Category: Research

Trailer Research

Genesis:

In this trailer there is a voice over talking about a this new world. The trailer introduces the world and why it is the way it is this is the beginning. Then is starts to explain the problem which is; the machine man they created to get food has turned on its creators and now wants to kill the humans. Finally the trailer introduces an idea of how the problem will be solved. This trailer follows Todorov’s theory of starting at equilibrium, finding a disequilibrium and then solving it and creating a new equilibrium. This trailers length is 2:34 long.

Ready Player One:

This trailer also has a voice over through out it. It also has titles telling the audience extra information for example; ‘Columbus, Ohio 2045’ this title tells use where and when the film is taking place, this sets a perspective on the location and time for the audience. Once again this trailer follows Todorov’s theory. At the beginning we are introduced to the main character and the virtual reality world. We are then introduced to this virtual reality race to win the prize, this in turn creates the problem as the main character is winning and this causes a lot of jealousy. Then from what I can tell the main character rallies an army to defeat the people who want to kill him. This is one thing I like about trailers, the ending of the film isn’t always clear and you are left wanting to know more. The whole point of a trailer is to make you go and see the film it keeps the ending a mystery and I believe it should keep you tense and hooked the whole way through. This trailer is 2:26 long.

 Avengers: Infinity War:

For this trailer the thing that stood out to me the most was the music. The music made it extremely tense, I could not take my eyes off the screen. Yes the action on the screen was interesting to watch but the music made it all come together and made it flow rather than look like a load of scenes cut up from the movie and glued together. One big difference with this trailer compared to the other two is that is is the last film meaning the audience already know and love the characters, this means there is less of an introduction to the world and the character. In a way this means you have a lot more to work with; by this I mean you can develop the plot more and not have to concentrate on the characters. In my film I will not have this luxury as it is the first of its kind. Once again this trailer had a voice over at the very beginning but the voice over cut off after 25 seconds. This trailer is 2:19 long.

Things I have learnt:

  • The composition every single shot must be well shot. A trailers point is to make you watch the film and if the composition of the shots, even just 1 frame, is badly filmed then it could be the deciding point on watching the film or not. You have such a short amount of time to convince the audience that everything should be well done.
  • Music can be the decision maker as it can make a a load of different shots go from exactly that or to something that tells the narrative perfectly.
  • A nice way to describe a trailer is that it is a taster of what the film will be.
  • Voice overs seem to be a reoccurring theme.
  • Titles can be used to help further the narrative.
  • Todorov’s theory is used a lot.
  • At the end present the title and then say coming soon etc.
  • Trailers last about 2-3 minutes long.

Why do this research?

I have been contemplating on whether I want to do an opening to a film or trailer, however I have been verging more on the side of a trailer. To make a trailer I need to understand what is included in a trailer. By researching other trailers I have learnt the reason for trailers and whats included in them. Now I have a clearer idea on what I will need to include.

Hologram Person Instructions

For my FMP I want to create a hologram person saying something like “have you hydrated today?” by using after effects. When editing I will re-watch the video but sometimes I find it easier and quicker to read it off a piece of paper so here are both:

Scan.jpeg

I found this tutorial a lot easier to follow than the hologram watch one as there is someone speaking to you and telling you what to do.

 

Water Shortage Solution- L.A.

In L.A. they suffer from a lot of draught so a solution they came up with is to drop 96 million ‘shade balls’ into their reservoirs so that the water is kept cool an doesn’t evaporate away.

Here are some pictures:

National Geographic News. 2018. Why Did L.A. Drop 96 Million ‘Shade Balls’ Into Its Water?. [ONLINE] Available at: https://news.nationalgeographic.com/2015/08/150812-shade-balls-los-angeles-California-drought-water-environment/. [Accessed 17 April 2018].

Cape Town Water Shortage

‘The South African city plans to shut off the taps to 4 million people. But it’s just one of many cities around the world facing a future with too little water.’ (Welch, 2018)

Population increase and a record long drought, probably also not helped out by climate change, is sparking one of the world’s most dramatic urban water crises. By summer this year (2018), four million people in the city of Cape Town, Africa may have to stand in line to collect their ration of water. All taps will be shut off in the city to prevent the waste and use of water. They are having to do this because reservoirs have gotten extremely low.

200 emergency water stations are being set up outside food stores, each station will have to serve almost 20,000 residents. For months citizens have been asked to reduce their use of water but that means asking people to work harder and actually use their brains, this request has pretty much been useless.

‘The fundamental problem is the kind of lifestyle we’re living. There’s almost a sense of entitlement that we have a right to consume as much as we want. The attitude and reaction of most posts on social media is indignation. It’s ‘we pay our taxes’ and therefore we should be as comfortable as possible.’ (David Olivier, Global Change Institute at South Africa’s University of the Witwatersrand, 2018).

Bibliography:

  1. National Geographic News. 2018. Why Cape Town Is Running Out of Water, and the Cities That Are Next. [ONLINE] Available at: https://news.nationalgeographic.com/2018/02/cape-town-running-out-of-water-drought-taps-shutoff-other-cities/. [Accessed 08 April 2018].
  2. David McKenzie and Brent Swails, CNN. 2018. ‘Day Zero’: A disaster deferred, but for how long? – CNN. [ONLINE] Available at: https://edition.cnn.com/2018/03/09/africa/cape-town-day-zero-crisis-intl/index.html. [Accessed 08 April 2018].