The drama film I am planning to make the trailer for is going to have two key main character. The two teenage girls around 17 years old are best friends and have been for a while however they have polar opposite personalities.
Character 1
The protagonist
A girly teenage girl character fitting many stereotypes for heterosexual female characters
Her clothes will consist of patterns and bright colours along with caring greatly about hair and make up and her look
She is happy and bubbly most the time and is very friendly and approachable
She would shop at places like New look , river island and Top shop
Would have lots of social media and would keep up with celebrities
I have asked my friend Maria Hall to play this character
Photo taken on the first day of filming outside the church location.
character 2
The protagonists best friend
She fits more of a tom boy character
she will dress more masculine in jeans and over sized jackets and hoodies
tries to help the protagonist with her problems
trying to find her self
be interested in STEM subjects
i have asked my friend Nikita to play this character
Photo taken during a practice shoot
Other characters could include
The protagonists father and family
A mentor ( teacher )
other friends
Members of the public - workers, passers by and others
Love interest.
There aren't many characters involved I picked this so that it is easy to get everyone together at one time to schedual filming and I found people I could rely on. I have started by getting model realise forms which shall be filled out over the next couple days so filming can be started when possible.
sound is a key aspect to trailers for developing atmospheres, emotions and constructing genre. Sound could be the diegetic and the non diegetic parts of the trailer . This could range from Foley sound and the sound track of the trailer , which plays through out the trailer to create a sense of atmosphere. Sound is constructed and used to make an impact. In trailer's it has a large impact.
diegetic and non diegetic sound
Definitions
Diegetic sound is sound which the source is visible and the characters within the film world could hear it.
Non diegetic sound is sounds which the audience can hear but people in the film couldn't and aren't actually happening in the film world. The adds to the viewers experience
A film trailer needs both to make it realistic.
Diegetic benefits the trailer in many ways because
Speech - The dialogue gives a narrative and also gives context. Viewers can establish whats happening and emotions through the characters speech.
sound effects- The draw attention and make an impact on the over all feel.
foley sounds - these are real life sounds created to make the trailer accurate and real , they make sure that the sound isn't hollow and taken up by dialogue.
Benefits of non diegetic sound
Sound track music - can set the tone , music can realte to feelings and meanings adding that to your trailer
Narration - gives insight and opinion adding to what viewers think of the story, the characters. Its a way to push feelings and opions forward in a short space of time.
Sound in my trailer
I have thought about what music I shall use. For the beginning I'm going to use a very instrumental, slow music to create sadness , depression and isolation however when the mood changes after the beginning sequence it will become more upbeat like the feelings shown in the trailer.
I will do a video on making foley sounds, I may use them to make the rain more noticeable in the beginning of the trailer as this is a key aspect to setting the mood. There are others I will try to use.
I will have aspects of dialogue to add context and maybe even narration if I think it is necessary. I may also use it to add a comical feature as having humor in a comedy film helps to lift tension off serious topics and makes it more relatable.
I have some ideas such as using foley sound for creating the sound of rain at the beginning , i am going to try and make it by dropping rice on different surfaces and messing around with spray hoses to get the water sounding effect.
for my first idea the plot of the actual film would be about a person going missing and a relative going to find them. The police would tell them there was no record of the individual and that the relative would have to find the person and accept there faith ( adding in a horror twist as such )
ideas for the trailer - names , No trace ,
It would start as some shots of a peaceful village and then the inside of an obviously family home ( cosy living room , family pictures , lots of washing up)
we then get introduced to character A , A girl who is getting ready to go out ( some up beat and happy music)
she receives a text about a party and then the screen goes blank
we see a clock and a photo in a shot in the background the daughter sneaks down the stairs and turns the light off, this is when the tone changes
we then here a concerned voice on the phone to the police
we hear the police tell her there are no files or medical records for the girl they say is missing and that she needs to stop playing around
in the background we get some images off files being searched , and some old home footage as well as the mother on the phone.
angrily the phone is hung up and the mother declares she will do it her self while holding onto an item of the daughters
we then see what things she may do to get her daughter back ( a board full of clues , hacking( erased from databases ), chains( daughter being held captive), a dark room and an old lamp ( bad condition). her parents hugging sadly together ( father doesn't remember there daughter), burning documents ( a picture of the girls face) , a man in a hoodie. a police woman getting involved, weapons, other things...
A person gets framed with a crime, while they are waiting for court a strange parcel/ letter arrives telling them that if they follow the instructions they will prove they are not guilty of the crime. this may include them committing other crimes or getting deeper into there problem.
establish there relationship with victim
suggestion of a crime
main character getting arrested for a serious crime
we see them on the news and in news papers
They get told when there court date is and they are released on bail as of lack off evidence
an envelope arrives through the door
it tell them that they need to do some things and they will get the evidence about who did the murder
they log onto a system in a public place and follow instructions
A police force member gets fired but they figure out that it was purpose to cover up for something else, so they on there own back tries to figure out what the bigger picture was and why they where fired
we see someone drinking an alcoholic drink in a living room with the tv on in the background
flash backs to an office and the fact that they have been fired
the phone rings and someone tells them that they need some help the company is up to something
images of the company that is being dodgy
A detective is trying to catch a murder / kidnapper, however it turns out to be there other half and that they are now having to help them cover it up and get them help before they hurt anyone else.
A girl goes missing at a party after there own kid gets threatened this parent gets dragged into the problem and has to do things they wouldn't do to save there own kid
i have crossed this out as i have decided on my genre
romance and drama ideas
1. a woman who has a boring life and works in an office, in the film we see that she is attracted to an collogue who is engaged. She expresses her feelings to another office member and how she is unsatisfied with her life. They then decide to help these younger years of her life better, for example going on road trips , drinking at bars , dating and more.
trailer layout...
Firstly we see her wake up wit a boring routine and she bikes to work, she has cards up at her home and it has been her say 25 birthday.
We see the woman working at her desk she is still kind of young ( maybe recently her birthday)
We then see her glance at the work mate while in the kitchen , and we get a close up of the wedding ring. It is obvious that she is lonely and not happy with her life
her friend realizes this and asks her to go out
the pair go to a pub
they then have a conversation of encouragement where they discus there plans
Then the trailer would show some of the things they are starting to do for example , go out a night , go on walks , go on drives ,
maybe some comical things like playing bingo and doing online dating.
I could also do this as a teen drama , where the woman is a school student board at school and her friend is there to help her do interesting things, they try drinking and smoking and going on online dating websites , they travel and try to express them selves. or another idea they are upset because of the loss of a family member and there friend is trying to make them happy again.
2. another idea I have is that a woman keeps reliving the same day over and over again , the reason is so she can prevent an accident happening.
we would see the area they live in
her waking up
her phone showing the date and time
her daily task of doing uni work and getting board
and then her meeting her friends
then there would be an accident and she would wake up the next morning on the same day
after that the trailer shows her doing different things on the day like throwing the work in the bin and going out doing things different
Idea
A girls grandmother dies and she becomes very sad- maybe even depressed her bestfriend wants to help her out and so she requests they meet up and she tells her that there going to have the best summer ever. The try drinking for the first time and they go out late at night and have bonfire's one of them meets a guy-( this is briefly shown as them meeting and her texting ) some online dating clips. It would be a drama/ coming of age / romance trailer.
some clips would include
Doing shots and trying to drink
Having a bonfire
swimming in a lake or river
friendship hugging moment
the fair
swimming pools
the beach, eating ice cream
online dating
meeting a guy/ texting him
getting school results
leaving to go to different unis ( one walking away with a suitcase)
Conventional definitions of genres tend to be based on the notation that they constitute particular conventions of content( such as themes or settings) and/ or form( including structure and style) which are shared by the texts which are regarded as belonging to them.
According to chandler genres create order and simplify vast information available. it appeals are need to organize. This means people understand things because of the genre and if it didn't follow this it would be confusing.
John Fiske ( 1989)
genre is a way of categorizing texts and they are then divided based on common elements.
Barry keith Grant ( 1995)
He suggest that sub-genres and hybridity lets the viewers and audience identify them to familiar and recognizable characteristics.
Trailers
The Notebook is a romance film, and follows many of the typical scenes.
The notebook is a romance film and follow these conventions, because of this the trailer can be linked to genre theory and how it is used and presented in the trailer
Fiske
Apply Fiske theory to the trailer , we can find there are common elements in this trailer and others of the same Genre for example the note book trailer has Elements which are shared in other romance films
1. highlighting the class of the individuals in the film
2. the couple spending time together
3. the soft music which indicates happiness and love
4. The difference of the people involved
5. Romantic gesture (hugs and kisses)
In comparison to another big romance film titanic these have the same common elements and it will be in many of the other films within this genre will have these common elements.
This also links to chandlers theory about common elements such as settings and themes, Both of the settings in the trailer highlight the Romance side such as dancing in the ship in the titanic trailer and the dancing in the road. The settings highlight key romantic plot moments and show the connection of the character and the themes are common of the romance genre.
Grants theory highlights Hybrids within movie trailers , it so common for romance films and the drama genre. The notebook trailer has Themes of Drama and romance however doesn't hybrid with other genres. Its main focus is romance
USP is what separates trailers which are relased at the same time or maybe of the same genre this could be a couple things such as special effects , stars and mix of genres. Below is a look into the difference in some similar trailers, so we can look more into USP.
in 2016 a range of superhero films came out Including
doctor strange (25th October)
suicide squad( anti-hero's) (5th august )
captain America civil war (6th may )
x-men apocalypse (9th may)
deadpool (5th February)
Deadpool
The first of the superhero movies to be released in 2016, it came around in February , one of the main unique selling points for Dead pool is the mix of genres , in the trailer we see it is action packed but it also highlights love as a theme as well as comedy. It takes seriousness and violence and turns it into a comedy mean while retaining the interest of those who are into the love genre. Another selling point is that the main character is shown as not fully a hero even though it follows all the conventions and has many aspects from super hero films he isn't doing things to save other like fellow hero's. The trailer and the film are also age sensitive which is very different to the usual marvel superhero films as there an image of kids toys and role models
Suicide squad
Although I didn't particularly enjoy the film , the trailer was very captivating ( truth vs misleading). The film is action packed and the special effects and action stand out in the film, making criminals look like hero's. This super hero twist is similar is close to Dead pool but with its own twist , a team of actors who some are more well known than others Will smith, Cara Delavigne, Jared leto and Margot Robbie makes this team of anti hero's stand out.
Both this new concept of Anti hero's stands out however it was done at a very similar time. similar the upcoming films Civil war and x-men have the fact they have a requiring cast as a similarity but also a selling point.
Civil war
This films brings together everyone's favorite hero's, include using the same famous actors such as Chris Evans and Robert Downey Jr. The stars in this film make a unique selling point as similar to avengers films it brings a good cast together who all have there own movies. The special effects are also great as the trailer gives the opportunity for this as there is action between superhuman against each other, the battles and fights have lots of potential to be shown off.
X-men Apocalypse
The film which is in theory a sequel to the many x-men successors has that going for it. Although the film consist of the same characters and actors it still help with the USP , although one of the main actors ( Hugh Jackman) isn't prevalent in the film it still has some well known actors like Jennifer Lawrence and James McCovey. In super hero ( fantasy/ sci-fi) movies there is always the chance to take advantage of unique special effects, this one does the same.
Overall
The trailers are unique and effectively market the films showing of there key selling and interest points such as new concepts , good actors , special effects and mix of genre.
I may not be doing a film with a similar genre as these however they show clear unique points even though they are similar and all made and produced in the same time . When looking into trailers of the same genres time and technology has to be considered about the quality of the production.
Examples of where we can see trailer.
Here is a screenshot of a trailer on before a youtube video i was going to watch, this is now a very common way of advertising and showing movies as there are so many people watching youtube.
There are many genres in the movie industry. Here is a list of a few of them....
action
adventure
animation
biography
comedy
crime
documentary
drama
family
fantasy
film-noir
history
horror
music
musical
mystery
romance
sci-fi
sport
thriller
war
western
these are all common genres however there are film sub genres like psychological thrillers, parody, law and order, soap opera , Christmas films, Halloween , rom-com. sub genres follow some of the same conventions. however will have a mix of themes, conventions through out.
The most popular genres in north American revenue.
this chat shows the most popular genres in north america by revenue however this could be different in other countries
The start idea for my trailer is to have a coming of age drama , about a teenager who is struggling, furthermore there may be some comedy and romance involved but only as subtle sub plot story lines which would only be briefly expressed in the trailer. Drama
Films within the genre follow many codes and conventions, some of these points are that
Drama films show a serious presentation off real life events and stories and there is no fantasy in the plot
They display emotions and events. The can either be good or bad and maybe a mix of both.
Drama has some sub genres such as social drama , mental illness , alcoholism , youth rebellion , civil rights , courtroom drama , war drama , sports dram , religious drama and literature.
The plots consist off
realism
heightened emotions
a protagonist that's easy to relate to
some form of journey
plots with twists or a complex plot
emotional peaks and troth
character
There are common characters with in dramas and they all follow similar codes that make a large impact on there audience tis could be that they are relatable and are going through things that are a fantasy other things include, having an emotional journey , they are vulnerable, making the audience sympathize with them and the character have a better appeal.
There is a wide range of dramas and some of the classics are fight club , American beauty and more however this isn't the kind of drama I will be looking into doing. I shall be looking into young adult/ teen coming of age dramas.
Drama films what to express emotions and challenge issues. There atmospheres are Tense however in a different way than suspense. Soundtracks and music play a key part and will highly be considered when making my trailer. I have already thought about getting someone with musical abilities to create some of the sound.
i have decided to do the movie trailer. This includes.... A promotion package for a new film, to include a trailer, together with two of the following three options: • a website homepage for the film • a film magazine front cover, featuring the film • a poster for the film. I will be doing this by my self.
