USE | evaluation-fsaunders

Characters

All of the major characters in the film are shown in the trailer so that audiences are familiar with those involved. This gives them a standing before seeing the film, so they feel a connection with those on screen. This also introduces the actors who star in the production, and viewers who have enjoyed their previous work will be more inclined to see the film as they feel that they will enjoy seeing if this actor is involved. We followed this convention by casting well-known actors who already have a large following which will be lead to our film.

Femme Fatale

The femme fatale character in our trailer follows the traditional stereotype of a young, seductive woman wearing an alluring outfit. Her voice is not heard in our trailer to maintain the sense of mystery and to promote the idea that she and other characters in the trailer are involved in a secret organisation. The camera follows a ‘male gaze’; the audience only sees this character from behind. This is commonly seen in films of the action genre to entice male audiences, so in order for our trailer to be professional, we followed this hegemony.

Production Logo

A company’s production logo needs to be easily recognisable in a short time, while representing the company’s origin or ethos. Therefore, we created our production logo with flickering and changing letters to reflect the enigma and discord presented in the name. This was developed in a way which would attract audiences and prepare them for an exciting trailer. The red lettering and growing font alongside the flickering and changing letters further contributes to this, and stands out against the electrical background.

Our production logo is similar to that of ‘Red Hour Films’ who have a flip clock which suddenly becomes out of control and eventually shows letters which spell the company’s name when rearranged. They have used a clock to reflect the word ‘hour’ from their name, which creates the link between the name and the logo.

The equilibrium is shown through the protagonist’s actions; he is doing as he would on any other day. This reflects what is happening at the beginning of the trailer for ‘Arrival’. The main character is shown going to work and sleeping while a radio broadcast tells of the disruption. Only after this is she contacted by a government official. This influenced the structure of our trailer, and caused us to see our original plans from a different angle.

In order to ensure that our work conformed to the conventions of a trailer in the postmodern genre, we emulated what we had seen through our research.

Structure

Our production follows the traditional form of a trailer; an introduction which sets the scene of the film is seen first and is followed by the equilibrium disruption as identified by Todorov’s work on narrative theory. The trailer then ends on a cliff-hanger which draws audiences in and encourages them to see the film in order to understand the enigma created, before showing the billing block to illustrate when the film will be released. The final screen also often shows links to the social media pages for the film so potential viewers can find out more information, with the hope to promote the film through their interactions.

The female character in the trailer for ‘Casino Royale’, ‘Vesper Lynd’, is shown to be intelligent and strong when in a safe environment, but is very vulnerable towards the end of the trailer. She briefs the protagonist, James Bond, of his mission and watches over him. Presents her under Propp’s character type of a ‘dispatcher’, though she becomes the ‘princess’ later in the trailer. Throughout, she is wearing revealing dresses to fit with the idea of attracting male audiences and instigating a male gaze. Although the character of ‘Vesper Lynd’ is not a femme fatale, she fits many of the characteristics of this character type.

described effect, audiences seeing a film because of the actors starring in it, to be effective, the names of these actors must be shown in a clear fashion to be easily identified by viewers.

The names of the actors from the film ‘Hidden Figures’ are shown towards the end of the trailer, and appear one by one to encourage those watching to read and acknowledge each name individually. Therefore, audiences are aware of who is featured in this production, and this may influence them to see the film.

Actor Names

The names of the major actors in the film are shown at the end of the trailer against a black screen so they are detached from the trailer and therefore more noticeable. In order for the previously

Question 1

IN WHAT WAYS DOES YOUR MEDIA PRODUCT USE, DEVELOP OR CHALLENGE FORMS AND CONVENTIONS OF REAL MEDIA PRODUCTS?

This can be seen in the trailer for ‘Rat Race’ as many popular actors are shown to be in the film. Therefore, fans of films starring these actors will want to see our film. We cast two well-known actors in our production to bring in an already established fan base, but also developed young new actors to boost their careers and attract younger audiences from a similar underprivileged background as our lead actor. These audiences may therefore aspire to be as successful as this on-screen role model and strive for excellence in their own lives.

Fraser Saunders

IN WHAT WAYS DOES YOUR MEDIA PRODUCT USE, DEVELOP OR CHALLENGE FORMS AND CONVENTIONS OF REAL MEDIA PRODUCTS?