Trailer analysis

I am going to compare two star wars trailer, Empire strikes back - 1980 and Revenge of the Sith - 2005. I will compare the codes and conventions of the two trailers and how they have changed over a period of years.

Star wars - empire strikes back
The trailer begins with the recognised star wars opening them with the blue colour star wars logo panning slowly closer to the screen with a galaxy/universe background. The trailer then flicks through two second shots from the film in a random order. The Trailer consistently refers back to the oncoming star wars logo each time it is closer to the screen. There is consistent digetic sound in time with the actions in the scene. The music is orchestral, traditional John Williams music. The shots consist of medium to close up to extreme long shots showing all the key characters and identifiable props such as lightsabres. The mise en scene is the most noticeable in the trailer as it identify the genre clearly being sci-fi.

Star wars - Revenge of the sith
The trailer begins with Advertisements such as luasfilm and 20th century which is a change in years passing as it shows a more modernised media institution. The music is orchestral however more slowly and quiet at the beginning, the main sound is the non digetic sound from the characters however only certain scenes show the lip sink to be in time. The mise en scene is also clearly shown through the trailer as there is clear view of lightsabres and spaceships. The storyline is more identifiable as it is narrated through the sound and relevant images. The trailer then flicks through two second shots from the movie. a lot more is revealed in this trailer than the first and the scenes contain a lot more action and cgi showing their is an improvement in film investment and the companies can afford to include these formats and also the twenty five year gap shows how cinema entertainment has dramatically improved. 

Magazine Analysis



Queer theory

The queer theory is a field of gender studies that emerged in the early 1990's out of the gay/lesbian studies and feminist studies. Although many believe that the queer theory is only about homosexual representations in literature, it also explores categories of gender as well as sexual orientation. It is not only concerned with sexuality but also with identity.

It sees gender as constructed socially to some extent through out association with the media. For example, gender stereotypes are conveyed clearly through the cartoon programme Scooby Doo:





Daphne wears make-up and feminine colours like purple and all these features represent a strongly feminine girly-woman

 On the other hand, Velma's square glasses, freckles, unstyled haircut and oversized/unfashionable orange jumper make her appear less feminine and attractive than Daphne. Could Velma be a stereotype of a cartoon lesbian? 

Fred is tall, well-muscled and well-dressed. He is typically handsome with a groomed haircut and clean-looking haircut. Fred is the typically attractive man that the typically attractive woman (like Daphne) would be paired with

Roland Barthes theory

Barthes is famous in media for suggesting that narratives work with five codes

The enigma code is the most famous as we use this to make guesses as to how the narrative of a film will finish, therefire providing pleasure for the audience. 

Hermeneutic Code
This is when parts of the story are not fully explained. They exist as enigmas or questions that the audience wishes to be resolved. Detective stories (e.g. Sherlock Holmes) have narratives that complies with this code - a criminal act is shown and the remainder of the narrative is devoted to answering questions raised by the initial event. 

In order to maintain interest, the final truth is not revealled until the end and some devices are used to conceal it:

The snare  

Partial answers 

Equivocation 

Proairetic Code
The proarietic code is a series of actions that imply further action/reaction. For example, a character may have an argument and the audience wonders what the resolution or outcome of this argument will be. This creates suspense and tension as the audience wonders what the outcome will be and begin to make their own guesses.

Strauss Theory

Strauss argues that meaning in narratives is based upon binary opposites (conflicts). He was less interested in the arrangement (or syntagmatic)  of the narrative (or order) and more in the deeper meaning (or paradigmatic) of the themes.

Examples of Binary Opposition
man vs. woman
science vs. nature
good vs. evil
earth vs. space

Propp's Theory

In Propp's theory, he examined hundreds of folk tales and concluded that a formula was commonplace, including:

8 character roles or spheres of action (character and action being inseperable)

31 functions, always highly predictable such as villain being punished at end of story

Character Roles

The villain - represents evil and struggles against the hero (e.g. the Joker in The Dark Knight)

The dispatcher - character who makes the problem in the narrative known and sends the hero on his way (e.g. Commissioner Gordon in The Dark Knight)  

The helper - helps the hero in his quest (e.g. Alfred in The Dark Knight)

The princess/heroine - the hero deserves her throughout the story but is unable to marry her because of an unfair evil, usually because of the villain. The hero's journey is often ended when he marries the princess, thereby beating the villain (e.g. Rachel in The Dark Knight) 

Her father - often rewards the hero with the princess/heroine (e.g. The Sultan in Aladdin) 

The donor - prepares the hero or gives the hero some magical object to help him in his quest (e.g. Lucius Fox in The Dark Knight) 

The hero - the centrail protagonist who leads the way in the narrative (e.g. Bruce Wayne/Batman in The Dark Knight)  

False hero - takes credit for the hero’s actions, is usually good looking and is often actually a coward (e.g. Harvey Dent in The Dark Knight)

Codes and Conventions

The codes and conventions of trailers are about pulling in the audience to inform them on what a film is about. They will consist of selected short clips that will give away parts of what the film is about, this is meant to entice as the audience will want to see more. The shorter the clips, the more the film is desired to be seen and the audience will want to see more of what is happening. Unexpected twists in the movie will not be shown as you don't want to give too much away and what the audience to keep guessing. The limit for trailers are normally 2:30 minutes that was issued by the MPAA, sometimes trailers may run over this but this is very rare. On most trailers, music will play in the background to set the tone and ensure that it matches with the plot of the story.

Several points that trailers should achieve are:

Generate interest in the film

Show off the stars of the film

Show the film to its best advantage

Create excitement

Tell people what the film is about, e.g. the genre

Not give too much of the plot away

Tease the audience by setting up narrative enigmas

Showcase some of the best bits of the film

Give details about the production team.

Since my group will be doing a thriller/horror film, I will focus on the codes and conventions of that genre's trailer. Generally they will set up a premise or situation which leave the audience intrigued and wanting to know more. You want the audience to be asking questions about the characters like what happened to them and invoke the audiences worst fears to make it an interesting plot. There are several different fears that would captivate the audience in a film like fear of death, nightmares, vulnerability, alienation, revulsions, terror of the unknown and loss of identity.

Uses and Gratification theory

 5 reasons why people may engage with the media

1) Escape from reality (film)

2) Relate to others/characters (soap)

3) Entertainment (drama/comedy)

4) Informed and educated (news/documentary)

5) Socialise with others (Facebook/popular series)

Blumler and Katz

Uses and Gratifications Theory is a popular approach to understanding mass communication. The theory places more focus on the consumer, or audience, instead of the actual message itself by asking “what people do with media” rather than “what media does to people” (Katz, 1959) . It assumes that members of the audience are not passive but take an active role in interpreting and integrating media into their own lives. The theory also holds that audiences are responsible for choosing media to meet their needs. The approach suggests that people use the media to fulfill specific gratifications. This theory would then imply that the media compete against other information sources for viewers' gratification.

The theorists say that a media user seeks out a media source that best fulfils the needs of the user. Uses and gratifications assume that the user has alternate choices to satisfy their need.

Blumler seems to envision a marriage between cultural studies and the Uses and Gratifications approach, but he is not clear on what terms. Instead of asking "What are your reasons for watching this programme?." Blumler would ask "What about it do you find true to life?" or "What picture of the world does it seem to convey?" (Blumler, 1979).

History of trailers

The first trailer was shown in a U.S. movie theatre in November 1913, when Nils Granlund, the advertising manager for the Marcus Loew theatre chain, produced a short promotional film for the musical ‘The Pleasure Seekers’ Granlund was also first to introduce trailer material for an upcoming motion picture, using a slide technique to promote an upcoming film featuring Charlie Chaplin at Loew's Seventh Avenue Theatre in Harlem in 1914. In the early 1960s, the face of motion picture trailers changed. Textless, montage trailers and quick-editing became popular, largely due to the arrival of the "new Hollywood" and techniques that were becoming increasingly popular in television. Among the trend setters were Stanley Kubrick with his montage trailers for Lolita, Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb, and 2001: A Space Odyssey. Today, longer, more elaborate trailers and commercial advertisements have replaced other forms of pre-feature entertainment and in major multiplex chains, about the first twenty minutes after the posted show time is devoted to trailers.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5kWr9e4JN5I

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mObK5XD8udk

Pitch Script

Script

Danny: We have decided to base our film on the classic fairy-tale Hansel and Gretel

Becky: However our take on the story will be slightly different with a modern thriller twist. This gives a new take on the story which will appeal to many demographics.

(show poster)

Joe: We have chosen to keep the name of the film the same as the original story as we did not want to detract from the classic title which is known throughout the world.

Alex: The plot for our film does not remove itself from the tale however we have introduced more modern problems to the story a troubled marriage for example between the parents. Also the Witch has been altered to a more realistic character without the gingerbread house etc.

Danny: It starts with the children running away from home due to the step mother who has just moved in with the father after their mother’s death. They come across a house quite different to their own. Intrigued they decide to have a closer look which leads to chilling consequences.

(Take through storyboards)

Becky:  The part of Hansel and Gretel will be played by John Appleby and Lucy Cashman. Two very well-known and professional leads.

Joe: The parts of the step-mother and the Father will be played by Eleanor Loftus and Danny McDonald who have both recently been in big Hollywood films such as “The secret”.

Alex: Ashley Gallagher will play the part of the “Witch” This is her first role in a film as she has been working in the theatre for the past few years.

Danny: This film is a great chance to bring back a classic childrens story into the lime light and get it into the public once again.