the third act to be filled with themes of revenge and retribution.
3) The third act contains montage clips with various diegetic and non-diegetic sound and voice overs which gives the final act a more personal feel. The softer, orchestral music in the background takes up the first half of the act, which is mainly focused on giving back but towards the end there is a definite tone of danger and revenge.

Shutter Island -

1) As with the previous two trailers the opening act serves the purpose of setting the scene. The long shot of "Shutter Island" along with the quote "All I know is that its a mental hospital for the criminally insane" sets a dangerous and sinister tone, which is then enforced through the breaking of tradition in the officers surrendering their weapons. We are then introduced to various characters including the main doctor, who is shown to be empathetic and loving of the patients.
2) Again, as in the previous two films the second act opens with the narrative with which the film is going to follow. The escape of Dolores is made to seem mysterious and quotes such as "Its as if she just evaporated" and "No one will talk, its as if they are scared of something" emphasize this ambiguity. A more sinister, psychological undertone is also shown in this act through the fast, flickering visions of dead and the use of pathetic fallacy with heavy rain in the background.
3) The final act is again, a montage of the best shots of the film. From dark, dimly lit prison scenes to brightly lit outdoor scenes highlights the ambiguity and mental struggle that Teddy is going through. "When you see a monster. you must stop it". A memorable closing quote is always nessecary.

Memento -

1) The opening act introduces us to the main character, Leonard. Inside the first 20 seconds we are made aware of Leonard retrograde amnesia as well as showing the various characters he is familiar with. before act two, he is asked what the last thing he remembers is and he states that it is his wife.
2) The two acts run into each other, with the "Dying" part of his previous statement cut between the two. This association between act's clearly links the events shown on screen, with Guy Pearce being thrown in to a mirror and the death and revenge which he speaks about and giving the trailer a narrative, one which can clearly be followed. "Trust yourself, trust your judgement. You can never know anything for sure". snippets of quotes like this give the trailer its ambiguity, along with the constant muttering by Lenny in the background. The portrayal of the protagonist of the film, even to someone who has not seen the film, is overwhelmingly psychologically unwell and shows the struggle he must go through every day. The trailer is a work of genius, not needing a third act and still being more effective than any of the previous three, showing a strong narrative, obvious snippets of humor but on the whole an overwhelming sense of ambiguity and mystery.

Trailer Research - Essay

Trailer Research - Explore the genre and conventions of your chosen media text. How do you plan to adhere to or develop these conventions?

The previous trailers which I have looked at will be extremely helpful in deciding the style, tone, USP's and if any, what would make our film different from others of a similar genre. The chosen genre, among me and my two partners, is that of crime thriller, which will be based in present day London. The location which we will be using is the central London area, including Chinatown as can be seen in Hummingbird (see below) and Welcome to The Punch (see below also). By setting our trailer here, we felt that we will make the task slightly harder for ourselves but by doing this we will have the opportunity to make a professional, glossy looking trailer which rivals those of my inspirations. Although we wish to differentiate our trailer, and in turn final picture, from others in the genre; there are some set conventions/tropes which the genre must adhere to to make our product part of the genre and a regulation trailer, as while providing the viewer with a trailer like Memento may be effective, it is also very difficult to do and get right.

One on the main conventions of the genre is the need for a good setting, whether that be the glossy, bright and beautiful setting of a nighttime London, the dark, dismal streets of Chinatown through a CCTV camera, or the fictitious world of Sin City; one must be able to differentiate their own location and the use of  it from films which have come before. There are a variety of shots, from establishing shots in higher budget mainstream films to Hummingbird's use of a lower angle to establish the scene. By doing this the directors provide the audience with either a "WOW" effect by showing the beauty of the city, or as in hummingbird, attempt to get the viewer to relate to the situation through the personal, eye level, grounded establishing shots and close ups to open the trailer. The latter of these is probably the least effective, however will be the one which me and my partners will have to use due to our lack of money and time for aviation or ability to fly. Something along the lines of Sin City's shots may be more plausible and effective, with one showing Jessica Alba on a balcony overlooking the city and another showing a ground level shot of another female character with the city in all its glory behind her. By doing this we do not long associate the characters with the location, but we can expand on narrative tone and character development while introducing the viewer to the setting; something entirely necessary in such a short amount of time and with our non-existent budget. The aforementioned association of the characters to the location is also an important point, with their mannerisms and attire allowing the viewer to characterize aspects of the film.

Seeing as we have a limited use of location however, due to the aforementioned lack of aerial shots and being forced to set the film in the present day, we must then make up for this through the use of lighting and mise-en-scene which is another trope of the crime thriller genre. When done well, the lighting can define a film. This can be seen in all three of the new series of Batman films, and even further if you take the trilogy as a whole. The dark, musty orange colour which is associated with the first film "Begins" moves towards the bright  city lights of Dark Knight and Dark Knight Rises - showing not only an increase in budget size, popularity and digital technology but also an increase in the power of Batman and in turn the Bruce Wayne company. Because of this, we will have to stick to tropes of the more realistic side of the crime-thriller genre, emulating films such as Drive, A History of Violence, and Only God Forgives. The two Ryan Gosling feature length productions were directed by Nicolas Winding Refn, whose cinematography is more subtle and slightly more effective than that of Frank Miller or Tim Burton. What differentiates Refn from other directors of a similar caliber is his distinctive and original use of a cities lighting in unconventional ways. Through doing this, the connotations of the colour which is prominent throughout the trailer can be analysed, and the subtle impliations of the colour may be subconsciously recognized by even a passive audience member. As in Drive and Only God Forgives, the use of neon reds, pinks, and oranges represent danger while also suggesting a sense of night life or privacy.Through this vibrant colour pallet, close ups, mid shots and establishing shots become more and more effective as they display more of the range of vibrancy in the shot. This presents an aesthetically pleasing look to a shot which may have previously been dull and bland - enticing audiences all the more.

Heavily related to the lighting and setting of the aforementioned trailers is their use of iconography and imagery in order to subtly portray a message to the more active members of the audience. Usually associated with cars, lighting, guns and explosions, Frank Miller's Sin City manages to out across the implications of iconography much more slyly. Once again using colour, by giving each character their own shade of either red, blue, yellow or green, that action can be analysed along side the character in order to assess what Miller is attempting to show the character as. For example, Jessica Alba has red lips, leading the audience to believe that her purpose within the picture as an object of desire, however this may be oversimplifying the matter as due to the films nature, the colour could also connote danger, or even more ironically, underestimation. More obviously, in other films previously mentioned, the use of attire, props and shot type relate Welcome to The Punch to a high budget thriller, Gangster Squad to the sub-genre of gangster films and Eastern Promises to a more gritty, close to home, graphic thriller. In our production, we will have to emulate some of the above iconography and shot types in order to make obvious 1) the genre of our film and 2) what sort of audience we are attempting to cater for. 

Finally, and perhaps most importantly, is the development of character in the trailer. During a 2 minute teaser, this is much harder to do than in my previous year making a film opening, however the conventions of how this is done differs upon the trailer's country of origin. British films usually use sound bridges, a la Eastern Promises, Welcome to The Punch and Hummingbird, while the stereotypical voice-over's of American trailers attempt to establish a characters identity through a narrator describing them, from what is meant to be assumed as an omniscient perspective. In terms of camera work, the introductory shot is usually an extreme close up of the character in what is assumed as their natural environment, however V for Vendetta turns this on its head due to its futuristic setting, leading a viewer to not know what natural is to the character. This is a prime example of character development through sound instead of shot type; "People should not be afraid of their governments, governments should be afraid of their people" as well as in Welcome to The Punch, setting up James McAvoy's obsession with Mark Strong through the quote "The only lasting thing about Jacob Stoneward should be his prison sentence." There is a definite conflict between how characters are developed in Romance, Drama and Sci-Fi than Crime-Thriller however, which voice-overs being less abundant and diegetic sound becoming the norm. In the making of our trailer, this is something which we should definitely adhere to.

In conclusion, the film genre which we have chosen has many conventions which are necessary in both differentiating it from other genre's and utilizing the popular tropes of the genre in order to increase audience size and interest in the film. These include the setting and lighting of the film, which can be accentuated through the different types of shot which are used making the product more aesthetically pleasing, or the more subtle and personal character development which is done in tandem with the iconography of the film, again made obvious through camera work and editing. I order for me and my partners to make what would be a 'successful' crime thriller trailer we would have to conform to these expectations while at the same time putting our own spin on them in an attempt to appeal to our target audience in a way no other film in the genre does. By taking aspects of all these inspirations we should be able to do this, however one must remember that these inspirations are the work of cinema genius and to even replicate a percent of one of these trailers/films would be an achievement in itself.

Pre-Planning Research - Trailer Analysis

Batman Begins -



In the trailer, the franchise and stars of the movie are established immediately. With Morgan Freeman, Michael Cane, Christian Bale and Cillian Murphy all being shown, we are told that not only is this a Batman film, but that it is a high budget, highly bankable cast which moves away from the previous films in to a darker, more sinister genre. There are still all of the tropes and iconography of all old batman movies however. The mask, the bats, the batmobile and all the exciting and different equipment which is to be used. Entices both old and new fans of both the genre and the series. We are then shown the directors name, Christopher Nolan, which will create a significant interest as he is a previously acclaimed director in films in a similar genre as this. There is also an attraction for the female audience. With Batman films typically being aimed at males and the younger generation, the use of an attractive lead female and male role gives off the sense of a romantic sub plot - one which attracts a range of audiences. The most exciting and enticing part of the trailer, however, is the montage. With such a high budget and well known cast the variety of scenes on show are truly staggering, leading the audience to want to see the film to a greater and greater extent.

Shawshank Redemption -



Before anything else in the trailer is introduced, we are told that this is a Warner Bros. film which instantaneously increases interest from a specific audience, ones who are a fan of the type of film the production company make/previous films made by the company. There are a few USP's of the film, namely, as in Batman Begins, a bankable cast such as Morgan Freeman and Tim Robbins who attract both a sophisticated and female audience respectively. There is also a general message across the trailer of getting one up on a system which is oppressing, something which not only attractive for a specific audience but also is a trope of the genre. There is also a requirement for a more active audience in this trailer, with such an unclear genre and a quite intelligent plot line it is up to the viewer to decipher their preferred meaning of the film - whether it be a crime film or drama. Finally, the trailer is differentiated from others of a similar style by a large emphasis on character development over the actual action and plot of the film. One sees Morgan Freeman as a narrator, stating "Get busy living or get busy dyin'", again highlighting this emphasis on character development - reinforced through close ups, mid shots and voice overs of both Robbins and Freeman. The closing shot of the trailer is iconic, and is partly so due to its relevance in the trailer. Providing an emotional connection between the audience and the actor, one is encouraged to watch the film; in which the full meaning of the shot becomes apparent.

Memento -



The first thing of note which the audience view in the trailer for Memento a close up of the main character, Guy Pearce's face. This places an emphasis upon him as a leading character, with his acting abilities being one of the only ways the film comes together as a whole. Again, as with the previous two films, an attractive lead role opens the audience up to both genders in a genre which is mainly catering towards men. Also, within the first 20 seconds of the trailer, we are made aware of the USP of the film. The main characters retrograde amnesia (memory loss) places a twist upon the suspected narrative of a film of this sort, both throwing the audience in to a sense of the unknown as well as making the audience become more active. The trailer is also different in another way, not following the usual three act structure of trailers but instead consisting of two main acts, that of before one is made aware of the accident regarding his wife and one following it. The association between the two acts, portrayed through the word "Dying" crossing over the transition, acts as a tension builder, again attempting to increase interest from the audience. By having the majority of the trailer being narrated through diegetic sound bridges, one realises that the trailer has a close proximity to Pearce as the lead role. Although the genre is made obvious, the narrative is not, and this is further emphasized by the lead roles amnesia and the tattoos which are shown to be littering his body. By emphasizing these three things, the trailer/narrative itself becomes the films USP.

The Godfather -



With The Godfather trailer, the analysis must be slightly different as the general three act structure of trailers has not been omnipresent throughout history. There are some similarities between The Godfather and the previous films however, with what could be argued as one of the most bankable casts of all time, including names such as Al Pacino, Marlon Brando, Robert Duval, Diane Keaton and James Caan. This is one of the most enticing parts of the film, with a film in this genre having such an outstanding cast and being the product it has turned out to be. Within the first 30 seconds of the trailer, Paramount is mentioned 3 times both in idents and in logo. By doing this they are associating films such as True Grit, The Italian Job and Is Paris Burning. This mix of crime thriller and culture specific films can plainly be seen in the above trailer, focussing mainly on the expectations of the Mob and an Italian family in a society in which they hold such power. The film, again, is its own USP with blockbuster productions centred in culture outside of the usual being few and far between. The unbelievably accurate look of the time period, the cast, the narrative and the music all build up to become a trailer which encourages one to watch the film more than any I have previously spoken about. Ironically, however, the majority of the people who watch the trailer and viewing it after they have seen the full film.

No Country for Old Men -



"Whats the most you have ever lost on a coin toss?" It's becoming a trend that a bankable cast is likely to be associated with a popular film, isn't it. Again, Tommy Lee Jones, Javier Bardem, Woody Harrelson and others are shown early in the film in order to attract audiences from the actors fan base as well as fans of the genre, which being three of the biggest actors of the previous 15 years, was quite a large one. The USP of the film is the nature of the narrative, with a physically disabled antagonist and a non-expectant protagonist being part of this. Through various action shots, in conjunction with the Coen bros. typically sick and twisted humor, we are exposed to the variety of the trailer/film, from character development and beautiful shots of the wild west to the aforementioned sinister comedy which the directors seem to so easily put across in their productions. The mere presence of these two directors acts as another USP, with the pair having a colt following which would rival that of Freeman, Spielberg, and maybe only topped by die hard Tarantino fanatics. The fact that the film is based on a novel, and a high selling one at that, is another USP of the film with fanatics of the book and even fans of adapted novels also going to see the film.

Sin City -



Although a rather terrible trailer for the budget and the cast which the film is boasting, what I found interesting  was the emphasis placed on the film not through narrative or even the actors themselves but through its look. Taking the typical crime thriller-dystopian-action/adventure film and taking it back to its roots as a comic in both the look and feel of the film is what attracted the majority of the audience. With such a dark trailer, bursts of colour are few and far between but when comes to realise that each character has their own bit of colour on them (Or in them, as the case may be) the trailer takes on a whole new lease of life. Obviously, the highly renowned cast of Mickey Rourke, Clive Owen, Jessica Alba, Bruce Willis and many others can't be overlooked, as well as the trailers montage section which features some outstanding actions shots as well as some very individual and surprising shots. There is also some suggestions of romantic sub-plots, which although in previous films catered to women as well as men, in this film are more there for the completeness of the narrative. There are, however, possibilities of female interest including some of the actors which are on display and indeed some of the actresses. But by stating that this film would only attract a male audience, one might say that "You just gone and done the dumbest thing of your whole life".

Fargo -



It seems to be a theme that my favorite trailers of the genre, and in turn films, are ones made by the Coen brothers. Fargo is no different, with the sinister and twisted humor making an appearance yet again. This constant occurrence of Coen brothers films in this is no coincidence, however, by their ever-presence in this post one can see that my idea of a fan of the brothers as directors and not just the genre of the genre of film is coming to fruition. It is not often that one finds a dominant female lead role in a film, especially in one which features such dark killings as in Fargo. This is definitely the films USP, with both males, females, older and younger audiences being interested in this. The variation from a strong lead male to a strong lead female and replacing the stereotypical lead female with a male character, one turns the head of what crime thrillers are meant to be like and in turn dramatically increase interest in the trailer. I should probably stop talking about a bankable cast by now because it seems that in every film I have mentioned so far there has been one, I'm not sure if that speaks more about me as a viewer than the film industry as a whole however. The fact that the film takes place in such an isolated location in an area of the world films arent usually based is also quite unique, however there is not much vantage in doing this due to the small population of that area not increasing the target population and not much of the passive audience members realising that this is something uncommon.

The Italian Job -


Probably one of the single most influential films of the previous century yet the trailer really doesn't live up to the standards of the film. Although this is a tough task to achieve, it seems to be a trope of the trailer industry that the better the film, the worse the trailer has to be (to an extent). Especially in 1969, the trailer industry was not as lucrative or popular as the current generation in any way shape or form, as is shown by the trailer being at least a minute longer than any of the other films aforementioned. Because of the date of release, the odds are that the majority of people watching the trailer are of a younger generation, and so inadvertently a young Michael Caine has become one of the most bankable actors of recent history. There were a few USP's of the trailer, namely the opening shots with the mini's driving through the industrialised and busy city of London. Along with "You were only supposed to blow the bloody doors off", the trailer hosts some of the most iconic and ground breaking images and phrases of recent times without knowing that they were going to be so. In retrospect then, the film is pretty well advertised. Genius trailer making or luck? We'll never know.