Our chosen genre is Thriller, therefore we are going to deconstruct trailers for Thriller films. Also we are going to deconstruct trailers of a different genre to compare and contrast the different techniques used on the basis on their genre.
Shutter Island (2010) is an American psychological thriller film.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5iaYLCiq5RM
This trailer is shot in high definition (HD) which is becoming a more common thing which improves the quality of images within a trailer and therefore improves the overall trailer which may be something we would want to think about to create a aesthetically pleasing trailer to attract our audience.
First Still:
The first still of this deconstruction displays a close up shot of the main character played by well known actor Leonardo Decaprio, already appealing to a wide audience as many enjoy films which star this well known actor. The look on his face invites the audience as it is a confused and intriguing facial expression which already makes the audience curious about this film and build suspense, which is the usual conventions of a thriller. Also this still is very dull and grey which are colour's which convey the feelings of sadness and terror. During this still, there is dialogue between two characters acting as a voice over for this part of the trailer: "Did they give you a briefing about the institution?" "All i know is it's a mental hospital." This starts to construct imagery of the setting and where the characters are. After a slight pause, the first character who spoke states: "For the criminally insane." In a much deeper and different tone, almost a warning tone to the other character which immediately builds suspense.
Second Still:
This second still captures the use of editing, showing the fading of the text that reads "a Martin Scorsese picture" into an image of large metal gets which gives gives strong imagery to the audience of isolation and solitude. As discussed when researching the Thriller genre, some characters, especially in psychological thrillers experience problems with their mental and emotional state which links to the isolation that they may experience from society.
Also, the trailer very early on introduces the director, Martin Scorsese who is a well known director which again appeals to a wide audience as those who have watched previous films of his will in theory want to watch this film.
Third Still:
This still shows a character in the film and by the use of costume, make-up and facial expression they have managed to create a women who looks rather 'scary' and already gives the idea of psychological thriller. Her stance that she is displaying seems as if she is telling someone to be quiet and warning them of something.
"We take only the most dangerous, damaged patients. Ones no other hospital can manage." This combination of the frightening imagery of the obviously ill woman, along with this dialogue continues the build in suspense and raise questions.
Fourth Still:
This next still uses a high angle to view a character who is on the ground wearing an army uniform which gives the audience an idea of the context of this film and when it is set in which is in 1954. His hand his surrounded by a pool of blood along with him reaching for a gun which suggests that there will be a theme of violence within this film.
Fifth Still:
This long shot is used to show the landscape and give the viewer an idea of the setting which we can assume is important to the film. This shot, i feel it illustrates the idea of a psychological thriller very well, its enclosed nature gives us the idea that it is isolated which may link to the isolation of certain characters within the film which would show the psychological and mind element of this film. Although it is a large building, the contrast of small windows gives us the idea that those in this location are trapped, this shot also displays a wider idea of the location by showing the ocean that surrounds the building, again giving us the idea of isolation. By using this imagery, it interests the audience to discover more about this setting, thus 'drawing' them in to go and watch the film.
Sixth Still:
This still is a low angle shot which displays the main characters closely. It shows them in a dominant and superior position through this shot which suggests that they are vital to the plot of the film. The dullness of the lighting adds to the creepy and thrilling atmosphere which is conveyed throughout the trailer and this theme is conventional in thriller film. This also shows us the costume choices of the film which is very old fashioned, which convey the time of which this film is set and therefore provides more details for the viewer about this upcoming film.
Seventh Still:
This focuses on a vital message that appears to be trying to convey by the focus on the word 'run', this suggests a warning which raises questions and creates tension, and encourages the viewer to go and watch the film as they are curious about what this little details are referring to. As the build up to this still continues, the non-diegetic sound increase in pace and sound until sharply stopping as the character reads the word 'run.'
Eight Still:
When doing audience research we found that many of our demographic were curious as to who was starring in the film and is influenced to go and watch a film by this. In this still, text is shown saying "Leonardo DiCaprio" who is the main character within this film. This actor is largely popular and well known and therefore is shown to star in the film to try and encourage and expand the audience who would want to go and see this film. By attracting more people to go and see the film by doing this, the trailer is fulfilling its purpose.
Ninth Still:
This still is slightly blurred, which is what we wanted to capture when deconstructing this trailer, to allow us to show the fast pace at which this trailer is going. As this trailer progresses the pace is largely increased and is shot is quickly cut to the next, as the pace is increased, the tension and suspense that the audience feel increases. Trailers for Thriller films conventionally use quick cutting to build up these emotions and combined with the pace of the non-digetic music used, we think has created a successful trailer for this genre. The advantage of using the conventions of a thriller already in the trailer allows the audience to immediately know that it is a thriller and make them want to go and watch this film at the cinema. The character who's arm is in the still states "This is a game." This adds to the thriller genre as we can now assume that there is some kind of twist within the film that is unknown to us which is conventional in thriller films.
Tenth Still:
This still in particular shows the high level and clever use of special effects in this film combined with the emotional theme throughout this film. This still shows the main character holding someone who is obviously important to them very lovingly, but also looks very upset due to the special effects of the trailer showing his loved one turning into ash with shows the drama and emotions which is also conveying in this film. The main character of thriller conventionally suffers from situations which he has to solve or achieve something, often loosing something close to them as a result.
Eleventh Still:
This simplistic nature of just displaying the white font 'Shutter Island' against a black background, not only stands out, but creates no distraction away from the title of the film. The audience will purely focus on that text and therefore stick in their minds which is exactly what is needed to create a successful trailer. They must encourage the audience to go and see the film, therefore by making this trailer memorable it will achieve its purpose.
Final Still:
This final still continues the black and white color scheme and displays key information about production and distribution concerning the film. It shows a list of those involved in productions, and two small logo's in either corner of the distributors. In the centre, a website is shown to allow viewers to find our more about the film if they want to know more details. From our audience research we found that some people find out about upcoming releases online and therefore this would appeal to them.
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