Codes And Conventions Of Film Trailers

Film Trailer CAC from Nellski13

Music Selection

Music in relation to trailers and teasers is important as it must link in with the genre or genres as well as fitting in with the scenes. Due to choosing a hybrid genre (Crime Action Thriller) the music will need to fit in with violence as well as creating a sense of tension to leave the audience in suspense and make them want to see the film. Within our group we discussed possible songs which could work.

Everything in its Right Place by Radiohead
This is very fitting for the theme of the film as it has a dark, yet ambient feel to it. Also the music relates to a feel we are going for in trying is lulling the audience into a false sense of security. It also is slow paced which if used would be used at the beginning of the trailer, linking in with the codes and conventions in relation to our trailer, starting of slow then speeding up.

Keyboard Milk by Royksopp

This song has slightly a more energetic feel to it. It also fits in with the the codes and conventions of the trailer. It starts of slowly building up and then becomes pacey which could work very well with fight scenes. The pace at the beginning also builds tension without having to change the music to a different track due to its pace increasing as the music goes on. Overall this is a top selection for the music purely due to it starting of slow and building up in pace which fits in perfectly with the codes and conventions of the trailer.

Block Rockin Beats by The Chemical Brothers

This piece in particular would be used during the action packed part of the trailer due to its pace. The music would be commonly found in action films as it has that sound which would be associated with action. Also it would fit in well with the chase scenes which we will be filming. Overall it could be a good option when editing the fight scenes and chase scenes in our trailer. If used it could only be used for a small part of the trailer.

Sun Child by Cassius

This song in particular is very similar to some of the music in the film “Drive” which was partly the inspiration to our film in the context of action. The music is very similar to the opening song in Drive, therefore it would be a good choice for the start of the trailer as it is a slow paced song, but at the same time creating tension. If used it could only be used for a small part of the trailer and would mean having to make a cut and switching to a more fast paced song as the trailer goes on.

Jasmine by Jai Paul

This song is a slow paced song which if used would be used at the start of the start of the trailer due to its pace. The song in particular has a powerful bassline which would build tension as well as it having slight haunting vocals which would fit in with the mood. If used it could only be used for a small part of the trailer and would mean having to make a cut and switching to a more fast paced song as the trailer goes on.

'Cadillac Dreams' by Birdy Nam Nam
This song has a very chilled yet powerful feel to the song. It has the same beat throughout making it necessary for the trailer seeing as it has that certain repetitiveness to it. Overall the pace is slow which means it would only be able to be used at the start of trailer or it would be breaking the codes and conventions of the trailer genre if it was used towards the end.

Cockney Thug (Caspa Remix) by Rusko
only a few seconds of this song would be used most likely between 0:32 and 0:42 as they contain a sample which we would be interested in using as it has a certain shock factor to it and it would be a good transition to use to change the music if need be in the trailer.

Canon by Justice

This piece in particular is at a fast pace which means in terms of use for this trailer would be used at the middle and the end. The song would fit in well with action scenes due to its pace and feel to the song. This song also shows similarities to some of the music used in “Drive”.

Overall from looking into music choices we have a strong selection to choose from which will be helpful once we have finished filming to see which music fits in well with parts such as the action parts e.g fighting and the more calm parts at the beginning e.g walking 

Characters and Profiles

Jason Dyer-
Played by Tom Nelson

Jason Dyer is one of the two main characters that features throughout the film. He is the typical cockney character and shows similar traits to existing actors such as Jason Statham in terms of accent as well as role which is being played. Characteristics which he shows is being an aggressive and violent man. What makes him so identifiable is his iconic jacket which he wears, which has a similar feel to. Overall his character is purely a hitman who assists the second main character Rory Mcbride. Dyer is also a very unpleasant man which is in total contrast to Rory Mcbride who is seen more of a weak and untidy man.

Rory Macbride-
Played by Joe Inns

Rory is the second main character who is the one which is involved in the gambling fix which causes him to lose everything he has. Rory then turns to Jason Dyer (1st Main character) who assists him in tracking down and killing those who have played a role in making him loose his money. Mcbride at the start is shown as a weaker character in contrast to Jason Dyer who is a strong confident figure. However throughout the film he begins to show signs of being a stronger figure due to being around Dyer. His clothes are seen to change quite often, and tend to be a rugged, scruffy style including a beanie hat and a Harrington jacket accompanied with his long messy hair. In a sense Mcbride is seen as Dyer’s sidekick who shapes into a stronger character as the film goes on.

Barry Bright-

Played by Micah Hills 

Barry Bright is seen as more of a secondary character but still has an important roll within the story and film. He is seen as the main leader. He will feature in the film commonly mainly within the poker scenes but also will feature in chases which will be more towards the end of the film. Due to him being the most popular target on Dyer’s list he will be the last to be caught.

Sam Williams-

Played by Alex Fox

Seen to be a black market dealer and gambler who is thought to have stolen the money that the film is centered around. He, like Barry Bright is seen as another character who is included on Dyer’s list who is then tracked down by Mcbride and Dyer. He will be a character that is seen at the beginning and then finally caught by an on foot chase by Dyer.

James Bowen-

Played by Stan Pugh 

James is seen more of a crook and a henchman character who gets into a lot of fight scenes He also features on Dyer’s list and keeps reappearing throughout the film commonly in fight scenes but also seen with others who are featured on the list. He is finally caught at the end of the film just before Barry Bright where he is killed instantly in a gunfight.

David Wilkins-
Played by Mark Rowland

Owner of the warehouses that the gambling match takes place in, he is a profound and frequent gambler who has a hired bouncer for protection as well as to show off his authority. He also is on the hunt for Williams as he walso is on the hunt for Williams as he wants the money.

Bouncer-
Played by Dom Williams

The bouncer is seen as the property of David and is a large, strong character who doesn’t tolerate anything. He, like Dyer is also very violent and is commonly seen throughout the film with metal bars as well as physically throwing people to the ground, Including Dyer. We never see this character die due to his power.

Extras- (Seen in poker scenes and in various parts of the film)

Christian Turner

Joe Dunkerley

Location Selection

These Images below are locations which we went out and found to use for our film. We wanted to select locations which have a gritty urbanised feel to them. We also went for a church which also showed a contrast between the other urbanised locations.

Costume Selection For Film Trailer

Jason Dyer

Dyers costume has a typical hard man , basic look to it. The inspiration of wearing a jacket came from Drive, As Ryan Gosling is well known and seen wearing the iconic jacket throughout the film. For Jason Dyer we decided to do a similar thing and have him wearing a jacket which wasn’t a bright colour but still gave him an iconic look which he would possibly cause him to be remembered by. Dyer also wears another jacket, however this is an adidas tracksuit jacket which is worn by the character casually. The brown jacket is a jacket which is worn when dealing with the people listed on the list, Which again is similar to drive as throughout the film he also wears other jackets such as a casual denim jacket.In terms of other clothing we decided to have him wearing plain/pastel colours. For example tshirts worn throughout all are plain colours such as a burgundy tshirt and a navy tshirt. For trousers again we wanted a to achieve a simple look as well as trying to achieve a serious approach to the costume. For this we chose simple black skinny jeans which were accompanied by adidas trainers which again have a basic look to them as well as looking worn and dirty. However we did change shoes for certain scenes but were still a sports based shoe.The second pair of shoes are a pair of New Balance trainers which were clean, which would reflect on the success of the killings throughout the film.

Rory Macbride

Rory’s costume was also a basic clothed character, mainly due to the fact of his gambling issues and troubles. His clothes are seen to change quite often, every couple of scenes. The colours worn by Rory are again similar to Jason Dyers character. The connection between the hair, hat and jumpers show that Rory has a rugged almost pitiable look. Also what reflects the poorness of Rory’s character is the really worn out trainers which hes wears, there appearance are grubby as well as old looking. He also wears black jeans which are a simple plain item for the costume which reflects the character in general.

Film Exhibition

The first moving picture was shot in Leeds by Louis Le Prince in 1888 and the first moving pictures developed on celluloid film were made in Hyde Park, London in 1889 by William Friese Greene. In the early years of Cinema in Britain, films were all silent and meant the use of music was created by a organist who would improvise the music in relation to the mood of the scene as well as facial expressions made by the actors. By the 1920s, some cinemas even had live full orchestras playing the music until 1927 when fully synchronised sound arrived. By the time synchronised sound was brought in British cinemas half of Britain's population went to the cinema at least once a week. Alongside the main film, audiences would also watch ‘B’ pictures and newsreels as well as experiencing live entertainment on the stage. In total this combined with the film itself lasted for approximately four hours. By 1939 there were around 5500 cinemas around the UK, this meant more people could experience going to see a film, which led to the highest cinema attendance in Britain in 1946. The cinemas themselves varied in size but the majority looked like the classic theatre where people would go see dramatics productions including an upper level as well as a lower level. After this however it dipped in popularity in 1951. By the 60s cinema popularity fell to a low of 75%. After the 50s the popularity of cinema declined each year. 

Post War Poverty 
In 1947-1948, US film distributors boycotted Britain because the government proposed putting a high import duty on imported films. Due to this British cinemas had to fall back on old and poor quality films. Cinema audiences never recovered. Entertainment tax went up; audiences couldn’t afford to go to cinemas and prices of tickets increased as well as money and labour, which was channelled into house-building due to devastation of the war. Very little left available for repairing cinemas. Progressing forward from the war the 1980s played a large factor in British Cinema. Firstly, Video hire was a further blow to the cinema. There were less than 1000 cinemas open in Britain around in about 1985. Apart from that it had a slight increase. In 1985 there was a large increase of “Multi Plex” cinemas which could show more films due to it having 6+ screens to show the films on. Also the multiplex cinemas meant more people could see films due to the increase in screens. Since when film first started the technology had improved dramatically, with films now featuring film now being digital as well as surround sound and some films even being shown in 3D. However today ticket pricing for films have increased largely this also is due to films being in 3D.

Feedback From Peers About Film Pitch

After presenting the presentation to our class members we selected three of the students to give us some feedback on various questions

Film Pitch

Film Pitch A2 Media from Nellski13

Codes And Conventions Of an Action Crime Thriller

Our film trailer idea will be a hybrid genre which will consist of codes and conventions from an action film, thriller film and a crime film. From researching the codes and conventions of these genres we will then take codes and conventions and try and use them within our film.

Action Film Codes & Conventions:

·         12/15 certificate, maximising youth audiences

·         Often hybridised with other genres

·         Major Hollywood studio produced and distributed

·         High production values including CGI FX. Fast paced editing

·         Classic Hollywood 3 act narrative structure

·         Predictable chain of events – cause and effect

·         Single stranded, linear, closed narrative

·         Dramatic non-diegetic sound

·         More narrative action codes than enigma codes

·         Clear binary oppositions

·         Star Marketing: Audience identification/expectations – typical actors associated with the genre

·         Relationships with new technology (youth audiences)

·         Use of close up/Insert shots/High Key Lighting

·         Dominant representation of gender

Thriller Film Codes & Conventions:

·   12/18 certificate

•       Often hybridised with other genres
•       A mixed production genre independent as well as some Hollywood studio production
•       Some use of CGI FX, fast editing as well of use of slow mo
•        Usually have twist (not always complying to the typical Hollywood 3 narrative structure)
•        Predictable chain of events- however have twists within
•       Star Marketing: Audience identification/expectations – typical actors associated with the genre
•       Common chase scenes etc

       ·    Dominant representation of gender: male/female action hero

       ·    Use of montage editing to show fast paced parts of the film

       ·    Low key lighting – creating moodiness

       ·    Typical use of urban locations – cities etc

Crime Film Codes & Conventions:

·         12-18 12/15 certificate, maximising  audiences

·         Typically kept as just the specific genre however can be hybridised with genres such as dramas

·         Commonly Hollywood however Crime genres have been made Independently

·         Very little CGI – use practical effects within actual scenes to make it seem more realistic

·         Commonly use the Hollywood 3 act narrative

·         Predictable chain of events – with some character twists

·         A mixture of Star marketing, however sometimes includes actors on the rise

·         Low key lighting to fit in with the scenes  as well as to isolate the characters

·         Normally includes either a robbery or murder – with relation to the police

·         Other crimes focus on Inspectors – E.g Sherlock Holmes 

Detailed Analysis of Drive (2011)

Mis en Scene

The colours within the trailer for Drive are quite dark and gloomy, however when there is parts in the trailer which are during day light it has a subtle pale tone to the clips. Using clips shot at night which are dark and gloomy set a scene for the film in general. The locations used in general meet the codes and conventions of the film itself, with the setting being in a city as well as having an aerial establishing shot of a city skyline which imply that bad things happen at night. The locations themselves are predominately set within the city but change and vary from shots at night to shots in the daytime. The shots towards the start of the trailer tend to be the ones at night which then lead to ones within daytime.

In terms of costume, Ryan Gosling the main character who plays the Driver has a very plain yet effective costume. A shot where we see him in the car shows us his leather style gloves which could be said to be a common getaway driver accessory. The key part to Goslings costume would be his jacket which we see throughout the trailer. Typically Gosling doesn’t look like the type of man to do damage, however having the jacket combined with the gloves rounds of his look. The jacket itself adds to the moodiness of the trailer as well as being the part to Goslings character which people will remember him by. Apart from wearing the iconic jacket throughout, he also tends to wear other clothes which are basic and do not give too much away about him such as he wears a plain denim jacket with jeans. Other characters such as the women he helps and the child have very plain, dull and basic costume, which in a sense fit in with their class and the state they are in.

Camera Work

The trailer itself starts off with an aerial shot of a city scape, the shot itself gives information the audience instantly that the film is set in a city location. After the establishing shot of the city scape it then goes to Point Of View shot from the view of the Driver in the car where we can see small parts of the car’s interior. The trailer then shows a montage of Mid shots and Close ups on the Driver in the car and the criminals he helps get away, which is also made clear through dialog from the Driver (Gosling). The clips towards the end of the montage are fast paced and the viewer is instantly viewing action. The shots after then are back to a slow pace and consist of medium close ups and close ups on three people in a lift. This shot was done to show new characters to the audience, again this is then backed up to show more shots of the same people still sticking to mid shots and close ups as well as a few long shots. One important shot within this part of the trailer would be the long tracking shot of the police car which flips which reflects on what the Driver is talking about. The other shots after mainly consist of Mid shots, Close ups, long shots and POV which are common used shots within the genre. The final shot within the trailer shows one of the characters directing speech towards somebody which then cuts to an over the shoulder shot of the Driver in the car at night where we can see his eyes in the mirror and driving away, this works well as it is a good shot to conclude the end of the trailer.

Editing

In terms of editing for the trailer, the editing is a typical editing style which you would expect from the genre. The trailer starts off with the first five shots being edited quickly with no transitions but simply jump cuts. However after these five shots there is a selection of slow shots which fade to black when finishing which then leads to the next shot fading in from black. Some of the shots in this selection are slowed down slightly which then changes. The shots that follow are fast paced action shots which are just edited together through jump cuts quickly which then leads to the production company title. The shots which follow are jump cuts but are synced with the music which works really well. Towards the middle of the trailer it goes back to a similar style to the beginning in terms of having fairly paced shots and some shots which are slightly slowed down as well as consisting of fade to black transitions. From roughly 1:17 on wards the editing consists of slow and fast paced shots. At 1:38 a film acknowledgment comes up which shows the viewer that the film has won the best director at the Cannes film festival. Also at 2:10 this is the start of where the actor’s names start to appear which lasts up until 2:17. This then leads to the ending of the trailer which then displays the name of the film (2:22) and also the director and screen writers name as well as the acknowledgement for sound companies etc as well as the films website.

Sound

The sound within the trailer involves typical codes used for film trailers, which include the use of Diegetic (dialog) and Non Diegetic (Music/Soundtrack,SFX& Voiceover). The trailer immediately starts off with a soundtrack which then quickly leads to dialog/voiceover which we don’t see from the actor but is played over different clips. After this we then hear two key sound effects which one comes from the car and the other of a police siren. Immediately after there is then a second soundtrack which plays which again is followed by dialog as well as other sound effects like the sound of a crashing car. Throughout the trailer there is a total of five different music choices used. Possibly one of the most important parts of music in the trailer starts at 1:38 which is a very emotional piece which is in contrast to some of the clips being played. Quite a few of the clips being played are very action packed, which therefore goes against the codes and conventions of the genre.

Why Blitz Was Made?

Blitz (2011)

Blitz is a British crime thriller directed by Elliot Lester. In terms of promotion one of the key parts to promoting the film was the poster. The poster itself features the main character (Jason Statham) who is renowned for playing his “hard man” role in other films. This is a good way of promoting the film as it will bring an audience in whom like Jason Statham as an actor and also the type of films he features in. The teaser trailer is 30 seconds which features clips which were in the main theatrical trailer. The 30 second teaser has very pacey cuts which relates to the genre of the film. At the end of the teaser trailer it features its release date. The film probably wouldn’t have been finished which results in the short teaser trailer. The main theatrical trailer features some of the clips shown in the teaser trailer but starts of slowly and builds up to the fast action in contrast to the teaser which is fast cuts and action.

Why Drive Was Made

Drive was simply made to show the book in a film context. The book was adapted for the movie by Iranian screenwriter Hossein Amini. The book has similar elements to the book however there is a few changes which were made for the film for example the cars used, as well as there being different violence in the film itself. The idea of the book written by James Sallis is a typical genre of book he writes himself. The film adaption itself covers most of the book with small adjustments. Also what was good when making the film was that James Sallis on a few occasions was present on set. 

Since the films release the book gained a new front cover featuring the lead role of the film played by actor Ryan Gosling

Original book cover before release                                                    Book cover after film release

Drive (2011) Promotional Campaign

Originally Drive was planned as a blockbuster but eventually changed to an independent film. In 2010 drive was bought to the Cannes film festival and promotional posters were released. The posters themselves feature the leading role character (Ryan Gosling) which is a key element to promoting the film, due to him being popular as an actor. Drive grossed $77,560,689 worldwide, making nearly six times on its 13 million dollar budget. Another success was the release of the soundtrack which featured the music from the film. The film is commonly liked due to the soundtrack which the majority was composed by Cliff Martinez. The website as you first click on it features the success of the film which is a way of proving to the viewer it is worth watching. As you continue into the sight, the trailer plays automatically. The build up to the premiere also featured various TV interviews around America and Europe. 

http://www.drive-movie.com/

www.youtube.com/watch?v=sY1TLgqfjvw

 

Why Lincoln Was Made

In an interview with director Steven Spielberg he said " We Didn't want to put Lincoln on a marble pedestal", but did say  “We did want him interacting with the big issue at hand, which was fighting to enough votes to pass a constitutional amendment that would abolish slavery, and the other issue, to end the war.”

Source:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/film/starsandstories/9803637/Steven-Spielberg-interview-for-Lincoln-The-patriot-brings-a-smile-to-the-president.html

Lincoln (2012) Promotional Campaign

                                           

 

Lincoln had a budget of $65million and grossed $275,293,450 from the box office. Lincoln had the same approach as most films by having the main role character on its poster. In this case the poster features the image of actor Daniel Day Lewis as Abraham Lincoln. Below it features Lewis’ name which would appeal to those who are a fan of Daniel Day Lewis himself. It also features above Lewis’ name A Steven Spielberg film which also is a good way of promoting the film as It would attracts those who enjoy Spielberg’s films. The films soundtrack was also a good way of promoting the film due to it being composed by famous composer John Williams who has produced the soundtracks to other successful films including Star Wars and Saving Private Ryan. DreamWorks and Google Play announced on the Lincoln movie Facebook page that they would release the trailer for the film during a Google+ hangout with Steven Spielberg and Joseph Gordon-Levitt on September 13, 2012, which then led to a teaser trailer being released in September 2012. The idea to have the Google+ hangout with the director would attract fans of the film but also the director himself which would have led to increased popularity in the film.

Lincoln also has its social media platforms which include the website, Facebook page and YouTube channel which features the trailer as well as exclusive extracts from the film as well as interviews

The trailer itself includes music from the soundtrack as well as informing us of the actors involved. They also display above the actors name “Academy award winner” which is a good thing to include in the trailer as it  is an endorsement and could attract people of the film due to it having successful award winning actors.

Trailer

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