TRAILERS -> STYLES

After watching Dan Skinner on the Film Space website, I have found out that there are different types of trailers and different styles depending on many factors. Trailers are created to provide the same appeal to the same audience for the film. One of the main things about trailers which interest me is the fact that they are produced to give the audiences questions which can only be answered by watching the film. I also experienced the professional talk about how the style of a trailer is affected by a number of factors including where it will be seen, who by and for how long. 

The Teaser Trailer

The teaser trailer is a very short glimpse of the film; It normally lasts around 10-30 seconds. It does not necessarily mean that there is a cut down story line, but it does consist of perhaps the best shots or small scenes in the film; There could even be unfinsihed shots which are used in the teaser that turn out to be great to grab the audience and make them come back to see the main trailer.

The Main Trailer
The main trailer is slightly longer than the teaser due to being around 2 minutes long. However, this is because it focuses mostly on more discrete parts of the film as well as how spectacular it is. For example, in a Paramount Film such as one of the Transformers sequels, the director would use part of the opening to the film as the base line to the story for the trailer which the audience can grasp on. Then shots or scenes with the starring actors in like Mark Wahlberg - who plays the main role in the new Transformers movies - which adds to catching attention of a target audience because the audience love that specific actor or becasue of the films they have previously been in. Dan Skinner mentioned in an interview that one of the aims in the main trailer is to speed up to the end, not slow down. By this, he means towards the end of the trailer, there will be a montage displayed which are many shots that last a couple of seconds - this increases the tension and suspense of the film; A great example of this is the new film Transformers: The Last Knight.

TV Spots
TV spots vary in length from 10 seconds, 20 seconds and 30 seconds. The reason these times vary is because of the high costs of advertising on TV but also the short attention span that most people have, we have a 'snackable' attention span. A 2 minute film trailer on TV would not succeed due to the fact that people would lose interest along with a variety of other factors, for example background noise from around your house, you might have left the room during the advert break. 


Using Graphics
There are two types of graphics use din a trailer.'Copy' helps tell the story of the film and usually includes writing as well as a voice over.

THEORY -> WHEN?

As the film is being edited, the trailer is made alongside. Due to the busy Film Industry, it is important when trailers are made and released; Early enough to catch the audience/target market's attention, but not so early that the hype or buzz of the film is lost.

I watched three current trailers that demonstrated great examples of trailers as well as exploring the reasons for when they were released.

SNATCHED

This trailer for the new incoming film named SNATCH which is perfect for the summer market due to the spectacular story behind it. It is about a daughter taking her mother to Ecuador in replacement of her very recent ex, but come across huge amounts of danger, and risk. This includes them as the victims of a foreign kidnapping.

In contrast, the humour is very strong throughout the film as conveyed in the trailer; Starting off with wanting to prove her ex that she is not afraid of risks right after being dumped by him before the holiday. It is obvious that the film is well suited for younger audiences as they will recognise the situations occurring in the film such as adventures leading to exhilaration and amusement. However, slightly older audiences may understand the humorous parts better which is more worth while as it is portrayed as a comedy. For example, the older generation would comprehend the funny side of the mother interpreting a member of the hotel's staff words "whalecum" instead of the everyday greeting "welcome".

Wonder Woman

The trailer for Wonder Woman shows the viewers that there is a great deal of action the whole way through the film. There are many combat sequences with magnificent setting and superhero nature. Due to the stereotypical 'hero' movie, there is a clear and distinctive target audience which is a huge global audience who watch these superhero films such as 'The Avengers'. On the other hand, it is also focused towards female audiences because of the 'woman' character who plays the main role; It shows the equal and powerful view of woman. This is not only the first main film which is based around a female superhero let alone a female, it is also directed by a woman named Patty Jenkins.

In this story, Wonder Woman faces a journey from ancient historical times, to the more modern-day London. She is accompanied by Chris Pine alongside the comedy factor; For example, when she comes across a stout Londoner that announces her shield and sword doesn't go with her outfit, especially on the streets of the dull looking City of London in the winter time.

Just by the visuals of the trailers, it most definitely shows off the richness of spectacular visual effects. Creating the ancient and historical setting, VFX forms the scenes incredibly and real looking.

This trailer is launched as a typical summer blockbuster: an action packed adventure with the strong superhero nature that aims for mainstream audiences who are looking for spectacle and female superiority.

The Beguiled

The trailer for The Beguiled is a clear signalling of a certain them which is a small cluster community of young woman in company of a slightly older one who comes across as the superior of the house. It is set in rural Mississippi where they find a wounded soldier in their private grounds during the Civil War. 

THEORY -> WHERE?

Nowadays, the majority of trailers are shown on social media platforms as well as the traditional cinema ads before a film or on a cinema website. This includes small 30 second segments of the trailers which can be seen on Instagram and Twitter amongst many others. Full trailers can be seen on Facebook and YouTube; Youtube is the most popular place where trailers are viewed with the average trailer being seen 7-8 million views. Also with the rise of hashtags on Twitter for trends, it makes it easier for the film's marketing team to make their trailers easier to find.
Moreover, most of the time when a trailer is released it will be seen trending on twitter or it will be put before one of your Youtube videos either as a suggestion or the Youtube's version on trends on Twitter. For example, when the film Dark Tower was about to be released, the trailer was the most trending thing on Twitter that day with the hashtag #TheDarkTower2017. Trailers are also trimmed so that they can be shown on TV channels during an ad break such as Film4. The most effective place to watch a trailer however is at the cinema because of the impact on each customer as they will be in the same atmosphere as if they were watching the film, with their popcorn, big screen and Dolby Surround Sound. This is known as the kinaesthetic approach - a real feel for it.

THEORY -> HOW?

Potential audiences are attracted to a trailers signal but they must also offer audiences something fresh, new and exciting to make them worth watching and paying money for. In contrast, the 'unique' element is called the USP, unique selling point. Using Film Space's tasks on the USPs of The Mummy, Baby Driver and Lady Macbeth.

THEORY -> WHO?

In general, the point of trailers are to publicise the film but in a more exciting and thrilling way. Different types of people like different genre of films and whilst every individual has a preference, 0there are certain features that will have a wide appeal to specific groups of people. It all depends on what the film's storyline; If it is an action packed war film, usually it would stereotypically appeal to male audiences. However a romance movie on valentines day would normally appeal to a female audience - also stereotypical. This is why each production company has to tailor their trailers to their specific target audiences just like the film.

THEORY -> WHY?

Marketing the film is an enormous part of the film's success. There are many elements in the process of a marketing campaign for a film including the teaser and official trailer, to bus stop posters (adshells) and huge billboards advertising a movie. As a result of our modern society and technology, campaigning for this movie also extends to online work through social media such as facebook and twitter. This allows actors from the movie might show small sneak peaks of behind the scenes. The main concern is, without all of this, marketing a film is unlikely to be successful in the box office. The key important reason of a trailer is that it's created to mentally grab the attention of the public so that the production companies can earn money.

When using trailers to grab the attention of the audience the marketing campaigns usually try to interest a large audience which would allow them to gain the peak profit from the movie. Usually when the trailer is released it contains trends and elements that their target audience would be familiar with which would interest people further. However when releasing these trailers, the production company can't just make it like any other feature film trailer as to grab the audiences attention, they need to make the trailer have a USP (unique selling point).