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.
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