Chantal+Smith

// Film Trailer Coursework //

**// Shank Trailer Analysis //**

media type="youtube" key="ZRE9Zzu655s" height="187" width="336" The trailer for Shank gives the names of some of the stars in the film ‘Bashy’ and ’Adam Deacon’ to encourage fans of the artists to watch film. It is also to widen the range of people whom watch the film as certain people may not otherwise watch the film. This is seen in all aspects of media through endorsement deals i.e. Beyonce endorsing L’Oreal. From the stars involved it also tells the audience what type of film it’s going to be.

 From the shots selected for the trailers and its quick editing one can infer that it is going to be an urban film about revenge. T he shots show the most interesting and exciting scenes. They introduced the main characters and further emphasised the genre of the film. From the quick paced editing one can infer that the film is also going to be quick-paced, full of action and exciting.

The dialogue from the film that we hear in the trailer sets the scene of the film. We hear //“stay away from the blocks.”// Informing the audience that the main story will revolve around the blocks. We also hear //“I’m going to kill him”// telling the audience that the film is going to be about a day in the life of the characters and potentially murder. The dialogue also lets us know the plot of the film. There is no voice-over so the dialogue the audience hears along with the words we see on screen tell the audience what the film is about.

The trailer clearly shows that the target audience are youths; this is evident through the dialect and choice of music. In the trailer there was repeated use of colloquial English such as //“init”// and //“bruv”// such talk is typical among youths.

The Unique Selling Point (USP) of the film is that it’s a film about how life would be if the gangs took over London wrapped up in a tale of family and revenge. The mise-en-scene tells the audience that it is going to be an urban film as it is set in and around London’s high rise flats and derelict buildings.

The music used is by Bashy one of the main characters in the film. The choice of song is typical among he target audience and that of the characters in the film. We then hear industrial song music with an increasingly fast hard beat then suddenly stopping, suggesting to the audience that the film is going to be a parallel this.

//** The Three Musketeers Trailer Analysis **//

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The trailer for The Three Musketeers we are not given the names of the stars this is to ensure that the audience is more focused on the storyline than on whom is in the film. To ensure that the audience understand what type of film it is going to be there are captions to inform the audience that the film is an adaptation "from the classic novel by Alexandra Dumas". This also tells the audience that the film is going to have a tradition feel to it Captions such as "The Legend Comes To Life" links back to the original tale and suggests that it is going to make the book come alive through this remake.

From the range of shots selected for the trailers and its quick editing one can infer that the film is also going to be quick-paced, full of action and exciting. The shots show the most interesting and exciting scenes. They introduced the main characters and further emphasised the era of the film.

The dialogue from the film that we hear in the trailer sets the tone of the film. At the start of the trailer one of the lead characters deliver the voice-over, the voice that we hear has quite a low tone, this may reflect all three lead characters. One clearly gets that they are all determined and very well motivated individuals. In the voice over we hear the character saying "its who we are, its what we do" This seems to be an assertion of their authority it also seems like a pep talk as if to get the three and the audience excited about the adventure that we are about to embark upon.

The trailer clearly shows that the target audience are those whom are fans of the book and even fans of earlier remakes; though more specifically this is aimed at those upwards of the age of 12. The Unique Selling Point (USP) of the film is that it’s an adaptation of a well known legend yet it has a different spin to it as it is how the directors see the book and what it means for him.

The mise-en-scene tells the audience that it is going to be a period film as it is set in the 17th century. The audience clearly get this from the clothing that the actors are wearing

The music used in the trailer is orchestral this adds to the audiences understanding of the film as it is the typical kind of music to be heard in the 17th century. The fast paced tempo of the strings suggests to the audience that there is a sense of urgency running as a theme through the film. The increase in tempo and the introduction of horn instruments further suggest to the audience that there will be both a resolution and a triumph at the end of the film.

//** 'The Town' Poster Analysis **//

The two posters are very different as they are appealing to different audiences. The poster on the left would be what one might find in the cinema as there is more attention placed on the tagline of the film and the action opposed to the main attention being on the main characters and the title. Generally these type of posters are placed where people aren’t time pressured so the they can read the whole poster. The juxtaposition of the costume in the shot shows the audience that the film shows the audience that there is going to be some kind of confliction for the main characters.

In contrast to the poster on the right seems to be a poster a billboard or somewhere that the target audience will see it but not necessarily have time to analyse the poster. The poster appears to be very glossy so suggest that it may be for an American audience. One would have to assume this the main focal point are the main character and the title. This type of poster is to intrigue the target audience and excite them about the film. For many people this would be one of the first times they see the advert therefore they need to leave the audience wanting to know more. This poster does not giving too much away in terms of the plot, yet informs the audience that it is going to be some kind of crime/police thriller movie. This can be inferred from the action in the bottom left corner.

Both posters use the same tagline and colour scheme this is so that a common thread runs through the whole film. Also the red used as an accent colour therefore highlighting to the audience that the those are the main things to take away from the poster.



<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 16px;">The two posters are very different although they are appealing to the same audience. The poster on the left would be what one might find in the cinema as there is more information including tagline and release date. Generally these type of posters are placed where people aren’t time pressured so the they can read the whole poster. The colours in the poster are very subdue which is the reason that the red stands out putting your focus on the title and then the character on the poster. The low key lighting used highlights that the film has a sinister plot.

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 16px;">In contrast to the poster on the right seems to be a poster a billboard or somewhere that the target audience will see it but not necessarily have time to analyse the poster. The poster appears to be very glossy so suggest that it may be for an American audience. One would have to assume this the main focal point are the main character and the title. This type of poster is to intrigue the target audience and excite them about the film. For many people this would be one of the first times they see the advert therefore they need to leave the audience wanting to know more. This poster does not giving too much away in terms of the plot, yet informs the audience that it is going to be some kind of crime/police thriller movie. This can be inferred from the action in the bottom left corner.

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 16px;">Both posters use the same tagline and colour scheme this is so that a common thread runs through the whole film. Also the red used as an accent colour therefore highlighting to the audience that the those are the main things to take away from the poster.

**// Pitch Sheet //**

<span style="display: block; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 16px; text-align: center;">**Group Members:** Chantal Smith, Ola Ojuko and Lauren Jacobs.

<span style="display: block; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 16px; text-align: center;">**Chosen genre:** Police/Crime Thriller

<span style="display: block; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 16px; text-align: center;">**Title of film:** aGain <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 150%;">Outline of Ideas <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 16px; text-align: center;">**Tagline:** “The past is never dead, it’s not even past”

<span style="display: block; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 16px; text-align: center;">**Basic Plot Synopsis:** A young Londoner who has the ability to relive other people’s memories. He is a suspect in a local murder; and her ability leads her to find out that her brother did in fact commit the crime. <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 16px; text-align: center;">**Mise – En – Scene to be used or Motifs:** There will be visual motifs synonymous with youths. These locations include chicken shops, London buses and back streets.



<span style="display: block; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 16px; text-align: center;">**Cinematography/ Photography:** We will use montage editing, flashbacks, quick cuts; this will give the audience an idea of the type of film it is. We will use tracking and low angle shots, especially in the murder scenes.

<span style="display: block; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 16px; text-align: center;">**Conventions:** We are going to use montage editing. We will have fast cuts to create a sense of excitement and urgency. A voice over were initially going to use a voice over however we found that it was too long and too distracting. We are going to use a grime/dubstep soundtrack in the trailer. We will have the title card and studio logo in the trailer also.

<span style="display: block; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 16px; text-align: center;">**Resources:** **Main character –** Tola Badmus

<span style="display: block; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 16px; text-align: center;">**Brother(murderer) –** Emmanuel Badmus

<span style="display: block; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 16px; text-align: center;">**Investigating Officers –** Dc Newman and DC Scott

<span style="display: block; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 16px; text-align: center;">**Extra -** Vitctim, Black male 1 & 2 <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 16px; text-align: center;">We are going to base it around east London. The locations will be based primarily outside. We will use a small room in school to create a police questioning room. We want to remain as true to the story as possible, we will do this through props and costume.

<span style="display: block; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 16px; text-align: center;">**Justification of ideas in relation to genre and film influences. Unique seling point:** Our film is primarily a police crime thriller, but also incorporates the urban drama aspect. We are drawing influences from films like kidulthood and the gift. The influence from the gift is our unique selling point as, most urban dramas do not feature a psychological aspect; and also do not feature a female protagonist.

**// Character Profile //**<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 16px;">An all black cast was used to explore different themes. there was more to discuss as there was the issue with the way black elders saw the way young black youths carried themselves and behaved.

**<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 16px;"> Tola ** <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 16px; text-align: center;">A black sixth-form student, who is the stereotypical socially awkward teenager. She has an ability, to relive the memories of those around her. This makes her feel out of place and different.

**<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 16px;">Emmanuel ** <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 16px; text-align: center;">A black year 11 student who feels he has little control over his life both at home and in his social life. He is attracted to a local gang as it is the first place he feels he truly belongs and has a voice. Through this ‘family’ he had joined he is lead astray and ends up making the worst mistake of his life.

**<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 16px;">DC Newman ** <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 16px; text-align: center;">A black female DC who wants to solve the murder as she wants justice to be served. However, more than this she feels that this case could help to make her career. She is a career driven women.

**<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 16px;">DC Scott ** <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 16px; text-align: center;">A black male DC that does not really care about the case as he sees it as another case of black on black crime. His concern with the case is that he is sick of seeing black youths being involved in crime and being just another statistic.

**<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 16px;">Extras ** **<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 16px;">Jerome (Victim) ** <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 16px; text-align: center;">He is a victim of male bravado. He is only murdered because he humiliates Black Male 1 in front of his friends. **<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 16px;"> Black Male 1 (Involved in the stabbing with Emmanuel) ** <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 16px; text-align: center;">He is a hot headed individual. He tries to show everyone else that he is strong and someone not to be messed with. This could be seen as a defense mechanism for a short fall within him. He, however, is smart enough to know not to commit the actual murder. **<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 16px;"> Black Male 2 ** <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 16px; text-align: center;">He is just someone caught up in the moment; however, he doesn’t get involved in the actual murder.

**// Psychological Police/Crime Thriller //**

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 16px;">Psychological Crime Thrillers aim to fictionalise criminal life and criminals, and so in this respect they are generally non-social realist films.

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 16px;">The films within this genre typically feature violence and crime as the main themes. The audiences’ expectations are largely important as this is what makes the film more thrilling to the individual. As the audience are generally not expecting there to be more of a storyline than the crime itself.

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 16px;">As the genre progressed and continues to progresses through time the conventions of the genre begin to become predictable. This is the reason that modern Psychological Police/Crime Thrillers films have started to find different ways to explore the genre, trying to find new ways to subvert audiences’ expectations of the genre.

**// Early Psychological Police/Crime Thriller //**

And Then There Were None (1945) was directed by René Clair. It is based on a novel written by Agatha Christie. It involves ten people whom are invited to an isolated island for a weekend, by a Mr U. N. Own only to be picked off and killed one-by-one. Their anonymous host notifies them, via a gramophone record, that as they have all been responsible for someone's death, they in turn will die before the weekend is out. However, the person in suspect is always the person whom is the next to be murdered. Cape Fear (1962) was directed by J. Lee Thompson. After an eight-year prison term for rape and assault, Max Cady the criminal takes his revenge on the family of the lawyer whom put him away. As soon as Cady is he releaded he pays a visit to Sam Bowden, the prosecutor responsible for Cady's conviction, Cady tells Sam that he will "pay back" the attorney for the years he spent behind bars. Cady is careful to stay within the law, when exacting his revenge. Sam, realises that Cady wants to get his revenge by raping the attorney's wife and daughter, so tries to put the ex-criminal behind bars. However there is no evidence of this and therefore no grounds to do so. Things come to a head when Sam makes the decision to move his family to the "safety" of a remote houseboat on Cape Fear river. Cady shows up unannounced with the intent to exact his revenge and is about to ravage Bowden's wife and daughter and when Sam manages to turn the tables.

Dead Calm (1989) It was based on the 1963 novel of the same name by Charles Williams. The film was directed by Phillip Noyce. John Ingram and his wife Rae, an Australian couple take a sailing trip in the Pacific sea to forget about a terrible motor accident. While on the sea, they come across a ship with one lone survivor - Hughie, who is not at all what he seems. Hughie's story doesn't quite add up, so John boards sinking ship to investigate, where he discovers the real truth - Hughie killed all those on the boat then attempted to sink it. When Hughie wakes and realizes where John is, he takes control of the yacht from Rae, and motors off towards the horizon. John fights to keep the mystery yacht afloat while his wife battles the Hughie who's assumed control of their ship. They discover the raft however it is minus Hughie's body. Rae grabs a flare gun and blows out a flare to sink the floating raft in an attempt to forget about the whole situation. Then suddenly the next day a pair of bloody hands begin washing Rae's hair. She screams for help until Hughie begins strangling her. John comes back and grabs a flare gun. He fires it into Hughie's mouth and he falls off of the ship.

**// Modern Psychological Police/Crime Thriller //**

// Remakes // <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> Psychological Police/Crime Thrillers films are being remade with the intention of revamping the film to suit the modern day audience. This may mean adding more twists to classic storylines. Remakes tend to be considered as unnecessary versions of successful films that can never live up to the original. Remakes of Psychological Police/Crime Thrillers films aren't usually hits with films critics and fans of the originals and yet this does not stop them from being made or remakes from being success. Remakes are a way for new film makers, play writers and producers to revamp an original while adding their own flare to let the world know who they are artistically.



**// “Locked Room” Mysteries //** <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 16px;"> Trying to solve who ‘did’ it before the end and before being told. They are named this way as the crime is generally done in a locked, suggesting that it has to be someone in the room.

**// Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson mysteries //** <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 16px;">In 1887, Scotsman Sir Arthur Conan Doyle gave fresh momentum to the then emerging detective genre by creating Sherlock Holmes. Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson have since become archetypes in police/crime thrillers. Holmes's art of detection is based on logical and systematic processes of elimination.Dr. Watson acts as Holmes's assistant, he also acts as catalyst for Holmes's mental processes. Any character that performs these functions has come to be known as a "Watson".

**// Whodunnit //** <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 16px;">The majority of novels of that era were Whodunnits, and several authors excelled, after successfully leading their readers on the wrong track, in convincingly revealing to them the least likely suspect as the real villain of the story. What is more, they had a predilection for certain casts of characters and certain settings, with the secluded English country-house at the top of the list. **// Hard -Boiled //** <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 16px;">As a reaction to British murder mysteries, American hard-boiled school of crime writing was developed. <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 16px;"> He works unaccompanied. He is generally middle aged, and both a loner and a tough guy. He usually had a poor diet that largely consists of alcohol, coffee and cigarettes. He always has his gun on his person. He tends not to initiate altercation ,however, he can look after himself. He will shoot the 'Bad guys' or takes a beating if it helps to solve a case. A hard-boiled private eye has an ambivalent attitude towards the police. It is his ambition to save America and rid it of its mean elements all by himself. <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 16px;"> Hard-boiled crime fiction just uses a different set of clichés and stereotypes. Generally, it does include a murder mystery. <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 16px;">The familiar issues of law and lawlessness in a society determined to judge itself. This made heroes of cowboys, soldiers, explorers and masked avengers. It took no great leap of imagination for them to tackle modern crime and detection, fresh from the newspaper headlines of the day, and create heroes with the same vigour.

**// Shift from plot driven themes to character analysis //** <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 16px;">The suspense is created by the audience sharing the perpetrator's thoughts—up to a point, that is—and having them guess what is going to happen next (for example, another murder, or a potential victim making a fatal mistake), and if the criminal will be brought to justice in the end.

//** Reality **//

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">This is where the character through out the process of the film try to identify what is real and what isn’t.

//** Perception **// <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">The way the world is perceived by the character. Often the main character misperceives the world around them. This can be altered by what happens throughout the film.

//** Mind **// <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">The human consciousness; the location for personality, thought, reason, memory, intelligence and emotion. The mind is often used as a location for narrative conflict, where characters battle their own minds to reach a new level of understanding or perception. //** Existence/Purpose **// <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">The characters often strive to find out why they have the particular ‘gift’ they have. They also try to understand what the purpose of their ‘gift’ might be.

//** Identity **// Characters are often confused about who they are, they struggle to know whom they truly are.

** Stream of consciousness ** <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">This is the visualisation of the character's thought processes. The film narrative tries to manifest the character's consciousness. ** First-person narrative ** <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;"> This direct involvement of the main characters have within the story makes the audience more involved with the characters themselves, and consequently they are more able to understand the characters' minds. ** Back-story ** <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">This helps the audience to understand the situation behind the start of the main story. This helps to understand what the character's motivations are and how their past has helped to shape their perceptions of the world and the people in it.



**// Market Analysis //**

<span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 16px; text-align: center;">As part of advertising promotion it was effective that they create a variety of marketing posters establishing the central character. One could argue that as it is not a remake much marketing is needed because there is no pre-existing support base for the film. Therefore word of mouth about the film will not be the best advertisement. As this film has no fan base a minimal design on their posters cannot be used.

**// Audience Survey //**



I chose to ask an even number of both male and females to ensure that there was no gender bias in the answers given

I believe that the majority of the people surveyed agreed with that the title went with the plot synopsis, as repetition is an integral part of the storyline. However having spoken to the 6 people who disagreed they said that the title was unimaginative and rather dull.

For this question half the people agreed that it would be a good colour scheme. Having spoke to the people whom were surveyed he general consensus was that they were the colours typically associated with the police. The colours suggested by the 8 people whom didn’t like the colour scheme were: red, black, white and grey/silver. However the even split meant that if the colours are too heavily featured on the poster it may not appeal to half the target audience.



It was clear that the trailer is very important in why people watch films. As although they may know the plot seeing how the film is shot, the acting ability of the cast and even seeing the mise-en-scene impacts whether you watch the film regardless of many other factors. The effect it has on the majority of the people asked is that they want to see the film more and are ultimately more likely to see the film in the cinema.



The majority of the people asked agreed that good music that was fitting to the genre of the trailer gave them a better impression of the film. This is because hearing electronica for a psychological crime thriller is confusing to the audience. It suggests that entire film should be cohesive.



The majority of the people said that even if their favourite actors are in the film they still won’t watch the film unless the storyline also appeals to them. This shows that more time should be spent perfecting the storyline than should be spent on the castlist.



The films that were watched by these two categories were: Max Payne, Sherlock Holmes, Miami Vice, Seven, Booth

Everyone surveyed said that they expected to see some form of criminality in the trailer. This ranged from car chases to shootings. This showed me that some form of illicit behaviour should be in the trailer whether it is brutalisation or the disposal of some kind of weapon.
 * What do you expect from a Psychological Crime Thriller trailer? **

**// Font Experiment //**

After discussing with my target audience i have decided to use the 8th font. this is because they said that it best suited both the title of the magazine and it connotations. The other fonts were labeled both juvenile and inappropriate. Also i wanted to use a font that i had not seen on any of the film magazines that i had used for research.

**// Magazine Analysis //**



**// Magazine Drafts //**



**// Final Magazine Draft //** <span style="color: #1f497d; display: block; font-family: 'Lucida Handwriting'; font-size: 46px; text-align: right;">



**// Po //****// ster Drafts //**





**// Final Po //****// ster Draft //** <span style="color: #1f497d; display: block; font-family: 'Lucida Handwriting'; font-size: 46px; height: 789px; text-align: left; width: 560px;">

**// Trailer Story Board //**

**// Location Shots //**

**// aGain Final Trailer //** media type="youtube" key="3e0nBlFFrXc" height="315" width="420"

media type="youtube" key="_qy_Jr0eKsA" height="315" width="420"
 * // aGain Final Evaluation //**

<span style="display: block; height: 1px; left: -40px; overflow: hidden; position: absolute; top: -25px; width: 1px;">drive in massacre