Films and Trailers Part 2.

Narc Trailer (2002)

The Narc trailer is more of a spoiler type trailer. It gives away the narrative and storyline to the audience revealing all they need to know about the film, however still entices its audience to want to see the film.

• Black out with white text inserts- informative and progression. 
• Slow motions and transitions such as fades, blurs to next scene => Narration.
• Enigma codes- fighting and gun shot emphasising danger 
• Flashes = danger, tension, mystery 
• Transitions to a white out which connotes death
• Close ups and mid-shots- to convey emotions- empathy for the audience
• Quick paced cuts and black and white lighting contrasts which can also cause a blue cold colour pallet.
• Costume and props - smokey, guns- sets up for the audience, contrasts 
• 2 main characters others integrate- such as through voice over
• white text inserts contrast lighting black/white (grey & cold blues)
• Digetic music builds as action increases e.g. guns, amount shots increase also
• At the point "Enough" the music stops and deeper music begs after- around 5 different sound scores are used  
• Split screen= contrast, progression, informative 
• Title + comings soon comes at end
• Key inserts=> truths

Expectation

• A crime, action, thriller film
• The audience is partially aware to the basis of the storyline. 
• Highlights things that take place by spreading it what happens using the sound score
• Exciting and faced paced 

Narc Film 

The Narc trailer is a spoiler and gives away much of the 3rd act however the film releases some of the twists and turns from the trailer in such an unusual way the audience is still surprised as to how these came out. 

• Close ups of facial expressions to let the audience empathise with the protagonist Nick- he is represented as an ex detective looking for a way back into the force.
• Low angle mid-shots when he is in control, he is always shot slightly off-centred to show his struggling persona emphasises the anti-hero. 
• This is also highlighted by his attire- leather jacket, woollen hat yet he wears a blue shirt illustrated cold character- his attire subverts the audience. 
• Whereas at home there is a warm colour pallet where he's most happiest.
• During the argument with his wife we hear the baby's piercing scream illustrating the intensity of the argument.

• The digetic music reflections the atmosphere such as daunting and menacing to go with canted angled shots and hand held shots during violence scenes- this also adds to the distortion and makes it seem more realistic.
• Panning- depth of field mid-hots in close proximity situation such as in the boardroom meeting 
• Elvin however the more angry reckless detective is well dressed and clean cut, always seen in a suit with shadows surrounding balanced out with white lighting making him have a split persona
• Split screens used to show progression, leads and interrogations- its also emphasises he is well known and implies Nick is everywhere at once.
• Reflective close ups, showing the outside world and a restless mind state, such as the pull focus shot of Nick and the city in this scene

• Snowy, struggling black and white emphasis on finding justice 
• The use of establish long shots highlight the isolation and vulnerability
• Blue tints and shadows creating mystery 
• High angle shot are used to show which character is dominant and controlling in the situation. 
• When the pace of the digetic music increases, the duration of shots decrease and mirror it.

• Pathetic fallacy and foreshadowing is used to heighten the tension. 
• Slow motions and zooms are used to emphasise the mystery along with transitions fades to show a continuous phase, a merging and confusion between truth and interpretations.
• Main symbols include a red car in which the gun is planted foreshadows the revelations.

Films and Trailers Part 1.

Brick Trailer (2005)

The Brick trailer sets up an expectation which intrigues the audience to watch the film. The trailer uses intense mystery to entice them to want to see it. The drama mystery conventions which the trailer emits although gives all information required still leaves the audience guessing as to what is to happen in it. 

• The audience is introduced digetic sounds of a panicked female on the phone, while non-digetic music tickers in the background- An establishing long shot of a telephone box by an isolated highway a night, somewhere in America.
• A smokey text insert before the establishing shot comes into focus reveals the film title.
• Sound bridge of 7 seconds which is mysterious and creates a wind effect, connotes an eerie atmosphere
• There is dim lighting and the panicked female on the other end of the phone is saying unfamiliar code word which appear as smokey text on the screen- it  immediately unease the audience.   

• Mid-shots of protagonist familiarise the audience with him and his composition- 
• His body language is small and lacking confidence, casual clothes- usually a white T-shirt  and glasses throughout however builds as the pace builds.
• Factual newspaper article emphasise realism and believability. 
• Close ups of the dominant element- main focus, and low angle mid shot to show authority 
• There are various transitions to new locations such as car parks, school, back seats of vans however it is in a closed setting, centring around one small suburban area in America.
• Smokey text inserts which fade away as fast as they were there 
• Non-diegtic voice over which anchors the visuals
• Pace builds as do cuts and fades, this is parallel to the music
• A tracking close up through the gaps of the library bookshelf illustrates his search which cuts to a high angle birds eye shot of Brendon entering a dark room connoting the depth and danger of the situation

• The "Pin" is introduced through voice over being a "dope runner"- dark room and black clothing only lit by a match as smokey text fades from the screen.
• Fast paced, quick shots of protagonist and a Rubik cube information man- well informed and on his side.
• Point of view shots to show progression of his search- the principals office is brightly lit and the angle shot on both characters are similar showing the balance and safe heaven for Brendan.
• Action enigmas such as the close up of the racing car and Brendan getting punched- emphasises excitement.
• The non-diegetic music is steady, then increase however stops to allow the comic relief of the orange juice scene then picks up again. 

Expectations:

• Intense mystery drama/thriller.
• Many twists and turns which keep the audience guessing.
• Exciting action points.
• An underlying element of comic relief.
• USP- Special Jury Prize- Originality of Vision- Sundance 2005

Brick Film (2005)

The Brick Film however juxtaposes from it's trailer. The film trailer itself did not give away the Film Noir tropes- such as a blue tinted colour pallet- exposed in the film. Some of the what seemed crucial scenes in the trailer where merely a passing thought in the actual film. 

• The film contained many close ups from a low angle of the protagonist Brendan, illustrating his dominance however this shifted when he was struggling for control using either a level or high angle shot showing his vulnerability.
• His  body language also implied his state and emotions during transitions to new locations. He continuously wore casual attire and glasses white T-shirt
• This telephone scene in the trailer was at night however, in the film it was at day making it seem less scary and menacing.
• Many scenes follow this pattern where the danger and fighting takes place during broad daylight subverting the connotations. 

• During the drama party scene we are introduced to Laura formally here. This long shot shows he wearing a red Japanese style dress connoting danger but also passion. she is portrayed more of a sex symbol compared to Emily's girl next door type look.
•  A dimly lit room casting a lot of shadows emphasising she has a lot to hide.
• When Emily is seen the digetic sound score is the same every time adding familiarity and stability to her character presence.
• Laura is usually seen in black, with red lipstick again connoting danger and passion yet, seen coming out of darkness into light clutching at innocence to the audience. 

• Lighting focuses mainly on the dominant element except when he's going into darkness to uncover the truth.
• Throughout the film the use of darkness and silhouettes is used in order to reinforce the fear of the unknown 
• Locations also create new atmosphere, during some scenes it reinforces the emotions and other times its subverts the audience- such as the scene in which Brendan is being chased through the high school the pleonastic digetic footsteps make the scene thrilling however the bright blue sky, brightly lit corridor juxtapose the scene. Whereas in the Pin's den, it is under ground in a dark wooden room which is claustrophobic and dimly lit basement- he is cloaked and surrounded by eagles.

• Significant symbols are more often than not complemented which zooms and close ups emphasising their importance.
• The tunnel creates many connotations for Brendan's character- the fear of the unknown into and coming out of darkness- darkness disorientating and the fact he becomes engulfed in a world which is unfamiliar is mirrored by the lighting
• Another significant symbols are the spinning mirror which connotes distortion and alternative persona's at which point the close up of  the brick-white light is discovered which connoted 
• Towards the revelations at the end of the film Brendan has vivid and bright warm colour pallet flashbacks which connote his past happiness compared to his withdrawn unhappy self now. 
• By now the audience is so exposed to his anti hero antics that this becomes the "norm", this is emphasised by the constant battle between black and white lighting.

Trailers Part 4.

This is an A2 produced film trailer, it does the first point very well. It captives its target audience by containing the main basis of the film within the trailer yet leaves the audience intrigued to see where the story goes. 

Wrong Decision (2011)

• Instantly we are exposed to a thundery screen with text insert of the "FOG Productions" which is an acronym for "Full of Gore"- This pathetic fallacy immediately sets the audience up for the horror genre.
• Interior mid-shot of two characters, sitting on the sofa intensely watching the news. The composition, facial expressions and body language emphasises normality and a casual situation. 
• Non- diegetic music- deep, chimes, creepy sinister, grime music which suggests dis-equilibrium on the rising horizon in this urban location. 
• Over which we hear the news report highlighting someone has escaped from prison- at this point a close up of the female's exaggerated shock expression focusing the audience to the storyline- suggesting she is more important than the male lead.
• It cuts to a the mid short of both characters reactions.
• The use of realistic but fake text inserts from a news broadcast lures the  audience into the possibility of this occurring.
• Non-diegetic thunder/rumbling sound as a flickered mid-shot of dark figure in the cloak of night, the only light source is a street lamp. Introduction of the antagonist, exposing them to danger.
• A point of view shot of the antagonist putting on a mask focuses the fear and mystery to the shadowed character. Which cuts to to long shot of the masked villain, dressed in all black.
• A transition into a young male running away from danger before a blackout in which a blood splattered graffiti text insert "Have you ever"- we cut back to a mid-shot of the male falling over and a dark character approaching as he tries to scramble to his feet- heightens the danger and emphasises the connotations of their genre- blackout appears with text that reads "Regretted something that not only puts your life in danger"
• We then get close ups which conform to the genre- A close up of the victim's feet being dragged by the antagonist, the constant light flicker then a close up of the victims hands vigorously grasping the grass, cuts to a flicker of light then a close up of the masked villain parallel to the non-diegetic grime music. 
• As the black out occurs again the text reads " But also the lives of others", the slow development of text emphasises the horror and tension.
• A mid-shot, zooms in to a close up as the female victim flees, we then get a handheld point of view shot of an unsteady close up focused on the villains white mask while the protagonist is being dragged unsettles the audience.
• We then get a series of enigmas of character's being chased through a montage of handheld out of focused shots- highlighting horror mirroring the music. 
• After a series of blackouts with text inserts and magazine like rating with a voice over.
• We get more point of view shots and close ups of danger which mirror the pleonastic heat beating followed by the release date
• A mid-shot tilting upwards to reveal the antagonist light by a head light. A close of of his prop. a knife also complies with the genre conventions. more fast paced shots connoting danger, complement the fast heartbeat. We then get the film title and release date once more. 

Trailers Part 3.

Now this trailer follows a similar conventions of those in Inception, it shows what happens  in the movie however everything is so fast and distorted due to camera angle, composition and lighting that it intensifies the sci-fi adventure horror conventions, much of which is still used today.

Alien (1979)

• After the blue screen with certificates and information, the establishing shot is zooming into space, as if we the audience were passing blurs of stars- instantly setting the seen, we are not on Earth-sci-fi.
• The non-diegetic music a mixture of slow beating rising and wind like gushes as it continues to travel further into space.
• This cuts to a mid-shot of an "I" in the black sky as in the foreground, along the bottom of the shot, a unfamiliar planet floor, brown. I like the fact this setting complemented by the music makes the scene mysteriously unsettling.
• As the shot zooms out to reveal more of the planet's surface and another two vertical line in the atmosphere, the music of a spaceship entering the atmosphere the lines look like the slit windows of a typical drawn alien spaceship, the music increases in pace reflecting a beating sound and this continues to connote mystery and focuses the audience to the suspense.
• The three lines remain however the shot, camera angle changes. it now tilts down from the black letters to a round bright white planet as to more white lines appear in the spaces- as the music builds it creates a sense of time running out.
• Cuts back and forth between to a fast tracking as if travelling around this planet surface and the tilt down onto the bright round white planet. As the music races, I like how it mirrors each other building to create tension and heightening the suspense.
• Cut fades to a zoomed out close up tilting downwards showing as egg, which fades into a mid-shot, the white lines now reveals the white lines  to spell Alien. I like the imbalance of contrasting white and black as the audience is immediately told the film's name.
• Heightened music, resembling distorted screaming or moaning, after a series of overlapping fades between extreme close ups and mid-shots of the egg- importance and dominance
• Close up, the loud cracking of the egg releasing light, I like how this scene has been constructed.
• A series of long shot of exploration- implies the setting and the genre
• Distorted mid-shot tracking/hand-held one of the female explorers Sigourney Weaver suggests by the mise-en-scene, running, lower angle emphasising vulnerability and danger
• Dark, minimal lighting- suggests entrapment, little room escape and allows the audience to anticipate the fear. 
• We the audience are subjected to more hand held shots, this time from behind  Weaver, point of view of someone else- I like this as it places a connection with the audience.
• Distorted sirens or screaming along with danger between the the duration of shots,decrease, to mirror the fast paced music and amount of cuts. 
• The running action enigma continues and allows the audience to be placed in a point of view shot as the Weaver continues to run. I like the way this trailer builds tension through the use of suspense, it gives us, the audience all the information however distorts us at the same time.

Trailers Part 2.

Now this trailer differentiating itself from Inception conveys a whole new atmosphere. It illustrates more of the first point. It shows the audience everything they need to know without leaving many gaps to fill in yet leaves us the audience intrigued to see it anyways. 

Crash Trailer (2004)

• After the green screen, with relevant certificate information, a Lionsgate symbol which appears live a starry night and fades as such while a male voice over begins to set the scene.
• We are instantly exposed to an establishing shot of LA at night while serene orchestral non-diegetic music begins to lull the audience- equilibrium. 
• The duration of cuts fade into one another, getting the sky scrapers from every angle making the night seem longer- false sense of security. 
• A close up of the character's voice over narrating, sitting in his car, dazed looking suggests that he has a lot on his mind, a use of pathetic fallacy- rain on his window- instantly creating empathy.
• A series of closes ups of other characters from different walks to life, all fading into one another, illustrates the variety of people that not only live in the city but encounter each other unknowingly everyday. I like how the calm voice over mirrors the action. 
• A change in music, deeper pause then chimes as a black out with white text which has distant head lights to the right hand of the them "we are searching for answers" text, connotes a new tone - emphasising dis-equilibrium.  
• More series of shots, distorting the audience not quite linking together, black out text insert "we are moving forward" again with the head lights themes, the music deepens and pause with just chimes.
• The duration of scenes become longer but the cuts quicken as we are given an insight into different lives an stories in the film. The scenes contrast from interior and exterior shots. 
• Close ups of facial expressions and emotional scenes- illustrating the conventions of a drama. 
• I like how some shots are from various angles such as a low angle centre frame shots to connote dominance contrast from high angle, bird's eye or as if God eye view shots to highlight vulnerability
• Black out, text, "we are falling apart" as the tension in the music build, the action, length of shots and the amount of them increase-  close ups of heightened tempers, flames, sexual harassment, police lights, gun violence.
• A stand of action enigma scene, the music stops excepted for a bass undertone followed by a longer black out, diegetic sounds of two gun shot fired.
• A change in music at crescendos, to emotive singing, guitar, accompanied by "when your moving at the speed of life" text insert (same continuous theme) suggest a change in atmosphere.
• Close ups of emotion scenes, crying, close encounters, fires, hugs, explosions emphasises the characters turmoils and we the audience are exposed to them. 
• Many scenes include cars; driving, burning or crashing, highlights the nature of the film. I like the underlying reminders throughout. 
• Each shot fades into one another suggesting a connection and intertwining and overlapping of stories.
• Black out-text insert- "we are bound to collide with each other"the most important text once again highlighted. This message has a hidden meaning as it foreshadows the film in a literal way also.
• Towards the end more black out, text inserts of well established director. This is followed by more heart wrenching close ups and action enigma scenes- more so representing a new equilibrium to some extent. 
• A longer black out, as the name of the film appears-same text theme- off centre, lower case letters referencing this is a emotion, inspiring film rather than massive production, emphasised by the music.
• We then see one more scene of an officer and a black male driving at nighttime, he say "people man, people" to the officer before the screen blacks out once more as a star studded cast list appears, same theme and off centred, this time as snow falls behind it. the names slowly fade as film information/ credits replace it before blacking out again. 

Trailers Part 1.

All trailers are a type of advertisements hoping to entice its target audience into watching a particular movie. To do this a good trailer can do either one of two things:

• A trailer may contain everything you need to know about the film, everything that happens, so there is very little surprises, yet intrigue the audience to watch it anyways.
• It can give snippets of information, in a sequence which leaves the audience with little idea as to what happens but in doing so leaves the audience in suspense. 

Either way still captivating its audience, in some cases a trailer can use aspects of both.

Inception Trailer (2010)

Now, this trailer does the latter very well. Although the trailer illustrates enough to grasp the general theme and genre of the film, the non-chronological snippets suggests a non-linear narrative. As Inception is a combination of genres- Sci-fi, Adventure, Action Thriller- after the green screen containing audience certificate information.

• A black Warner Bros symbol, sets the scene already suggesting mystery. Which is then zoomed in an rotated revealing it to be an animated version of an American city instantly setting the scene to the audience. 
• The non-diegetic slowly building like a countdown beginning petering along, I like the way it creates a false sense of security to begin with- equilibrium. 
•  In contrast the opening close up of crashing blue waves, a serene shot followed by a close up of a bruised Leonardo DiCaprio (Dom Cobb) face down on a beach. As his voice over begins to introduce himself. Highlighting to the audience the protagonist
• Cuts to a new scene continuously contrasting from the last. From light to dark mise-en-scene, mood lighting. Such as the beach scene to Chinese interior and a mid-shot panning DiCaprio entering into a room wearing a suit-ideology-I like the imbalance of light and dark in each scene, it creates  new atmospheres. 
•  Close ups of DiCaprio's facial expressions, close ups of weapons, other Famous cast members including Ellen Page, Joseph Gordon- Levitt and Tom Hardy intensifies the anticipation. As the music builds suggesting disequilibrium approaching. 
• A black out, interrupting the continuity, a loud menacing horn as the director's name in white and the previous film success emphasising the importance of both to the audience.
• From this point onward the duration of shots gets shorter, as the regularity of cuts increase as the music continues to dabble between to notes, which is continuously interrupted by the horn, however the juxtaposing calm voice over is lulling. I like the way this heightens the uncertainty, creates more suspense and mystery. I think I could use this concept in my own work.
• As the voice over explains the concept of "inception" and it being illegal is mimicked to some extent through the intense, explosive and unexplained scenes, contrasting between fast action to slow motions and a romance scenes - between DiCaprio and Marion Cotillard). 
• The crescendo in the music at crucial line " I'm ready" opens the door for the action enigmas used.
• Other crucial lines; "The dream is collapsing" and "I have it under control" at which point the action mirrors this, crashes, explosions- not only foreshadowing what's to come but creates confusion. 
• From this point there's a lot more low angle shots of DiCaprio looking more vulnerable and clearly out of control juxtaposing his lines. 
• Later on black outs again accompanied by the horn of the main start studded cast. contrasting black and white. I think an on going theme that highlights the theme could be used in my work.
• The title of the movie is only seen in the last 20 seconds of the trailer but mentioned throughout. I like that it's the thing that's memorability factor, the font is large white and to some extent reflects a futuristic maze within each letter.  
• After the movie title there is one more scene not involving DiCaprio but Tom Hardy and Joseph Gordon-Levitt, in a gun scene, this juxtaposes from the rest of the themes, adding underlying comedy in the movie