Target Audience

My Target Audience Profile

I think the general age of my film audience would be about 18; young adults, as i think because of the scene's with dead bodies and the genre of the film, it would be rated at an 18. I think more guys then girls would watch it so i'll say it is more of a male target audience. I think my film appeals to people who liked to be scared; people who like films to relate to their way of life - scaring them because of the real life situation. I think it would also appeal to people who like a mystery in their films; who like to be challenged by the plot.

Development of Ideas, Planning Storyboard

Start:

-black screen, voiceover of news presenter telling of deaths of people in the town
maybe mix of voices? different channels?
have credits appearing on screen during. Production company, director? widely known director.
soft music starts, very quietly in background to create atmosphere
-Medium close up of lead, staring down looking shocked
-Over the shoulder shot of chalk outline, slight high angle
-close up of face turning toward camera and around, camera follows direction
sound of sirens going past, fade out at same time
-medium close up of walking back down the road
voice over of whispering, cant distinguish words
-Lead stops, spins around, camera pans in opposite directions,
-fades out, music gets louder and angrier
maybe text here, black screen?
-close up of hand holding phone, receiving unknown text
-close up of face staring down, scared
diegetic sound of creak/bang? stay in close up, lead jumps and looks toward it.
-black screen with text again
-long shot, looking down stairs, POV shot of stairs/ low angle camera looking up at lead,
'No!' voiceover, quick blackout
-fast shots, quick transitions of running down the road, looking back continuously
(mixture of long shots from behind, lead running toward camera in front, tracking, medium close up on turning)
loud panicky music, diegetic of feet/breath
-diegetic bang of door
close up of face, sliding to floor, blurring faces together
cross edit thing to close up of face crying/scared
-fade to black quickly, flash back in, bright sunlight
cut to over the shoulder shot walking down busy street
no diegetic sound, just angry music
-blurred POV shots, idea that he's looking around frantically,
-slows of medium shots of people either side glaring, evil looking
-SOMETHING HERE
-cut to field long shot, low angle up at him, panning around as he turns in the other direction
-close ups of face still turning
voiceover 'What's happening to me?!' (not said in close up, viewers don't see him talking
-POV long shots of bodies lying all around on the ground
-quick flash transitions cuts to medium long shots of two bodies
-extreme long shot, seeing boy panic looking around (no bodies)
-voiceover of boy 'No!' music stops suddenly
black screen, release date, voiceover of whispering maybe more understandable words?

End

Idea's for Plot

Here is the step-by-step thinking toward my idea for a plot:

Psychological thriller!

Girl/boy has something going on in head
What?! Not predictable!!

Someone makes her feel insane? Controls?
Gives drugs which make it worse?


Schizophrenia ? voices tell him to do bad things
he doesn’t remember it, hears about it

Viewers don’t know its him until the end – not in trailer
They see his fear and worry
He thinks he’s being stalked

Voice over of the voice whispering – don’t make it obvious!
Cuts of boy thinking she hears/see’s someone around her
In house, creaking? On dark streets looking behind hearing footsteps, running. Slamming door back against it.
Voice over of boys panic
lots of close ups of face expression
friends being killed?

Jones’s house, staircase, box rooms, apartment!
Boy – challenge masculine stereotype – really scared

Target audience? Male and female. Age range?
Dark mirror trailer – simple shots
Main character -
Type? Do I need words? Yes, a small amount to create more fear; anticipation
dont make them cheesy, something relevant to scenes

props: use phone; increases stalked fear, gets unnamed threatening texts
soundtrack: starts slow, soft, gets angry as he gets more scared

Start:
Voiceover of newspresenter telling of deaths
Soft music which gets fast, angry
Shot of boy looking at chalk body outline?
Possible police cars going past
Hears whispering then starts getting paranoid
shot showing him getting text
Shots of creaking in house
Looking behind self on roads
another text
Running and slamming back against door
‘whats happening to me’ people staring at him in street
running, head spinning – camera panning about, pov shots mixed in
see’s ‘bodies’ on ground, not there when camera looks
looks at phone - no texts
‘No!’ shout from boy
music stops
Ends in voiceover of whispering voice telling him to kill people

Presentation of One Trailer

I chose 'Paranormal Activity 2' as the trailer I wanted to present to the class. I thought it was a good example of a teaser in the suspense/thriller genre.
Here is the trailer, embedded from youtube.com:



And here is my presentation in powerpoint form:

Paranormal activity 2

View more presentations from tiakerby.

Psychological thrillers

Now that I have decided to do a Psychological Thriller genre of film for my teaser trailer, I needed to do some research into what conventions other trailers of the same genre include. Here are some that I have found:

Conventions of a Physchological Thriller Film:
- Normally they relate to people and their everyday lives - which makes it scarier
- Emphasis is more on characters than plot as opposed to Thrillers
- Danger is shown more on a mental level than physical
- The Narrative is normal confusing; viewers don't know what is real and what is not.
- Often comes from two or more characters preying upon one another's minds

Conventions of a Physchological Thriller Trailer:
- The music is a strong indicator of the genre
- They usually use quick shots/scenes to make viewers confused
- The scenes are mixed up; the plot isn't in order
- The transitions are quick or they fade to black making it seem more ominous

Focusing on One Genre

Looking at all of the different genres made me want to try and create my trailer in any one of them. But I have to consider the options realistic to me and my situation. This being, i have a camera; have to film in an easily accessible location with as many actors as are willing to volunteer. By the time I start filming, it will be winter and quite dark very early.

With these options I have decided to do a sort of psychological thriller teaser trailer.

Knowing this I decided to do more research, this time focusing on that genre of film. Here are 5 teaser trailers of popular Psychological Thrillers. I looked at a lot of these trailers so that I could find out if there was a difference between the different genre of films and whether there are any particular conventions of this genre. They are also good for inspiration; I can take idea's from these trailers for transitions or titles or anything.



The beginning of the clip begins quite straight forward, showing clips of the start of the film. As viewers watch, the trailer becomes more confusing, asking then answering its own questions but leaving most unanswered. It shows fast montage sequences which viewers cant make out and shocks them with some of the clips which contrast with the norm at the start of the trailer. It gives viewers the general idea of the plot, seeming to give away quite a bit whilst really only giving a taste of the film. As the monatge grows quicker toward the end of the trailer, viewers can see it showing scenes from all different parts of the film, not showing them in the correct order, but mixing them together in a confusing pattern of scenes.
The genre of the film is established early on in the trailer. The very first clip fades into black within the first 2 seconds and works with the soundtrack to create a warning vibe straight away. The edited clips that look like a mixture between water and fire help to emphasise this by the soundtrack. It sounds like the wind blowing a chime but it creates a foreboding effect as it sounds ghostly. The soundtrack and the transitions basically establish the genre in this trailer - the use of fading to black and flashes suggests quick action and reactions necessary, making it overwhelming and scary. I don't think the text helps to establish the genre, it is pretty plain, its objective only to give viewers a message. The text is white and the font simple. The shots are only ever 3 seconds or shorter long, giving the trailer a disjointed feel which makes it seem a bit scarier.









All of these trailers use text heavily to present the tale. They show clips that give nothing away of the plot and they mostly show a big montage. The Blair Witch Project was a bit different, showing/playing a single scene throughout the trailer whilst putting text on the screen for viewers to to look at. Inception actually shows very few action scenes, focusing mostly on the lead actor and the special effects, identifiable to the film. I fount that interesting and it is something I will think about within my own ideas.



This is actually the theatrical trailer of this film but I wanted to include one to show the difference between the two trailers of the same genre. I wanted to see what a theatrical trailer does differently to a teaser and I thought it could still provide inspiration.

Teaser Trailers - Exploring Genres

Here are some of the teaser trailers that I have looked at whilst researching; I tried to find at least one for each genre of film. I have posted notes underneath each trailer and have bolded the notes that are typical to what a teaser trailer is supposed to be like.



The Da Vinci code
- revealed nothing of the story line
- showed no actors or characters
- it showed the date of release
- named leading cast and director and co
- lasted 2:03 minutes
'Mystery Detective'

The music that starts off this trailer instantly creates a kind of eerie, religious feel to it. It made me think of old churches and myths which is quite relevant to the film. This then combines with the fact that viewers don't really know what is going on, they are being shown an aerial shot of cracks in the floor. It creates an ambiguous vibe. The next very strong indicator of it's genre, is the script on the cave walls. The fact that viewers appear to be looking through caves creates a mysterious, 'anything can happen' feel which is associated with this genre of film. The old-fashioned script on the walls creates a feeling of age and secrecy. The voice over on the trailer has quite a male, deep voiced, foreboding sound which when combined with the words being spoken increases the old secretive feel to the scene and adds a little extra threat to it. When the camera zooms out and the painting of the Mona Lisa is revealed to viewers, the idea that the film has something to solve; something to find is strongly emphasised to the audience It then carries on by breaking up the painting into many different pieces and forming words using the pieces, building up to the big title which is created in the same way just a bit more dramatic. The lead actors are then listed indicating that they are trying to help sell the film through their celebrity. In terms of transitions, there isn't any. The whole trailer is made up of one long continuous shot.



The Banned Spider-man Trailer
- created a small story line not featured in the film, just for the purpose of the trailer
- showed rough release date (month, year)
- didn't name actors or directors
- showed main character and no other leads
- lasted 1:52 minutes
'Action'

The genre of this film is made very obvious by the plot of the teaser trailer. It shows a gang of men robbing a bank, using guns , sliding down ropes and trying to make a getaway in a helicopter. The helicopter was then pulled backward through the air into a huge spider web strung between the two towers. From this viewers can conclude that the film advertised wasn't a horror or a romance. The music used is quite rocky with electric guitars and drums used heavily. This emphasises the action genre effect by making it sound fast paced and full of energy. The lines spoken by the actors were all very stereotyped sayings 'Go, Go, Go' and 'Clear!' all make the film sound like it is full of action. The iconography of the spider web and costume are very well used, creating an excitement about the film so that even if viewers didn't realize what was being shown, they knew instantly from that. The font used on the title at the end is very solid, but curved slightly perhaps showing the softness of the superhero, showing that it isn't a hardcore action film. The transitions were all very quick, nothing fancy until the cross dissolve in the last shot of the towers. This shows how fast paced the movie is supposed to be; how 'action' packed it is. They used close ups and POV shots of the CCTV screens which i thought was effective and helped make it seem more realistic. A lot of high and low angles were used at various points in the trailer making the figures seem in charge and powerful, until the end when it has the opposite effect.



Paranormal Activity 2
- short, only 1:08 minutes
- didn't show any kind of storyline
- didn't show any actors/directors
- doesn't state when it is to be released
- 'hooks' viewers enough to get them wanting to see the film - ideal teaser
- lives up to genre - 'Horror/Suspense'

The flickers of the TV screen and the thumping of heavy footsteps at the beginning of the trailer were quite useful in establishing the genre of the film. Although those features on their own don't necessarily say 'horror/suspense' to viewers, they immediately draw attention, so that viewers are concentrating fully when the body is thrown at the camera. The black screen at the beginning and the low key lighting in the room are strong indicators of the genre as well as the obvious violence and shock involved in the camera being hit. The utter silence of the trailer excusing the ambient noises of the scene helps create an atmosphere of suspense. This is broken only by the sound of wind edited over the scene which emphasises the silence of it - as if thetas the only thing to be heard. The text used is plain and unadorned, its purpose being only to talk to the audience; the title is the only part with meaning - the text glows slightly on the black background making it seem literally 'Paranormal'. The fact that the film is set in an average family home; in a normal house, is what makes the trailer effectively scary because it is familiar to viewers, its something they could imagine happening to them. A section of the trailer shows an audience watching the film and reacting to it - this is also something recognisable to the audience, something they could relate to, making it seem scarier again. The shots that show the house with nothing unusual happening seem longer in length than the ones with the paranormal. They did this I think to create tension and so that they don't give away to much of what happens. The transitions used are mostly the television flickers with the buzz of the static. This creates a big brother kind of effect, of catching someone else which emphasises the established genre and makes it seem scarier to the audience.



Twilight
- short, only 59 seconds
- shows the date of release
- doesn't give away main plot
- popular book, shows a 'tease' of what viewers wanted
'Fantasy Romance'

The soundtrack is the first thing that suggests to viewers the genre of the film. It is quite a gentle tune which creates a feeling of anticipation with its spacey vibes. The use of piano encourages viewers to think it a romantic genre as it is quite soft and not scary like it would be for horror or rocky for action. In regards to what is actually shown in the trailer, the plot isn't given away at all. They show enough to interest viewers and tell them the USP (unique selling point) of the film. They tell viewers that the lead character and his family/friends are different from other people and that the lead girl is getting too close for her own good - the action of the film isn't revealed at all. The four seconds between 14 and 18 seconds shows viewers the fantasy side of the genre as it is all fast paced, short shots and weird happenings. During that section the music changes and almost seems more suited to a horror film with distorted screams and sharp sounds of movement - it emphasises the 'fantasy' genre. The text used is very specific to the genre - it is in an old fashioned sort of font and as viewers watch it flashes with light that moves through the letters. The lines actually shown encourage viewers to think of romance as 'forever' is a stereotyped romantic notion; fantasy being introduced as well by what is described. That then fades out into a person flying through the air - if it wasn't obvious to viewers what the genre was by then, it would be now. The shots showing a romantic or deep scene tended to be longer and more tension filled. The ones showing the fantasy side of the film - things that show it isn't an average love story - tended to be shorter, faster and used flashes for transitions. The music changed a lot throughout the trailer but stayed eerie and almost sinister continuously; when fast action scenes are shown, bell like music and screams are used quickly at each transition.



American Wedding
- 1:45 minutes
- Doesn't show date of release
- only shows what is already suggested in the title, entire story not revealed
- shows genre strongly, without giving away all jokes
- shows main characters
'Comedy'

Apart from showing an obvious scene in the trailer for this film, the main plot of the story isn't revealed to viewers. It cuts to a few 'comedic' shots afterwards, in medium shots, where some of the main characters say a funny line - this tells the audience what the genre is. It starts off not being very obvious what the film or the genre is. The voice over hints at the genre to the viewers because of the way the lines are being spoken; like they are imitating a presenter in a really exaggerated theatrical way. The marriage proposal scene is then shown, cutting the best lines into it - this instantly tells viewers firstly the genre because of the fact that it gets people laughing and secondly, reputation should proceed the film, so that viewers should have guessed the sequence of films it is from. The text used doesn't really do anything to indicate the genre as it isn't necessary - viewers already know, so it is pretty simple, fitting in with the wedding vibe - looking like a script for invitations. The sound track is quite bouncy and uplifting, keeping up with the high spirits of the film and scenes shown. The entire trailer is focused on this one scene with only a couple of very short shots seen in a different part of the film. This however still doesn't give anything away. The stamped 'American Wedding' sign at the end is recognisable to the film and the previous ones before it, designed to carry that reputation onto the film advertised. The transitions used are mainly quick fades , the focus being mainly on the scene.

Other Film Genres include:
- Adventure
- Crime
- War
- Drama
- Epics
- Musicals
- Sci-Fi
- Western

Trailers

To start my project I need to do some research into trailers, so that I know what I'm doing exactly. I need to find out the difference between the different trailers and their conventions. I need to find out what a teaser trailer is and what it does exactly. This will help me when I am creating my own. There are three different types of teaser trailers that I am going to look into and show examples of. They are Theatrical Trailers, Teaser Trailers and TV Spots.

Teaser Trailers:
- Teaser trailers are short trailers used to adverise upcoming films, TV programmes, video games or products.
- They are made simply to infrom the audience that the film is coming up soon and to build up the hype of its release.
- Usually they don't show any kind of storyline, they show the unique selling points, e.g. famous actors; directors.
- They are very short trailers; between 30 and 60 seconds.
- One of the reasons for the name 'teaser' is because they are shown usually a long time (one or more years) before the movie comes out, so as to 'tease' the audience.
- Many teaser trailers are similar to TV spots, except that they appear in movie theatres.

Here is an example of what I think is a good teaser trailer:



This trailer is a actually a very good example of a teaser trailer as it shows a completely irrelevant story from the plot of the film. It does however state the release date which isn't conventional of a teaser. I got most of my Teaser information off of http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Teaser_trailer

Theatrical Trailers:
- Typical theatrical trailers are longer than teasers. They have to be less than two and a half minutes.
- The term "trailer" comes from their having originally been shown at the end of a film screening; it is now shown before.
- The purpose of the trailer is to attract an audience to the film - The same as teasers.
- The scenes in the trailers are usually drawn from the most exciting, funny, or noteworthy parts of the film but shortened so as to avoid spoiling the plot.
- Scenes aren't necessarily in the order in which they appear in the film.

Here is an example of a theatrical trailer for the same movie as the teaser:



The difference between the two trailers is noticeable. The trailer is a lot longer than the teaser and it contains details on the actual plot of the movie. I got most of my Trailer information off of http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theatrical_trailer

TV Spot

- The vast majority of television advertisements today consist of brief advertising spots
- ranging in length from a few seconds to several minutes
- of this sort have been used to sell every product imaginable over the years, from goods and services to political campaigns
- Many feature catchy songs or catch-phrases
- TV spots often use humor as a tool in their advertisments.
- Animation is often used in advertisements. By using animated characters, an advertisement may have a certain appeal that is difficult to achieve with actors or mere product displays.



It will cost institutions more money to create teasers along with theatrical trailers which is one of the reasons why they are normally only made for big-budget, popular films. In the same way, it would only be the big hollywood comglomerates that make them as small independant companies wouldn't have the money needed. However, with the recent development of digital technology it has made teasers easier to distribute online and with a cheaper cost than it would be before a film screening at the cinemas. Production companies can exhibit teasers and trailers for free using www.youtube.com and other websites; again making it easier to distbute trailers.

I got most my information on TV Spots off of http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TV_spot

Advanced Production A2

For our Coursework portfolio this year we were given the option of making either a music video or a film teaser trailer. I chose to make a teaser trailer because I think the experience will help me in future ventures.I will be using this blog to record all of my research and the development of my trailer.
I will start off my defining the term 'Teaser trailer' and the history surrounding it. I will then research on www.youtube.com other teaser trailers created for big movies. This will help me understand my task and decide on the genre of my own trailer.