Trailers: The Theory

What do you think are the major elements of a film marketing campaign – the different ways in which the film’s ‘message’ is presented to potential audiences?

• Product- the film needs to be clearly identifiable for example the genre, stars, special effects and style,

• Placing- the film has to be released at the right time, • Promotion- print advertising, trailers, websites, merchandising e.g. cd’s, toys, video games. • Publicity- star interview, ‘making of’ documentaries, reviews and profiles, news stories.• Viral marketing refers to the marketing techniques that use pre-existing social network, it can

be word of mouth or through the internet. Viral promotions may take the form of video clips, interactive flash games, images or even text messages.

• The marketing campaign plays a vital role in informing potential audiences about a film. The distributors are keen for their films to be as successful as possible so they create a marketing campaign to raise awareness of the film and gain interest.

• As part of my portfolio I need to be aware of this and am going to create a marketing campaign.

• The marketing material for your film would aim to inform and entice the correct target audience.

• The film trailer for the film would be shown on TV in between programmes that your target audience are likely to be watching. For example, a romantic comedy aimed at teenage girls is most likely to be shown between programmes such as ‘Hollyoaks’ and ‘Friends’.

• Posters for the film trailers will be shown in magazines that the target audience are likely to read and also in places they are likely to go. Such as on public transport and bus stops for example. Interviews with the cast from the film will also be shown in the magazines that the target audience are likely to read.

Where might you expect to see each of the different parts of the marketing campaign?

• Your decision to buy a ticket for a movie will be based on the marketing you have seen for the particular film. With each new movie that is released there is a new brand created, this is why

sequels are liked so much as the brand has already been created. A string of movies based around the same brand is easier to market. For example, Star Wars.

• Another thing that would make someone want to see a particular film could be because of

the cast. For example, if a person’s favourite actor/actress was in the film this could make them want to see the film. We are used to associating certain stars with certain genres. This will influence the consumers decision to go and see the film as they will know what kind of film it is likely to be. For example, Jennifer Aniston usually appears in romantic comedies. The actor/actress may also have appeared in magazines or interviews talking about the film. However, some actors/actresses challenge conventions and work in different genres of film, for example Ryan Reynolds who is well known for appearing in the film ‘The Proposal’ alongside Sandra Bullock is now appearing in a new-release thriller ‘Buried’.

• The genre of the film will play a huge role in what films people go and see.

What factors make you want to go and see a film? How do you decide which films to see?

• I most commonly see film trailers at the cinema before films I am going to see. I find this the best way to hear about new films as they will play film trailers of a similar genre and classification to the one that you are going to see.

• I also see film trailers on the website ‘Youtube’. • My experience will be different to other peoples as I will have seen different films at the

cinema to other people and therefore seen other film trailers to them and at different times. If a film is recommended to me by another person then I can go onto the website ‘Youtube’ and watch the film trailer.

• ‘www.guardian.co.uk’ wrote a film review of the film ‘Buried’: • “This extraordinary high-concept, high-anxiety, low-budget nightmare from Spanish director Rodrigo

Cortés is guaranteed to give everyone suffering claustrophobia a permanent nervous breakdown. In fact, it's guaranteed to give everyone permanent claustrophobia.”

Where do you most commonly see film trailers? Is your experience the same as others?

• Yes, I think where you view the film trailer will affect your response to it.• If you watch a trailer online, most of the time you have specifically gone looking for that

trailer. Whereas, if you watch the trailer on TV or in the cinema you are being fed information about what they think you will like to watch regarding the film you are already watching at the cinema or the program that you are watching on TV.

• Watching a film trailer on ‘Youtube’ means that you are active and have searched for that trailer yourself. This could lead to people watching films illegally online as they have accessed the trailer quickly and with ease that they may find it easier to find the film online and not wanting to wait for its release at the cinema.

• At the cinema trailers are shown depending on the film that you are going to see, this makes you a passive viewer as you are being shown what is stereotypically thought that you will like.

Do the different locations and different ways of viewing – online, in the cinema, on television or at the start of a rented DVD, for example – have different effects on the

way you respond to a film trailer?

• Voiceovers• Stars• Titles

• Conversations (one-liners)• Dramatic camera angles

• Director credits• Music

• Film title shown at the end• Trailer builds to a climax

• Montage

Conventions

• Todorov’s Narrative Theory: Todorov suggested that stories begin with an equilibrium or status quo where any potentially opposing forces are in balance. This is disrupted by some event, setting in chain a series of events. Problems are solved so that order can be restored to the world of the fiction. His five stages:

Stage 1A state of equilibrium is defined.Stage 2

Disruption to the equilibrium by some action or crisis.Stage 3The Character's) recognition that there has been a disruption, setting goals to resolve problem.

Stage 4 The Character's) attempt to repair the disruption, obstacles need to be overcome to restore order.

Stage 5Reinstatment to the equilibrium. Situation is resolved, a conclusion is announced.

Film trailers follow the same pattern as a film. They have a beginning, introductory sequence, problem and solution. Some film trailers include sequences that are not in the film e.g. Hitchcock’s ‘Psycho’. A film trailer will always be less that 2 and a half minutes long where as a short film is generally between 2 and 15 minutes. A trailer will often be structured around the most appealing aspects of a film without taking conventional order into consideration

In what ways are the narrative conventions of a trailer similar to a film? In what ways might trailers be structured differently and why?

• Cop Out : “From Warner Brother Pictures, the studio that brought you the acclaimed police dramas Dirty Harry, Training Day and The Departed comes a film that carries on tradition… A

new team is hitting the streets… From Warner Brothers Pictures… Bruce Wills… Tracy Morgan… Cop Out.

• Grown Ups: “Thirty years ago they were best of friends, now they’re getting back together and they’re all grown up. They’re meeting each other’s families… Learning about their kids…

and re-living their glory days. In two thousand and ten… From Columbia picture comes a comedy… that proves growing up is optional… Adam Sandler… Kevin James… Chris Rock… Rob

Schneider… and Salma Hayek… Grown ups!

‘Cop Out’ begins with the name of the studio that made the film, this would be because it is a unique selling point of the film at this company is very well known. This trailer then goes onto name other films that the studio has created. This would again be a selling point of the film as people who have seen the films that are mentioned in the trailer will be more

likely to go and see this film if they enjoyed that film. ‘Warner Brother Pictures’ is mentioned twice this is because it is a USP of the film as this is a big production company. This film has mentioned two names of the cast as these are a USP of the film as they are well-known and famous actors. The last piece of dialogue in the film is the name of the

film, ‘Cop Out’. This is a convention that most trailers follow as the last thing that is said is the name of the film so people will remember what it is called as this is the last piece of

information they take from the trailer.

Voiceover

Buried“Paul is a U.S. contractor working in Iraq. After an attack, he wakes to find he is buried alive inside a coffin. With only a lighter and

a cell phone it's a race against time to escape this claustrophobic death trap.”

Teaser Trailer:http://www.tntmagazine.com/tntreviews/archive/2010/09/27/buried-review-and-trailer.aspxThis trailer gives no information about cast or dates. For the majority of the trailer the film is pitch

black. Having the entire screen pitch black with just the dialogue conveys the genre of the film as the film is meant to make the viewers feel claustrophobic.

Trailer:http://www.odeon.co.uk/fanatic/film_info/m12730/

Buried Film Posters