Codes and Conventions Of Teaser Trailers

After watching a range of teaser trailers for research to help with creating our trailer i have come across some common codes and conventions of teaser trailers and compiled a list of the most common.

• Nearly all teaser trailers have a non diagteic voice over from one of the main actors/actress's that are in the film, this is mainly from scenes in the film in which the speech has been taken from a scene and put over a few other scenes. Some trailers also have a non diagetic voice over from a professional who does voice overs for a wide variety of trailers. These are good ways to signify the plot of the film and signify the main actors and actress's staring in the film.


• Most film trailers tend to start with the production company logo. Sometimes these logos are part of a scene in the trailer, for example in the Australia trailer, the universal production logo is part of a news paper article. This can help to signify the genre of the film that they are advertising. Normally the production logo is shown right at the begging of the trailer or at the most 10 seconds in.


• On all film trailers the title of the film is shown at some point. Normally this is at the end of the trailer and is shown through text. This is obviously important so that the audience can know what the films called and it can be further anchorage for the genre of the film.


• If the film is starting famous actors/actress's the trailer normally states the name of these actors or actresses to appeal to the audience. This is because the actors/actress's will have their own fans and if they are well known for being good at acting they will obviously attract an audience.


• Nearly all the trailers i have seen have a narrative enigma at the end. This is a common convention of film trailers because it makes the audience want to see more of the film, to see what happens in the end.


• Most of the film trailers i have looked at start with slow paced editing at the beginning of the trailer but half way through the editing becomes fast and the shots our more fast paced. This normally coinsides with slow tempo music at the beginning of the trailer which builds up and sometimes changes and becomes faster and more dramatic. This common convention is used to signify calm before the storm, how the film characters lives are before something happens to them (the beginning of the trailer) and when something dramatic happens to them (the end of the trailer). This can be used in all genres of trailer, for example romance genre films have the characters life withe the other person (slow paced editing) and then when theirs trouble in their relationship (faster paced editing). This can also be used for horror film trailers, for example their life and then when their life is under threat.
• Another common code and convention of film trailers is the use of text. This can be to explain the plot of the film, show the actor and actress's names, show ratings of the films/ critical reviews, the directors name and awards they may of won or that the actors/actress's have won. These are all further anchorage that film producers use to attract the right audience to see their film.

Software [DRAFT]

Target Audience & BBFC

Our target audience for our film is 12 + as it would be more appealing to a mature audience this is because of the themes and styles of our film but younger viewers may enjoy it.

The classical music in our film also give anchorage that its targeted at a more mature audience.

After researching on the BBFC website we have decided on the film rating to be a PG because younger viewers may enjoy it but it will appeal mainly to an older audience, 12 + and may be unsuitable for young children because of themes in the plot.

Our cast reflects our target audience well because the main female protagonist is in her late teens, so aged 19/20 and the main male protagonist is in his mid 20s. Also having a central female protagonist will attract a wide female audience and with her being in her 20s this could be related to the male gaze theory. With our film genre being a period drama/ romance the stereotypical audience would again be female but with there also being a main male protagonist this could attract a male audience because they could possibly relate to the character because he is male. This could also be another reason to attract a female audience if the main male protagonist is traditionally handsome.

Even though our two main protagonists are Caucasian we don't think this will effect our target audience, a range of films have the two main characters being Caucasian and it hasn't effected their box office sales, for example Pride & Prejudice got $2,865,017 in there first weekend in the USA and Sense and Sensibility got £12,343,443 their first weekend in the UK. Also with it being set in the 19th Century multi-ethical societies weren't common.

In our film we've tried to not focus on class but we feel that it appeals to all classes because of this. But our location through out the trailer is set in upper/middle class location for example the large Manor house used and the large grounds shown, which could both signify upper class living but we still think that these themes will appeal to most classes.

Our film will appeal to fans of an period drama, for example, Pride & Prejudice, the film and the series, Sense & Senseablity, again the film and the series, Lost In Austin (BBC series) and Becoming Jane. These fans will be a potential audience because all these films have similar genres (period drama) and all have themes of romance/love which our film will be based around.

We have tried to keep specific accents out of the film trailer which hopefully means the audience will have no judgement.The theme of romance could attract any sexuality and our film has nothing specific that would appeal to the pink pound market except for maybe the lead male

With our trailer not including any voice overs our film will include no strong accents which will not affect the audience of our film. Also our film is set in which is were Pride & Predjudice 2005 was set and we decided to have it set in the same area because it is a well known place and is more recognisable to a wider audience.
Someone that would enjoy our film would be someone with an interest in history and English culture and enjoy romantic period dramas. With the costumes, props and storyline anyone who enjoys these aspects of period dramas will enjoy our film/trailer.

Make Up and Hair Requirements

Hair and makeup is important to get right in our trailer so that it resembles typical 18th century style. We want both our main characters, male and female to be represented as upper class, well presented and show their age well.

For the main female protagonist we want the make up to be subtle

Group Idea

Having already though up my own individual idea for the plot of my film and film trailer and pitched it to the other member of my group (Lorna). We have decided to stick with the same genre that we have both based our films on which is to create a period drama and after listening to both our ideas we have decided to base the plot of our film mainly on Lorna's idea, but we will add more to it and maybe try and collaborate some ideas from my idea as well.

So our main group idea is based in the 18th Century, the same time period that Pride & Prejudice is based and Sense & Sensibility and is a traditional period romance. Our plot is based on a woman called Martha who is in her late teens. One day she goes for a walk by the river and falls. She is helped by a young gentlemen who she instantly falls in love with. They spend time together but then he

leaves without giving his name. Martha feels a sense of loss that she may never see who she believes to be her true love again. Martha attends her best friends engagement party and when her friend introduces Martha to her husband to be it is the same young gentleman. Both Martha and the young gentleman whose name she finds out to be, William cannot stand to be apart and realise that they have to leave together. But Martha has to face the facts that she will loose everything, which includes her role in society, her family and her wealth if she leaves with him.

Our film trailer will be set in Bolton Abbey and Harewood House because with the challenges of making it look like a realistic period drama we need the right landscape, props and costume for the audience to realize that its an 18th century period drama and we feel that basing most of the trailer outside we can active this.

Picture from Sense & Sensibility, 1995, Ang Lee

Costume Requirements

For our film we are trying to find costumes for our female and male lead roles. These costumes have to resemble typical 18th century upper class clothes so that it fits in with our genre and makes our trailer look professional.

For the female lead role we need her to be well dressed and well presented because she is upper class which is an important factor in our film. This means that she isn't necessarily in the height of fashion but she is well presented and stands out to the audience in a subtle way.

We will need several dresses but one idea I had in mine was a white dress, made of satin or an expensive looking material with multiple layers of fabric which could include lace or a sheer fabric, so that the dress is light weight but detailed. The dress will also need detailing to look expensive and hand made because we want this dress to represent her upper class wealth. These details could include a corset style back to the dress, a think wrap top and ribbon detail. The dress needs to be floor length and have either a scoop neck or v neck .

An example of the style of dress i have in mind is on the right, modeled by Keria Knightley

Further examples of my ideal dress,

A shot of the dress from the side, from the back and from the front.

Ideally i would like to include some expensive looking jewelry to represent that the main protagonist is wealthy, these will be hard to come across but will create the right look if they look similar to something worn in the 18th century.

An example of the type of necklace that the main protagonist could wear

For the lead male role we want his clothes to represent wealth and for him to be well dressed and presented. We also would like the costumes to be historically accurate but to appeal to a modern audience items that look like they could be bought in the modern ira could also be used.

Also with him being the romantic lead we want his character to appeal to the audience and with the right clothing, hair and make up this can be possible.

He will be in the typical 18th Century male fashion and his outfit would consist of not very dark clothing or heavy material because we want his clothing to signify that he's the main romantic lead not the villain and that he is well off but dresses his age.

My ideal costumes for the male lead

All three of the costumes are bright and expensive looking which will signify to the audience, youth and wealth.

Props, Acting and Music

With our film/trailer being a period drama set in 18th Century England, the right props and music are vital to signify the genre of the film. But these will be hard to come by, especially the props.

For the props we will only need a few objects that will help signify the genre further, for example books, stationary, jewelry, handbags, hats etc. But the props arn't really part of the main plot line so arn't urgent.

For the music we wanted to have a short composed piece which is original but wouldn't be out of place in a period drama even though its only being featured in the trailer (but if the film was made it could be a theme song, e.g similar music is used in the pride & prejudice trailer and the film). This could include a soft piano medley, which is a slow tempo but towards the end of the trailer, when it becomes more dramatic have a faster tempo which will signify drama.

For the acting we have already cast our main female protagonist, who also starred in our first production Lost In Love & War. This is because she is a talented actress and has the right look for a period drama. Also with working with her before we know what she is capable of and we can see her as the female lead. This is similar to how Working Title had worked with Keria Knightley previously on Love Actually and how they knew what she was capable of and she was later cast for the part in Pride & Prejudice.

Codes and Conventions Of Film Trailers (3)

Moulin Rouge
http://www.imdb.com/rg/VIDEO_PLAY/LINK//video/screenplay/vi820249369/

• The music increase tempo when the shots become faster paced, this signifies action and drama; this is near the end of the trailer.


• There is a male voice over at the beginning of the trailer which sets the scene for the plot of the film.
  
• No voice over’s or speech from the main characters at the end of the trailer, just text. This signifies drama to the audience.

P.S I Love You

http://www.imdb.com/rg/VIDEO_PLAY/LINK//video/imdb/vi3383820569/

• The voice over’s are mainly from scenes in the film which helps the audience understand the plot.


• To attract the audience and signify the genre to the audience (romcom) scenes of comedy and romance are used in the trailer.


• With the plot being based around the main character writing letters the font of the title is in a hand written style.

Codes and Conventions Of Film Trailers (2)

Penelope

http://www.imdb.com/video/screenplay/vi910360601/
o Production logo is shown 20 seconds in instead of being shown at the beginning.
o Voice over not from an actor.
o A scene from the film is shown at the end of the trailer for comedy value.

The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus

http://www.imdb.com/video/imdb/vi944374297/

o Slow paced shots at the beginning of the trailer.
o Fast paced shots through out the end of the trailer, the music also becomes louder at this point signifying drama and tension, this also gives it a very surreal feeling to the plot.

Coco before Chanel

http://uk.filmtrailer.com/cinema/all-30,60/1865/Coco+Before+Chanel+film+trailer.html
o No voice over’s, just text explaining the story which is unusual for a film trailer.
o More emphasis on the plot of the film than effects etc.

Ghost Town

http://uk.filmtrailer.com/cinema/all-30,120/1342/Ghost+Town.html
o The trailer begins with production logos.
o The trailer shows short scenes from the film which are funny and will signify to the audience that this film is a comedy.

Wild Child

http://uk.filmtrailer.com/cinema/all-30,390/1078/Wild+Child.html
o Production logo is changed to signify the films genre.
o Most of the actors/actress’s in the trailer are teenagers signifying that this film is aimed at teenagers and their mostly female which also signifies that the target audience is female.

Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist

http://uk.filmtrailer.com/cinema/all-30,210/1422/Nick+and+Norah's+Infinite+Playlist.html
o Starts with a male voice over towards the beginning of the trailer.
o Shows different scenes from the film so that the audience can understand the plot of the film.
o Some scenes from the trailer are funny and signify to the audience that the genre of this film is comedy.

Obsessed

http://uk.filmtrailer.com/cinema/all-30,210/2098/Obsessed.html
o Narrative enigma towards the end of the trailer which makes the audience want to know what’s going to happen.
o Opening shot of New York City, this signifies the setting of the film.
o The non diagetic music becomes louder and more dramatic towards the end signifying drama.

Julie & Julia

http://uk.filmtrailer.com/cinema/all-30,150/2176/Julie+&+Julia+film+trailer.html
o Slow editing at the beginning of the trailer with fade in shots this signifies the plot of the film and how the main character is fed up of her life because she’s stuck in a repetitive cycle.
o The main character is the voice over through out the trailer, which signifies that she is one of the main characters in this film.

Mamma Mia!

http://uk.filmtrailer.com/cinema/all-30,180/858/Mamma+Mia.html
o Has a male voice over through out the trailer.
o Some scenes in the trailer are funny which signify that this film is a comedy.
o Slight narrative enigma throughout the trailer.

Pride & Prejudice

http://www.imdb.com/rg/VIDEO_PLAY/LINK//video/screenplay/vi3212902681/
o Text integrated into the scenes, with using old fashioned text.
o A piano medley is playing through out the beginning of the trailer which signifies the period drama genre and this music changes to violins which signifies drama to the audience.
o In the trailer it states how the producers have also produced other blockbusters like Love actually and Bridget Jones Diary, these are both in the similar genre of romance and will appeal to the same target audience.

The Edge Of Love

http://www.imdb.com/rg/VIDEO_PLAY/LINK//video/imdb/vi2987852569/
o No voice over’s from the actors/actress’s, just dramatic music which increases tempo towards the end when the shots become more fast paced creates more drama and tension.
o With having no speech throughout the trailer till the very end the shots are very artistic and have to tell the plot of the film through images. Text is also used to denote the plot to the audience which in a way also makes the trailer more dramatic.
o The text through out the trailer is white but when the text reads the word “LOVE” it changes to red and at the end of the trailer the text reads “The Edge Of Love” which also turns red. This can signify either love or blood because the colour red can be denoted as a romantic colour or a grotesque colour in the sense of what context it is used in. This could have both meaning because the genre of the film is romance in wartime and in the trailer love is compared to war.

Codes and Conventions Of Film Trailers (1)

Love Happens

• Begins with production company logo


• Voice over’s from different scenes in the film



• Two main actor/actresses names in large text which will bring in the fans of these two actors.
  Did You Hear about the Morgan’s
  
  

• Wide long shot of New York City to signify the setting of the film
  


• To signify the genre there is a range of short clips from the film in the trailer which have comic value.
  

Dorian Gray

• Begins with a voice over from the main character talking about his life so far, it then seems to go back in time and this is signified by the same clip being used to set the scene but the scene is suddenly brighter, less gloomy.



• Throughout the trailer the colours are dark and grim, this could signify a supernatural twist and that the film is dark and mysterious.
  

The Wolf Man

• To set the scene the trailer begins with a voice over of an old man telling a story. This signifies to the audience that the film will be related to this story.


• Towards the beginning of the trailer the shots are slow where as they become more fast paced towards the end to signify action.
  

Australia

• The production company logo is shown in a different way, it is set on a newspaper so that it looks part of the film.



• It starts with a scene from the film where one of the main characters is telling a story to a child, this then cuts to shots throughout the film so that it signifies to the audience that the story the character is telling is the actual plot of the film.
  

The Day after Tomorrow

• The production logo at the beginning was changed to signify the films plot.


• The trailer began with slow paced shots and no voice over, just large text, this creates tension and makes it more dramatic.
• After the slow paced shots the shots become more fast paced and have a voice over from several news readers, this signifies the films genre and the plot and creates further tension and drama.

August Rush

• Voice over from the main actor at the beginning, this sets up the plot of the film and possibly the genre.



• Leaves a narrative enigma towards the end, making the audience want to see the film to see what happens.


• Diagetic music in the middle of the trailer, signifying that this film is a musical.
  

The Bourne Ultimatum

o To signify the film genre there are a lot of action shots and fast paced editing.

o Because it’s a sequel the trailer includes shots from the two other films, this sets up the plot of the film well.

Slumdog Millionaire

o Includes a lot of positive reviews which are shown throughout the trailer in text form, this will signify to the audience that this film will be better than its competitors.

o Shows the two genres too this film, happiness and tragedy. The trailer begins with up tempo music and short fast shots showing “happy” memories. It then changes to slow tempo music which will make the audience think there is some tragedy in this film and will create some narrative enigma.

Twilight

o Slow beginning shots, quiet eerie music, creates feeling of supernatural.

o A voice over from one of the scenes in the film and this sets ground work for the plot and genre.

o Faster shots towards the end of the trailer, this shows the two genres of supernatural and romance (the beginning of the trailer)

Twilight Saga: New Moon

o Title of the film at the end of the trailer, this is similar to most trailers.

o Music is slow paced, but at crucial moments it becomes louder and faster paced.

o Leaves with a narrative enigma towards the end.

First Idea

Its about two sisters ( Sophia and Eliza Bingley,) in late 17^th Century England. Both are very close and in their 20s. One of the sisters, (Eliza Bingley) is sheltering from the rain after being on a walk, A man of similar age, who is well dressed appears around the corner which frightens her and he apologizes. He then greets Eliza but does not give his name and continues to stare at Eliza and then leaves, leaving Eliza who cannot stop thinking about this man. Around the same time the other sister (Sophia) is visiting the church, she walks outside into the grounds and accidently walks into Mr. . They find themselves drawn to each other. The two sisters are then told by their parents that they have both been arranged to be married but to the other sister’s man. For example, Sophia will marry Mr. And to keep their parents happy they both decide to go through with the marriages. But both sisters still keep in contact with the other man that they love. Mr leaves to Europe (for artwork etc) and says he will return in a few months. While he is away Sophia gets sick with malaria and is bed ridden for weeks and she eventually dies.A few days after Sophia’s death, Eliza is informed that Mr. has died And Eliza and Mr. can be together, but grief hangs in the way, but this unites them.