Research- Practice Film Trailer

http://www.filmeducation.org/teachingtrailers/secondary/make_a_trailer/view/BFAEB

I decided to use a a website on on Filmeducation on a section called teaching trailer which allowed me to use a simple editing storyboard style format to drag in sound and clips to construct my own version of the Die Hard trailer. It gave me a selection of clips and soundtracks to chose from, my aim was to construct a fast paced trailer in a non-cronlogical order, whilst still allowing for a narrative to be conveyed. The software was very basic and didn't allow for me to achieve all areas that I would include in my final product such as the included release date and so on. The soundtrack was also difficult to work with as it only let me use one track therefore leaving half of the trailer silent. Also I was unable to add many other stereotypical thriller trailer conventions such as voice overs and synchronus sound use for effect. However it was a useful skill to give me an idea of some coventions that I could use in my own project. Overall I feel that I have achieved this aim and was a vital piece of research for me going forward for considering transferable skills such as this fast paced, non chronological style of film trailer.

Research- Leave To Remain trailer

To research the conventions of what makes a good quality movie trailer and to widen our knowledge on this we looked at different film trailers in class. Our group specifically looked at a film called "Leave To Remain" as seen below:

After watching the extract we analysed various aspects and looked at how the video was constructed. Firstly from this I learnt that within a 1:49 film trailer there were just over 65 different shots. This surprised me as you would expect such a range of different shots within a short period of time but it was clear this range of fast shots was essential for keeping the audience engaged. It allowed the film makers to show a lot about the film and the overall tone without giving too much of the plot away. For this reason I felt it will be a necessity for us to incorporate this same technique into our own movie trailer so we can provide the best quality possible.

Secondly we assessed the sound used throughout the extract and how this contributed towards the overall product. The extract had two soundtracks that played throughout and the use of 2 non-digetic added sound effects. The soundtracks were very effective because the first started off very upbeat with a positive tone, setting the mood for the beginning of the extract.

Research- 1408

In class we looked at the "1408" film trailer as it have a wide variety of physiological thriller conventions. Due to this we thought it would be a good opportunity to take some notes and identify some generic conventions that worked well and have the potential to be included in our own trailers. 

Some of these conventions as seen above in the trailer include:

-Good and frequent use of fade to black transition to build suspense and tension for the audience.

-Carefully considered dialogue that is quick enough to engage audience whilst combining this with sounds effects to keep the audience on edge.

-Discontinuity editing whilst incorporating flashbacks to make this clear for the audience.

-Low key lighting which is a typical thriller convention to add a dramatic atmosphere of unknown, which incorporates an element of "fear of the unknown" which is a common fear in audiences.

-Voiceover used to make the narrative clearly conveyed to the audience so they have a plot understanding from the off set.

-Fast paced editing which builds towards the climax to engage and create adrenaline for the audience.

-Good use of special effects which add the excitement for the audience which is key for a thriller trailer.