Pitch presentation - powerpoint

Pitch ideas - powerpoint from annabelwilford

Pitch ideas - video

For our pitch ideas, we created a powerpoint and delivered to the rest of our media class; we explained each of ideas and then asked the audience what they thought of our initial plans. This resulted in a conversation where we discussed our ideas and gained suggestions as to how we could make it better. In order to take note of all of the idea that were given to us, we recorded the pitch so we would be able to look back at our presentation to use the suggestions. The feedback that we gained is extremely valuable in creating our film as we can re-watch the pitch and find any of the ideas that were given to us to incorporate in our film.

Initial research: genre trailer analysis - Friends With Benefits

Institutional information

Friends With Benefits is a romantic comedy that was released on 22/07/2011, and directed by Will Gluck. The film stars Mila Kunis, Justin Timberlake and Patricia Clarkson, with Keith Merryman and  David A. Newman being the writers of the film. Friends With Benefits had a budget of $35,000,000 and after 1 month of being release it made a gross income of $55,802,754. It has received a rating of 6.6 stars out of 10 on the IMDb website, and was produced by Screen Gems, Castle Rock Entertainment, and Zucker Productions, with Sony Pictures Releasing distributing the film in the UK.

Narrative

A young female headhunter (Mila Kunis) in New York convinces a potential recruit (Justin Timberlake) to accept a job in the Big Apple. Despite an attraction to each other, both realize they're everything they've been running from in a relationship and decide to see what happens if they leave emotion out of it and keep it strictly physical. The film follows a linear narrative, and adheres to Todorov's theory with an equilibrium, disruption and resolution. However it does slightly steer away from Todorov, with a mini disruption at the beginning of the trailer; we are shown a montage of the two main protagonists breaking up their relationships, which stereotypically is seen as a major disruption in other romance films. In this situation the equilibrium comes after the mini disruption, where they from a physical-only relationship. The main disruption comes when Jamie realises that she has actually developed feelings for Dylan, despite taking an 'oath' to swear that there would eb no feelings in this relationship.

We are shown the mini disruption through montage of the two protagonists breaking up their relationships; their situations are juxtaposed and cut together to show the similarities between the conversations that they are having. Although this in theory a disruption, with out this happening their would be no story line for the film, and the montage shots are matched with up-beat music, signifying that it isn't as bad as it stereotypically would be. The shots shown in this montage are mainly over the shoulder shots because it helps to show the protagonists feeling to the audience.
After this comes the equilibrium, where the characters work out a 'physical only' relationship and we see happiness during this time. This is followed by a hint of a second disruption; that they begin to develop feelings for each other despite swearing that they wouldn't. This is shown by a long shot a 2:04 where the main female protagonists talks about not 'buying into the Hollywood cliché of true love'. The trailer doesn't show much of the disruption or any of the resolution, which leaves the audience guessing the rest of the plot. This is a stereotypical convention of trailers as it encourages the audience to see the full movie when released in order to find out the remaining information about the film.

The titles of the film don't appear until 2:16, which is about 20 seconds before the end of the trailer. The white and orange text on a black background makes the text stand out, as well as the colour white representing innocence, which is something that the characters could assume that their relationship is as there are no feelings involved.

Target audience

The target audience for this film would be aimed at a female and male audience of 15 - 30. This is because the age certificate is 15, and due to the nature of some of the scene in the film, it wouldn't be suitable for anyone under the age of 15. 

Mise en scene

In contrast with other film trailers that I have analysed, Friends With Benefits doesn't open with an ident shot of the production or distribution companies. Instead, these are located at the end of the trailer with the title shot, with small logos in the corner of the shot. Instead, the opening shot is an establishing shot of a city that looks like New York, which could connoted that the characters in this film are business men/women, as New York is a very developed city and is home to many successful careers. This also informs the audience as to the language that the characters will speak and the nationality that they are; this can be stereotyped as being white American.

This shot is followed by text, which says 'Bad relationships' in orange and white; this automatically signifies that this is a romance film as it involves some type of relationship. The colours that are used are bright and stand out from the black background, with the orange representing elements of being free willed and open minded; combined with the narrative of this film it may portray that the characters is this film have experimental personalities. Only using orange on the first letter of each word makes a bold statement and is in contrast to the white, which represents innocence and purity, signifying the different aspects to their relationship together.


This shot shows a high angle mid shot which represents the use of an iPad when the two protagonists are taking an 'oath' to ensure that they don't develop any emotions in the course of their relationship shows the development of what used to be a very traditional and religious act. Conventionally, oaths are performed in a court room where a witness swears to tell the truth, and it sworn with the hand on top of a hard copy of the Holy Bible. The use of modern technology in this trailer shows the time period that this film is set in, as well as the fact that doing this through the use of an iPad makes the 'oath' less serious, meaning that it signifies the promise could potentially be broken and the characters develop feeling for each other. Using modern technology will also allow the audience to relate more to the character as many people have the same device, making it more enjoyable to watch.

The use of lighting in this film varies depending on the tone that a particular scene is trying to
portray. For example, in the beginning of the trailer there is a montage of the two main protagonists breaking out of their relationships, and this is carried out in the street at night, with the darkness of the sky representing the situation that is occurring. The use of high key lighting is shown when the characters first meet, and they decide to form a 'sex only' relationship; the light used reflects their happiness at meeting some and the anticipation of the relationship they wish to develop. However in contrast with the sad situation that the low key lighting is used in, it also is used in the sexual scenes, where the darkness portrays passion and intimacy within the couple. This is a cliché and very stereotypical for a romance film - the dimmed lights create a more passionate/romantic setting suggesting there is an ambiance between the two characters.
There are many shots withing this trailer that show the two characters with no clothes on; this helps to represent the narrative of the film and also shows that the two character are comfortable in each others company.

Editing

One of the editing techniques that this trailer uses is a montage effect at the beginning of the trailer; it shows two almost identical situations where the main protagonist are involved in the same conversation but in different locations with different people. The conversation that they are having is about a breakup, which not only represents the genre of the film but the topic foreshadows what may happen on the rest of the film. The montage cuts between the two conversations and intersperses them between each other, which shows the audience that the conversations are the same. Putting this at the beginning of the trailer sets the film up for the viewer as they are able to work out what will happen after this. There are select shots in the montage that have been chosen to match the other persons actions, for example an over the shoulder shot on one of the protagonists will cut to the same shot but with the other main character.
There are also a number of shot reverse shots in the trailer, which portrays the action of a conversation and allows the audience to experience continuity in conversation with characters filmed at eye-level. It is meant to immerse audiences in the dialogue, and thus the story, instead of directing their attention to the visual style.
There is a number of fade to blacks and also fade from black to the shot, and these edits are placed in-between shots where the scene totally changes. This has been done to help distinguish the locations of each scene which makes it easier for the audience to follow the narrative as they will understand that the scene has changed and they are at a different part of the narrative.

Camera angles 

In the Friends with Benefits there is a variety of camera angles that are used; one of these is a high angle shot of the two protagonists holding their hands on the top a digital bible that is on an iPad. The use of a big angle camera shot signifies the focus that should be on the object that is centre screen - this is the bible on the iPad, as by using modern technology combined with a old tradition that is often taken very seriously in other situations, it alerts the audience as to the unconventional use of swearing an oath in this casual scenario. The high angle creates more impact on the shot as there is only one central focus on the screen, allowing the audience to pay attention to the only thing that is filling the screen. 

Another camera angle that was used is an over the shoulder mid shot, that shows both of the protagonists standing naked in front of the each other. This shot has been used to represent the relationship that they both have, and the intimacy that they experience when together. The shot is a convention of most romance films as it shows elements of a relationship that nobody else except the participants of that relationship would see; it therefore allows the audience to feel as though they are part of the relationship as they have seen this intimacy that no one else is supposed to see. The shot shows how comfortable the characters are with each other, as well as the fact that they can trust one another. 

This extreme long shot acts as an establishing shot, to locate the audience to exactly where the characters are. The sign is very ionic and is world known, so the audience will have no trouble identifying where the protagonists are; it is also known that people are not allowed anywhere near the sign, so when later in trailer it shows the two people sitting on the sign, it can give an insight that their personalities are rebellious and that they share this trait; a stereotypical convention of romance films is where couples share similar traits 

Sound 

The trailer begins with non-diegetic soundtrack; the soundtrack is very upbeat and has a fast tempo, and it begins with the opening establishing shot of New York. The type of music played isn't stereotypical of the romance genre, as it has quite a heavy beat and an upbeat vibe; this may connote the main characters personalities as they have an unconventional relationship therefore the music represent this. Alongside the music there is diegetic dialogue that matches the scenes shown, of the two protagonists having conversations. Combined with the music, it creates an almost comedic effect, which subverts a stereotypical romance, however as this film is a RomCom the style of music fits with the genre of the film. The diegetic dialogues continues, while the background music abruptly stops when they are discussing the terms of the relationship. It does this to bring more focus to the topic of conversation as it isn't conventional in romance, as well as to draw the audiences attention. The music then starts again after this scene. At 1:11, there is non diegetic dialogue that runs over the top of multiple establishing shots. A number of music background tracks merge throughout the entire trailer, all of which have the same style of beat and tempo; this signifies the tone in the film, as there is no point in the trailer where the tone of music changes. The background music is the last sound heard in the trailer and it fades out at the end. 

Initial research: genre trailer analysis - Dear John

Institutional information 

Dear John is a romantic drama with elements of war, and it was released on February 2th 2010. The film was directed by Lasse Wallström and was previously written as a book by Nicholas Sparks, the same author who wrote The Notebook; a notoriously popular romance film. It stars  Channing Tatum, Amanda Seyfried and Richard Jenkins. With a budget of $25,000,000, the film made $80,014,842 just two months after release; it has a rating of 6.3 stars out of 10 on the IMDb website. It is rated a 13, and was produced by Screen Gems, Relativity Media and Temple Hill Entertainment.

Target audience

The target audience for Dear John would be aimed towards females aged 15 - 30, as steroetypically romance films are marketed towards women; this film as a rating of PG13, hence the lowest age of around 15. This film isn't a typical teenager romance, and so this leaves opportunity for older people to watch aswell. Some of the content of the film is based around the war and conflict, therefore there may be a secondary target audience of males the same age.

Narrative

This film is based on a man, John, who enlists in the army and is on a two-week leave when he meets Savannah. They fall in love and Savannah agrees to wait for him until he returns; only he is forced to re-enlist to go back on tour, and they write letters to each other. Savannah eventually falls out of love with him but he is still in love.
This film follows a linear narrative and is based over the time that their relationship develops and also as it unravels. The first example of the equilibrium is at the start of the film, where Savannah first meets John - this is followed by a montage of the two characters falling in love, showing the together in every clip. The equilibrium gradually fades and we see this through the introduction of the disruption, with the scene of John telling her that he has to return on tour. At this point the trailer features more conflict shots of him in the Army, an example of this is at 1.18, with a long shot of John exiting an army aircraft. This
not only connotes the danger that John is in, but could also reflect the danger that their relationship is in; with his absence their love begins to fade and in hope they write to each other in order to hold on to their relationship. The trailer then switches between the two situations of John in a war zone and Savannah at home, while she is reading out extracts of their letters to each other. We see a glimpse of a second minor disruption within the major disruption, with a long shot of Johns father in a hospital bed.
Due to the number of montaging sections in the trailer, it is difficult to tell whether the clips that are shown are put into a chronological sequence, however the tone of the individual clips flows the narrative structure.
The titles of the film are left until the end of the trailer, which is a convention of all trailers, and the background to these titles are blue; a connotation of calm and relaxation, but alos linking in with the opening scene of the male surfing, as the sea is also blue.

Mise en scene

The opening of the film begins with the ident of 'Screen Gems', the production company who created and distributed the film. This helps to advertise the production company to the audience watching the trailer, as well as informing them who produced the film. Putting an ident at the start if a trailer will also allow the audience to identify the company so that they can relate them to other films they may have watched that were produced by the same company. 

The first shot shows a male character surfing, and it is followed by a number of other shots of him surfing and sitting on the beach, all of which he is shown with no shirt on. Conventionally, the leading male in a romance film is cast to be

attractive and appealing to the target audience 

(stereotypically women), so by showing him with no shirt will be appealing to the target audience. The following shot on the right shows the first introduction of a woman on the beach; as the beach is stereotypically romantic setting because it is perceived as beautiful and
peaceful which are both associated with the romance genre, it connotes that the woman is potentially the love interest in the film.

In the scene where the male and female characters meet, as shown in the picture above, the female is wearing a white dress top. Stereotypically the colour white connotes innocence and purity, and in most conventional romance films, the female is seen wearing white as a sign of their purity in a relationship. This is done because conventionally in romance films the male is the character who causes issues in a relationship and therefore hurts the woman. This forebodes what could happen in the film, and is what is shown to happen later in the trailer.

Further into the trailer, the male protagonist is seen wearing combat clothing with a camouflage pattern; from this it connotes that he is in the American Army. The long shot shows the female holding the male's arm, in what looks like a protective way, which combined with the location that looks like an airport signifies that he is going away. Following the stereotypes of romance films, it suggests that this is the disruption in the film, an element of Todorov's theory. There are mainly dull colours (for example beige, grey and the dark green of his uniform) in this shot which also connotes that the mood has changed from the beginning of the film trailer.
The close up shot of the female protagonist on the right that shows emotion in her face. The close up allows the audience to see that she has tears in her eyes, and following the conventions of romance films, this connotes that she is upset over the male protagonist. Stereotypically romance films are emotional and therefore aimed at a female target audience; this scene will appeal to this target audience and allow them to become emotionally invested in the film and create a relationship with the character.

Editing

Dear John presents a number of different editing techniques that help to create a visually strong romance trailer. One of the techniques that is used is fading from one shot to another; this is done at the start of the trailer where the male protagonist is introduced while he is surfing. It helps to create a smooth transition between shots and camera angles while staying in the same scene or keeping attention on a specific object. The combination of shots, as shown on the right, creates an almost dream effect, which represents that romance feels the same as a dream. 

The majority of the trailer is shown shots being combined though a montage; this is where shots are juxtaposed in an often fast-paced fashion that compresses time and conveys a lot of information in a relatively short period. This is an ideal type of edit to use in a film trailer because it trying to include as much information as possible in limited time, but without revealing too much of the plot. There are select shots in the trailer that represent the tone and mood at that point in the film - the sequence is put together chronologically with the disruption at the end of the trailer so as not to reveal the end of the plot away. The shot change within the montage is accompanied by fade to blacks and fade to shot, which allows the audience to understand that it is a change of scene or time. There are also a number of jump cuts either within the montage or during a chronological sequence of shots, and this occurs to help keep the flow of a scene where just the angle or positioning of the camera has changed. They also differentiate themselves from part of the montage so the audience know that it is a continuous scene and not a jump in time or place. 

Camera angles 

There are a variety of camera angles in the Dear John film trailer, one of them being a long shot which shows the location to be a beach. With beaches stereotypically being associated with romance, this shot immediately informs the audience that the film is a romance, and that the two characters stood together are the main male and female protagonists. This shot is also accompanied by a shot that tracks out into a high angle shot and pans left.

Other shots that are used includes a shot reverse shot, which shows the interaction between the two characters and their emotions when they are talking to each other. 

This close up shot on the right shows the male and female protagonist together very close in proximity. The closeness of them suggests that they are at the point of a relationship, as the way in which they are looking at each other suggests that they have feelings for one another. 

Sound

The trailer begins with a combination of diegetic and non diegetic sounds; there is an upbeat background song alongside the diegetic sound of the sea and waves. The soundtrack is heavily acoustic based, which has a calming and romantic feeling to it, and this is similar to the diegetic sea sounds. This is followed by a diegetic conversation between the male and female protagonists when they first meet. Much of the trailer is narrated by the two protagonists. with speech from other scenes that aren't shown in the trailer, with dialogue explaining how they are feeling about a situation or each other. Towards the end of the trailer the speech is put into a montage effect, with what sounds like extracts from letters being read out. This alternates between the characters, almost like a conversation only through letters instead, which signifies the narrative to the audience - that the male leaves and they write letters to each other to continue their long distance relationship. The background music begins to increase in volume and tempo at the end, where the scene of the female crying is shown; alongside the use of symbols, it connotes that something negative is going to happen. 

Initial research: timeline analysis - Me before you

Initial research: genre trailer analysis - Me before you

Institutional information 

Me before you is a romance drama film that was released on 3/6/2016, and features Emilia Clarke, Sam Claflin, Jenna Coleman, Vanessa Kirby and Matthew Lewis. The film was directed by Thea Sharrock and was written by Jojo Moyes, who publishes the book before collaboratively working on the film with Thea. The gross takings from the film at present $56,228,651, with a budget of $20,000,000. Me before you has a rating of 7.5 stars out of 10 on IMDb website, and the film was produced by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM), New Line Cinema and Unswept Entertainment.

Target audience 

As this film deals with some difficult issues such as assisted suicide, the traget audience for Me before you would be females aged 15 - 30. This is because there is some suggestive material in the film, but the snestive issues that are represented wouldn't be suitable for anyone much younger than 13; the age rating is PG 13. Me before you would be easily accessible for women older than 30 due to the topics that it presents, however due to the sterotypes of romance films, males wouldn't be included in the primary target audience. 

Narrative

This romance drama film features Louisa Clark, who has just lost her job and is now completely out of her comfort zone. A job being a carer for Will Trainer, a disabled man who was injured in a motorcycle accident, and in a last attempt at securing a career she goes for a trial. The narrative follows them as they build a relationship and attempt to change each others lives for the better. The film has a linear narrative, and is based over a series of 6 months, the time in which Will has given his parents to try and change his mind on ending his life at Dignitas.
The film starts in somewhat of an equilibrium with Louisa innocently looking for a job in order to help support her family, although unknown to the audience the disruption has already occurred; Will's crash. From the point that the two protagonists meet, there are multiple disruptions that add to the drama of the film, for example one disruption that occurs is the tension that is present between the characters; Will doesn't like Louisa. However this mini disruption is solved when they eventually fall in love. One of the biggest disruptions is when Louisa finds out that Will is planning on committing suicide at Dignitas; this is the theme that runs throughout the film trailer.
The trailer for the film also is sequenced chronologically, taking the important clips form the film and ordering them so that they make sense and reveal some of the story line to the audience. Throughout the trailer there are a number of shots with a red background that use text to reveal some of the key information about the film. Following a convention of most trailers, the title of the film comes right at the end of the trailer, and it on a red background, which indicate the genre of the film as it connotes love and passion.

Mise en scene

The opening of the film trailer begins with three idents on the same shot that shows the three production companies that have contributed to the making of the film. Having them at the start of the trailers means that the audience will made aware as to who made the film, which promotes their company and increases awareness. The fact that there are three different production companies suggests that this is a high budget film due to the number of high profile companies that want to be involved with the making of the film.

The first shot other than the dents is an establishing high angle shot that shows a castle and village in the background. The shot shows the audience where the film is located, and allows them to familiarise themselves with the setting. By setting the film in a castle, it connotes that the location is set in England as this is a stereotypical historical place that is associated with the country. The area that is shown in this shot may allow the audience to make assumptions as to who the characters may be; stereotypically people who live in an area as shown would be high income citizens who could be seen as 'posh'.

This long shot following the first shot shows two characters who are the focus of the shot as they are central. The sign that is behind them says 'Job Centre', which suggests that the female character, who looks distressed, is looking for a job. This subverts what the audience would have expected given the establishing shot that was shown, and changes the way that the audience will view the character. The location of this shot represents that the character may be in a disadvantaged situation as she doesn't have a job, a convention that isn't often shown in romance films.

This long shot shows the female protagonist walking through the door holding a bunch of flowers; the flowers are a stereotypical convention of romance fils as they are often given as a present to a romantic partner. However this slightly subverts the stereotype of the male giving the flowers to the female, as this is what normally happens in romance films. The subversion of this act signifies that there is something different about the relationship shown in the film; the shots showing the male protagonist in a wheel chair is something that isn't often used in romance films - conventionally the males are meant to be the strong characters and the ones who the females rely on. In this film these roles are reversed. Equally, the clothing she is wearing in this shot isn't something that is normally seen in a romance; the film often tries to present the female character as being attractive and desirable through the use of wearing revealing clothes, where as in this trailer she is shown wearing bright and bold dollars that cover her up. It helps to represent her personality, which will appeal to the target audience as they will feel as if they know her, allowing them to form a connection with her and engage in the film.

This close up of the two protagonists in bed is a stereotypical shot that is commonly seen in romance films. It signifies that they have feelings for each other, and that these have developed over the time in which they have been together. The soft lighting in this shot connotes happiness and calmness, which is associated with being in love and having feeling towards someone.

Editing

Me before you shows a number of editing techniques, and one example of this is a match on action editing. The shots show the female protagonist opening and walking through a door before showing the setting she is waking towards. This then cuts back to her walking away from the door. Using this edit helps to show continuity through the shots and creates a 'visual bridge' for the audience to not only see the action she is carrying out, but also to locate themselves in the scene so they can understand where she is. 

As the trailer continues, there are more fade to black edits which are placed in-between shots where the scene totally changes. This has been done to help distinguish the locations of each scene which makes it easier for the audience to follow the narrative as they will understand that the scene has changed and they are at a different part of the narrative.  The transitions is a fairly quick fade to black, and could indicate a time lapse of a few minutes or hours. The fade to black is also used to note a change of tone in the trailer. The scene after the one on the right is of the female protagonist sitting on a swing looking over the town she lives in, and along side slightly duller colours that the previous scene, it signifies that the tone has changed to something more serious as the colours of the garden before represent happiness. 

Camera angles 

The first establishing shot that is shown in the trailer tracks over the castle and into the village, all at a high angle. It informs the audience as to where the majority of the film will take place, as well as giving them an insight into the lives of the main characters.
 There is also a shot reverse shot included in the beginning of the trailer that switches between the main female protagonist and the person she is talking to, who we can assume is an employee at the Job Centre. A shot reverse shot is often used to make emphasis on a specific object or environment.
This extreme close up on the right shows the two protagonists in the film very close in proximity with the female shaving the males face, which we learn is because the male is paralysed from the neck down. Despite the fact that she has been hired as a carer, this shot portrays a more intimate image of the two; this is an activity that is stereotypically either carried out by the individual or someone they are close to was it is quite a private thing to do. As a result this shot suggests that there is a potential relationship between them and therefore conforms to a conventional romance film.

Sound

The beginning of the trailer has non diegetic dialogue which is played over the top of an establishing shot, along side a sound bridge of an upbeat sound track. The sound track has a reasonably fast tempo  and because of this is represents happiness and brightness. The conversation involves a male and a female discussing jobs, and the shot then change to the scene with the same conversation - this allows the audience to learn who was speaking. The soundtrack the gets louder and the tempo increases, and the acoustic element to it also increases; the guitar in the soundtrack is stereotypically associated with romance so conforms to the conventions of this genre and also indicates the genre to the audience. This continues until a more serious scene where the male character reflects on his past; at this point the sound track stops and a film score, Photograph by Ed Sheeran begins, which is followed by more romantic scene from the film. Gradually the film score gets louder, until a scene with diegetic dialogue where the male protagonist announces his love for the woman. 

Initial research: non genre trailer analysis - The Purge: Anarchy

Institutional information

The Purge: Anarchy is the second action horror film in a trilogy of films; the third film was released 14/7/16. The 103 minute film is R rated, and in it's first weekend at box office it gained $29,816,675 with the budget of the film being $9,000,000. The Purge: Anarchy has 6.5 stars out of 10 on the IMDb website.

Narrative

Including Frank Grillo, Carmen Ejogo, Zach Gilford, Kiele Sanchez and Zoe Soul, this action horror is centred around an annual event in future America where for 12 hours all crime if legal; with the emergency services out of use, it is said to cleanse the souls of all American citizens and keep the crime rate low for the rest of the year. The narrative follows the story of 5 ordinary people attempting to escape the purge, with one man saving them all from death.

The film follows a linear narrative over the course of the 12 hour event, and also follows the stereotypical conventions of a film trailer; and ident appears at the beginning to show who produced the film, ensued by an establishing shot to locate the audience. The trailer then takes elements of the film and orders them chronologically, with black screens of text informing about the date and other information, which is interspersed throughout the trailer. Stereotypically, the title of the film is included at the end of the trailer along with the release date and a social media hashtag. 

Mise en scene 

The opening of the trailer begins with the ident of the production company 'Universal'. 

Universal Pictures creates and distributes theatrical and non-theatrical filmed entertainment, and therefore included the ident to create awareness to the audience of who produced the film and to build a reputable well known brand. The colours in the ident are bright and colourful, which would connote that the film is lively and exciting; as the colours draw attention to the screen and instill a 'feel good' emotion into the audience. This contrasts the actual tone of the film which is quite dark and sinister, but this may have been done to shock the audience and gauge their attention from early on in the trailer.

 

The first shot of the film trailer is an establishing shot that informs the audience where the film is set. This is a stereotypical convention of most film trailers as it establishes where the film is set and allows the audience to familiarise themselves with where the main body of the film will be shown. With the sun shown as setting, it signifies that the film is set at night, which is a stereotypical of an action horror film, as the darkness often represents danger and the ability to hide from bad things that may happen. 

A mid shot of two female characters is used part way through the film trailer, and it shows them barricading their door with steel and bolts. By showing this scene, it connotes that they are protecting themselves from something which is a stereotypical convention of action horror film. Including this will appeal to the target audience due to it being a convention of the genre. Within this shot, there is an element flow key lighting, which signifies that there is a danger; stereotypically dull colours represent poverty in the situation that is being shown, and this correlates with what characters say in the film about the purge eliminating 'poor people' like them. Showing the characters in this way allows the audience to feel empathy towards them, therefore forming a relationship with them; this engages them more with the film. 

Half way through the film trailer, there is a wide shot that shows two men on motorbikes and a white van. The two men on bikes are both wearing masks that cover their faces and have horror themed faces on. The way that they are positioned on the top of a hill puts them above the other characters, which connotes that they are dominant and superior compared to the others. Due to this and the scary masks that they are wearing, it signifies that they are the antagonists in the film, a convention that is present in almost all films of this genre.

Editing

The Purge:Anarchy uses mainly jump cuts between shots within the same scene, as this provides different perspectives on the same scene, while allowing the audience to view all elements and engage with the film. Jump cuts are also used in the trailer to create tension and suspense, as often a shot will jump cut to something appearing or jumping out of something, therefore it conforms to the stereotypical conventions of the action horror as it provides the adrenaline rush that is associated with this genre.
There are also a lot of fade to black transitions within scenes, and this is most often done when the tone within a situation changes.

For example when two of the protagonists realise their car is broken down and the warning for the Purge is announced, the tone changes quickly to sinister. The fade to black occurs when the car stops and the can't start it again, along with the announcement that the Purge has started.
Gradually throughout the trailer the pace of the editing increases and the time between one edit to another decreases. This signifies that there is an escalation in the action that is occurring in the film, so will appeal to the target audience. 

Camera angles

There are a number of different shots in The Purge: Anarchy, one of them being a low angle mid shot of one of the antagonists agressively riding a motor bike. The low angle of the camera represents the antagonist as being superior and more powerful than the audience who are viewing the trailer; this is because the way that he is looking down to the camera shows that he holds authority over the people who are watching. The dash cam effect of having the camera attached to the motor bike shows the way that he is riding, and instills fear into the audience due the way he is acting and the mask that he is wearing. The mid shot allows the audience to see some of his surroundings, which links to the city environment that was shown earlier on in the establishing shot.

The trailer also uses an extreme close up, as shown on the right. This close up is of a girl covering her mouth with her hand, which connotes that she is scared or trying to hide from someone. By having the extreme close up it shows the emotions that the girl is showing, which we can assume is fear; this is a stereotypical convention of action horror films, therefore will appeal to the target audience as it will produce the adrenaline that is associated with this genre of film.

Sound 

The trailer begins with an upbeat pop sound bridge that is overlaid on top of the indent sequence and the establishing shot. This gradually fades out to quiet and two of the protagonists start to have a conversation. The conversation sounds very normal, which subverts the stereotypical sound opening of a action horror; as the upbeat sound track doesn't suggest any of the narrative, such as scary or tense. The music then comes to an abrupt stop when the car breaks down, and immediately eerie dramatic music begins; this changes the tone of the trailer as it connotes that something bad is going to happen as a result of the breakdown. Off screen sound then starts announcing the commencement of the Purge, followed by the rest of the announcement which is played over a series of shots showing people preparing for the Purge. As the action begins, the tempo of the music increases through chase scenes and other action related shots, before a classical track is played over the top. The use of the classical track creates chilling feeling for the audience as it doesn't fit with the conventional music used by action horror films, but it gains the attention of the audience.  

Initial research: non genre trailer analysis - Conjuring 2

Institutional information

Conjuring 2 is a sequel to the first film, both of which have the genre of horror. With the length of 134 minutes, the film is rated.....; it achieved 7.9 stars out of 10 on the IMDB website. It was produced by New Line Cinema and directed by James Wan, who also produced Saw, Insidious and Annabelle all of which are horror films. The film fetched $96,621,770 over all, with a budget of $40,000,000.

Narrative

Starring Vera Farmiga, Patrick Wilson and Madison Wolfe, the narrative begins in 1977, where paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren travel to London, England, where single mother Peggy Hodgson believes that something evil is in her home. When Peggy's youngest daughter starts showing signs of demonic possession, Ed and Lorraine attempt to help the besieged girl, only to find themselves targeted by the malicious spirits.

Mise en scene

The beginning of the trailer starts with the ident of the production company 'Warner Bros'. The ident gradually zooms in to the ident before fading to black and a second ident appears. The Warner Bros ident is shown in grayscale, which is different from the normal golden colour that is in other productions; the colour connotes darkness and danger and therefore helps to represent the genre of the film. The clouds in the background of the logo create the idea of pathetic fallacy, where the weather reflects the tone and feeling within the film; it therefore presents the genre to the audience in a way that doesn't require the audience to fully notice. The idents are used to inform the audience about the production company behind the making of the film and it also allows the audience to connect the Conjuring 2 to other films that have been made by the same production company.
The opening scene to this trailer is a high angle shot looking down onto a table with an old fashioned tape recorder in the middle, surrounded by 3 people. This immediately suggests the time period that this film is set in, as well as the fact that the situation is portrayed as being formal; with two people on one side of the table and one on the other. The shadows cast in this shot are a stereotypical feature of the genre horror, as it represents the idea of there being something sinister within the narrative. 

The camera then spins round and zooms into the tape recorder, which is accompanied with the diegetic sound of an old man talking from the tape player. The tone of voice that the old man is talking in is very eerie, which is a stereotypical convention of the horror genre and so will appeal to the target audience.

Part way through the film trailer there is an establishing shot that shows a busy street. I can assume that it is London because there is the use of black cabs which is a stereotypical object that would be seen in London. The clothes that the characters are using in this scene represent that the film isn't modern day, as they are a style of clothing that is was common in the 1970s/80s; this is also supported by the tape recorder in the middle of the table in the opening scene of the trailer which is an older model that wouldn't be seen today.

A mis shot is used half way through the trailer to show the main character in a dark room. The way that the girls is looking directly at the camera helps to capture her emotions which is then presented to the audience, allowing them to form a connection with the character. The severe low key lighting that was used portrays that something bad is happening, and with the crosses on the wall in the background, it suggests that something paranormal is occurring; as the cross in a scene like this a convention if films that involve some type of paranormal activity. The fear that is shown in her face closely relates to the genre of this film, as it signifies that there is something bad happening which is a stereotypical convention of horror.

Editing 

The Conjuring 2 frequently uses fade to black edits between shots, and this is normally done when there is a scene change within the trailer (for example from a bedroom to the kitchen). This creates an eerie atmosphere for the audience because they don't know what is going to happen next, which is something that is a convention of horror films; to create suspension in order to appeal to the target audience. The trailer also uses jump cuts to create tension and to provide the adreneline that is associated with horror films and that is expected when viewing one. An example of this is a jump cut to an extreme close up of a girl screaming under what looks like a duvet. The girl is illuminated by a torch-like light, which creates a sense that she is being attacked. There is an example of a shot reverse

shot during the scene of the girl in the room when ten the crosses begin to turn when on the wall. The first shot is of the crosses turning and it cuts back to a close up of the face of the girl that gradually zooms in, which shows her emotions and allows the audience to empathise with her situation. The camera then cuts back to the wall to show the progression of the first shot and how it will affect the girl. A shot reverse shot means that the audience are able to see how a situation develops and the reaction of either the people involved or how an action will be received by another person.

Camera angles

There are a variety of over the shoulder shots involving the little girl, who I assume is the main character, and this helps to give the audience a chance to view the situation from her point of view. Doing this not only allows the audience to develop a relationship with the character, but also shows the emotions that she is experiencing, which is then transferred to allow the audience to experience similar feelings and sights. The opening of the trailer shows a high angle shot that looks directly down on a table with a tape recorder and three people sat around the table. Using the shot has made the three people present seem vulnerable as they are being looked down upon, with the camera being seen as dominant; with the presence of the voice coming from the recorder, the point of view from the camera can be seen as person who's voice is being played. The camera gradually rotates clockwise and zooms into the recorder, making it the focus of the scene. Throughout the film trailer there are a number of occasions where the camera zooms into the main image of the shot; doing this puts more focus onto the object/person that is central to the shot, and therefore signifies that the central person/object holds the most importance out of the things that surround it.

Sound

The trailer begins with a diegetic voice coming from the tape recorder that is in the middle of the table. The voice has an eerie tone to it which signifies that the film will also follow this tone; the voice is then stopped and the characters surrounding the recorder realise that the voice is part of a paranormal activity occurring to a little girl. over the top of this diegetic dialogue is a non diegetic high pitched sound track, that represents tension as it gives the impression that something bad is going to happen. The soundtrack picks up tempo throughout the trailer with the beat increasing, until the track is cut and there is silence; the absence of music signifies suspense. Following this there is a climax in the music along side a loud scream that provides adreneline and tension that is expected in this genre. This change in the music tempo and style signifies that there has been a disequilibrium, a stereotypical feature of the horror  narrative. Throughout the trailer there is non diegetic dialogue that accompanies scenes with no sound - it helps to describe the situation to the audience.