Props

As our production is going to be a post apocalyptic genre film, it would be conventional for characters to have some form of protection as they navigate through an inhospitable environment with potential threat around every corner. Here, pictured left, is a toy rifle replica with detachable stock and barrel (in order to act within the law). Guns connote action, danger and risk which will all be part of our production - it can also be used in the trailer as an enigma code; why is the gun being shot? at who? It is also noticably worn, connoting years of use in a harsh environment, and is typically found in farmhouses and lodges - making it conceivable that it has been scavenged following the cataclysm.

We have ascribed different weapons to different characters for specific reasons; here we have Curtis as The General brandishing a toy replica of a Raffica because it is far more sophisticated and expensive piece of weaponry than the hunting rifle, leading us to infer that he is more affluent (in addition to the smarter clothing). Obviously in the production the toys will appear real.

Then we also have a brief shot where Tom has a broad metal pipe as a makeshift weapon. This further applies to our genre as real weapons will be sparse and more of a commodity than anything. It also bares connotations of survival, as you would expect integral in a post-apocalyptic environment.  

We also utilised gas masks, opting for the cheaper industrial masks that don't fully cover your face so that you still gage who the character is and reduce connotations of horror and mystery, as gas masks are fairly disconcerting to look at, which we didn't want to be attributed to our main characters.  Again, this decision was made in congruence with aforementioned props chosen to illustrate the world as inhospitable. Numerous props are needed for this purpose considering we cannot simply show a wasteland environment as we haven't the means nor the manpower to create these. We have to interlink the few locations we have chosen with the props in order to generate the desired meaning for what is going on i.e. we cannot as effectively portray the world as ravaged and desolate with just a location but must accentuate survival and risk with weaponry and provisions for safety in order to stress that it is a post apocalyptic setting.                                                                                                           

When the group was searching through the abandoned factory location for areas to film in, we discovered a shattered box and an assortment of pictures flung across the room. Some of the pictures seemed to be family photos, most beset with water damage or worn by age. Considering they were just left there and neglected for years, we believed that taking one and using it in our production was justified as we planned to catch light to the picture with fire (in our garden/garage with plenty of water nearby) and film it slowly immerse with flames - and we couldn't do this with our own family pictures! It wasn't that we just wanted to pointlessly set things on fire like hoodlums since we had the idea since before filming. Not only is it quite an arresting shot, but it would provide significant character exposition within just a few seconds (ideal for trailers) but it creates strong, and equivocal, interpretations in the audience from it being symbolic of the main characters tragedy to it being a sign that his delusions of a reunion is diminishing, and so on. 

We incorporated a map into the Curtis scene to create connotations of management, strategy and tactics, all qualities an audience would expect of a 'villain' leader of the same ilk as government executive 'baddies' in espionage thrillers such as in the Bourne Trilogy. There are also photos pinned up to the board behind him, which we used to suggest that he and his organisation are taking a deductive approach towards capturing the hero characters, further reinforcing the inference that he is meticulous and wilful.

However, contrasting from typical villains and calculated killers, we also, from the inception of the post apocalyptic idea, decided to implement subtle, and not so subtle, props to imply that the 'villain' is not as black and white as he may appear, and is in fact quite an idiosyncratic villain archetype. We added additional homely novelties and commodities from every day life nowadays to accentuate that Curtis's character is just a human being, a human being that enjoys a cup of tea in his favourite mug reading ''I <3  football'' every day, whilst laid back on his chair supported by a novelty cushion with a union jack printed on it (the irony being that he has had some part to play in Britain's remnants misery as his organisation are out for themselves and have little to no interest in aiding them, to the point that he will hunt down people that risk their discovery). They are existential, and hopefully poignant, reminders of world lost; a symbol of humanity enduring when there is so little left. 

We didn't want to go overboard with props of this intention as it would risk making him risible as opposed to fearsome, and that is the complete opposite of what we wanted to go for. Instead, they are in juxtaposition to his real quite malicious actions and act as a glimmer of humanity, and sanity, which only makes his actions appear worse since the suggestion is that there is some hope for him - I got inspiration for this from The Governor character in The Walking Dead series and he is portrayed similarly 

Synopsis

Following a global economic meltdown, hostilities mounted between the East and the West culminating in a Second Cold War. The Asian superpowers eventually severed most trade links with the UN, broadening the East's monopoly on world manufacture and trade and resulting in frozen foreign assets, heated dispute over goods and oil shortages. In the global turmoil, sporadic cases of societal breakdown cropped up worldwide, even to the extent of pockets of civilisation secluding themselves from others. With rule of law having been stripped of all credibility and the old times becoming more ethereal each passing second, people fight over diminishing resources as society and nature crumble to dust.

With the world already on the brink, a localised explosion occurs in Manchester, causing a calamitous uproar in the world stage. Then it happened. Noone, save a few, know exactly who started it, but all we do know is that the world has changed. Ravaged and war torn by weapons of untold annihilation, the remnants of humanity try to rebuild the broken world or, naturally, fight for what little remains. War never changes. A journalist bereft of his family, searches helplessly for reclamation when he finds a wandering soul who takes him under his wing upon recognising the journalist’s tenuous mental state. He too is emotionally damaged but, somehow, they make a perfect unity. The two plan to escape the quarantine but what they soon unravel is a myriad of lies, corruption and insanity.

The nature of the shots and content will be similar to Mad Max, The Road or the Fallout game series. The audience will be targeted at be mainly males, due to the more violent, desolate and dangerous nature of the film’s world, of around late teenager to middle age, due to that being a large and lucrative demographic to aim at AND it will appeal more to those ages - on the inkling that older generations will not enjoy bleak environments and action. To widen audience appeal, we will possibly show action and more light hearted, comedic elements (this is common in almost all film trailers), although not always necessary. We have also considered employing some areas of Drama to appeal to female audiences as well; there are instances of this in most Post Apocalyptic films, especially The Road which, lacking action, focuses on relationships and exposition of emotions. We can implement similar styles when developing the relations between our 'Hero' characters. We will also create a grim looking world by using grey scale filters, chroma key on Pinnacle and using locations that are abandoned with no cars, people or any sign of life. This is common across the post-apocalyptic genre, but obviously we will be limited by the fact we cannot create settings like movie productions can, and so must be resourceful and find some in our area. 

Possible Locations

In Waterfoot, behind the fish in chip shop facing Cordey's, is a decrepit house with boarded up windows, fire damage and all its copper and wiring nearly completely scavenged (cool for if we decide to go for 'survivors' in story'). Adjacent to this location is a useful route onto the river that runs through town. Even better news is that this route leads to where the river stems and appears akin to a dried out river basin which I personally think gives a strong ''wasteland'' ambience, especially if we incorporate a grey scale filter when we film. If we follow the river down a few yards there is an old mill/factory that has been left abandoned and as a result is now beset with weeds and overgrown foliage; a perfect component for the 'Chernobyl' aura and the feeling of desertion, death and even hopelessness. In addition to this, the area is quiet and riddled with run down metalwork and material, both common in post apocalyptic settings. The most ideal factor for using this location is its proximity to school meaning we film either straight after school or during lessons when it is still bright weather, as opposed to having to trek to a location and run the risk of it going dark early as it tends to do in the autumn.

The second location I noticed is of course in Bacup. I didn't get as close an inspection as I did with the Waterfoot location, however it is safe to say that the buildings I'm interested in are run down, infested with damage and overwhelmed with free growing plantlife, and definitely evoke an ambience of neglect and dissipation. After all, it is Bacup. From what I can tell, the buildings are vacant shells of what they once were, a road leads adjacent to them and little activity goes on around them, therefore meaning they will be relatively quiet, easily accessible and good to shoot inside; given we have permission. (We could even possibly film local ragged children who preside the streets as little vicious child gangs who now run the wastes!) The only problem facing us here is that it is a trip from school to reach this location AND slightly risky since the local populace are fond of mugging and not so fond of 'outsiders'. Though, this could work well if managed to film it since xenophobia is conventional in Post Apocalyptic features such as in Mad Max and the Fallout series.

A friend, Harley, has informed me about a possible location in Manchester that sounds interesting and another one, a deserted hospice apparently, near me which I might look into.. in the daytime. There's also that disused hospice on the way to haslingden but we'd probably require permission and the courage to go up there. I’ve also just gone up to a place not too far from mine and it’s a very promising site. It’s a now desolate asbestos manufacturing plant situated in the middle of nowhere, enshrouded by excessive shrubbery and corroding barbed fenced wires with a stream coursing through the middle (good for filming any survival shots). With enough imagination the place looks similar to an abandoned test facility like something out of a typical zombie horror. We can also use the moors over whitworth and scout moor for the barren wasteland shots as there are patches of dead grassland dotted over the area. 
The quarries in bacup and stacksteads could also be useful if we opt for any barren, dissipated looking location as they are literally mounds of transformed earth and rock, similar to a crater site perhaps..
 .

The Road Trailer Analysis

The Road Trailer: click here

1. The film’s title looks quite bold and serious. It uses a serif font, and a black background with white text, connoting that this film is dark and that it deals with subject matter which isn’t cheery or uplifting. The title appears only once near the end of the trailer, with institutional information following this. You can see a slight smudge at the bottom of the text, which connotes one of the films messages of humanity ruining the earth that god gave them. The straight line could connote that all of humanity is now equal after it has brought itself to the brink of destruction.

2. The Hero is the Father, which is a character type heavily present in post-apocalyptic films. Films such as Book of Eli and Mad Max have a hero who is a wanderer trying to survive and perhaps make a difference to the world. His son is the helper, who assists his father on his quest to get to the southern coast as it will be safer. This is again extremely common in this genre, as in films such as Book of Eli and I Am Legend; the hero has some sort of companion who helps them escape danger. Eli has a girl who helps him escape from her Dad’s base, and in I Am Legend Will Smith’s dog gives him a friend and companion in a world where everyone is dead.

The character type of the villain is also shown such as the African American or long haired guy who steals his son. These are also present in many of these films, as in Book of Eli, there is an old man seeking the bible that Eli has, and wants to take it by force.

3. The location and setting is very important to a post-apocalyptic film such as The Road. Locations have been chosen to reflect that the world is dying due to an unknown cataclysm. In addition, as the film is about a long journey, variety is also important as we see forests, houses and even a beach. The locations have also had grey filters and some special effects to make it even more miserable and dreary looking.

4a. The style and pace of the edits is mostly slow, showing panoramic shots which are interspersed with action, such as a flare gun being shot which heightens the tension of the trailer. Transitions such as fades and static are used for these. They will usually show a few shots from the same scene, and then cut to another scene to show variety. The scenes are then interspersed with text screens that will show one word that links with what the film is about, such as “search” and “move”. This kind of editing is very common as it tries to sell the film as best it can. A good example of the this is the second half of the trailer which ramps up the action and pace, by using a faster tempo soundtrack, and montage like editing.

4b. In this genre of film, typically the narrative will be established by showing that the world is war torn, or ravaged by a natural disaster. Additionally, a hero and a companion go on a journey to accomplish something, usually to get to safety from the dangerous post-apocalyptic world. Many will show dialogue that is quite emotional or thought provoking, to do with surviving at the end of the world. They will then also show action scenes that make modern audiences go to see a film.

5. The ominous beats of drums are used to start each shot at the beginning, which builds tension at the start of the trailer. They are then used again at the end of the trailer, as it focuses more on the action scenes, and the beat of the drums is in time with jump cuts and quick fades – a key selling point for a lot of modern films.

An ambient soundtrack is used next in the trailer, which is used in time with the text screens used to explain the narrative and key themes the film will tackle; namely, the issue of survival in a post-apocalyptic setting. The mood of the music is very sparse and delicate; perhaps connoting the world is on the brink of destruction. A further use of music is the violin screeching used to connote danger, as the long haired man tries to kidnap the young boy.

Static is used at the start to show disruption in between the credits and this is then followed by lightning strikes and more static, as well as non-diegetic sounds of news announcements over a montage of different catastrophes across the world.

The dialogue is used to show the relationship between the man and his Son, and that they are close and will work together to achieve their goal. The dialogue also gives narrative exposition as they say “how many people are left” “In the world? Not very many” and this establishes the genre as well.

6. Story is established through some hermeneutic codes such as “why is everyone in the world dead?” and “who are these characters and what are their motives for survival?” These are common questions in this genre and its framework. Proairetic codes also feature, which ask more basic questions such as “who will survive?” when the gun is shown, as multiple other survivors are then shown throughout the trailer.

In the dialogue, the father refers to “the coast” and that he will do “whatever it takes” to get there. This draws us in and raises several questions, seeing as this is obviously a major plot point or some sort of equilibrium will be made when/if they get there. The most obvious question raised is “will they get there?” which is the main reason to see the film.

The semantic codes such as the binary opposites of safety and danger play a big part in this trailer – several indoor environments are contrasted with dangerous outdoor locations, filled with possible ‘villains’.

7. A male audience is definitely the primary demographic here, this could be further split into two categories of teenage males who would mostly go for the action scenes, and adult males who would go more for the thought provoking narrative – “what would happen if the world ended?” The Road does show emotion and personal problems in the trailer, so it could be said to be widening its audience to a female demographic who are into more romantic or coming of age films.

The institutional information of “From Cormic Mcarthy Author of No Country For Old Men” shows the audience that the film is based on another novel by a critically acclaimed writer, which establishes credibility and makes the audience think this will definitely be a good film, as a previous film that was based on this novel is well known and did well at the box office.

The trailers USP would definitely be the more emotive side of it, with the man and his son talking and helping each other. Not many films of this genre would dare to do such a thing, as this may alienate its key demographic of males who want all action and no story. The Road does, however, strike a nice balance between an emotional and seemingly engaging narrative, and gritty action excitement. 

I Am Legend Analysis

I Am Legend Trailer: Click here.

1) The I Am Legend film title appears only once at the end of the trailer following a crescendo of quickly paced edits, and is followed by a short clip from the film and then institutional information. The film title is not only reinforced by the semiotics of the font and appearance, but also by intermittent white on black sans serif titles appearing in between the quickly paced edits preceding the final title. This is because all titles contain features of anaphora (‘’I am’’) which lends greater emphasis to the slogans and the film title, potentially leaving a more memorable impression on the audience; the intention of a trailer is for the target audience to watch the final product after all. The institutional information exhibited at the end of the trailer gives the option to visit the film website and subsequently delve deeper into the movie’s world, background and cast etc.

The film title is a serif font with a pallid silvery hue on a jet black background; in the trailer, the text appears on the screen dynamically, emerging from off screen and moving backwards into place.  The serif font is likely a connotation to more archaic orthography which appears in holy bible scripture, corresponding with the films religious themes alluded to in the trailer – ‘’God didn’t do this, we did’’ (there is actually more discussion of the topic and ‘God’s plan’ in the film itself). The light colour on the black colour, collaborating with the imposing size of ‘legend’, connotes a sense of light, or hope more accurately, persevering over the darkness.  The darkness itself conveys that the film is of a dark, mature themed genre and not a vividly bright, sun washed comedy, for example.

2)We are only really introduced to Will Smith’s character, Robert Neville, mostly because we can assume that he is bereft of his family, due to the shot choices at the beginning of the trailer of chaos and destruction, and because he is alone, and appears quite destitute, in the majority of the trailer. Neville is clearly the Hero archetype in Propp’s character types, which is prevalent in post apocalyptic genres. Neville’s dog, Sam, is the Companion archetype as she and Neville share a reciprocal relationship: for comfort of each other’s presence, assistance in tasks, food and, in Neville’s case, sanity. Sam is portrayed and interacted with more human qualities since she is evidently the last friendly sentient creature in New York. This is more conventional of post apocalyptic films, with I Am Legend taking inspiration from Mad Max and deviating from the original script of ‘Omega Man’, which it is based off.  The ‘Villain’s’ are the ferocious and extremely hostile ‘infected’ that appear similar to 28 days later styled zombies, but nothing more is revealed of them to maintain an aura of mystery around them; what are their intentions? Are they really zombies? Etc. This is an enigma code defined by Barthes. This also doesn’t subvert expectations as all post apocalyptic films I have seen are either centred around biological warfare/ infection causing a percentage of the world population to transform into violent ‘zombies’, or nuclear warfare eroding society and leaving nothing but thuggish gangs roaming the wastes in search of resources and avoiding mutants. I Am Legend was bound to follow one of these, in fact anything different would subvert my expectations.

I Am Legend is clearly being sold on star appeal as Will Smith is Will Smith, a renowned actor with an illustrious career and many accolades and awards under his belt. The unique selling point to the film could be the lengths that the production team went to transform New York into a desolate wasteland, boasting shots of a Times Square completely barren and neglected. No other film in memory has done so to the sae extent, not even Omega Man. I cannot really say Will Smith is the USP as other post apocalyptic films use famous actors as prominent roles – The Road has Viggo Mortenson and Charlize Theron for instance.

3) The locations in a trailer are crucial for the audience to derive what genre the film is, and post apocalyptic genres are no exception. In I Am Legend, a devastated New York City, overwhelmed by exuberant foliage and wildlife is chosen, or more accurately created, to reflect the human catastrophe that has befallen the world. Although the primary symbolism is of death, the encroachment of nature upon the city symbolises new life and adaption – perhaps even the slight notion that without humans the natural world would thrive, whether this is a bad thing or a good thing is subjective. The city is made even bleaker with greyscale filters and cgi augmented buildings emphasising neglect and the impact of plantlife flooding through the city.

In contrast, Neville’s home base is completely divergent from the bleak chaos of the outside world; his house appears untouched by the wrath of the infection and is well organised, modern and warming – safety is the ambience felt of it. This is reinforced by the salient changes from a typical house, such as the heavy locks on the doors and windows which sheds light on the reality of Nevilles situation and the fact he is always never too far from danger. This could also be interpreted as a flaw in his personality. Although he yearns for contact with other human beings, accentuated by his abnormal behaviour in the video store where he uses mannequins to simulate a video store we, as the audience, would be used to but that he hasn’t seen in years, he cages himself away behind steel fortifications which is juxtaposition.

4a) The style and pace of the edits in the beginning segment of the trailer are quite slow, though reveal dramatic and upsetting scenes from before the cataclysm has occurred to its fullest extent. It also reveals some panoramic shots of New York. Notably, the sound is slightly subdued and new shot transitions are accentuated by a thick, slightly muffled (akin to an explosion in a far off distance) resonating bass drum which I think delivers a pensive mood, as though Neville, who is voicing over this part, is recollecting moments from his past. This segment uses fade to blacks and then straight cuts to the next shot, up until it reaches the production company logos.

After the production logos cuts are relaxed and fit to the music. They also display a variety of locations and activities that the character performs, although all are lacking danger to fit with the soft music. Instead of the scenes being interspersed with text on screen, which is a common trope of trailers, the white sans serif text is overlayed onto the shots, fades in then out. This leisurely edited and deliberately balanced editing style is effective in conveying Neville’s life, his equilibrium at this point, as routine and unchanging whilst also illustrating his solitude.

After day shifts into night, the editing ramps up with tempo whilst the content is primarily octane pumped action and horror and the music is now consistent with the new quickened tempo and more energetic. The drum beat in particular is more aggressive, louder and faster to be consistent and reinforce the action in the latter segment of the trailer. Now, unlike before, screen with just white on black text intersperse the action that is happening in between; the text has dramatic messages containing anaphora to enforce the message of the film and lend a more memorable, understood title.

4b. In this genre of film, typically the narrative will be established by showing that the world is war torn, or ravaged by a natural disaster. Additionally, a hero and a companion go on a journey to accomplish something, usually to get to safety from the dangerous post-apocalyptic world, or, in I Am Legend’s case, to discover a cure for the infection that has decimated mankind. Many will show dialogue that is quite poignant or thought provoking, to do with surviving at the end of the world – for instance the routine displayed in Neville’s life, the most affecting perhaps being ‘Survive’, which isn’t something we, as an audience living in a comfortable, civilised western world, can fully comprehend, but are still intrigued by. We are generally interested by hardships and dystopias, and then gain comfort by watching how we believe someone would overcome them. Action scenes are also used to appeal to modern audience who now come to expect glossy crescendos boasting impressive CGI and gritty events, especially so in genres, such as post-apocalyptic, that have action/thriller components.

5. The aforementioned perceivably portentous bass drums used to start each shot at the beginning segment of the trailer build tension at the start of the trailer, whilst also gives us a bit of insight into Neville’s demons. Drums are again used at the end of the trailer with more tempo, and military and aggressive ambience as it focuses more on the action scenes; the emphasised beat in the rhythm of the drums is in time with jump cuts and quick fades – a key selling point for a lot of modern films.

After the production companies at the start, a melodic, ambient soundtrack is used next in the trailer, which is used in time with the cuts to new shots and overlay text used to explain the narrative and key themes the film will tackle; namely, the issue of meeting survivors and then actual survival in a post-apocalyptic setting. The instruments, as far as I can perceive, are simply a piano, that plays sparse delicate chords, an acoustic guitar, which plays a slow and continuous background melody, and then finally a violin sets in with a hauntingly pleasant yet melancholic ambience. Perhaps this is connoting the world of mankind is on the brink of collapse, which isn’t particularly a bad thing for nature, and it is the fault of humankind only. The music is peaceful because, despite the immensity of neglect and death wrought by the infection, the world is at peace.

The dialogue emphasises Neville’s solitude, as only he is talking throughout the whole trailer.

6) The narrative is a pivotal part of a trailer as it cannot be fully divulged, but enough clues, in the form of voiceover excerpts and enigma codes, have to be delivered to the audience in order to appeal to them and intrigue them enough into watching the full production. Some narrative is established through some hermeneutic codes such as “what is this infection mentioned at the start of the film?” and “what happened to all these people?”, ‘’why is New York empty, why is Neville alive?’’. These are common questions in this genre and its framework. Proairetic codes also feature, which ask more basic questions such as “who will survive?” when he is thrown from the window.

In the dialogue, the Neville refers to “helping” the infected, and that he will “fix them’’. This draws us in and raises enquiry into his intentions, seeing as his endeavour to find a ‘cure’ for the infection is obviously a major driving plot point or some sort of equilibrium will be made when/if he discovers it. The most obvious question raised is “will he succeed?” which is the main reason to see the film, aside from the explosive action and tense horror scenes that are demonstrated in the quickly paced montage towards the end of the trailer.

The semantic codes such as Levi Strauss’ binary opposites of safety and danger play a big part in this trailer – Neville’s home and recognised locations to hunt and harvest crops is contrasted with dangerous outdoor locations, and dark chiaroscuro lit buildings that are riddled with dangerous infected. Another prominent binary code is that of day and night. Where day holds elements of safety and familiarity, night beckons the infected and therefore danger – hence why the general mood of the trailer goes from absorbingly melancholic to disconcerting and frightening when night is mentioned.

7) . A male audience is definitely the primary demographic here given the horror and action elements.  This could be further split into two categories of teenage males who would mostly go for the action scenes, and adult males who would go more for the thought provoking narrative – “what would happen if the world ended?” ‘’Is this dystopian future possible?’’. I Am Legend does show emotion and personal tribulations in the trailer through the bereavement of his family, so it could be said to be widening its audience to a female demographic who are into more appealed by films containing sentiment, hence why they prefer romance and dramas. The trailer doesn’t actually reveal any age ratings but we can infer from the ambience of imminent peril and horror alongside the brief, yet brutal, action snippets.


(had a problem with consistent font types, possibly due to doing it on Microsoft Word and then transferring text) 

Initial ideas

Initial Ideas

       We are more focused towards doing a comedy genre although we would like to make it a hybrid for instance a action/crime/scifi-comedy. Developing this idea we are leaning towards doing a spoof of already established genres, therefore we can still use the common conventions whilst still putting our own comical twist towards it.

• ·         Horror Comedy (Amnesia-esque)
• ·         Black Comedy (Quentin Tarrantino style)
• ·         ‘Cop’ Comedy (Starsky and Hutch)
• ·         Mockumentary (Spinal Tap, Waynes World?)
• ·         Romance spoof (Date Movie)

We have also thought about opting for a more mature genre such as a horror/thriller   or a spy genre (akin to the Bourne series), although this could be made humorous. Another option was to do a post-apocalyptic genre without any humour as we know of several derelict rundown locations and have a person interest in the subject.

          We already know certain websites whose music is all copyright commons which has different variety and genres of music freely available. This means we won’t be constrained to what genres we do. We also have copyright commons music albums from artists such as Nine Inch Nails and Epic Soul Factory available to use. There is also the possibility of us emailing publishers for the permission to use songs that re currently under copyright laws. On top of all of this we have friends who are able and willing to record music for us.

 

·        In addition, we've had plans to use filters and software that would augment the shots manually, which would make the trailer more exciting; exactly what you want from a trailer.

      We also plan similar use of theories in our trailer after researching real trailers and we will be doing another in-depth analysis of a trailer relating to our genre once it has been decided. These theories will constitute to an element of mystery, excitement and reveal the genre which will attract our desired audience.

Welcome!

My name is Tom Mallinson and I am studying Media Studies A2 at Bacup And Rawtenstall Grammar School Sixth Form. My A2 task is to produce a trailer, in a genre of my group and I's choosing, alongside auxiliary tasks, a poster and a website, to supplement the trailer. This blog will act as an A2 Production Portfolio where I will document the progression of our trailers development from ideas to an actual edited production, including research, construction and evaluation.

Close Analysis of a Trailer: The Watch

The Watch Trailer

The title for the upcoming comedy sci fi action film, The Watch, appears twice in the trailer. The first appears at the end of the main sequence of shots, which is then immediately followed by some brief climactic action, and the second appears after that brief action in the form of a website address.

The title is reinforced through the classic use of white on black text which naturally makes it the most eye-catching feature on the screen. In addition to this, the text appears metallic and shiny to both correspond with the films genre (sci fi’s are typically associated with technology and machinery, especially alien invader oriented sci fi’s as this film seems to be) and make the text even more imposing. The mood being conveyed, despite the colour, is a light hearted and amusing one as the text includes a cartoon conventional alien head which certainly wouldn’t be included in a darker sci fi genre as it is far too tongue in cheek. This also consolidates the sci fi genre. It is more plausible that the film is being sold as a comedy more than a sci fi however.

A website is included in order to give the audience the opportunity to get a hands on interactive experience with the films promoting website which will likely also lead to other forms of media such as the soundtrack, actor and crew bio’s and even possibly a game. The names of the most prominent people involved with the production and the studio names and logos are also included allowing the audience to research further into the production and types of actors in the movie. This also encourages them to seek more of the actors, writer’s etc. work.

Four main characters are introduced with differing personalities but with the common variable that they’re all idiots or somewhat socially retarded; and they want to join a neighbourhood watch. This is the comedic ''loser'' stereotype. It is blatant from the very beginning that the genre is comedic as the personalities are purposely over the top and entertaining. There’s that, and the fact that each of the main four characters is a well renowned and prolific comedian which also demonstrates that this film is being sold primarily on its star appeal. If it wasn’t for Attack The Block, this films Unique Selling Point would be the introduction of an alien invasion into an otherwise unsuspecting and unconventional setting. However, the lack of exposure for Attack The Block in the US means that this concept may not be as familiar to them as it is to us in the UK and could still pose as a USP. Where Attack the Block is in a UK urban setting with relatively unknown young actors, The Watch is set in US suburbia with famous comedy actors.
The inclusion of Richard Ayoade, a relatively unknown actor in the US who is more famously recognised for his lead role in Chanel 4 comedy IT Crowd, can also be considered a USP in comparison with other blockbuster comedies who generally use well established actors.

In regard to Proppian archetypes within the trailer there is only distinguishably the heroes, the leader of the heroes, the damsel in distress/love interest and the villains who cause the disruption in the initial equilibrium. But in terms of modern comedy roles they’re conventional roles. For instance, Stiller plays the leader with the typical organised and prudent attributes who also has the wife/girlfriend damsel in distress character archetype as is expected. Vaughn plays the enthusiastic ‘’second in command’’; Hill plays the ‘’damaged goods in search of redemption’’ and Ayoade plays the idiosyncratic twist on a racial stereotype. He doesn't live up to the expected image of an african america/english hero since he isn't muscular, broad and doesn't possess a strong, sonorous accent to bark orders with (he will most likely die first too, as is the case with most films). Essentially, it’s a typical dysfunctional team that is common in comedies. The 'heroes' are all somewhat inept.

In the small space of time that the trailer takes up, a lot of emphasis is put on the setting of an amiable and relaxed suburban America through the locations and activities that the characters partake. This is in order to highlight the juxtaposition between mundane normality of suburban life and the sudden onset of an odd extra terrestrial invasion. The light filters used in the opening suburban section and the introduction of the alien disruption are complete opposites; suburbia is given a warm sunny feel, possibly a blue filter, whilst the conflict with the aliens is only ever shown in chiaroscuro low key, high contrast lighting with dark filters (for instance the supermarket shots). This is consistent with Claude Levi Strauss' Binary Oppositions theory.

The two opposite settings and lighting effects are used to signify the two different genres and the hybrid nature that are both simultaneously incorporated into this film. This subsequently opens up a specific audience appeal to people who are interested in the more atypical films. Binary oppositions appear to be a salient feature in this trailer such as the prevalent themes of dark vs light, good vs evil and humans vs aliens. Barthes' theory of enigma, or hermeneutic, codes are also prevalent, the most obvious one being the reveal of an alien yet still little enough is shown to induce mystery around it. There is also the very reveal of a neighbourhood watch as an enigma code as it isn't clearly explained why the watch is set up. Action codes, or proareitic codes, are shown as well through shots including the use of a gun and a shot where a person is tackled which leads us to the likely assumption that there will be a certain level of violence within the film. This also allows us to create an understanding of what the genre is and therefore what to expect from the film; furthermore, attracting a target audience.

The pace of edits in this trailer are generally quick paced, which is expected considering the creators have to boast as much variety and appeal in a short bout. However, there are instances where a montage of shots, accompanied by heavy bass thuds on each cut edit, is used both to give a excite the senses visually and include some variety of shots and locations. This type of montage is common in actions and thrillers so the inclusion of this into the The Watch trailer demonstrates different genre conventions cooperating within one trailer. One could say that where this montage reinforces the understanding of an action genre, the mainstream pop track included in the trailer that acts dissonant to the threat of alien invasion but works with the light hearted amusement of the comedy elements reinforces the comedy elements. Similar to this, the introduction shot zooming in on Earth from space and later shots showing advanced or possibly alien weaponry and technology consolidate this trailer as a sci fi also. The music is also somewhat of a contributing factor to defining this film as a sci fi and an action as it is heavy percussive and distorted electronic (which associates more with futuristic themes and sci fi than orchestral and instrumental music) with a fast paced and intense feel which goes well with action themes.

In the trailer, dialogue is more prominent than music as it is a comedy and the film is trying to be sold on the amusing conversations etc. unlike the actions which will normally put more emphasis on foley sound, music and one liners. There is still the noticeable inclusion of bass thuds on edits, and whoosh sound effects as the shots transition to another segment of the trailer, but, these are all slightly subdued in comparison to the dialogue. In the montage sequences non-diegetic voiceovers are played over them until the end of the montage where the voiceover is is put with the corresponding scene and hence becomes diegetic. The remainder of the trailer uses a mixture of diegetic and non diegetic voiceovers. The non-diegetic voiceovers are principally used because the creators want to exhibit as much of the film in the short space of time that the trailer takes up; it would be nonsensical and near impossible to use all the voiceovers diegetically. In the latter part of the trailer, where the tempo of shots and storyline become more excited, non diegetic popular electronic music is used both to contribute the now intensifying feeling of the trailer and to build up to the climactic ending of the trailer. In addition to this, emphasis is put on important shot transitions with bass thuds, or ''stings'', which is conventional of big marque films, especially actions and sci fis. This is probably also used to keep the audience stimulated whilst also keeping a tempo.

The film is rated 15 by the BBFC which implies that the film will contain a certain amount of mature themes such as gore and bad language deemed unacceptable for a child audience. This implies that the target audience is a teenage to middle aged graphic, or more specifically a male one due to the sci fi and action elements. However on the other hand there is also the premise to appeal to females in the form of comedy which is usually equally appealing to both sexes (other than Black Comedies that tend to attract male audiences). The Watch doesn't directly appeal to one audience though, as the film is clearly a hybrid of three genres: Action, Sci Fi and Comedy. It is this idiosyncrasy that appeals to lovers of both comedy AND action centred genres; there is also a cult following in the recently appearing hybrids of usually discordant themes, such as Cowboys and Aliens a hybrid of western and sci fi, that this film will aspire to captivate. The trailer focuses on familiarity and genre appeal yet the several genres blended together distinguishes this film from others in its category, if you exclude the British Attack The Block which has almost exactly the same plot but centres on a different class of people.