Research task- chosen media

What is a trailer?

A trailer, simply put, is a video usually of around 2 minutes in length, which is designed to persuade and convince people to go and see a movie. The trailer will typically feature some of the best moments from the film in order to "show off," the movie as much as possible. Despite this, people who make the film trailers have to be careful not to include any spoilers in the trailer, as this can often annoy fans and people who are planning on seeing the movie.


Key conventions of a movie trailer

Movie trailers have a number of key conventions which most abide by. These conventions include:

-Film production logos. This immediately creates an idea of the type of film that is about to be advertised, as well as perhaps appealing to a larger market due to some people having seen films (and enjoyed them) from the same production company in the past.

-Film title. This will obviously be included in every trailer so people know the name of the film. This can also give clues to the mood, genre and setting of the film.

-BBFC age certificate.

-Character introductions. This is important, as before going to see a film many like to have a rough idea of who the central characters are and what their personalities/ intentions are like. Also, introducing the characters means people watching the trailer will be able to identify the actors/actresses behind the characters. If they have seen previous films with the actors and enjoyed them, this could convince a wider audience to go and see the film.

-Music. This is important as it helps to set the tone for the trailer, and can also give people a sense of the budget of the film.

-Name captions and release dates- This will usually be shown at the end of the trailer. This is important as, like the credits at the end of the movie, it states who is involved and who the main actors/actresses are. Giving the release date is also important so people know when to expect to be able to see the film.


Comparing trailer to short film

I will be comparing the trailer to "127 hours" trailer to short film "Plastic," by Sandy Widyanata.

Analysing "127 hours" trailer

Editing
The trailer uses a wide variety of shots to show off the film. From the trailer we can see close shots, medium shots, long shots, wide sweeping shots, POV shots and high angle/ low angle shots. I think this wide use of shots is very effective in the trailer, as it gives the trailer an energy that I think can also be seen in the film itself. The subject matter of the film is quite unusual, as it involves one central character who gets his right arm stuck behind a boulder. If this were to be explained to someone who had never seen or heard about the film before then they might think it would be quite a closed off, slow moving film with not much momentum, as it essentially features one man who is trapped in a canyon as it's subject matter. I think the trailer serves to diminish this viewpoint by making it seem a very energetic film, which is valid as the film itself is also energetic and fast moving, despite it's subject matter.
However the trailer does make use of slow editing as well, as opposed to the fast montage editing that can be seen elsewhere. For example when Aron Ralston talks to his video camera about the situation that he is in. This again is valid in terms of the film, as the film does exploit slow moving, more sentimental scenes as well as fast moving ones. Overall I think the trailer in terms of editing is very successful, both in making the trailer entertaining to watch and in painting a good idea of how the film will pan out with it's conventions.

Mise-en-scene
The props that can be seen in the trailer include a rucksack, a water bottle, a car, a map, hiking costumes and of course the rock that is trapping the protagonist. I think even though the props are not all crucial for the development of the story in the trailer, they are crucial for building the atmosphere and for setting the scene. For the audience to be fully invested and convinced by the environment, the props that they see must be relevant and make the environment seem authentic. I think the props are successful in doing this.
Landscape wise, we can see a mixture or shots from inside the canyon and shots from outside. This is clearly done to make the trailer as visually dynamic as possible. Obviously quite a lot of the shots need to be from within the canyon that the protagonist is trapped, as this is predominantly the space in which the film pans out.

Lighting
Even though a mixture of bright and quite grainy, dark lighting is used, I think the trailer makes more use of bright lighting. I think this is to convey the feeling of hope which is spread throughout the film. Certain shots, like those where Ralston is talking into his video camera, are quite grainy and dark, as are shots where he looks into his water bottle at his decreasing supply of water. This helps to show the ups and downs in his mood and his hope, and is something the film makes good use of as well.
However bright shots are predominantly used. Again, this is to show the strong feeling of hope as opposed to despair. This is important, as the feeling of hope contrasting with despair is one of the key conventions of the film as a whole.

Sound
The trailer starts off with very upbeat, happy music, with a very fast moving tone to it. However, about halfway through the trailer, the music suddenly stops. After another period music comes back, however this time the music is softer and slower, introducing a sad but somewhat hopeful tone to the trailer. I think this is very effective.
I think the reason the trailer starts off with upbeat music is to show how unexpected the accident was for Ralston, and how much it took him by surprise. We can actually see the rock crush his arm within the trailer, and it happens very suddenly, conveying the feeling of surprise that he felt and making the audience feel the same.
Numerous lines of dialogue can also be heard in the trailer despite the music. There is a mixture of shots where Ralston is taking to his video camera, as well as shots where he is talking to other people, such as other hikers. This mixture of shots helps to show the contrast between his trapped state and his free state, and perhaps the feelings of hope and despair. I think the lighting is quite similar in this approach as well, as similarly examined.

Narrative structure
The trailer does follow a very rough linear style, however shots of when he is trapped and when he is free are interspersed throughout. For example, the opening shot of the trailer is actually that of when is trapped in the canyon, when he is talking to his video camera. However the trailer does have an order to it, as it shows the time before Ralston was trapped roughly preceding the time in which he is trapped.
I think the rather random order of the shots makes the trailer more interesting to watch as we are seeing his story from a multitude of different angles all at once. We are almost bombarded with different events that are happening, which I think links with editing where I mentioned that the trailer is deliberately fast moving and high octane to convince people that the film is not slow moving and/or boring (due to it's story.)




Analysing short film: "Plastic."

Editing
The short film uses a variety of shots within it's medium. Long shots, medium shots, close shots, extreme close shots and reaction shots are all used within the short film. However, medium and close shots are used at a much higher frequency than the long shots. The short film also makes use of montage editing, especially near the start of the trailer, where the main character is getting dressed.
I think this use of montage editing and the wide variety of shots that are used is effective, as the short film is quite closed off, meaning it takes place essentially in one room (apart from the last minute.) As it does this, I think having a magnitude of different shots and angles is important to make it entertaining. This is especially true as within the first third of the short film not much is actually happening. The main character is shown as getting dressed and talking on the phone to her boyfriend, and there is not much actual action.
I think the reaction shots that are used help with the comedic element of the short film. They take place when the main character is changing and distorting her face, and her reactions to the differences serve to make us as the audience feel more amused.
To summarise, the editing is quick and full-on despite the plot, probably because this is a short film and as such memorable shots need to be used in order for the medium to be successful with it's short running time.

Mise-en-scene
As mentioned previously, the short film takes place predominantly in one apartment. Within the apartment we can see things typically associated with the environment, such as clothes scattered on the floor, toiletries, a TV and a bin. The one thing that is somewhat out of the ordinary that we can see in the apartment is the moth, which is large and stands out from it's background, both through it's colour and it's movement.
I think mise-en-scene is largely successful within "Plastic," as a lot of what we can helps to build the picture that the short film is taking place in an apartment.
The last minute of the short film however strongly contrasts with everything that preceded it, as it takes place outside. In these shots, we can see a city landscape, and the closing shot of the short film is that of a slow pan upwards with a city landscape dominating the mise-en-scene. I think this is effective as this is what the short film concludes with, meaning everything was building up to this point. I think the fact that it ends on such an exterior shot will mean the short film stays in peoples heads for longer, and perhaps makes them think more about the subject matter and the finishing line from the characters.

Lighting
All the shots that are used within "Plastic," are quite dark, almost sinister looking shots. Even the final exterior shots clearly take place in the evening when the sky is darkening. I think this is simply done to represent the mood that the creators are tying to convey through their short film. The short film itself is meant to be quite sinister and mysterious, as well as getting people to think about what the overall message of it is. The rather dark lighting that is used throughout is probably meant to signify these themes.
This could be seen as being representative of short films generally, as because they are obviously going to be short in running time every shot has to count, and as such mise-en-scene and lighting both have to represent the overall message and themes of the film within each take. I think the lighting is successful overall and links nicely with the story and what is actually happening on screen.

Sound
The short film goes through stages where music is and isn't used. Music is typically used when the main character is getting dressed and looking at her reflection in the mirror. The music is quite unusual, helping to represent the unusual tone of the short film.
However when there is dialogue between the main character and her boyfriend, the music disappears. This is probably so we can concentrate on what the characters are saying, as because it is a short film we need to understand exactly what is happening.
Again this could be representative of short films generally, as because the running time is short every bit of dialogue between the characters is important and as such there should be no distractions, such as music playing or extravagant sound effects.
Sound effects are used when there is no dialogue. For example when the main character changes the size of her nose, we can hear the sound that it makes (a stretching sound) which I think makes the short film more comical.
Overall I think sound used is effective throughout, and is only used when necessary to add to the overall effect of the short film.

Narrative structure
The short film plays out as a completely linear piece of media. Everything that happens happens in the order that it played out, and there is a clear beginning, middle and end. This could potentially represent short films as a whole, as because it is short there is no time for changes in narrative, for example skipping ahead to the future or interweaving past and present.



Comparing and contrasting "127 hours" trailer with "Plastic" short film
Both the trailer and the short film share similarities. For example they both make good use of the reaction shot. In the short film, the main character looks into a mirror, and in the trailer the main character looks back at themselves from a video camera. Both mediums make quite good use of this particular shot, and both for a similar reason as well, which is to show how the respective characters are reacting to their environment and the situation they find themselves in.
Also, both trailer and short film make strong use of a range of different camera angles, despite both being set in a relatively small space.
However, they both have differences as well. The "127 hours," trailer is not nearly as linear as the short film. This is predictable, as trailers in general will be much more interspersed and non-linear than short films, as their purpose is to persuade rather than to tell a story.
I think both mediums have very different purposes on the whole. The trailer is obliviously intended to attract people to the "127 hours," film, whilst "Plastic," stands on it's own ground, and intends to portray messages and ideas through solely it's 6 minute run time. I think these differences in conventions will be found in the majority of cases when trailers and short films are analysed, and as such I feel that this particular analysis which I have done is representative in the differences in conventions on the whole.