11-15 - Inspirational Film Trailers

Conventions of TrailersIsabelle Blake

Click the Titles for links to trailers

The Matrix’s trailer is a non-chronological trailer that creates question through the use of editing. CGI is used to create unachievable scenes, cross cutting then creates the same reaction in the film as the audiences as the woman appears to almost fly from building to building, the man's reaction is appeared to be shock which would have been the audience's reaction, creating the idea that the film wants to achieve verisimilitude in a sense however the trailer's features are so heightened it goes the opposite way. There is pleonastic sound of the woman running, non diegetic guns, music and voiceovers accompany the use of CGI to create the unrealistic scenes such as a closing mouth and a liquid mirror which foreshadow the idea that the world you live in is not as real as it seems. The protagonists and antagonists are established through mise en scène by antistereotypes. The protagonists wears all black, leather and sunglasses which is dark and more typical of a villain, The antagonists where suits and sunglasses, therefore foreshadowing that there is a theme of hidden identity in the film, shown by the props of sunglasses which mask identity. The theme of technology is shown by the titles of the film being written in a green stereotypical 90’s computer style . At the end of the trailer there was a link to the films website names ‘www.whatisthematrix.com’. I really like this advertisement as the question that you have throughout the trailer is suggested to be answered and I would like to create this kind of website for my trailer.

The non diegetic music used in the trailer for Inception is called ‘Mind Heist’ and is something that really stood out for me in this trailer as it is something I would love to try and recreate or to create something similar for my trailer as it would suit perfectly. The titles are animated which dissolve into an animated vortex between scenes, creating the idea that there are two worlds in the film, the camera zooms out to show a maze displaying the title ‘Inception’. The maze symbolises the confusion the film has and also foreshadows the different levels of dreams that occur in the film. CGI is used often in the film to create unrealistic events such as the street folding in half followed by a close up of a glass of water still but the water moving. These shots are used to foreshadow the unrealistic events that happen in the dream world, continued with the shallow focus of a man looking over the city which is in ruins, shown by the use of CG to create fire, which suggests panic and destruction, possibly caused by the events in the dreams. This idea is continued as the trailer ends and fades out a voice bridge is used of a woman screaming ‘ Wake me up’. The terrified tone and panic of her voice gives negative connotations that these dreams are dangerous and the increasingly fast pace of the trailer creates the tension to heighten this. I think the use of the voice bridge at the end of this trailer was really effective and I would like to emulate this in my trailer as the small quote gives you a need to go back and watch the film as the fact you cannot see this scene and only hear it creates a trapped and enclosed atmosphere making the audience intrigued.

Limitless takes a different approach considering its trailer compared to others in its genre of sci-fi thriller. The non-diegetic music is upbeat and happy contrasting with the mise en scène; the grey tones and dark coloured costumes foreshadow the rut he is in with his life and reflect how he is miserable as a person. The transition of a fade is used to show that the close up of the pill is a catalyst in the film and will change his life. CGI is used to create a representation of the pill stimulating his brain, the colour yellow and light blue are used to signify the positive change, also shown by the change in mise en scène , as they wear suits and display other features of affluence through props and location. After he takes the pill the editing tool of time lapse is used to foreshadow the side effect to the pill of the memory skipping moments in time. The time lapse is a very effective use of editing to show lots of different scenes or a collection of moments in a film quickly which I think would be a great tool to use in my trailer to show meaning through editing and fit a lot of action into a few seconds; this is also portrayed through the editing transition of dissolve. The metallic titles and popular culture non diegetic music are designed to a non specific audience however suiting the action genre.

The opening for Now You See Me is something I find really interesting as the voice over states ‘come in closer’ the visual is of an establishing shot of a city that is zooming in onto a building but in flashes which disorientate the audience. I really like these shot as the closer the camera goes in, there is then a cut to a man making a bubble bigger, therefore the camera is zooming out further and further. I think this kind of editing is really effective and has given me some ideas of how to make an establishing shot more interesting and capturing. The disorientation of these shots is created to foreshadow the illusionist genre that the film has as it focuses on a group of magicians. The disorientation continues throughout the trailer with lots of close ups, tracking and panning shots at lots of different angles and levels, some being 360’ shots which makes the audience feel like they are in lots of different positions heightened by the cross cutting of location from Las Vegas to Paris shown by more establishing shots and the non chronological order of the trailer. The titles of the film are really effective as they are animated to overlap and move like an illusions and swipe like a magicians card or hand to reveal the famous actors of the film. I hope to create titles for my own trailer that are as effective and suiting to the film like they are for Now You See Me.

The trailer for Lucy opens chronologically visually as it shows flashing images of the first few scenes as a voice bridge is used of Lucy asking questions. The opening shot is a close up of an eye that progresses out to a long shot through the editing transition of fades to foreshadow that this event happened over a period of time shown by the different locations in the next few shots. The trailer has been heavily edited with many scenes using CGI, such as to make the eyes an unrealistic blue, the drugs implanted in her stomach reacting in her body and the changes of features in her eyes. Her eyes are used throughout the trailer as a mise en scène signifier as it shows the changes in her body shown in the close ups. There are also lots of close ups of her face to showing her emotions and they are used almost like a transition as the camera follows her to the next scene, foreshadowing her journey and increasing brain usage. Mise en scéne is used to identify character through costume, the protagonists in either normal clothes or as scientists/doctors and the antagonists dressed in suits accompanied by the props of guns and weapons. Throughout the trailer Lucy is wearing either white or light colours showing her innocence to the situation she is in creating sympathy for her. The non diegetic music for this trailer reminds of the music for Inception and therefore is something that will inspire my music for my trailer as the increasing pace of the violins create tension.