http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CamgFlOGwB8
THE DRIVER (1978)
In this media text we see the text producer decide not to give any character a name
Source Code (2011)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NkTrG-gpIzE
GENRE
· Action
· Thriller
· Sci-Fi
DIRECTOR
· Duncan Jones
CAST
· Jake Gyllenhaal
· Vera Farmiga
· Michelle Monaghan
· Jeffrey Wright
In this media text we see a man awaken in a train however he finds himself in another man’s body and begins to panic. Then a n explosion occurs he then again awakens to find that he is using a machine that allows him to relive the last 8 minutes of a man’s life that was in a terrorist attack aboard a train his mission is to find out who bombed the train and why in order to prevent another attack that is planned to occur in 6 hours. In this trailer I liked the fact that it starts off without any explanation almost like a dream state were a person does not know what is happening and who’s body he is in. Another factor I liked was that when he is in the machine he begins to notice details that are not going according to the last instance he was in the machine.
Sucker punch (2011)
GENRE
· Action
· Thriller
· Fantasy
DIRECTOR
· Zack Snyder
CAST
· Emily Browning
· Abbie Cornish
· Jena Malone
· Vanessa Hudgens
· Jamie Chung
In this media text we see a group of girls that are not given names but are just given nicknames. I liked this technique that gave each character a sense of mystery and danger and created an enigma code that draws text’s audience into the world of the media form and allows them to become full immersed. In this trailer we see a group of girls that are held against their wills in a mental asylum and plan to escape in order to do this they need to gather some items while getting these items the text transports the girls into a fantasy world that with many different articulated tools from other genres such a dragon from fantasy, zombies from zombie flicks, robots from sci-fi and many more. While in this world they perform actions to get items that will aid them in escaping the actions they carry out are mirrored in the real world.
In this post I will be looking at 3 low budget British films that and how they represent and target their target audience with a relatively low budget
Shaun of the dead (2004)
Here we see the comedy duo of Simon pegg and nick frost in a horror survivalist zombie spoof. here we see a comical turn of events take place in the life of a electronics salesman (pegg) that forces him to form a group of genre articulated characters that form the foundation of the genre they are representing such as the idiotic unemployed best friend (frost), girlfriend (Kate Ashfield) to the girlfriends best friends (Lucy Davis and Dylan Moran) pegg’s character then has to form a posy and seek sanctuary in their local pub with comical results.
With the success of this low budget film resulting in pegg and frost becoming household names and sky rocketing them into A-list actors and no doubtable resulting in pegg’s later roles of star trek (2009), and induction into a recurring character in the mission impossible franchise (2007/11) alongside tom cruise, how to loose friends and alienate people (2008)
London to Brighton (2006)
London to Brighton is a low budget British film that is considered to be one of the best social realist media text’s to this date that depicts a woman (Lorraine Stanley)
A prostitute who is instructed by her employer to find a young girl (Georgia Groome) who is to be sent to a ruthless crime boss when the girl complies with her orders much to her disproval she finds a girl and takes her to the clients house but when she hears screaming she investigates as to what is happening and in the struggle she kills the crime boss. Now on the run they travel to Brighton to seek refuge from their relentless pursuers the crime bosses son and the woman’s employer.
This film tacked many controversial subject matters such as prostitution, child prostitution and substance abuse this collective with the uniqueness of the plot combine to make a rollercoaster ride that takes the viewers into a moral gray area.
The Exam (2009)
Is a little known British film that just goes to prove that a texts ability to present a intriguing plot and comprehensive script can make up for a lack of a Hollywood blockbuster budget. The exam as a whole is set in a room with only 10 cast members all of which have not been given names. Eight talented candidates have reached the final stage of selection to join the ranks of a mysterious and powerful corporation. Entering a windowless room, an Invigilator gives those eighty minutes to answer one simple question. He outlines three rules they must obey or be disqualified: don't talk to him or the armed guard by the door, don't spoil their papers and don't leave the room. He starts the clock and leaves. The candidates turn over their question papers, only to find they're completely blank. After the initial confusion has subsided, one frustrated candidate writes 'I believe I deserve...,' and is promptly ejected for spoiling. The remaining candidates soon figure out they're permitted to talk to each other, and they agree to cooperate in order to figure out the question: then they can compete to answer it. At first they suspect the question may be hidden in their papers like a security marker in a credit card, and they figure out ways to change their environment to expose the hidden words. But light, liquids and other plans all come to naught. Soon enough, the candidates begin to uncover each other's background, prejudices and hidden agendas. Tensions rise as the clock steadily descends towards zero, and each candidate must decide how far they are willing to go to secure the ultimate job
Features of a trailer
What are the features of a trailer?
Trailers are not ‘mini-films’. They are a genre in their own right and have their own set of easily recognisable conventions. Trailers are designed to capture our attention and hold it for a short space of time. They create a mood or atmosphere and heighten our anticipation of what is to come within the film. In some ways watching a trailer is like doing a jigsaw puzzle – we’re given some information as to plot and character and our task is to guess at the missing pieces. The style in which the information is conveyed is often fast moving and requires our attention one hundred percent of the time. To watch s film at this pace would be impossible, we could not cope with the input and would ‘switch –off’. However, we enjoy the roller coaster effect of a trailer and the mental challenge it presents.
Sound is very important in a trailer, particularly the music, which can manipulate our emotions and create a specific atmosphere. The voice over, a feature of advertising is used to summarise aspects of the story and emphasise credit information where appropriate. Like every other element of the trailer, the voice over also promotes the film by building our anticipation
Conventions
Listed below are some of the more recognisable conventions of film trailers:
· Voiceovers are used to tell the story and give credit information
· The starts of the film are showcased
· Key points are sometimes conveyed through titles(text on screen)
· Conversations between characters often consisted of one liners
· Dramatic camera angles may be chosen to show events or characters
· Action is interspersed with actor or director credits on screen
· Music plays an important role in creating atmosphere
· The film’s title may not appear until the end
· The trailer builds to a climax, where it ends
· Montage ( a series of shots from different points in the film, edited together) is often used to highlight the most dramatic, humorous or fast-paced aspects of the film
Structural conventions
A trailer will often be structured around the most appealing aspects of a film without taking conventional narrative order into consideration. For example, you might see a funny moment taken from the ending for a comedy near the beginning of the trailer for that film, or a selection of clips chosen to attract the widest possible audience, such as a romantic clip in the trailer for an action film, some trailers will aim to provide a basic narrative structure to guide us through the films storylines.
What is a marketing campaign and why is it needed?
Filmmaking can be very expensive business, with feature films needing healthy takings at the box office in order to cover the costs of production, pay the investors and make enough money for the next release at the cinema it only has a short space of time in which to become a ‘box office hit’, with the purpose of encouraging people to see the film at the cinema. The companies who own the film and loan it to cinemas to show for a period of time are called distributors.
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 arouse interest. In this way those who invested in the film stand the best chance of making a profit on it
Why is it important for a trailer to show us the genre and how is this established?
A trailer aims to give the audience information about the film, such as what the story is about, who the stars are and what genre or type of film it will be. Genre is important in film marketing because our decision about what to see will partly depend upon weather we enjoyed other similar films. When we view a trailer e are automatically ‘decoding’ what we see and hear to establish the film’s genre. For instance, dark shadowy figures might indicate a horror film, animated images and bright colours will usually indicate a film for children, a rapid beat to music means suspense, and so on. We call these recognisable sounds and images conventions of the genre occasionally, a film will be a hybrid of more than one genre and then it may take more time for us to decide what it is. This adds to our enjoyment, as our expectations are taken first in one direction then in another.
How does the trailer show that a film is worth going to see?
Whilst the marketing campaign uses genre to gain our interest, It must also show us how this new film is different to others in the same genre: his is known as the USP (unique selling point) of the film. The USP is what separates one film title from another released at a similar time or within the same genre. The USP could be many thing: it could be a genre which presents a unusual mix- say, a musical horror; it might be something distinct, like the innovative use of special effects; it could even be a star playing ‘against type’ - for example, an actor/ actress known for action movies taking on a serious emotional role. The USP is important for marketing the film as it sets each release apart from its rivals, and so it is often strongly emphasised in the marketing campaign
