Multi-genre research
Comedy: Big Mommas: Like Father, Like Son (2011):
The beginning of the trailer for Big Mommas: Like Father, Like Son seems to be fast paced and action like. It has the sound of sirens and guns being shot, which counteracts with the music that is being played in the background. This creates the tension and excitement for the audience as humour is also added. Furthermore, there is a voiceover that is being played alongside the music, which is narrating the character background. This also makes the audience very enthusiastic for the film just by seeing the well-made trailer. The trailer also introduces which production company they used which is 20th Century Fox. This trailer also teases the audience as it give off bits of information and leaves out some, which makes the audience curious about the film. Moreover, there are a lot of cuts that are quite fast, and they will cut to different scenes. All of the clips seem to be going in chronological order so the audience don't get confused. The editing technique used to cut to other scenes works well with the sound effects being used. This creates the tension for the audience. The trailer contains a wide range of cinematography. It uses establishing shots to show where the location of the film is going to be set. The sounds used within the trailer seems to be very comical and it kind of emphasises the actions that characters are making. Sound effects are used to co-operate with the editing of the trailer. For example: when there is dissolve from one scene to the other, sound effects are used to enhance the effect it makes on the audience. Moreover, a lot of mise-en-scene is used within the trailer, like make up, location, costume, props etc. Extensive make up and special effect was done to make the men look like females, and only some clips of the men were shown in the trailer to keep the audience even more curious. Near the end of the trailer, the title is showed.
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Action: Furious 7 (2015):
The trailer for Furious 7 starts off as being very intense. At the beginning, they show the production company which is Universal. They also show the main characters that will be presented throughout the whole film. The first scene seems to be a huge part of the film and by that being presented in the trailer, it shows that it's a very good scene. By the use of props, location and cinematography, the scene looks very appealing to look at, and it gives off a thriller-action mood to the audience. By observing the trailer, it seems like the producers of the film are showing one scene from the film. This is demonstrated by using the same location, as well as the same concept. As the trailer progresses, the producers are showing a lot locations which teases the audience a lot. Moreover, the sounds used within the trailer builds a lot of tension, especially in the beginning, where they pause the background music and let the video create the greater impact. The soundtrack also matches the editing techniques that were being used. For example, when there are strong beats within the soundtrack, the editing will also be strong by using short and long cuts. This is done to create a greater affect on the audience. At the end of the trailer, they show the title of the film.
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Drama: War Horse (2011)
The trailer for War Horse starts off by showing the production company which Dreamworks. Then it cuts to a tracking shot of the horse running. The set designs looks as if the horse could be in danger, but not too much is given away since this is a teaser trailer. Non-diegetic sound is playing in the background, and it seems very sad and slow, which could indicate that the genre of the film is drama. The is also diegetic sound of the man speaking . There a lot of editing techniques used such as fades, dissolves etc. Another editing technique that was used is graphic action. This was used when the horse was running, and it cuts to the main character running also. Establishing shots are used to reveal what kind of locations are being used with the film. Throughout the trailer, some of the characters are revealed, and their costume and makeup indicates that the film is set in the past (World War 2). Between a couple shots at a time, there is writing which shows who directed the film, and if it's based a true story or not. Trailer ends with the title of the film being showed.
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Sci-Fi: The Martian (2015):
The trailer starts off by showing a lot of establishing shots. The purpose behind this is important as the film is set both on Earth and Mars, and this is very interesting for the audience. It also starts off by revealing a voiceover of possibly the main character. The trailer slowly starts to reveal most of the characters. It then starts to show the production company which 20th Century Fox. The trailer doesn't give off a lot of information as they are only trying to tease the audience. The music used behind the trailer is very upbeat and it links back perfectly to trailer. It gives off the emotion which is makes it interesting for the audience. In terms of cinematography, a whole range was used such as close ups, extreme long shots, establishing shots, long shots etc. This will make trailer appealing to look at. Moreover, the mise-en-scene was thought of carefully, as it fits in with trailer and storyline. By this, the costume, makeup, lighting, set design, location and performance is well planned which created this extremely good trailer. Lastly, the title is showed at the end which goes well with the soundtrack.
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Audience research
Gender
These films are mainly targeted to specific genders. Males will stereotypically be drawn to action films or superhero films and there is always the minority of some females who will prefer to watch that type of genre. Furthermore, females will stereotypically be drawn to chick flicks as it contains teenage romance, and less physical conflict.
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Ethnicity
These films are targeted towards all people but, society kind of changed the mindset of synopsis and made it into an ethnicity film. All three films express the discrimination of a particular race and how the society within the films would react to that kind of situation. All films also seem to be based on a true story as it would also reflect on the real world.
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Age
These 3 films will have contrasting ages for audiences. There are elements within each film that will illustrate that the film is suitable for the age it is meant for. For example, in High School Musical, it shows a school and teenagers being used as actors, which demonstrates that the film is targeted towards 12-16 year old people.
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Sub-genre research (of Drama and Action)
Romantic drama:
A romantic drama is a film which includes the concept of love and affection but also having conflict and difficult situations. It explores the 2 sides of having a complex love relationship. A Walk to Remember: A Walk to Remember is a 2002 film directed by Adam Shankman. The teaser trailer immediately starts off by showing a showing a shot of the female lead and introducing soundtrack which sounds very romantic and genre focused. The use of this type of soundtrack is a common technique to use in a romantic drama to capture the audiences' attention. Along with the soundtrack, there is a voiceover which used a lot in drama films. The voiceover adds the drama concept to the film as the narrator is basically repeating what the visual is showing. The combination of the 2 makes the teaser trailer look and sound interesting and relative. As the teaser trailer progresses, we see more of the characters that are in the film such as the male lead. The location is revealed through the use of a long shot of the female lead and her surroundings. This is another type of technique used in romantic dramas to emphasis the character's emotion and maybe give hints of her/his personality. In this teaser trailer, there is a lot of editing happening between each scene. This looks quite modern and recent for a film made in 2002. This is an interesting way to make the audience engaged, as the director wanted even future audience to relate to the storyline. This is unique as it's not done many romantic drama films. The storyline might be similar to other films, but the way it's edited and structured makes it very intriguing. In the last scene, even the lighting and mood changes as we see how their love progresses overtime. The trailer is very linear and it will make the audience guess a lot more about the character, in terms of their personalities and intentions. There's little scenes where they are being affectionate and this is where we also see the titles. One of titles is "Based on a best selling novel". This is also good to add to the teaser trailer, as it will seem very typical and it will attract many audiences. |
Comedy drama:
A comedy drama is a film which expresses sensitive subjects in a humorous manner. 50/50 (2011): 50/50 is a 2011 film which shows how the main character deals with his life after finding out he has cancer. This is expressed in a very humorous, even though it deals with a sensitive subject. This film is directed by Jonathan Levine. The teaser trailer starts off by introducing the 2 main characters which seem to be best friends. The shot is mainly focused on them and not anything that surrounds them. The main character also reveals to his best friend that he has cancer. Although this is a sensitive topic, the director makes it seem like it's not as serious by adding humor. The audience will know it's a serious topic however, as we see it happening to real life people everyday. In the next scene, there's an upbeat soundtrack playing in the background which juxtaposes the emotions and mood of the main character, as he is going through a hard time in life. This is done in many indie or comedy dramas to make it more interesting for the audience. Many locations are revealed in this teaser trailer. and one of them is the hospital. This is shown by the use of establishing shot, and we would expect to see this location as the audience. The lighting of the shots seem very bright. This means that even though the character got diagnosed with cancer, he tries to maintain a stereotypical normal life. In the last scene, it finishes off with another typical technique used for comedy dramas and that's black comedy. This is trying to make fun off something that's very serious. This is not done to offend any one, but to make it very pleasing and interesting to watch. Moreover, the titles used are very bright and it doesn't really reflect the storyline. |
Action thriller: Skyfall (2012)
In the beginning of the teaser trailer for Skyfall (2012), there is an establishing shot to reveal the location where the film is set. Most action films will reveal that one of the most important elements is the use of location. The lighting used in that establishing shot is very bright, but this contrasts with the voiceover and sound as they sound very depressing and dull. This connotes different emotions to be shown. The producers of the film didn't show much as they wanted the audience to feel quite emerged and interested. In terms of editing, a lot of fades are used between each cut, and this corresponds with the sound. However, not too much is shown in the cuts, and this only teases the audience so they can get excited for the rest of the teaser trailer. As the teaser trailer progresses, a more stronger beat is established, and this is combined with the fast cuts that are shown. But the use of fades between the cuts are maintained, and this could be used to show the change of time and location. Furthermore, the last few scenes alongside the sounds used are quite fast, and this enhances the fact that this is an action film.
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Action comedy: Rush Hour 3 (2007)
The beginning of the Rush Hour 3 (2007) is quite unique as it shows historic footage, considering the fact that this is an action comedy film. It seems quite serious, and this technique kind of enhances the comical side of the film as they are mocking the past. This then cuts to a funny part of the film where 2 characters are introduced. As this is a funny teaser trailer, not much is shown especially different locations and this is done so the comical side of the film is shown first. The editing seems to be done similarly to an action film and this hints out that the film is also an action film. The soundtrack used also sounds a bit funny which creates a good mood for the audience.
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Action horror: The Purge: Anarchy (2014)
At the beginning of the trailer for The Purge: Anarchy, it starts off by playing a contrasting music which differs from the fact the the film is an action horror. As that progresses, the music is cut to another soundtrack which is more fitting to the genre. This continues throughout the whole teaser trailer. The editing of the trailer is manipulated well by using the soundtrack, for example when there's a loud drop of the beat in the soundtrack, there's a cut to another scene. Moreover, a lot of cinematography techniques are used thoughout the trailer, such as hand held camera and tracking shots. This seems fitting to the teaser trailer as it will build and create tension/atmosphere, which will inform the audience a lot more about the film without actually revealing anything.
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Action sci-fiction: Divergent (2014)
The teaser trailer for Divergent already starts off with a strong soundtrack, and as the storyline is explained further, the soundtrack just seems to fit the genre even further. The editing however seems simple by just adding fades and dissolves, but the storyline and use of soundtrack makes it even more interesting. There are lot cinematography techniques used within this teaser trailer, such as establishing shots, and close ups. These kind of shots are used throughout the whole trialer to demonstrate that this is a sci-fi action film. For example, the establishing shot is used to discover the loaction, but this is a fictional location and seems to not be ordinary. Furthermore, the same soundtrack is used throughout the whole trailer to maintain the creativity.
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Auteur Research
James Cameron
James Cameron is a famous director, writer and producer, known for directing the very famous film that was one of the highest grossing films, Avatar (2009). He is also famous for directing another high grossing film, Titanic (1997).
More than 10 years after Titanic came out, Cameron created Avatar using 3D technology and just filming the whole film in 3D. This made the film very successful and earned over $2 billion. James Cameron also directed other films such as The Terminator (1984) and The Abyss (1989). |
Bryan Singer
Bryan Singer is a film director, producer, writer and actor. He directed X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014) and X-Men: Apocalypse (2016). He also directed Valkyrie (2008), which shows his directing abilities by directing different types of genres.
He uses flashback storytelling in his films, in order to use the past as a strategy to make the storyline of the film interesting. |
Steven Spielberg
Steven Spielberg is a very famous director, producer and screenwriter. He mainly focuses on drama, thriller and some horror movies. He directed some of the great movies we know today. He was born in 1946. He directed the first 3 Jurassic Park movies from 1993 to 2001. He also directed the very famous movie, ‘Jaws’ (1975) which sparked some tension with the audience. Other successful movies he directed were ‘Poltergeist’ (1982), and ‘War Horse’ (2011). Although ‘War Horse’ was a war drama film, it kind of contrasted with his abilities to direct other genre film.
Spielberg uses a technique, which is called ‘The Spielberg Face’. He uses extreme close ups of the actor/character’s face to create tension for the audience. He also uses shadows, circles, and reflections to go against a square or rectangular frame of the chosen film. |
Soundtrack Research
Mission: Impossible soundtrack |
James Bond 007 soundtrack |
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The soundtrack that was used in Mission: Impossible creates an adventurous atmosphere to the trailer. Moreover, the soundtrack was used to portray that the film is an action thriller film. It's quite fast, and upbeat, which would make the film even more interesting.
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The soundtrack used in James Bond 007 is quite similar to the one used in Mission: Impossible. This also gives off a spy film feel to the trailer which could make the audience even more immersed. It basically has the same aim as the soundtrack for Mission: Impossible.
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Production and Distribution companies
WARNER Brothers
Warner's Bros. Entertainment Inc. was founded 92 years ago in 1923. It was founded by four brothers; Albert, Harry, Sam, and Jack.L Warner. They produce film, music, and television entertainment.
Warner's Bros produced/distributed some of the horror films such as Friday the 13th, The Conjuring, Annabelle, Sweeney Todd. It also produced other successful movies such as the Harry Potter series, I Am Legend, Getaway, The Hobbit, Godzilla. |
20TH CENTURY FOX
20th Century Fox is a film studio, and distributor. It only distributes films. It has been founded 80 years ago, in 1935 by Joseph M. Schenck, and Darryl F. Zanuck. This company is owned by 21st Century Fox and Fox itself.
It has distributed a lot of successful horror movies such as The Fly, Lake Placid. It also distributed other movies such as Rise of the Planet of The Apes, Avatar, X-Men, Ice Age, Titanic. |
LIONSGATE
Lionsgate Films is a company that produces and distributes film. It is a division of Lions Gate Entertainment. It was founded in 1962 by Frank Giustra. They focus on producing independent films and distributing it.
Lionsgate produced and distributed horror films such as Saw II, Jessabelle, Texas Chainsaw 3D, American Psycho. Lionsgate also produced/distributed other famous films like Hunger Games, and Lord Of War. |
Universal
Universal Studios is a film studio and distributing company. It distributes independent films and animated films. It was found in 1912 by Carl Laemmle.
Universal studios has distributed horror films such as Ouija, Mama, Dracula Untold. The studios also distributed other successful movies such as Jurassic World, Jaws, Furious 7, Lucy. |