How Film Trailers Are used to Attract an Audience

The Chronicles of Narnia:
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe


(British)


Fantasy

In this trailer there are many aspects that are emphasised, for example the editing used is very precise as each clip smoothly cuts to the next to entice the audience to keep watching. At some parts of this trailer the director uses a jump cut so when the audience are focused on something, another shot is placed so they quickly focus on that for example at 1:57 to 2:09 of this trailer is that the shots move so fast that the audience feel a tension as the narrative develops from showing the characters at the beginning, to them being in a war thus developing the story to make the audience understand what's happening and keep them interested. The editing used is a fast pace montage sequence that works very well with the camera shots which is another aspect that is emphasised to connect with the audience and keep them watching, for example at the beginning of the trailer it shows a little boy walking in a wardrobe, and a point of view shot is used and this was because it helps the audience be in the position of the boy and see what he sees which gets the audience more involved as they identify with the character thus making the watch more. Other camera shots and camera movement that is an aspect which is emphasised is the use of crane shot used and this can be seen repeatedly throughout the trailer as it shows one aspect of the mise-en-scene which is the setting, and this was used to allow the audience to see the location of this trailer which shows not only the setting but also the characters for example at 1:28 it shows a wide shot of the setting but the characters are shown to emphasis the power of the protagonist, which is the white witch.

The genre of the trailer can be identify through the use of mise-en-scene for example the props that are used within this trailer can be seen as supernatural for example the magical potion that the little girl uses identifies the fictional narrative which then shows the fantasy genre. Other props that are used to see the fantasy genre is the use of props like swords, tents and the fire bow and arrow however other things that accompany props is the characters costumes for example the armour clothes that they wear during the war can be seen in ancient times which shows the genre of fantasy. The characters themselves identify the genre because the talking animals are things that would be seen in animations and by the director using them show a major aspect of the genre for the audience to quickly understand what the genre of the film is they will be watching. The sound is another aspect that can help identify the genre of this trailer for example the sound used in this trailer is very fast paced when the editing moves fast, for example at the beginning of the trailer there is a loud chime sound which keeps the audience focused, but as it continues the sound becomes faster as the editing becomes faster and this is used to have the audience focused and keep up with the narrative and within this trailer there is a sound bridge used for example before the lion is shown at the end we the audience can hear the raw which in a way tells the audience what to expect before seeing is. Other features of the genre of this trailer being established is through the use of narrative for example in most fantasy films there is usually a conflict between good and evil and in the film there is a conflict between the White Witch and Aslan which shows that the genre of this trailer is fantasy. With all these aspect shown the genre is easily identified.

From just looking at this trailer the target audience is very clear as the genre of the film stands out because of the mise-en-scene. From just looking and hearing at the trailer it seems as though that the main target audience would be children aged 7-12 and this is because aspects like the characters show that it's based for children and stars children as they are able to portray a magical world better than adult would. They would also be able to identify with the children characters and pretend to be like them, going on a magical quest. Other aspects that establish and identify the target audience from what I see is the colours used within this trailer, for example there are a lot of bright colours used which connotes adventure and happiness thus again showing the target audience being children.

The trailer shows that this film is worth seeing as it has many features that are suitable for the target audience for example the fast pace editing used help create energy which the audience prefer when this type of genre is used. It shows different elements of the trailer making it very exciting and understanding for the audience to acknowledge what happens in the film for example the different characters show like the talking animals and the land making it seem very fictional and fantasy which the whole family can enjoy to watch. The locations used in this trailer help accompany the camera work used to bring the characters to life and also set an enigma at parts of the film when the audience will ask what will happen next. As the trailer lasts 2:28 it gives more information but also lets the audience decide whether they want to watch the film or not, moreover it also allows them to see all the characters and determine whether they are people they like watching or not. The faster the editing becomes to more it entices the audience and make them want to watch more.

The conventions that are easily recognisable within this trailer are things like the montage used to create a face pace shot to entice the audience which keeps them watching, and the length of the trailer isn't that long because if it gets long people won't want to watch the film as the trailer has given to much away, but if its short and fast but at the same time gives a bit away it helps the audience understand the narrative. The institutional image and logo is another conventions that is recognised and has been placed to show the audience which company distributed the film for example some companies are good at producing and distributing horror, fantasy or action films and the target audience might see a institutional logo and want to what the film because they trust they distribute good films. The music used in another convention as it helps create an atmosphere for the audience to understand what mood the film is based upon e.g. in this trailer the mood set it more energetic because of the visual image which moves so fast that it doesn't really stay on for long to the audience to see what it is making it another convention along side the voice-over used to help show the narrative for example the first part of this trailer there is a voice over used by one of the characters talking about what will happen in the film but not giving away to much and this is used to allow the audience to understand what is happening. The use of dramatic angles help show different parts of the film and setting for example a lot of crane shot is used to show both the characters and setting to allow the audience to familiarise themseleves in the postition of the character by using shots like point of view shot. In this trailer the title is shown at the end of the film to allow the audience to see what happens and even try and work out what the film might be called if they are watching a TV advert, which is another convention which goes with the release date shown at the end of the film because it shows the audience when the film will be shown in local cinemas if they want to go and watch. Finally another convention that this trailer shows is the use of having the director and producers names at the end of the trailer which allows the audience to see if they know the director from other films they might have produced.

In conclusion the use of mise-en-scene, editing, sound and cinematography help film trailer attract the audience to watch the film and if any of these aspect were missing, it wouldn't appeal to the audience so much to watch the film.

Cinematography extracts from different era's

The Devil's Rain
(1975)

The Devil's Rain is a 1975 film directed by Robert Fuest and staring Ernest Borgnine. The beginning of this extract we can see that the first shot used was a medium shot which was used to interpret the difference between the characters accompanying the mise-en-scene. The characters positioning used was to convey a meaning of importance and the actors clothing helped create a narrative for the audience by using just one shot which also worked with the lighting which created shadows setting an enigma already. As the extract continues the camera movement was used to show the setting of the scene and a close up shot was also used to introduce other characters, however from 0:12 to 0:13 seconds of this extract there is a quick camera movement from one character to the other and this could signify that one character is more important the other. At this point the camera works with the lighting to help set an enigma and create suspense, for example at 0:15 to 0:18 of this extract the camera angle used is a low and high angle this was to show the difference between the characters i.e. a high angle shot was used when the camera show the man with the red cape as he looked down at people which can connote his power and superiority over his people, then at 0:18 a low angle shot was used to show the inferiority of the other man as he looked at to the man, which connotes his terror.

The clothing that the characters wore helped show the characters attributes for example the red cape the man wore would connote evilness and danger which helped linked with the typography of the Devil which now started to help the audience understand the narrative. As the extract continues the audience are able to see that there is a mixed shot used in this part of the scene because there is an object that shows people moving around and shouting and zooms up to their faces but the shot still remains a medium shot which is an good way to convey a message to the audience. As the extract finishes it the camera stays a medium shot which also shows the surrounding of the characters but the lighting still remains low key.

The Casino
(1995)

This is an extract from the film The Casino made in 1995 and created by Martin Scorsese and staring Robert De Niro as a mob-connected casino operator. In this extract the scene shown is of two men walking through a building and the camera movement there is a tracking movement as the camera follows the two men as they walk. The scene began with a crane shot moving in as the men walked to the room, while they were walking the camera followed them as a tracking shot from behind, which the developed into a pan camera movement and this might have been used to show other aspects of the mise-en-scene like the setting and other characters so the audience were able to familiarise them self into the characters shoes by identifying the characters emotions. When the camera was tracking with the two men from behind a long shot was used to show how the actors appeared which then moved onto a wide shot to show the setting and people within it this was because the audience can understand how the scene would have developed.

The lighting used in this extract was high key lighting and this was used to show the setting and other characters. The environment was very loud because other people were talking and this showed that diegetic sound was used to make it seem more lively. Althought at the beginning of this extract the lighting was very low key, and the lamp post was shinning down at the the two men which could indicate thier importance and power. At 1:01 of the extract the camera is positioned behind the characters to show that the camera was a thrid person watching from the side, however as they moved around it showed they were surrounding the man, thus again showing their might and power. At the end of this extract there is a clip a nun, and the camera shot used there was a medium shot, and this was to introduce the woman, but her surroundings weren't shown.

Key Differences

The key difference from these two extract is that the first extract was set in a dark area, which connoted evil and danger.

The second extract was in a bright loud area, with lots of characters which showed energy and excitement.

In the first extract there weren't a lot of camera movement, but the camera shots moved from one person to another.

There is a lot of camera movement because ther camera focused on the two men which showed a tracking movement.

In the first extract there were a lot of high and low angles used, to show the difference between the characters, e.g. superiority and inferiority.

There were more close up shots in the first extract, and more long shots in the second extract and this would be because it accompanied it's genre, for example in the first extract there were a lot of use close up shots which showed seriousness, and in the second extract there were long shots which connoted energy and excitement.

Summary

In conclusion the use of camera angles and movements help make the film more adaptable for the audience and it helps create the genre for the audience to understand, for example close up shots can make the genre a horror and long shots can make the film a action/adventure genre. From looking at these two extract I can see that cinematography has developed and change the way people lsee films, it has changed and become better. The directors use camera shots and movements to connect with the audience and make them move involved by using point of view shots, which helps the audience understand and identify the characters emotions. Overall in my opinion camera movement and shots help create and develop a film, it's the backbone of the film and plays a significant role in film making.

Analysis of 4 Film Stills - Camera Angles and their Effects

King Kong

King Kong is a 2005 remake of the 1933 film about a fictional giant ape called kong, which was directed by Peter Jackson. The main focus of the use of camera in this extract is a long wide shot which was used to create a suspenseful atmosphere. The directer used this shot to have a mixture of mise-en-scene as he showed the setting, lighting and characters. This was a clever shot to use because it was used to emphasize on the speriority of the creatures and how powerful they are compared to the human, which also created tension because it showed both the creatures as they faced each other. The positioning of the female character showed how inferior she was to the creatures, however as the audience isn't able to see the characters face to see her emotions, her body language was used to create terrifying situation.

The clever use of a mixture mise-en-scene allows the audience to understand the scene in more depth and acknowledge the main characters, by noticing the hero, villan and victim with the same shot. The shot also accompanies the mise-en-scene as the lighting helped emphasis on the characters as well as the use of other props like the smoke, which conveyed a strong and powerful meaning to the shot.

Superman Returns

This is a still image of the film Superman Returns created in 2006 which shows a life of a superhero. This image is a very powerful photo which shows different emotions and conveys a story to the audience. The positioning of the character works very well with lighting as it showed part of the earth being dark and other parts being light, which could connot day and night. The camera angle of this shot is seen to be a high shot of where the character is looking down at the earth which connots his powers and superiority over the world. Although there is a close up of the man but the use of a long shot was used to show the man's body and his surroundings. His facial expressions are not shown but his body language conveys a strong meaning of him being powerful and prevailing over the world. The use of shot in the image can automatically tell the audience the genre of this film, because there is an enigma of why the man is there it can show that the film is fantasy as the man is soaring over the earth which can entice the audience to watch what might happen next.

The lighting is also very noticeable in this image as as there is a spilt between dark and light which can connot immorality and goodness of his character. The mise-en-scene used in this shot was the actors' costume and the setting which helped show his male supremacy and control because the audience can see the "S" printed in his costume and see he is superman which explained why he was flying over the world.

The Royal Tenenbaums

This is the still image from the film The Royal Tenenbaums which was created in 2001. The first element of this shot the audience can see that the characters positioning are facing someone which shows the first shot as a point of view shot (POV), because someone is looking back at the character sitting in this position. The is a clear use of the mise-en-scene within this still image as the audience is able to see the characters facial expressions which shows that they are shocked like they have heard or see something disturbing thus the body language is shown to be very similar with each other. There is a medium shot of each character only showing half of thier body as the camera is able to fit them in, within one shot. The setting is very visible in this shot and it helps connote things like the wealh of the family as it looks like they are rich from looking at that expensive chandelier, this works with the lighting used in this shot as it appears to be high key lighting which helps the audience see the characters facial expressions. Other elements of mise-en-scene seen in this shot is the actors costumes, props and make-up.

The is an enigma set within this because the audience are wondering what is happening in this image and who the characters are looking at. Just from looking at this image the narrative is unclear because the audience aren't able to tell what is happening thus the genre is hard to tell also. However as the image only shows these four characters they are symbolized as significant people within this film.

The Matrix

This is a still image from the film The Matrix created in 1999 by the Wachowskil brothers. This shot is a reversed shot of two different shots used in one scene. The first shot used is an extreme close up of the man's face but mostly is glasses which then shows a reflection of another character of a medium shot showing two different images. One side of the camera shows the man taking a red pill, but on the other side of the image the man looking at the blue pill. This image can connote different meanings like the character may have two sides to his character like a good side which shows he doesn't take the blue pill, or there can be an evil side where her take the red pill which can also connote danger. The director used a clever shot to establish a point of view shot using a reflection, for example he showed the other man's as though her was looking at him which indicates is authority over him. There is not a lot of mise-en-scene shown in this image but the characters costume is shown and the lighting is ver low key which emphasises on the darkness that surrounds the man, thus connoting mystery.

The way that the director captured the man's glasses to show another image of a person was a very clever use of the camera and this would most certainly entice the audience to watch more.