Conventions of Chosen Trailers

Only one of the three trailers we analyzed used a voice over. We found that  a theatrical trailer was more likely to have a voiceover, than a teaser trailer.  

In the majority of our trailers the stars were show cased, except for Paranormal Activity as the actors/ actresses in it were not well known. 

Tag lines are used to convey key ideas in the film. For example in Inception “You’re mind..is the scene of the crime”

We found the use of dialogue in theatrical trailers such as Mirrors and Inception was more prominent and extensive apposed to teaser trailers which had either very little or no dialogue.  

There was no dramatic camera angles within Paranormal Activity, this is because it is all shot from the perspective that its a handheld home camera. Whereas Mirrors and Inception are both action packed films so there are a lot of high budget cameras used for dramatic effect. 

In Mirrors and Inception action is interspersed with actor or director credits on screen, this is because they are high budget, Hollywood films and therefore the actors and directors are well known. 

For every trailer, the music plays a very important role in creating atmosphere. 

All the films we analysed showed the title of the film at the end, to build suspense till the climax and to encourage an audience to watch the whole trailer to find out the name of the film. 

Most conventional trailers place the climax either just before the title is shown or in the last shot of the trailer, this grabs the audiences attention and leaves the audience with a defining last moment. 

Structural Conventions

Inception

Opening: Introduces the main character Leonardo Dicaprio straight away. It’s set in a large town, which compliments it’s hollywood production and hollywood actors. 

Build up: More characters are introduced, and their link with the protagonist. More narrative is revealed, and the title of the film is explained.

Problem:  The problem is to do with them entering peoples dreams and  weather its right and moral to enter without them knowing. 

Events:   The events which occur in the trailer are the obstacles which they face when they are within the dreams. 

  

Mirrors

Opening: Introduces protagonist, Keifer Sutherland. Introduces setting, and the characters life and family.

Build up: The introduction of the mirrors, and the main narrative, that the mirrors are somewhat ‘possessed’.

Problem: The mirrors ‘haunting’ the protagonist and his family.

Events: The ‘possessed’ mirrors entering protagonists home, affecting his son and his wife.

Paranormal Activity 2

Opening: The opening starts with the “white noise” of a camera, or television screen. This creates mystery.

Build up: The introduction of the characters, and the voyeuristic nature of the camera.

Problem: The house is haunted

Events: Woman gets thrown at screen. Woman stands in hallway. It’s very quite, there is not much action.