PRE-PRODUCTION PHASE.

Priya Purewal

Genre can be used to differentiate between movies, music, books.

Set of principles that loosely defines those categories.

The repetition and variation of those categories.

Audiences know and recognise these characteristics .

They then understand that expectations of that genre may come about in the film and this satisfies audiences.

A style of expressing yourself.

Changes and evolves over time- dependant on social groups and ethnicities.

WHAT IS GENRE?

A way in which something is usually done.

Set of agreed or generally accepted norms or criteria.

WHAT ARE CONVENTIONS?

WHAT IS A TRAILER?

WHAT IS A TEASER TRAILER?

Advertisement before the film is released in cinema.

Consist of a series of selected shots.

Most exciting/funny parts of the film – purpose is to attract the audience.

Released a long time before the product is completed in order to begin to build excitement with the audience.

Very short in length, sets up the audience with a hint of the story line.

As technology is constantly changing and improving so that audiences can experience modern and high quality viewing, there is an obvious difference between trailers in 2014 compared to in the 90’s onwards. Because of this I decided to look at two films from different era’s in order to identify how trailers have advanced.

HOW HAVE FILM TRAILERS BECOME MORE CONTEMPORARY?

Friday the 13th trailer

(1980)http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2S8YFTcEDME

(2009)http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fpKdXnXl93s

HOW HAVE FILM TRAILERS BECOME

MORE CONTEMPORARY?

When looking at both Friday the 13 th trai lers , from 1980 and 2009, we can identify the differences immediately. The 1980 trai ler compared to the 2009 lacks the HD of modern technology and that is evident through the poor quality of the trai ler . Although we can roughly attempt to relate Propp’s theory to both trai lers when identifying which characters play which role, Todorv’s theory is sl ightly less evident in the 1980 trai ler whereas the story l ine is much clearer in the 2009 trai ler . This applies to both trai lers overall , where the 2009 trai ler is much better in terms of quality and structure. Due to the 2009 f i lm being a remake, both trai lers sti l l feature the same elements and story l ine as well as the countdown to 13 however the proliferation of technology and camera work since 1980 has al lowed for the 2009 trai ler to feature many more types of shots and editing such as a montage of fast paced shots and daunting soundtrack. Also because the 1980 trai ler lacks quality, this occurs through the soundtrack as well . Because of this lack of quality the trai ler looses its suspense and the audience watching wil l not be as scared compared to the 2009 trai ler where the audience is on the edge of their seat right t i l l the end.

WHAT MAKES A GOOD FILM TRAILER?

Don’t give too much away Don’t be too

cryptic

Target your intended audience

It should be humble

Set up the basic plot and mood for the audience

Introduce at least some of the main characters

Use an appropriate soundtrack that attracts your audience

Made up of the best scenes/clips from the film

Conglomerate trailers tend to be of much higher quality, varied shots compared to an independent movie trailer due to budgeting and ability to purchase better equipment. How the audience react to the trailer will determine whether they think the film will be worthwhile watching in the cinema when it is released.

Although technology has modernised massively throughout the years so that there isn’t a massive difference between independent and conglomerate films, there are still elements that can be identified that differ between the two film types. I will discuss these when referring to the comparison to an independent film, Kidulthood and an conglomerate film, Boyz n the hood. Although there is a significant difference in the years they were produced and the countries they were made, the genre and theme of both films are quite similar, allowing for fairly easy comparison.

Kidulthood –http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LnxADBlxdcg

Boyz n the hood - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7lR14IvRKjM

INDEPENDENT MOVIE TRAILERS COMPARED WITH CONGLOMERATE FILM

TRAILERS

Kidul thood was produced on a very low budget , wi th a d i rector who is not very wel l known to most people – Menhaj Huda, as wel l as produced by unknown producers . Because of th is we can automat ica l l y ident i fy the f i lm as independent .

Due to the producers not being wel l known, th is may cause audiences to ref ra in f rom want ing to watch i t . A lso , due to thei r smal l budget of £600,000 , the use of h igh qual i ty equipment used would have been l imited and therefore the overa l l qual i ty of the f i lm wi l l not be as good as a conglomerate f i lm. This i s a lso a d isadvantage to the producers and d i rector as thei r v is ion may not be fu l f i l l ed due to thei r f inanc ia l s tate . This a lso appl ies to the cast as the budget wi l l not a l low the producers to pay for a - l i s t actors/act resses however audiences tend to apprec iate independent f i lms due to thei r c reat ive and re latab le s tory l ines and the opportuni ty to see new actors i s something many people enjoy .

Independent f i lm company's , such as Revolver Enter ta inment , a lso have the advantage to re lease something d i f ferent and unexpected to what audiences tend to see in f i lms , which is something that sets them apart f rom conglomerate f i lms . Refer r ing to the K idul thood t ra i ler , the technique of us ing a montage of fast paced shots showing the bas ic s tory l ine of the f i lm worked as i t showed the audience what they ’d be in for , and i t does look appeal ing . However , compared to a conglomerate t ra i ler i t was s t i l l bas ic , as i s the whole f i lm overa l l . Although the f i lms budget was £600,000 and thei r box of f ice was £453,876 , i t shows they made a loss and th is could suggest they were not a successfu l f i lm. However , th is was due to the f i lm only being d is t r ibuted in independent c inemas , and then going st ra ight to DVD re lease . The f i lm was a success in i t s own r ight as the audience obv ious ly apprec iated the rea lness of the p lot and the characters and how thei r s t ruggles were very re latab le , wi th a s ide of humour . This i s also supported through the success of the sequel , ‘Adulthood ’ which made a box of f ice of £3,347 ,811 and was d is t r ibuted by Pathe p ictures internat ional , which became the wor lds largest equipment and product ion company in the ear ly 1900’s and has d is t r ibuted many successfu l f i lms over the years .

INDEPENDENT MOVIE TRAILERS COMPARED WITH CONGLOMERATE FILM

TRAILERS – KIDULTHOOD

INDEPENDENT MOVIE TRAILERS COMPARED WITH CONGLOMERATE FILM

TRAILERS – BOYZ N THE HOOD

Boyz n the hood was produced in 1991,di rected by John S ingleton. I t was dist r ibuted by Columbia P ictures , with a budget of $6 .5 mi l l ion and th is i s how we can ident i fy th is as a conglomerate f i lm.

Due to the f i lm making a box of f ice of $57 ,504,069 and the cast featur ing some of the b iggest names in Hol lywood, we can assume the f i lm and i ts t ra i ler i s of h igh qual i ty . Al though the f i lm was made severa l years ago, and there has been a pro l i ferat ion of technology s ince then, we can s t i l l see the obvious d i f ference between th is t ra i ler and an independent f i lm t ra i ler .

Fi rs t ly , the use of h igher qua l i ty equipment has c lear ly contr ibuted to the qua l i ty of the image we see , as wel l as the abi l i ty to make the t ra i ler more act ion packed than what the f i lm might be is a good technique to use as i t a t t racts audiences whereas independent f i lms tend to use c l ips f rom the f i lm and that is a l l . A lso , we immediate ly ident i fy that Columbia P ictures have d is t r ibuted some of the b iggest f i lms ever made and th is g ives the f i lm an immediate audience that enjoy their f i lms.

Overa l l , audiences are much more interested in seeing f i lms produced/dis tr ibuted by the b igger , more known, companies due to their budgets being much higher and therefore being able to a f ford better a better cast , bet ter equipment , bet ter s tory l ine and set and better overal l qua l i ty of the f i lm.

HORROR

There are many reasons for people watching horror f i lms, and this is supported by the uses and grat i f icat ion theory which states that there are var ious reasons why audiences watch specif ic media texts . The most common is escapism from their real l i fe or for the adrenal ine and this theory can be appl ied to a l l f i lm genres . The theory states that the reasons are sect ioned into four types :

Personal re lat ionships: Some people watch f i lms to interact with their f r iends, fami ly or partners . F i lms are good opportunit ies to connect with people over their opinions of the f i lms and their experiences when watching them together .

Escapism: For some people, watching f i lms gives them the chance to escape from their own l ives for a whi le , get lost in the f i lm and relax . I t may a lso make people feel better about their own l ives i f the themes in the f i lm are relatable .

Personal identity: Audiences may relate to the characters in the f i lms and th is may make them want to watch the f i lm even more.

Survei l lance: Especial ly within the horror genre, audiences may enjoy watching these scary f i lms with the comfort of knowing that they are safe and protected behind the screen regardless of what is happening to the people in the f i lm.

WHY DO PEOPLE WATCH HORROR FILMS?

Many everyday, household items are used in horror f i lms such as kitchen knives. Masks and weapons are used regularly , the vi l lains always have a specif ic weapon/mask to relate to them.

Low key l ighting is also used to set the atmosphere and implies horrif ic events are going to occur.

We can also identify the following as typical horror f i lm conventions :

- Isolated house

- Weapons – tend to be common, household items e.g. knives, saws

- Young children – associated with innocence and vulnerable so the audience do not expect them to be the antagonists which creates even more terror.

- Vil lains have a trademark, generally masks.

- Weather – stormy, l ightning, thunder, rain.

- The story may be following on from past events that were left unfinished.

- Signs early on warning the audience that bad things are going to happen.

CODES AND CONVENTIONS –MISE EN SCENE

Audiences tend to f ind their worst n ightmares are brought to l i fe through horror f i lms, or they identi fy their fears when watching them. This gives the audience the adrenal ine they are looking for when they watch these f i lms.

Common fears of horror f i lms are:

CODES AND CONVENTIONS -FEARS

The unknown

Supernatural beings/experiences

Drowning/Suffocating

Death/ Murder

CertainPhobias

Animals/Insects

Psychological fears

CODES AND CONVENTIONS –NARRATIVE STRUCTURE

Most films follow Todorov’s theory of equilibrium but horror films tend to adjust it to appeal

more to their audience.

The first part of the film focuses on the main characters going to the new and eventually dangerous location.

Then after the characters have arrived at their location, however they got there and whatever it was that drove them there, we see an occurrence of incidents that least to the death of most of the protagonists.

The characters who survive then tend to fight back, and in these attempts, put themselves at more risk. The characters who try to get external help tend to be dismayed by the locals or the authorities as no one would believe the situation the characters are in.

The end part of the film normally involves a ‘showdown’ between the villain and the main characters who are left, and depending on the film, the result of this will vary.

In more modern films, the ending of the film may be open and the audience will be left wondering whether the trauma is over or will the villain return.

Locat ions for horror f i lms are general ly very s imi lar . They tend to be in new houses that are being moved into or isolated areas where there are woods and not many people. The locat ions a l l tend to be very eer ie and myster ious and we often see characters going to dark , dangerous places , much to our annoyance.

The effect of having horror f i lms in normal sett ings such as houses or schools is that audiences general ly associate these places with safety and security however they are then thrown when these terr i fy ing things are taking place in sett ings they thought they would be safe and this makes the audience more fr ightened as they may begin to think these things could occur in their own homes.

CODES AND CONVENTIONS –LOCATION

Propp’s theory of character types can be strongly ident i f ied in horror f i lms. We tend to see the ‘pr incess’ who is one of the main characters , is very helpless and vulnerable and constant ly needs saving, we see the ‘hero’ who is a lso one of the main characters and tends to save most of the cast but sometimes dies h imself and the ‘v i l la in’ who is the character who is inf l ic t ing the pain or is the ‘ev i l ’ in the f i lm.

Some f i lms c lever ly choose the hero or pr incess characters to act th is way to cover up the fact that they are actual ly the v i l la in and this causes the audience to be surpr ised and even more scared. This is a good way of adapting and hid ing the rea l enigma from the audience. An example of th is is in the f i lm ‘Devi l ’ , the old lady turns out to be the Devi l and th is comes as a surpr ise to the audience who would never suspect th is .

CODES AND CONVENTIONS –CHARACTERS

The diegetic and non-diegetic sounds for horror f i lms tend to be very s imi lar across most of the f i lms as wel l as the tra i lers .

Most of the sounds are fu l l of base, and very dramatic and intense. We also see s imi lar instruments being used in part icular piano, at points of h igh tension and suspense.

I f the producers and directors can make the audience feel they want them too with the sound, the f i lm wi l l be successful and the tra i ler wi l l leave the audience wanting to see the f i lm immediately .

The sound in horror f i lms is an extremely important element as i t sets the tone for each scene and can make the audience feel ca lm or terr i f ied within seconds depending on the background music or sounds from objects etc . Without the sound, horror f i lms would be nowhere as near terr i fy ing as they are with i t .

CODES AND CONVENTIONS –SOUND

High and low angles are used a lot with in horror movies to show the d i f ference and to connote power of the v i l la in compared to fear of the v ict im. Po int of v iew shots are a lso used as i t a l lows the audience to become more involved in the events occurr ing and a l lows them to feel as i f they are actual ly there and th is makes them feel scared .

Many directors of ten use handheld shots to create a more rea l is t ic but equal ly ter r i fy ing ef fect and aga in a l low the audience to feel as i f they are rea l ly there .

The dol ly movement is a lso used regular ly to fo l low characters . This aga in makes the audience feel as i f they are there and are a lso subjected to the v i l la ins ’ act ions and can a lso g ive the i l lus ion that the character/s are being fo l lowed.

We a lso tend to see establ ishing shots at the beginning of the f i lm or when the characters get to a new place to emphas ise the eer iness or the normal i ty of the scene.

When edit ing, whi ls t the atmosphere is tense the t ransi t ions are very s low and intens ify the s i tuat ion however when there is act ion the cuts are very quick .

CODES AND CONVENTIONS –CAMERA SHOTS/ANGLES

DECONSTRUCTION OF TRAILER – ‘THE

CONJURING’

The trailer opens with Warner Bros Pictures and New Line Cinema as these are the production and distribution companies for the film. The theme of the backgrounds have changed to suit the ‘horror’ theme as we see they are both black and cloudy, creating an eerie atmosphere right from the outset.

Here we see a low angle shot of one of the main characters walking up the stairs. Before this we see a man and woman in a cellar/basement looking for something. The effects of an old style camera is shown here so it makes the audience feel as if they are really there.

The camera then zooms out and we see a the film was being shown on a projector to students in a lecture theatre. The camera then zooms into a piece of paper, using shallow focus, held by a student that reads ‘Seekers of the supernatural Ed & Lorraine Warren’. We can then assume that they are the man and woman in the film.

Once the man and woman identify themselves, we are shown this image. As the film is based on a true story it enhances the fear for the audience that this could happen to them. We then begin to hear non diegetic background music of a guitar. It is fairly jolly and does not relate back to the theme of the film at this point meaning the audience could be caught off guard at any point.

Here we see a montage of camera shots showing various terrifying images such as a skull, a graveyard, a house. In between every few images we see a blacked out screen with words stating ‘out of the thousands of cases they investigated there is one so disturbing they’ve kept it locked away until now’. This then continues to build terror and suspense for the audience although the mellow guitar can still be heard.

We are then taken to a college setting where two people approach Ed and Lorraine Warren. We assume that the rest of the film is based upon these four characters as we see them in a long shot and trailers tend to introduce all of the main characters within the first few seconds or so.

The close up of the woman shows the fear in her expression and this urges the audience to prepare themselves for what is about to happen next.

Again we see Propp’s character types have a slight influence on the characters as we have the ‘princess’ type who needs saving and the ‘hero’s who are going to help her by fighting against the ‘villain’.

Also, Todorov's narrative theory can be identified throughout the trailer as it started off as calm, and at this stage we arereaching the disruption of the calm and the recognition of the disruption.

“There’s something horrible happening in my house”. We identify this as the voice of the woman who is asking Ed and Lorraine forhelp. We then see another montage of images of things in the woman's house – the front of the house that looks extremely eerie with the fog around it, the family picture, the clock and one of her children in bed.

The clock can be seen to show the time of 03:06. Most people identify this time to be a ‘witching hour’ where most supernaturaloccurrences tend to happen. We can hear the sound of the clock ticking and we then hear silence as we are shown the image of thechild in bed once again. As nothing happens for several seconds the audience are full of suspense waiting for something to happen, and suddenly her leg gets dragged off the bed which wakes her up. This gives the audience an insight into what type of ‘horrible’ things are happening in that house. We then see all the pictures along the stairs fall down, whilst the children begin screaming. We see a close up of one of the girls who is completely hysterical and this encourages the audience to become more scared as they realise just how bad it is for that family.

The screen again cuts to black and we see ‘from the director of saw and insidious’. It is key to mention this as it allows audiences to connect with the film immediately if they enjoyed these previous films from the same director and this makes them want to watch the film even more. After this we are shown the house, and we also hear a voice over of Ed Warren as he begins to help the Perron family. The establishing, high angle shot of the house is key as it is a popular element of horror films. Also, as it is a high angle shot. It seems as if the house is looming over everyone else, showing how terrifying and daunting it can be.

Here we see a long shot of the children in the Perron family. The way they are all standing, comforting each other and looking down at the floor shows that they are only children, that they’re very vulnerable and naïve and they are being subjected to these awful things happening in their home. This will make the audience sympathise with them and begin to build relationships with them and hope that nothing happens to them which will encourage them to watch the film.

Here we can identify Lorraine Warren as a female protagonist. This is refreshing to see, especially in a horror film and will attract the female audience as it is quite unlikely that the woman in the films is the one that can potentially save everyone else. This close up shot shows that she is very intelligent and knows exactly what she is doing, perhaps more than her husband does which is why he supports her and allows her to carry out her process. Ed does not feel threatened by his wife and is still constantly looking after her.

Towards the end of the trailer we begin to see more elements of horror. The trailer built up the suspense until this point and now is where the audience will become truly scared. At this point they will decide whether they want to watch the film because it is so scary and interesting or they may not want to watch it due to it being so terrifying. In this scene we see some sort of supernatural being jumping from the cupboard down on to the girl. We see this through a low angle shot as it denotes how vulnerable and insignificant the girl is compared to this horrifying being that could potentially kill her.

Here we begin to hear very daunting music, which contrasts the gentle guitar playing at the beginning of the film. From this point onwards we see clips of the terror that is being unleashed onto the family amongst blacked out scenes of words saying ‘its not a haunting, its not a possession, but the truth will consume you’. The font and fear of the words make the audience watching more scared as they compliment the theme of what is happening with the family.

Again we see horrifying images of the types of things that are inflicting this fear on the family. The close ups of these figures terrify the audience as they are not expecting it. Before something scary happens the trailer goes silent and then a daunting, bass type sound will play whilst the frightening thing happens.

All the scenes after this move in a very fast pace and allow for the audience to try and pay close attention to see exactly what is happening. There are a lot of screams to be heard throughout this montage of scenes and it finally silences once the title of the film appears on the screen.

Once the title is shown and the diegetic sounds are silenced, the audience would assume that is the end of the trailer. However, the directors wanted to leave the audience with one final, frightening scene. Here we see Lorraine talking to one of the young girls of the Perron family. She is being told that the girl sees someone standing behind her when she winds up the object. We see a medium shot of Lorraine holding the object in front of her face. From her expressions she seems unsure about doing this and the audience could assume she is just humouring the child.

Lorraine winds the object up and looks behind her to see if anyone is there. We see an over the shoulder shot as she looks behind her. To hers and the audiences surprise there is no one there. However, children have a big imagination and it is easy to assume that she was just making this story up.

Lorraine winds the object up and looks behind her to see if anyone is there. We see an over the shoulder shot as she looks behind her. To hers and the audiences surprise there is no one there. However, children have a big imagination and it is easy to assume that she was just making this story up. An easy assumption for the audience to make is that the ‘person’ will be there once she turns around however there is still no one there until she lowers the object and there it is. This will no doubt make the audience jump as they hear Lorraine scream one last time before it is silent once again and the screen returns to black, showing the release date.

ROMANCE

Similarly to horror f i lms, there are reasons why audiences enjoy watching fi lms from the romance genre. Once again, one of the main reasons is escapism – to forget about their own l ives and to become lost in someone else’s, especially if the love interests are their favourite actors/actresses. Propp’s character types are also seen in romantic f i lms as we often see the ‘princess’ character as well as the ‘hero’. Romantic f i lms can also be relatable to viewers and this may be another reason why they watch i t .

Often we see audiences who have experienced heartbreak watching romantic f i lms as they seem to feel better after watching a story play out with a happy ending, unlike their own which could be comforting as well as hope that they wil l f ind this one day. Also, it is commonly the female audience that tends to watch this genre as they are seen to be more open about their emotions and enjoy relating and sympathising with the female characters on screen.

Audiences enjoy watching romantic f i lms with friends or their partners as they can then discuss their favourite parts of the fi lm as well as the parts they found relatable.

WHY DO PEOPLE WATCH ROMANTIC FILMS?

Many elements of romantic f i lms and their t ra i lers have adapted over t ime due to the cont inuous changes of society .The younger generat ion constant ly have new v iews on what romance is and how i t is portrayed and therefore the f i lms made in the last 10 years are completely dif ferent to the romantic f i lms made in the 90’s . Obvious changes such as c lothing, genera l appearance, language and ideologies have changed but we a lso see an increase in provocat ive behaviour and c lothing on screen from the modern f i lms as older f i lms tend to be much more modest in most aspects compared to the f i lms made today.The increase in technology has a lso a l lowed for recent f i lms to have more opportunity to choose var ied locat ions, A-List actors/actresses , a better soundtrack and an overa l l h igher qual i ty to the f i lm.

HOW HAVE ROMANCE FILMS/TRAILERS

ADAPTED OVER TIME?

‘ Love’ is the main convention of the romance genre and is what a l l romantic f i lms are focused around. I t develops the characters – their personal i ty and act ions , the storyl ine, the locat ion and any other storyl ines that are occurr ing at the same t ime as the main one.

I t is important for romantic f i lms to use a var iety the types of love they use in their f i lms. E .g . the love between a pet and i ts owner, parents and their chi ldren, lovers , f r iends, d i f ferent types of family etc . As th is then widens the target market for romantic f i lms and can then appeal to a lmost anyone.

The concept of ‘ love’ a lso appeals great ly to those a lready experiencing i t and those who want to as this is what attracts them to watching these f i lms.

CODES AND CONVENTIONS – LOVE

The p rops and cos tumes used in romant i c f i lms tend to h igh ly re f l ec t each ind iv idua l cha racte r , a s wel l a s the s i tua t ion occur r ing a t tha t moment . Some f i lms a l so en joy add ing comedy o r th r i l le r e lements to the i r f i lms and there fore unexpec ted p rops and cos tumes such as guns , f a s t ca r s , l ea ther e t c . a re used . I t i s a l so impor tant tha t the f i lms and the i r t r a i l e r s keep up to da te w i th soc ie ty ' s va lues and t rends a t the t ime o f i t s r e lease .

The t r a i l e r s a l so re f l ec t the f i lms and any unexpected e lements i t has in o rder to a t t r ac t a va r i e t y o f aud iences desp i te the i r u sua l p re fe rences .

Usua l p rops found in romant i c f i lms a re f lowers , choco la tes , t eddy bea r s , ba l loons , g i f t s fo r occas ions – Chr i s tmas , b i r thdays , va len t ines days e t c . These p rops cou ld be used to show the love between the cha racte rs on s tage however they cou ld a l so be used as ‘mak ing up ’ g i f t s when cha racte rs must f igh t fo r the o ther cha racters a f fec t ions once aga in , a f te r a con f l i c t o r i s sues tha t have gone on th roughout the f i lm .

The c lo th ing o f the cha rac ters a l so s t rong ly re f l ec t s the i r per sona l i t y . We tend to see tha t the ma le cha racte rs genera l l y look ve ry smar t and p ro fess iona l , however s t i l l have a sense o f casua lness about them wh ich shows they a re no t a s in t im ida t ing as they may seem. A l so th i s makes the ma le cha racte rs much more a t t r ac t ive to the fema le aud ience , espec ia l l y i f the f i lm has cas t the i r f avour i t e ac to rs .

The fema le cha racte rs t end to t r y and look the i r bes t a s much as they can , a t tempt ing to look c l a ssy and a t t r ac t ive and a re o f ten seen t r y ing to f ind the i r bes t ou t f i t s when go ing ou t . However when the f i lm comes to a po in t o f d i sequ i l ib r ium fo r the fema le cha racters , we see them wear ing t r acksu i t s , py jamas , jumpers a s a comfor t to the poor mood the i r in . A t th i s po in t we a l so see a lo t o f f a s t food , choco la te and i ce c ream.

CODES AND CONVENTIONS – MISE EN SCENE

Most romantic f i lms tend to st ick to the same types of locat ion such as schools , workplaces , beaches – characters are on hol iday, n ightc lubs/bars or big c i t ies . This makes them more appeal ing to audiences as they are famil iar with these locat ions and can then relate more.

The types of romantic f i lm i t is can be identi f ied by the locat ion. I f the sett ing is a school or bar , you can assume the main cast are young, happy-go-lucky and wi l l have comedy elements . Whereas i f i t is set in the workplace or more tradit ional sett ings you can assume the main characters are more mature and older . Because of th is , the audiences who choose to watch these f i lms wi l l decide whether that specif ic romantic f i lm is for them f rom the tra i ler as they wi l l then be able to identi fy the locat ion and the main characters .

CODES AND CONVENTIONS – LOCATION

The usual structure of romantic f i lms is that the story l ine and main cast tends to be made known to the audience at the beginning of the f i lm and then the plot develops.

Propp’s character types are very relevant in the romance genre as there wi l l be a ‘pr incess’ who needs saving by the ‘hero’ and there is often the ‘ fa lse hero’ who tr ied to take credit for whatever the hero achieves and there is a lso the ‘ father f igure’ who looks after the pr incess .

Romantic f i lms and tra i lers work on ensuring that their characters are introduced at the start as i t is important for the audience to identi fy with the main cast and develop a relat ionship with them and whether the audience l ike them or not as that wi l l determine the sympathy or hate that wi l l stay with them throughout the f i lm whi lst events occur – good and bad.

CODES AND CONVENTIONS – CHARACTERS

I t is v i ta l that the sound in the tra i lers and the f i lms of romantic f i lms makes the audience feel connected with the f i lm, the characters and their story.

Romantic tra i lers a lso tend to use voiceovers to introduce the plot and the characters . This attracts audiences as they wi l l get an idea of the plot without gett ing confused as someone is expla in ing i t to them and this wi l l make i t seem more intr iguing and encourage them to use i t .

The diegetic and non diegetic sound of romance f i lms contr ibute to the atmosphere and emotions on screen. Instruments such as v iol ins , guitars or pianos tend to be used in romantic f i lms as they have a soft , soothing tone to them which sets the scene nicely on screen and off screen for the audience. However the volume and pitch must a lso be suitable in order to create that romantic effect as wel l as portraying the tenderness between relat ionships and the personal i t ies of the characters .

CODES AND CONVENTIONS – SOUND

Although a l l good f i lms use a var iety of camera shots and angles to make the f i lm more appeal ing to i t s v iewers , romantic f i lms tend to commonly use a se lect ion that have an impact on the s tory i t s te l l ing .

- Long shots/ establ ishing shots: This i s important because i t a l lows the audience to set the scene or establ ish the locat ion they are in . This then a l lows them to re late and bui ld exc i tement to p laces that they l ike and then conjure up thoughts about what might happen in the f i lm.

- Close ups : This shot is ext remely useful when port raying the emot ions the characters are fee l ing so we as the audience can see how they rea l ly fee l f rom the express ions on their face , regardless of what they are actual ly say ing. This could a lso cause the audience to sympathise with them more depending on what their express ions read as , and therefore become more involved in the f i lm.

- Over the shoulder shots: This type of shot is used when people are convers ing. This may be used in the f i lm or spec i f ica l ly the t ra i ler as i t shows the prox imity of the characters in the screen and the intens ity of thei r conversat ion.

- Two shot: A two shot is when two people are in the f rame and th is shows their re lat ionship and a l lows the audience to see how c lose they are and how they interact . This shot is important in romantic f i lms when showing the re lat ionship between two people .

- Quick/s low shots: At moments of h igh intens ity or drama, i t i s idea l for romantic f i lms to use quick or s low shots to emphas ise the atmosphere of the scene and a l low the audience to interact and ident i fy th is .

CODES AND CONVENTIONS – CAMERA

SHOTS/ANGLES

DECONSTRUCTION OF TRAILER –

‘DEAR JOHN’

After the producing company is introduced, the first few scenes are fast paced and we see an almost montage of the boy on his surfboard in the sea. Non-diegetic music also begins to play and the main instrument we can identify is a guitar. The guitar compliments the way the sea is moving in a fast but graceful way. This also links to the idea of falling in love.

After this we see we see an over the shoulder shot of a boy looking at a girl. Typically of a trailer, we identify the main characters within the first few seconds which can be seen here.

As this is a romantic film, the trailer must establish the key moment when the two love interests meet. This is shown in this scene where the boy saves the girls bag from the sea and returns it to her. This is a long shot and it allows us to see the setting and the body language of the two characters which shows they are making direct eye contact and facing each other. This could connote they are open to getting to know each other and intrigued about who they are. Also, the main male character is shown to have a visibly appealing body and this will attract the female audience.

Propp’s character types are relevant here as we see the ‘princess’ character and the ‘hero’ who saves the princess –or her bag.

This high angle, shallow focus shot reads ‘from the best selling author Nicholas Sparks’. This will gain the audiences attention immediately if they’ve read this book or others from that author as they will want to see their favourite authors words come alive in a film.

Once again there is a montage of fast paced scenes that blend into each other showing the boy and girl together. There is also a voice over of the girl explaining it only took two weeks together for them to fall in love. For those who love romantic films, here we begin to see scenes of them together and this will cause the audience to want to get to know the characters more and find out about their story and how it pans out.

At this point we establish more of the plot and realise the boy is part of the special forces. This could be seen as a disruption to the equilibrium or could be the reason for the disruption.

This proves to be a key moment in the film although we not establish it at this very moment. However this scene has been cleverly placed in the trailer so that the audience can begin to ask questions about who that man and child is and what relevance they have to the love interests. This is an establishing shot as we are again shown the beach which clearly indicates this location has significant meaning as this is where the love interests met and seem to spend a lot of their time. This is also a long shot of the two men, the girl and the young child. The way in which the two men are almost towering over the girl standing in the middle shows they both have significant meaning to her life yet they seem to both be protective over her in a competitive way. The audience will also begin to raise questions as to who is the child and why does he behave in that way .

Here we see another high angle shot. This could connote that they are both vulnerable and naïve regarding their feelings towards each other however it could also connote that they are vulnerable because something is going to happen that will put their whole relationship at risk.

Here we see the boy punching another male character who we are yet to identify. This links in to the voice over of the girl telling the boy that people around him act as if they’re scared of him. This adds some action to the trailer which will then appeal to the male audience.

The girl states that she is not scared of the boy – John. This is a defining moment in their relationship as they begin to learn about each other and their pasts. Here they also share their first kiss. First they lean in, and there is then a pause and all non diegetic sound also pauses however we can still hear the rain. This is a well known feature of romantic films that dates back to years ago – a kiss in the rain.

The scene then fades to white – which signifies purity and could signify the pure and passionate relationship they now have. However here is where the main disruption comes – Summer is over and John must return to the special forces. The voice over of the girl asking John were they’re sending him is also a significant point in the trailer as this is what the whole film is focused on. We then see an establishing shot of John getting off a plane which will encourage the audience to ask questions about where he is going.

‘I’ll see you soon then’ the girl says at this point where her and John share their last moments together. This saying occurs repeatedly in the film so it is important to be placed in the trailer as it shows the audience there may be hope for them.

“Dear John, tell me everything, write it all down” At this point the audience can establish what relevance the name of the film has to the plot and what will occur in the rest of the film. It also shows how dedicated they both are to making this relationship work despite the distance.

“That way we’ll be with each other all the time even if we’re not” Here we see a long shot of the girl reading a letter from John. We see the significantly different locations of both of them and how they contrast to what is going on in both of their lives however they still take the time out to read and write letters to each other. It is also clear that this is the only thing that gives them both hope as they both look forward to receiving them so much. This dramatizes the relationship and the audience will be able to identify the passion between them which will make them want to see the film in order to find out what happens at the end.

The moon also has a significant meaning in the film. At the beginning of the trailer we see the two characters talking about the moon and this is what links them together as every time they see it they think of the other person and gain comfort in knowing they can both see it regardless of where they are. The two scenes of both of them looking at the moon seem to merge here and then fade out however at one point we can see both of them looking at it in the same scene.

Here we see the girl visiting John’s dad even though John is not there. This shows that the girl has also built up a relationship with John’s family which again confirms how serious they are. The audience will become intrigued as to what happens during this meeting.

Throughout this part of the trailer, we see the use of a montage of scenes again. This allows us to see how their lives progress whilst they are apart without giving too much away.

“I miss you so much it hurts” says John in a voice over from one of his letters to the girl. Here we then see them reunited at some point throughout their time apart. Their very public display of affection shows that their love consumes them so much that they will show it off regardless of where they are. Here we see a long shot of the two showing a lot of affection, and we also see the people around them looking at them in interest to see what happens between the two. There are also several faces we can identify that are not too happy about this public display of affection and this links to the idea of young people having very heightened emotions and are very impulsive to act upon them as is shown here.

We also notice that the girl, Savannah, wears a lot of pastel colours, which connotes how pure and good hearted she is – always wanting to help the people she cares about.

The close ups of their faces show that another disruption has occurred and the emotion we see is evidence of how much they do love each other. This allows the audience to really get to know the characters and sympathise towards them.

Here we see a follow movement from the plane in which John Is travelling in. It is very fast paced however it is easy to establish the distance is very long, which reinforces how far John and Savannah are from each other.

We see a quick scene of John and his Dad in a hospital bed. This raises questions for the audience as they ask what is wrong with his dad and hope for the best as they have begun to develop a sympathetic and loving relationship with John –especially the female audience who idolise this actor.

We also see a quick scene, within the montage of Savannah and John in bed together, reflecting the physical love and attraction they have for each other. This is a common feature of romantic films.

In the last 20 seconds of the trailer, we are introduced to a song by Snow Patrol called Set The Fire To The Third Bar and we establish this has been playing throughout the rest of the trailer as an instrumental, focusing on the guitar elements. The lyrics are relevant to the film as they describe the distance between two lovers and what will happen when they finally reunite.

The main credits are then shown, establishing the main characters as Channing Tatum and Amanda Seyfried – two very famous and well loved actors which will encourage audiences to see the film. After each name we see a shot of both the characters looking into the distance at something, possibly signifying they are looking for each other.

“A lot can happen in 12 months John”. The end image is of the moon, which I mentioned earlier is very significant in this film as it is the only thing that stays the same for them both throughout the year they are apart. “Tonight you’re here with me” is the last thing we here Savannah say before the music fades out and we are left with extracts of the guitar before the trailer finishes – leaving the audience wanting to see the film as they want to see what happens between the lovers.

THRILLER

Similar ly to horror f i lms, thr i l ler f i lms work to ensure that they create enough suspense and exhi larat ion to entice audiences into watching them.

Thri l ler f i lms enjoy leaving their audiences feel ing anxious and ful l of tension as they are c l inging on to their seats , wondering what wi l l happen next . This is what makes thr i l lers appeal ing – the uncerta inty of the plot and the characters and knowing that they can unexpectedly change at any point .

Thri l lers spl i t into several other categories however they a l l tend to have characters f ight ing to save someone something, f ight ing with each other or unit ing to f ight external forces . These sub categories are:- Act ion/Adventure- Sci- f i- Cr ime - Western- Romantic - Musical- Spy - Horror

WHY DO PEOPLE WATCH THRILLERS?

Throughout history, audiences have recognised Alfred Hitchcock as the ‘master of thril ler’. Directors have also recognised his talent and attempted to interweave his techniques into their own ‘thril ler’ f i lms. Audiences enjoy the thril l of being scared and not knowing what wil l happen next and this is what attracts them to watching thril lers.

‘MASTER OF THRILLER’

A thr i l ler without suspense would not be a thr i l ler . I t is the reason why audiences enjoy watching these types of f i lm – the element of not knowing what wi l l happen and constantly being surprised.

We see the suspense throughout the f i lm, within the plot and between characters and this is what a l lows the audience to bui ld relat ionships and connect with the characters whi lst they embark on the journey they are on.

General ly we see the main characters put in dangerous s i tuat ions, people they know being put in dangerous s i tuat ions or myster ious things occurr ing and i t Is the main character/s jobs to solve i t and ensure everyone is safe. Most of these s i tuat ions and things that occur are potentia l ly l i fe threatening and that is what keeps the audience on edge throughout the whole f i lm, wondering whether they’ l l surv ive or not .

CODES AND CONVENTIONS –SUSPENSE

The trailers for most f i lms in the thril ler genre introduce the audience to what establishment the fi lm is based around i .e. government, royal family, police etc.

The main props in thril lers are:

- Uniform belonging to higher authority i .e. detectives, police, polit icians etc.

- Guns, knives.

- Badges belonging to authority f igures.

- Brief cases.

- Files kept locked up – secrets, mystery etc.

- Hats.

We also see a lot of low key l ighting when there is opportunity for it , creating shadows and therefore adding to the element of mystery and suspense. Also we see most of the clothing and props to be black as this also signifies darkness/night time, hiding, secrets etc.

CODES AND CONVENTIONS – MISE EN SCENE

Thri l ler f i lms are commonly set in public places such as busy streets, large cit ies and urban/suburban areas are common locations for these fi lms. Also, professional institutions such as police stations, forensic labs, offices, hospitals and car parks, trains and planes are also regularly seen in thri l lers.

This throws the audience off and makes them more on edge as we would assume the storylines and characters that appear in horror f i lms can not occur in real l i fe and when they are happening in places we are in so regularly, it makes us think that these things could happen to us, making the fi lm much more intense.

CODES AND CONVENTIONS –LOCATION

Often in thr i l ler f i lms we see the antagonist/s who are working to create havoc, death, revenge etc . on someone, something or a group of people. The v i l la in in thr i l lers tends to be more extreme then the usual type depending on what type of thr i l ler i t is . I f i t is a horror or psychological thr i l ler , the v i l la ins are often wil l ing to go to any extents to get what they want , despite what they have to do to achieve i t which puts the hero at more r isk , adding much more suspense to the f i lm.

We then a lso see the protagonist , who tends to be a male, who is often working with or against the authority to save the s i tuat ion and any people involved. However , in more modern thr i l lers , we have begun to see more female protagonists , which then appeals to a wider female audience, as wel l as male as the females would feel empowered and the males want to see their favourite female actresses in act ion.

CODES AND CONVENTIONS –CHARACTERS

Thril ler f i lms use the plot to focus their diegetic and non diegetic sounds around. When there are moments of high tension and drama, the music wil l reflect this. When something bad is going to happen, the music wil l become slower and more intense, warning the audience of the upcoming events. The tone of the sound also reflects what is happening in that current moment, leaving the audience unaware of what wil l happen next which then causes much more shock when the events take place. In many ways, the sound of thri l ler f i lms reflects horror f i lms as the fi lm plays on audience reactions to that specif ic part of the fi lm and dramatizes it with sound making it more scary and suspenseful for the audience.

CODES AND CONVENTIONS – SOUND

DECONSTRUCTION OF TRAILER –‘TAKEN’

Similar to other trailers, Taken opens with its audience ratings. This film has been rated PG-13 meaning parents are urged to be cautious as the film may contain some material that some parents might consider inappropriate for children aged under 13 years. This allows parents to decide whether their children can watch the trailer or film straight from the outset as they will be able to see if it is appropriate for them or not.

The film is distributed and produced by 20th Century Fox and EuropaCorp. As these companies are extremely well-known, the audience can assume the film will be just as good and very high quality, encouraging them to go and watch it.

The first scene opens with a man getting out of a car, holding a present. The size of the gift is obviously big implying the person receiving it is very important to the man. We see a long shot of him and he is wearing a suit. This could signify he has a well paid, professional job. From the setting we can see big houses meaning whoever he is visiting also has a lot of money.

We then establish that he is visiting his daughter. The way they embrace each other shows they have a very close relationship. As most trailers, the main characters are introduced in the first few seconds so we can assume the film is focused on the man and his family.

The non-diegetic sound playing in the background seems foreign, almost dangerous in a calm way which could signify that whatever happens in the film has something to do with foreign people or places. This over the shoulder shot shows the man and his daughter talking. They seem comfortable in this scene and it shows they have a relationship where they can be open about things and talk to each other easily. Also, the way the girl is dressed – floral dress, bright colours, hair pushed back with a hairband shows she is still quite young and vulnerable.

We see the girls mum and dad at the airport saying goodbye to her as she goes to Paris with her friend. Although her parents are not together, they put up a united front when it regards their only child, showing how important she is to them. The long shot shows the distance between them as there is clearly no romantic interest between them.

Here we see the girls friend, who she is travelling with. Again we see the girl looks and dresses as if she is still young, meaning they are both very vulnerable and naïve. Also, she is another main character introduced in the first part of the trailer.

We are shown an establishing shot of Paris. Here we realise just how big the city is for two young girls.

Compared to the previous over the shoulder shot of the girl talking to her dad, we saw how excited and happy she was at the prospect of travelling to Paris with her friend. We now see it from the girls point of view and the dads expressions show us that although he is clearly not happy about his only daughter travelling so far on her own, he wont deny her this opportunity as she means so much to him that he does not want to make her sad. Also, he may be realising she is growing up despite her looking so young still.

Throughout the first part of the trailer we see scenes of the girl talking to her dad about going to Paris and her at the airport saying goodbye to her parents as she boards her plane with her friend. Propp’s character types are relevant here as we see the girl being the ‘princess’ and her dad being the ‘father’ who only wants what's best for her despite knowing its not safe for her to go to Paris.

The atmosphere of the trailer suddenly changes as soon as the girl and her friend board the plane. There is a thunder style noise and all off a sudden we hear a phone ringing. The bass/thunder sounds continue as the screen splits in two showing the dad ringing his daughter and the daughter in their apartment in Paris.

The girl finally answers the phone and the dad says ‘you were supposed to call me when you landed’. This shows she is still young and irresponsible.

We then see the girl looking out of her door to the other door in their apartment where her friend is. She sees men approaching her and immediately tells her dad. At this point we hear the fear in her voice, confirming she is definitely still a young child who needs her dad to help her. The use of a two split screen allows us to see close ups of the dad and his daughters reactions and it is clear her dad is just as scared for her, although he isn't even there.

This close up shows us just how serious the situation is as the girl is hysterical after seeing her friend being taken. However, the dad remains completely under control and gets out his briefcase in order to instruct his daughter on what she should do. Here we realise his profession may be completely different to what he had imagined but this is what will attract both female and male audiences as they would want to know what happens next.

She follows her dads instructions immediately without any hesitation and hides under the bed. The camera then moves to match the eye level of the girl. This makes the audience feel as if they are under the bed with her, waiting for whatever comes next, which continues to build suspense.

Despite the calmness of his voice, this close up of the dad shows the strain in his face as he tries to keep it together to save his daughter.

Still at eye level, we see the feet of a man. This is an extremely high moment of suspense as we wonder whether the girl will be taken or not. It goes silent as suddenly she is dragged from under the bed. Then all we hear is screams from the girl. This sound makes the audience jump as well as anticipate what happens next as the audience begin to ask questions such as how far will this man go to save his daughter.

The scenes that follow the scream show the dad on the phone to someone explaining who he is and the lengths he will go to in order to find his daughter. We then see scenes of people being tortured and fights that the dad carries out in order to get answers.

At the same time as the dad trying to find his daughter, we see scenes of what his daughter has been made to do. This high angle shot s the disgust the girl has towards the men making her behave in this way.

The rest of the trailer consists of a strong action element which will appeal to a lot of the male audience, as well as some female. The audience are given an insight into what they will see in the film without too much being given away. We see that many dangerous stunts will be performed and this intrigues us to want to find out what happens in the end and whether everything the man goes through is worth it – does he save his daughter?

The non-diegetic sound played at this part of the trailer is very loud and edgy, almost rock music with a lot of bass and tension. This reflects what is happening in the trailer.

The last thing we hear is “If you let my daughter go now, that'll be the end of it. I will not look for you, I will not pursue you. But if you don't, I will look for you, I will find you, and I will kill you” The person on the other end of the phone replies with “good luck” It leaves the audience with a big impact and adds a lot of suspense as to whether the dad, Brian, does find this man and his daughter and what happens in between this time and after.

After the montage of fast paced, action packed scenes, it finally cuts to black to show the title of the film. Then each of the main characters names appear on screen in a fade in and out transition. This allows audiences to identify with their favourite actors/actresses.