Location Reseach

Campaign Paintball Site - Cobham.

One of the members in my group has a close fried who's parents own a paintballing site in Cobham called Campaign. We have already spoken to the boy, who's confirmed that his parents would be okay with us using a section of wasteland near the site. The wasteland is filled with mounds of dirt, derelict pieces of machinery such as tractors and diggers. The wasteland would also provide us with a empty, unused field of which we wouldn't be disturbed by members of the public, allowing us to get on with our filming. This patch of land fits in perfectly with our chosen genre, due to the fact that its already derelict, meaning we wouldn't need to make it look that way, saving us time and money as we wouldn't have to buy or make any props either.

Test Intro using Sony Vegas Pro 12

 This is a test intro i made for any edits i made at the skatepark. It was made in about an hour using Sony Vegas Pro 12. I followed a tutorial i found on youtube which used various layers and techniques to make it look as if the nebula background is moving, with almost a fuzzy look to it. The only problem is the colours i used, along with the overall look doesn't match the conventions of the idea me and my group has for our film. As were thinking of making our film kind of zombie based, a blue and green, space background isn't going to be acceptable for our intro. Due to the conventions of a thriller/action our intro will probably be darker due, using colours such as red and black.

Target audiences

Target audiences for the Action genres.

The action genre is mainly aimed at a Male audience, aged between 12 and 25, as the activities in action films tend to attract male viewers, and however most movies in that genre have a love interest, allowing females to relate to the viewing, providing another side of possible audience. Action/Adventure films also tend to attract families as well, as it brings people together because of the wide possible audience range, perfect for families of all ages.

Opening Scene Analysis - Titles

The opening titles of a film tell the audience the title of the film and is traditionally shown at the beginning. Normally the genre of the film will determine what colour scene/fonts are used, for example horror movies tend to have black backgrounds, and red fonts, as these colours link to horrors. The Fonts also tend to be quite sinister and dark, reflecting how the film will be.

The Bourne Legacy is an action packed spy film.

The titles of this film are in plain white block text, with each word being in a different level of boldness which makes it stand out more and gives it a sense of being more sophisticated. It is quite conventional of an action film to have plain white text. The black background of the title makes it stand out more. My group are doing an action film quite similar to The Bourne Legacy and we are probably going to use the same type of font as we want our film to seem as professional as possible.

The A-Team is a very well-known action film.

This title is from the most recent A-Team film

made in 2010, which is a remake starring Bradley Cooper, Liam Neeson and Sharlto Copley. They have used a silver colour with the font to make it look like it is metallic which connotes guns and bullets.
The bullet holes in the writing suggests to

the audience that that this film will have guns

and violence in it which is typical of an action film.

They have also chosen to use bold military

style font making it look tough and professional.

The black background makes the title stand out

and be more in your face preparing the audience

for what might come in the rest of the film.

The opening title of the Harry Potter film series look

like they are written in an old-style font, something

which looks like it would be in an old hand-written book which reflects the theme of the film

which is magic and mystery. The font is a dark, old looking silver and the background is dark clouds, much like you would see when it's raining which will make the audience think that there is going to be a lot more serious and evil parts to this film compared to the traditional Harry Potter title which is gold. The P in the title is shaped the same as the scar on Harry's forehead which is a major plot element in the film, linking the title with the film.
The detailed and the detailed and unique title
makes it very recognizable which makes for
a great marketing tool which helps promote and
sell the film.

The film Insidious is a horror film. They used red writing in their titles as it connotes blood and evil, however some romance films do choose to use red in their titles too, but the way in which the audience is able to distinguish between the two is the font and the background. The font used in this makes it look like there are devil horns suggesting that the film will have evil and religious aspects in it. Another thing done that adds a lot of effect is the shadows on the writing from what looks to be a fire which makes it look mysterious and evil. All these aspects of the title suggest to the audience that film will be a horror.

The Blair Witch Project in my opinion, is one of the best horror movies ever created, as its simplicity is what makes it so terrifying. The films opening scene is white writing on a black background, in a way this fits in perfectly with the film as it shows how amateur the filming and editing is going to be, it also gives us the impression that the film will be recored like a home movie. As a black and white font one of the most basic editing techniques, which most people can do, proving how amature the film is.
 
Rec is another horror film i have chosen to analyse, as most of the film is filmed how we would like to in our opening two minutes the self-filmed amateur editing kind of look. The opening scene shows the red dot, showing the camera is recording, of which we are going to try and incorporate into our film. With a white font splattered with blood suggesting that the film may contain some dark scenes within the movie. The way the title is laid out suggests to the viewer that the upcoming film will be hand held, almost relating to a home movie.

The Secret Life Of Walter Mitty - Trailer

The trailer for what looks like what will be one of the finest, or at least most interesting, films of this year, is a stunningly realised piece of editing and marketing with an inspired soundtrack choice that works to elevate this trailer above most others. In the opening moments of the trailer for 'The Secret Life of Walter Mitty', from lead actor and director Ben Stiller, we are shown the mundane life of the titular character - getting dressed and heading off to work - through some visually spectacular cinematography, a highlight being the shot of the workers climbing and leaving a set of stairs like ants spilling out of an ant hill. This stunningly beautiful approach to the depiction of ordinary life heightens the fantasy of the film, which is heightened even further when the audience witnesses some of Walter Mitty's dream sequences which include but are not limited to flying through windows and leaping out of helicopters into a stormy ocean. Not at single word is spoken in the trailer until the final scene, yet the plot is hinted at simply and effectively through the use of visuals, much like a silent movie, and within the first minute we are given an insight into Walter Mitty's outlook on life, his unrequited affection for a female colleague and his desire to live his wildest fantasies, the latter most poignantly being explained by the shot of Sean Penn's explorer character coming to life in a photo inviting Walter, and by proxy, the audience into the fantastical world of this film. We see consecutive shots of Walter picking up his coat and his briefcase ready to set of on his adventure, much like the audience will as the trailer kicks off into high gear with a flurry of breathtaking shots that showcase the scope and beauty of the picture.

One minute into the trailer we are given the release window of the film, 'This Christmas', suggesting that this film will be lighthearted and suitable for a wide audience. Movies released at Christmas time send to be family movies and while the trailer for this film gives the impression that it will certainly be full of hope and wonder it is also a film with adult themes. Of course, this is the time of year that studios use to release films that they expect will be critically acclaimed rather than simply commercially successful in the run up to the Awards season when they could potentially pick up a number of nominations or even wins. 'Walter Mitty; certainly looks like a film of Oscar-caliber and it is clear that the studio is confident by marketing what is clearly a complex film without 'dumbing it down' as such by treating the audience like idiots and giving them unnecessary exposition. The trailer, however, follows the familiar, tried and tested, structure of most of today's trailers, and climaxes with a brief gag scene in which Walter is presented with two options of rental car: a cold and uninviting blue, or red which evokes feelings of excitement or passion. He immediately goes with the second option - and so it seems the filmmakers, and editors of the trailer have done too.

The Big Six - Institutional Research

These are the six biggest film institutions. Film institutions are very important as they provide the money, allowing the film to happen, without them no company would have anywhere near enough money to create a decent, successful film. The companies also own studios allowing the film to be filmed inside when needed. The only downside to film institutions funding a film is that they like to have complete control over what happens on the project, meaning it won’t always end up how you originally planned it too, However without these institutions films wouldn’t be the same.

Warner Bros studios were founded in 1903. It was formed by four brothers called the Warner brothers, and was one of the first companies to make movies with dialogue in it. They also famously started the original 'Looney Tunes', as well as many more successful cartoons. Warner Bros have a very wide range of films. They tend to make high budget movies, to make a lot of money, and their films are shown around the world. Their films appeal to a very wide range of audience as they make films from many different genres. Previous Warner Bros films include: 'Harry Potter', 'The Departed', 'The Dark Knight', 'Slumdog Millionaire', 'P.S. I Love You', 'Charlie and the Chocolate Factory', 'Troy', 'Blade Runner'.

Paramount Studios was founded in 1916 and is one of the oldest film institutions. Steven Spielberg is a major partner with Paramount as he is one of the leading film directors in Hollywood and this is a major contributor to Paramount’s success as he has many fans and followers who will watch anything he puts out, making most of his films instant money makers. Paramount are ranked as one of the highest-grossing film studios in the world. As with Warner Bros, they make a very wide range of films which targets many different audiences with each film.

Paramount films include: 'Titanic', 'Transformers' 'Indiana Jones', 'Iron Man', 'Forrest Gump', 'War of the Worlds', 'Mission Impossible', 'Shutter Island', 'Paranormal Activity'.

Sony Pictures is another of the film studios in 'the big six'. Although you wouldn't think that Sony would be in the big six it does own Columbia Pictures, which is a much better known company. Another slightly less well known, but still widely appreciated company that they own is Tristar Pictures. As Sony is primarily associated with gaming and electronics their film side isn't as well known. Most of their money comes from the fact that they are already such a big company so people have heard of them so will trust in them. They also do a lot of advertising for their films through their other products (such as the PS3 gaming console). Sony Pictures films include: 'Spiderman', 'Men in Black', 'Gladiator', 'The Da Vinci Code', 'Quantum of Solace', 'Hancock', 'The Pursuit of Happiness', 'The Adventures of Tintin, 'The Social Network', 'Bucky Larson: Born to be a Star'.

Universal pictures is another major film institution.
They have large theme parks around America which help promote their business, helping them make more money. Universal, like many over film institutions, make a large range of film genres to target a large market of people. They are another company that go hand in hand with Warner Bros and Paramount as they are all in it more for the money than for the art form of making films itself. However they don't disappoint bringing out big budget films that have been highly successful and have made many films that are seen to be classics for example 'E.T' and 'Jaws'.Universal films include: 'Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy', 'E.T', 'Bourne Identity', 'Despicable Me', 'Back to the Future', 'A Beautiful Mind', 'American Graffiti', 'Love Actually', 'Bruce Almighty', 'Jaws', 'American Gangster', 'Mamma Mia!', 'Jurassic Park', 'King Kong', 'Meet the Fockers', 'The Mummy'.

Walt Disney Pictures is probably the most famous film institution, mainly because most people grow up watching most of their films and TV shows. Disney are famous for their traditional family movies and cartoons but recently have made more action films for example 'Tron' and 'Pirates of the Caribbean' to reach out to a larger target audience by doing something a bit more appealing to teens and adults. They also own a large number of institutions: Touchstone Pictures, Pixar, Marvel, and most recently Lucasfilm. Pixar are seen as one of the best film institutions in the world, as they consistently make excellent films. Their films are enjoyable for both children and their parents, making them a real money maker. Pixar and Marvel both stray from producing a large number of films, opting instead for taking their time with each one and increasing the quality of the films. The quality of the films aren't as high as Marvel , but are more 'fun'. This is what makes for millions of fans as everyone is on edge waiting for them to bring out the next film. Through these companies Disney manages to get a huge amount of money, and it is a big factor in their recent success.
Disney films include: 'The Lion King', 'Toy Story 3', 'The Avengers', 'Pirates of the Carribean', 'Beauty and the Beast', 'High School Musical', 'Tangled', 'Thor', 'Finding Nemo', 'Hannah Montana', 'Bambi', 'The Princess and the Frog', 'Alladin', 'A Bug's Life' .



Finally 20th Century Fox is another very large film institution well known across the world. 20th Century Fox was one of the film institutions that started a little later compared to the other big companies. This institution is owned by a news corporation which also own the Fox television channel which helps in making them a lot of money. The TV channel has pumped out many shows that the world has loved for many years. They sometimes even make films from the TV shows they play on their channel for example 'The Simpsons Movie'. 20th Century Fox tend to make very high budget films and like many other institutions, make films for a wide range of genres. Many people criticize them and say that the company is nothing more then a logo where as other institutions have more to show for, like Universal with a theme park and Sony with its electronics. However 20th Century Fox are still a widely well known institution.
Famous 20th Century Fox films include: 'Avatar', 'Star Wars', 'Independence Day', 'Home Alone', 'X-Men', 'The Simpsons Movie', 'Ice Age', 'I, Robot', 'Marley and Me', 'Taken', 'Minority Report', 'Prometheus', 'Die Hard', 'Speed', 'Alien', 'Eragon', 'True Lies', 'Titanic', 'Moulin Rouge!', 'Road to Perdition', 'Night at the Museum', 'Austrailia'.

It seems that many of the large film institutions that started right at the beginning of film making are the most successful production companies in recent times. This makes sense as they have had the most time to evolve and grow to what they are now, as practise makes perfect.

Codes And Conventions - Crime

The Crime Genre - Cliches & Conventions

Every genre has its cliches and convention which make it distinctly the genre which it aims to be. In this post I shall be assessing some of the cliches associated with the crime genre:

The Don
- Merciless
- Handy with a baseball bat.
- Tends to kill his friends for no particular reason eg: calling him a boy instead of a man.
- Either laid back yet dangerous, or just plain crazy...or a mixture.
- Strokes small pets such as kittens.
- Smokes a humungous cigarette.
- Italian-American.
- Inherited title.
- Calls his gang a family - in italics.
- Has a moral code, such as wont kill children.
- Is blessed with the coolest lines in cinema history: 'I'll give him an offer he can't refuse', 'Say hello to my little friend', 'keep your friends close and your enemies closer'.

The Story
- Police as bad as gangsters.
- The rat.
- Undercover cop.
- Trilbies
- Cuban Cigars
- Comb overs.
- 'Hit's'
- Corrupt courtroom scenes.
- Corrupt doctor.
- Drugs.
- Voiceover.
- Experienced cop and young, eager cop.
- Inventive murder technique.
- Symbolic gestures such as horses heads in beds.
- Swear words.
- Catholic gangsters.
- Bank Robberies.
- Extravagant heists.
- Prison comforts.
- Ingenius torture methods.
- Awesome accents.
- Business in nightclubs
- Mysterious drug dealers
- The names 'Jimmy' and 'Tony'

Codes And Conventions - Horror

The Horror Genre - Cliches & Conventions

Every genre has its cliches and conventions which make it distinctly the genre which it aims to be. In this post I shall be assessing some of the cliches associated with the horror genre:

The Protagonist
- Teenagers - mainly girls.
- Daredevils/ rebels.
- Miraculously stupid.
- College drop-outs.
- Even more stupid boyfriends.
- Blonde.
-Talented screamers
- Druggies
- Alcoholics
- Had sex many times with many people.
- Party animals.
- Clumsy.
- Goes somewhere they were told not to, to prove how rebellious they are.

The Antagonist
- Ghosts
- Zombies
- Werewolves
- Creepy children
- Demonic possession
- Vampires (although they are now sneaking into the romance genre for some unfathomable reason)
- Lunatic with a chainsaw.
- Scientist with a crazy scheme
- Want vengeance.
- Have some sort of routine for their appearance
- Hold some sort of power over technology that disrupts phones and CCTV.

The Story
- Unresponsive bodies.
- Haunted houses.
- Haunted woods.
- Haunted graveyards.
- Haunted islands.
- Haunted lighthouses.
- Haunted towns.
- Haunted hotels with equally creepy workers.
- Shower murders
- Mysterious noises that must always be investigated.
- A window jump scene.
- A mirror jump scene (usually occurring after the protagonist has washed their face)
- Nightmares.
- Creaky doors.
- Creaky floorboards.
- Creaky stairs.
- Creaky rocking chairs
- Clowns.
- Dolls.
- Pictures with blurry faces.
- People coming out of pictures or TV's.
- Creepy, suspenseful music.
- Intense build-ups that lead to nothing...and then the jump comes.
- Gore.
- Splitting up or separating to investigate the danger.
- The old man who seems to know everything.
- The killer who walks in slow strides whilst the protagonist tries desperately to find a way out.
- The killer never fully dies.
- Minorities die first.
- Linen closet killing.
- Upping the stakes by a child being in danger.
- Old folk tales that are actually true.
- Thunderclap!
- Pathetic fallacy.
- Newspaper clippings of shocking events associated with the killers motives.
- Shadows.
- Chainsaws.
- Knives
- Unbelieving boyfriends, who believe only too late.
- Children communicating with the undead.
- Objects moving without visible force.
- Doors slamming - occasionally not opening again.
- Puddles of water that somehow link to the death.
- Crows cawing.
- Wolves howling.
- Dogs barking.
- Animals run away when they sense the danger.
- Lanterns.
- Candles blowing out.
- Chill wind preceding antagonist.
- The Psycho soundtrack.
- Nursery rhymes.
- Moving pictures.
- 'You are mine'

Codes And Conventions - Romance

The Romance Genre - Cliches & Conventions

Every genre has its cliches and conventions which make it distinctly the genre which it aims to be. In this post I shall be assessing some of the cliches associated with the romance genre:

The Guy

- The jock - He's sporty, good-looking, and the most popular guy in school.

- Or he's the unsure, shy guy at the back of class with a hidden talent.

- When the relationship goes sour, it's always his fault.

- Has a variety of cheesy lines at his disposal.

- Has a variety of cheesy dates at his disposal.

- Tends to run down the middle of busy roads, sometimes in the rain, to reach the love of his life.

- An excellent singer.

The Girl

- Unsure of herself.

- Has some sort of hidden talent.

- Protective father.

- Sassy best friend/ sardonic best friend/ quirky best friend.

- Has some form of sob story.

- Just wants to be appreciated.

- Slides down the wall whilst crying.

- Laughs and cries at the same time.

- Shots where her head falls into frame and lands on a pillow.

- Over emotional.

Story

- Guy meets girl, they fall in love, there is a problem, they overcome the problem, they live happily ever after.

- Make-up kiss in bad weather.

- Makeover montage with friends saying whether the new outfit is good or bad.

- Shy girl becomes stunning beauty through a little make-up.

- Singing using random objects as microphones.

- Love montage - always including riding bikes, rowing boats or picnics

- Speech where the guy explains all the small things he loves about the girl.

- Meddlesome parents.

- A romantic set piece, where the guy does something insanely romantic for his girl.

- A particular picture of them both, that is related back to as the film goes on.

- A sex scene.

- Waking up the morning after to find the guy is gone, sometimes leaving a post-it note on the bed.

- Sad or happy ending...doesn't matter which - it's still a cliche.

- Inappropriate comment from an elderly person.

- Guy has a side kick who at one point thinks that the best friend is deserting him for the girl.

- Guy has a side kick who tries to explain to the girl why it is over.

- Guy has a fat, comedic side kick.

- Cheesy song in soundtrack.

- Constant, over-the-top, cheesy, orchestral soundtrack that crescendos at the kiss.

Codes And Conventions - Action

The Action Genre - Cliches & Conventions
 

Every genre has its cliches and conventions which make it distinctly the genre which it aims to be. In this post I shall be assessing some of the cliches associated with the action genre:

The Antagonist
- Physically weak antagonist with incredible mind.
- Owns a dangerous pet, such as a shark.
- Has a repertoire of several cliche lines such as: 'I've been expecting you', or tells the protagonist a long story about their childhood that somehow relates to the situation.
- A fan of inventive torture techniques.
- Gets captured by the protagonist and then escapes to the shocking realisation that 'he wanted to be caught'
- Is accompanied by physically strong bodyguard.
- Tortured childhood or past.
- Kills own men without a second thought over the smallest error.
- An expert of the double-cross.
- Has a mole in the government.
- Psychologically unhinged.

The Protagonist
- Haunted past.
- Orphan
- Has some sort of tutor, usually an old man.
- Half way through gives up and then finds a reason to carry on.
- Self surgery expert.
- Bursting muscles.
- Has a love-interest
- Is accompanied by a loveable side-kick
- Can work any type of vehicle, from helicopters to diggers...whatever's convenient
- An expert at improvised weaponry - particularly explosives

Story
- Chase and fight sequences
- Torture scenes
- Sex scenes
- Slow motion explosives with the protagonist either walking away or getting blown away.
- Bomb diffusal seconds before detonation.
- Hacking into computers, to the elated cry of 'I'm in'
- 'Have you done the job?'
- 'You're going to wish you'd never been born'
- 'It's done'
- 'You really shouldn't have done that'
- 'Bond, James Bond'
- 'He wanted us to capture him!'
- 'Never'
- 'We meet again'

The Vow - Trailer

The Vow targeted the audience of a female audience aged 13+. This audience is met from the use of a love story that is deeply effecting and of course the use of Channing Tatum. The film needs to do more than to just look like it has a good story. It need to appeal to the eyes of many female audience members, and what better way to do that than to include an attractive male to play the lading man?
Channing Tatum has been in films featuring the action genre such as G.I. Joe and 21 Jump Street (With a side of comedy). Plus films that are purely designed to give the lady's something to look at like Magic Mike. Channing Tatum is a person who is going to be able to deliver a character that is going to both tug on the heart strings of his audience while giving them something pleasant to look at.

The trailer set up a happy atmosphere with the combination of light scenes, happy music and seeing the love relationship between two people. This gives the audience that beginning smile that is going to make them sit back, relax and to enjoy this love story. This then changes when you hear Channing Tatums voice come over the music telling the audience that moments are important for they have the power to change our lives, and that what would it be like if you could not remember any of them. This then ques for the equilibrium to be broken and the tradagy is to begin. This hit the audience as the happy music that has been playing is suddenly cut off by both the sight and sound of a truck hitting the car that Leo and Paige Collins are in. Adding even more drama to this sudden moment just happens to be at night, a time that we associate with danger.

We are shown the struggle that Leo is going to have to go through to try and get the love of his wife back. This emotional event plays with the heartstrings of it's audience as it allows the audience to think about what it would be like to be married to someone and for them to suddenly not know who you are. Also as a there would be people in a relationship/partnership in the audience it focuses on a subject that is close to the hearts of any of the audience members. Allowing it to take more of an emotional effect upon the audience.

Sherlock Holmes - Trailer

This trailer for the 2009 adaptation of Sherlock Holmes ticks many of the boxes in regards to what makes a successful trailer through it's mixture of fast paced editing and a careful balance of comedy and action. The film already had a fan base from when it was first conceived, as there were already many fans of the Sherlock Holmes books, and Sherlock Holmes is a household name. Immediately the audience would know the lead characters and the genre of the film. This is established in the first few seconds with the voice over of the antagonist asking to see Sherlock Holmes. Whilst the audio presents the lead character, the opening shot begins to offer the audience the new interpretation of the Sherlock Holmes stories. It seems to evoke a darker, more gritty interpretation, focusing on the dark areas of London, as opposed to the conventional, fun murder mystery that is often associated with the stories. It does first of all by fading into the opening shot from black, which makes the shot seem much darker and makes the shadows more prominent. The arch in the foreground is particularly dark, so it seems like the audience is looking into a particularly dark and threatening place. This establishes the setting of the whole film - through the threatening arch. Even the angels above the arch look threatening as they are wreathed in shadow and almost seem like angels of death. Meanwhile the voice over sounds very threatening and his voice is immediately associated with a deadly antagonist. The result of this combination is that the trailer opens with a very dark feel and the rest of the trailer plays out with this in mind.

At 0:12 seconds in the trailer starts to pick up the pace from the long, slow moving shots. There are two incredibly fast shots in a row, followed by a third longer shot, which are all in time with a distinct drumming sound. Although the shots don't add much to the plot or show much of the film, they are key in conveying the mood of the film and speeding up the action. The film at this point seems to be moving further away from the traditional idea of Sherlock Holmes and now seems more action-packed. This would appeal to a very wide audience; the older generations may watch it because it's a new Sherlock Holmes film whereas the younger generations may watch it for the action sequences. Appealing to both of these demographics is the comedy element. At the end of the trailer there is a punchline after the title has appeared which ends the trailer on a lighter mood and leaves the audience feeling excited. This is a common technique in many trailers and I think that it is a very effective technique. It also makes sure that audiences watch the trailer until the end, so they don't miss the title of the film.

Much of the editing in this trailer is timed to the epic music in the background. On more than one occasion there are punches and hits in time with the soundtrack, which adds to the dynamism of the trailer and makes it seem ever more intense. This is a technique which we will probably try and include in our trailer as it makes the trailer seem much more exciting. It would also seem very strange without this technique, as the music and the visuals would not match up, leaving it looking thoroughly unprofessional. I particularly like at the end when the letters spelling out 'Sherlock' appear one at a time with short, snappy clips in between. This both makes the title more memorable and also makes the ending much more fast paced than just having a simple title at the end, reflecting the tone of the film. At the end of this short sequence the letters come together in the main title 'Sherlock Holmes' which again makes the title more memorable. The audience would have been following each letter in turn to try and work out what the film's title was, so when it is revealed at the end they don't forget it.

The trailer as a whole appeals mainly to a male dominated audience through the violence and male protagonists. It exploits the need for escapism, as the story offers the chance for people to watch someone else's problems so they can escape from their own. This, however is generic for all films, but what appeals to people are the ways in which the person manages to overcome their problems. The way in which the protagonist in this film escapes their problems is through adventure and fighting, which makes overcoming problems seem exhilarating. People would go and watch this film in order to escape their problems and watch someone overcome their problems in an exciting way.

The Hobbit: Desolation Of Smaug - Trailer

The trailer for 'The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug' is another very strong trailer that immediately caught the eyes of many people across the cinematic community. One of the main reasons for the success of this trailer was, of course, that it already had a very large fan base. The film is a sequel to a very successful film, the prequel to one of the most successful trilogies of all time and an adaptation of one of the most famous books of all time. This means that it has an enormous fan base. Not only this, but it has many countries laying claim to it, who all feel a sense of national pride about it; it was filmed in New Zealand and made by a majority New Zealand cast, it is based off an English book with mostly English actors and it is funded by an American company. Each one of those countries has a very strong claim to the nationality of it meaning that the film has large audience's from all three countries.

However the trailer has also been successful because of what it chose to reveal in the trailer and how it managed to be appealing to the fans. The most intriguing part of the trailer comes right at the end, when the dragon, Smaug, appears on screen. There has been much talk in the cinematic community about what Smaug was going to look like, and in the first film there was only a small tease, therefore this shot at the end, that revealed much more was a clever choice. However it did not show the whole of the dragon, but only its head; otherwise it would have been given away. They just revealed enough of it so that the audience feel that following the film's campaign is rewarding, yet there are still more secrets to be revealed so they stay tuned in, in order to get more of these snippets. Even when showing the head of the dragon, it did not show everything about the dragon's head, for instance it did not show what colour the dragon was - a question that has been asked several times in the build up to the film. From this I can learn that for my own trailer it is not good to give the whole story away, or everything about certain characters, but it is good to release some previews to keep the audience excited.

The opening of the trailer is equally strong. From the outset, the trailer starts to hint at the tone of the film, which is clearly a fantasy adventure film. It does this by starting with four establishing shots in a row. This is highly irregular for many trailers, for although most trailers start with some sort of establishing shot, very few start with more than one, and far fewer start with four. But this is done in order to help the audience grasp the sense of adventure and journeying that is a vital part to the film. By having four in a row the audience feels like they are catching glimpses of the magnificent landscapes that they will travel across with the protagonists of the adventure. This is supported by the character voice over, whose first words are 'where does your journey end?', which immediately gets the audience in the mindset of an adventure film. In addition to this, the landscape shots give the film a very high production value and from the start the audience know that they are not watching an amateur film, but are watching something that a lot of money has been put into. Audience's are more likely to put their money towards something that has had a lot of money put into as they think that it will mean they get value for money. The opening few shots are very slow, and they are supported by slow, melancholy music and a soft yet slightly sinister voice over. It reminds me of the trailer for 'Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2', which uses a similar technique.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5NYt1qirBWg
In both trailers they have the sinister voice narrating establishing shots to a backdrop of melancholy music, before reaching a crescendo and picking up the pace. By following the convention of other successful trailers, the trailer for 'The Hobbit' shows that it has researched very well and is giving the audience the sort of conventions that they like to see in trailers. Modern audience's can be very particular about the way that trailers are; they expect them to follow certain formulas, which 'The Hobbit' manages to do admirably. If it did not adhere to the usual conventions of what a trailer should be like then audiences might think that the whole film was unconventional and strange, which would only appeal to a very small minority.

Fairly early on in the trailer, it shows the familiar face of Legolas, who was a leading character in the 'Lord of the Ring's' Trilogy, of which 'The Hobbit' is a prequel. Legolas did not appear in the first instalment of 'The Hobbit' but he was a fan favourite in 'Lord of the Rings', so his return was highly anticipated in the fan community. By including Legolas, the trailer gives the audience another good reason to go and see the film; to reconnect with the old character of Legolas. Even if fans of 'Lord of the Rings' did not like the first Hobbit film, they may want to watch the second one purely for Legolas, in order to complete his story arc. In addition, the trailer very cleverly gives the audience the new character of Smaug whilst bringing back the old character of Legolas, both of which would excite any fan of the old trilogy. Legolas is introduced first so that the fan community trust the film maker more as he is already a well loved character, and then once that trust is gained, they introduce Smaug, which is likely to be seen in a much better light, simply because the fans are happy with the film makers that they have given them back Legolas and they are in a trusting mood.

Towards the end of the trailer there is a part that I do not think was very good editing. This begins at about 1:25, and the reason I don't like it is because there are about four shots almost consecutively of people doing some sort of jump attack or falling. The reason I don't like that is because it doesn't show good variety and it makes the fight choreography look very sophisticated or original. It is a complete overuse of the attack, which can be used to enhance a fight sequence, however here it is just too much. I think that if they particularly wanted to use those shots in the trailer then they should have at least spread them out across the length of the trailer so that the overuse of it isn't so obvious. Another problem with it is that it makes it look as if they don't have any more decent exciting footage to use so they are just filling it in with the same thing. It shows bad organisation in the trailer, trying to cram in all the shots at the last minute.

Overall I think that it is a very strong trailer, that takes advantage of its fanbase and its assets. However I'm not sure as of yet how we will be able to apply some of the techniques that they have used for our trailer, as we don't currently have a fanbase. Also it could be difficult getting a high budget looking establishing shot of our own, but this is something that we will have to consider when planning our trailer, as it seems to be a very common convention of a successful trailer. Most successfully I have learnt what not to do when editing a trailer, and that is to put a series of similar shots directly next to each other, because this does not look very good or impressive.