Action:
These are films which feature multiple scenes of action which is destructive and spectacular. If a movie only includes one scene action i.e. a plane crash, it is not considered an action film.
Examples of Action films: The Expendables 3, Taken, Lara Croft, Transformers.
These films show the typical conventions of an action film; fast paced scenes, explosions, brave and courageous main protagonists and fast paced music. In The Expendables 3 trailer, the lighting is monochrome, so you could just about make out all the actors and recognise them, the font is a army style font to show the seriousness of the film, red is used for the text as red signifies danger, blood, war, power & strength, all associated with action films. Fast cuts are used to signify the pace of the movie, lot's of close-ups and camera movement used to keep up with the movement of the action. There's lot's of shots showing weaponry and explosions to help the audience understand what type of film this is going to be and to show the power and pace of it as well.
These films show the typical conventions of an action film; fast paced scenes, explosions, brave and courageous main protagonists and fast paced music. In The Expendables 3 trailer, the lighting is monochrome, so you could just about make out all the actors and recognise them, the font is a army style font to show the seriousness of the film, red is used for the text as red signifies danger, blood, war, power & strength, all associated with action films. Fast cuts are used to signify the pace of the movie, lot's of close-ups and camera movement used to keep up with the movement of the action. There's lot's of shots showing weaponry and explosions to help the audience understand what type of film this is going to be and to show the power and pace of it as well.
Adventure:
These are films which show multiple, consecutive and inter-related scenes of characters participating in dangerous but exciting experiences for a particular goal. It is sometimes confused with action, although it can be supplied with it.
Examples of Adventure films: Indiana Jones, The Lone Ranger, Walking With Dinosaurs.
Like action films, adventure films like for example Indiana Jones and The Mummy have a lot of panning shots to coincide with the amount of movement. There's also a lot of close-up shots, few explosion shots, zooms, and two shots. The music is fast to match the pace of the quick cuts, and sounds very dramatic. For the Indiana Jones trailer, and possibly The Mummy trailers, there are theme tunes in which the audience can recognise as being from these particular movies, once they here the particular music they instantly know who the characters are, what the film may include and whether or not they want to watch it. These are typical in adventure films, and can be seen in action films such as James Bond.
Like action films, adventure films like for example Indiana Jones and The Mummy have a lot of panning shots to coincide with the amount of movement. There's also a lot of close-up shots, few explosion shots, zooms, and two shots. The music is fast to match the pace of the quick cuts, and sounds very dramatic. For the Indiana Jones trailer, and possibly The Mummy trailers, there are theme tunes in which the audience can recognise as being from these particular movies, once they here the particular music they instantly know who the characters are, what the film may include and whether or not they want to watch it. These are typical in adventure films, and can be seen in action films such as James Bond.
Biography:
The primary focus in Biography films is the depiction of the activities and personality of a real person or persons, for either certain parts of their life, or all of their life. These specific events may be re-enacted or described in the style of a documentary. They must be factually accurate, and within the limitations of dramatic necessity.
Examples of Biographical films: Rush, Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom.
These types of film have a lot of dramatic scenes in the trailers. The trailer below shows this. Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom. It shows scenes based on real-life events, and is generally accurate in its depiction. Within this trailer, shot wise, there were many different types of close ups used, such as close-ups, medium close-ups and big close-ups, these are used to either introduce characters to the audience, and to show emotion on characters faces to allow the audience to understand and feel the same emotions as well. Medium shots were also used to show different actions, for example when young Mandela was shown with his family and was twirling his children around, and when he was also arrested. A lot of wide shots were also used to introduce settings and places to which are/were important to the main character of the biographical film, and show importance to the story-line and timeline, there were also a few aerial shots to emphasise the crowds and also the car chases.
There were a lot of camera movements, such as panning and tilts to add to the movement and pace of the film, also emphasising his actions and the importance behind them. There were a few group shots and two shots to emphasise dialogue between characters.
Music wise, it's quite dramatic to match what is going on within the scenes, starts off quiet to allow dialogue to be heard. The music has an African style to it, again to match the culture and person it's representing and depicting the life of. The music adds a hint of emotion behind the dialogue, especially at the end, it quickens in pace and then suddenly quietens and we hear Mandela say 'I have walked a long walk to freedom' which is the iconic phrase of Nelson Mandela and is part of the film title. Near the end, the music does become more tribal and quicker, and adds to the tension and adrenaline pumping scenes and depicts his life in an action packed way.
All scenes in a comedy film contain should contain characters participating in humorous activities. Comedy in these films can either be; exclusive to the audience, at the expense of the characters, or be shared by them.These types of film have a lot of dramatic scenes in the trailers. The trailer below shows this. Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom. It shows scenes based on real-life events, and is generally accurate in its depiction. Within this trailer, shot wise, there were many different types of close ups used, such as close-ups, medium close-ups and big close-ups, these are used to either introduce characters to the audience, and to show emotion on characters faces to allow the audience to understand and feel the same emotions as well. Medium shots were also used to show different actions, for example when young Mandela was shown with his family and was twirling his children around, and when he was also arrested. A lot of wide shots were also used to introduce settings and places to which are/were important to the main character of the biographical film, and show importance to the story-line and timeline, there were also a few aerial shots to emphasise the crowds and also the car chases.
There were a lot of camera movements, such as panning and tilts to add to the movement and pace of the film, also emphasising his actions and the importance behind them. There were a few group shots and two shots to emphasise dialogue between characters.
Music wise, it's quite dramatic to match what is going on within the scenes, starts off quiet to allow dialogue to be heard. The music has an African style to it, again to match the culture and person it's representing and depicting the life of. The music adds a hint of emotion behind the dialogue, especially at the end, it quickens in pace and then suddenly quietens and we hear Mandela say 'I have walked a long walk to freedom' which is the iconic phrase of Nelson Mandela and is part of the film title. Near the end, the music does become more tribal and quicker, and adds to the tension and adrenaline pumping scenes and depicts his life in an action packed way.
Comedy:
Example of Comedy films: Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues, We're The Millers, The World's End.
The trailer for Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues shows multiple comical scenes from the film, light hearted music which quietens down when there is dialogue and/or comical scenes. There are a lot of close-ups and medium long shots to show reactions and expressions of the characters, and to re-introduce these characters to the audience and remind them of the main characters of the film. There's panning and tilts used to emphasise movement and comical actions, there is also a lot of post-production editing, such as the scene in the van near the beginning of the trailer, slow-motion was used in the van scene, this was done for comical effects and before hand, a couple of the characters were asking things such as 'Why do you have a bag of bowling balls next you?' which is then explained in the slow-motion scene and is the build up to the comical scene. Also the stupidity of the characters adds to the comical essence of these scenes, along with the music.
Music is light hearted, matches the vibe of the film and emphasises the comical actions by adding more humour and adding a light-hearted atmosphere. There are a lot of wide shots used to introduce settings and show action scenes.
Crime:
Crime films should include numerous successive and connected scenes of characters participating, assisting and/or organising criminal behaviour for an illegal goal(s).
Examples of Crime films: American Hustle, Now You See Me, The Godfather.
Now You See Me is a good example of a crime film trailer as it shows the significant parts of the movie without giving too much away, you can see how they break the law, and see how they are participating in criminal behaviour to achieve illegal goals. The music is fast paced, and is synchronous as it relates to what is going on within the trailer. Voice-over near the end gives the audience a summary of what to expect within the trailer, and the crime element is clearly shown throughout the trailer, with chases, interrogations and so on. There are action filled scenes of characters breaking into areas where they are not supposed to, which further shows the illegal behaviour to achieve illegal goals. The cuts are quick and match the music, they cut at the right spot, so that each shot makes sense, and doesn't give too much away.
Drama:
Drama films should contain multiple successive scenes of characters portrayed to effect the serious narrative of these films. This can be exaggerated to produce a melodrama.Examples of Drama films: The Butler, The Great Gatsby
The Butler is a good example of a dramatic film trailer. It shows the right dramatic moments, and shows a balance of drama and happy, calm moments. It's not one sided, you also see the main characters being introduced in the trailer, as well as iconic settings such as the white house. The music starts of quiet, as the scenes are calm, and starts to build up as the scenes start to become dramatic, and the evens out as the trailer ends. I like the sound of the music as it isn't to loud and in your face, it compliments the shots and doesn't distract from what's going on within the trailer. The fonts used are quite simplistic, white on a black background, and fade in and out. I could apply this to my trailer,
Family:
Family films should be appealing to all the family, children & adults. Universally accepted viewing. These types of films are generally combined with Animation.
Examples of Family films: Despicable Me 2, The Lego Movie, Maleficent
Despicable Me 2 is the perfect example of a family movie. It has a happy story line in which young audiences can understand easily and want to keep watching, there are in-jokes for parents which younger audiences wouldn't understand, the young audience can easily relate to the characters, and the trailer doesn't show too much of the film and keeps audiences wanted to watch the film when it comes out. The font is playful, orange on a white background, to match in with the playfulness of the film and to appeal to the target audience of the film, for instance children.
Examples of Family films: Despicable Me 2, The Lego Movie, Maleficent
Despicable Me 2 is the perfect example of a family movie. It has a happy story line in which young audiences can understand easily and want to keep watching, there are in-jokes for parents which younger audiences wouldn't understand, the young audience can easily relate to the characters, and the trailer doesn't show too much of the film and keeps audiences wanted to watch the film when it comes out. The font is playful, orange on a white background, to match in with the playfulness of the film and to appeal to the target audience of the film, for instance children.
Fantasy:
These films should include a successive scenes of characters portrayed to effect a mysterious and make-believe narrative. Not to be confused with Sci-Fi, fantasy films are generally based on magic and mystery.
Examples of Fantasy films: The Hobbit: Desolation of Smaug, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.
This trailer is a good example of a fantasy film trailer. The lighting used really emphasises the fairy-tale feel of the film, and the contrast between light and dark is effective as well. The trailer has a voice-over which those who have watched the previous film would probably recognise the voice and character. The establishing shots also further show the genre, as they introduce the mountainous landscape, the pans are effective in showing this. The music is dramatic, and builds up in the right places, it's quiet when dialogue is being said so that the audience is not distracted from what is being said and they can understand what is going on, the language used is very fantasy like, again establishes genre. The fonts used are very artistic and look like game credits, which adds to the establishment of genre. The animation is effective, and the dark, clouded background adds mystery and further establishes the genre. The costumes shown also establish genre, the intricate designs and unique styles of each character, this is something for me to consider with my trailer.
Examples of Fantasy films: The Hobbit: Desolation of Smaug, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.
This trailer is a good example of a fantasy film trailer. The lighting used really emphasises the fairy-tale feel of the film, and the contrast between light and dark is effective as well. The trailer has a voice-over which those who have watched the previous film would probably recognise the voice and character. The establishing shots also further show the genre, as they introduce the mountainous landscape, the pans are effective in showing this. The music is dramatic, and builds up in the right places, it's quiet when dialogue is being said so that the audience is not distracted from what is being said and they can understand what is going on, the language used is very fantasy like, again establishes genre. The fonts used are very artistic and look like game credits, which adds to the establishment of genre. The animation is effective, and the dark, clouded background adds mystery and further establishes the genre. The costumes shown also establish genre, the intricate designs and unique styles of each character, this is something for me to consider with my trailer.
History:
Primary focus on real-life events of historical significance, with characters based on real-life people. Events should be based on what is dominating the front page of a national newspaper for current times, for older times it should be based on what is in the history books. Fictional characters, incidents, and dialogue should be minor points used to bridge gap in the record.
Examples of History films: 12 Years a Slave, Zero Dark Thirty, Schindler's List
This is a good example of a historic film. The trailer shows historic events, but doesn't show too much, to spoil the movie. The costumes are accurate, and are not odd looking. The music is quiet, to add to the dramatic events occurring in the trailer. The trailer is in black and white, again to further establish that this is an historic trailer, and that this is a serious, but dramatic film. There are no titles within the trailer, only in the beginning and the end, this could be to draw the audience in, and that the clips shown work better without titles in between, there is no need for added dramatic effect when the film is based on dramatic events which actually happened. There is a quote from Schindler himself in the beginning of the trailer; 'I was now resolved to do everything in my power to stop this system,' This one, simple quote summarises the entire film, and also establishes the historic genre of the film/trailer.
This is a good example of a historic film. The trailer shows historic events, but doesn't show too much, to spoil the movie. The costumes are accurate, and are not odd looking. The music is quiet, to add to the dramatic events occurring in the trailer. The trailer is in black and white, again to further establish that this is an historic trailer, and that this is a serious, but dramatic film. There are no titles within the trailer, only in the beginning and the end, this could be to draw the audience in, and that the clips shown work better without titles in between, there is no need for added dramatic effect when the film is based on dramatic events which actually happened. There is a quote from Schindler himself in the beginning of the trailer; 'I was now resolved to do everything in my power to stop this system,' This one, simple quote summarises the entire film, and also establishes the historic genre of the film/trailer.
Horror:
Horror films should contain successive scenes of characters portrayed to effect a terrifying and/or repugnant narrative.
Examples of Horror films: Devil's Due, Carrie, The Conjuring.
This trailer is similar to the likes of Paranormal Activity, and the Blair Witch Project in that they feature people documenting their lives, the trailer starts off calm, then builds up half way through. The use of non-scary music is interesting as in the beginning the song chosen highlights that this is a couple who are very much in love, and have just gotten married, as the trailer shows, then this stops and more sinister music starts to match with the sinister clips being shown, then the song returns at the end to remind the audience that there is a couple here, being documented. Quick cuts really emphasise the horror of the movie, the lighting starts of light to highlight good times, then starts to become darker near the end when horrific events start to take place. The music jumps and stops at the right places to cause 'jump scares' for the audience, which in turn keeps them on their toes and interested in the trailer and movie. All of these factors really add to the horror of the trailer and help to establish genre.
Thriller:
Thrillers should include successive scenes which are sensational or suspenseful.
Examples of Thriller films: Silence of the Lambs, Prisoners, Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones.
This trailer is a perfect example of a thriller trailer. The music is quiet, and the dialogue can be heard, the lighting is dark and mysterious, there are many close-ups of the main characters, and the shots used add to the suspense of the film trailer. You see clips of the murder victims but are not told too much, the voice-over is simple yet effective, establishes the suspense and terror within the film. I like the way they have the criminals face flash up on screen several times throughout the trailer, again it establishes the idea that this is not just scary, but dark in more ways than one. The music starts to build up near the end, and starts to sound like screaming which fits in well with the story-line of the film. The shots of Hannibal Lecter are really well done, and show his personality really well without saying too much about him. The first close-up of one of the main characters looks as if he's talking to the audience, which brings this sense of direct mode of address, and that he's asking the audience if they scare easily, again establishing the genre of the trailer.
War:
War films should include multiple scenes that pertain to a real war, past or current.
Examples of War films: Saving Private Ryan, War Horse
This film is a good example of a war trailer as it accurately depicts the times during World War 2, the images shown really add to the historic context of the film, the narration of the letters also allow the audience to sympathise with the families, and realise how tragic the wars were back in the 40s. The editing is effective as you can see the letters being read out with images of World War 2 in the background, which establishes the genre of the film. The music is very patriotic, but is quiet enough for people to be able to be able to hear the narration of the war letters. The titles are small, with the text fading in and out, along with the music. The titles are white on a dark background so that the audience can read it easily. The trailer uses close-ups to introduce each of the main actors, and the majority of the trailer uses images to convey the film, the music starts to quiet down near the end when the titles fade in. All of which help to convey the genre of war. The costumes are also accurate and the colouring of the trailer is mainly black and white to link in with the depressing mood of the scenes shown, this also establishes the genre.
Sci-Fi:
Many scenes and narrative should be based around or on (speculative) scientific discoveries or developments, environmental changes, space travel or life on other planets.
Examples of Sci-Fi films: X-Men: Days of Future Past, Star Trek into Darkness.
Star Trek: Into Darkness is a good example of a Sci-Fi trailer, the trailer shows space travel and other planets. The music is very dramatic and builds up, but is quiet when there is dialogue. The props used and the settings are also ver sci-fi ish, and further establish the genre. Other ways in which genre is established in this trailer is through the costumes, they are very space like, and match the genre and the setting, and further establishes that this is a sci-fi film set in the future. The costumes are also modern versions of the original Star Trek costumes, so fans of the original film and TV series will be able to easily recognise these costumes, and recognise that this is a Star Trek film, and therefore a Sci-Fi film. Furthermore, the weapons used are also quite futuristic, and the explosions shown establish that this is going to feature action packed scenes as well as sci-fi scenes. The voice-over of the villain also establishes this, and the introduction of said character is very well done. We see that there are issues with Kirk, and we see that it has something to do with the villainous character we are briefly introduced to. The scenes in space further establish genre, and the technology on the ships do so as well.
Star Trek: Into Darkness is a good example of a Sci-Fi trailer, the trailer shows space travel and other planets. The music is very dramatic and builds up, but is quiet when there is dialogue. The props used and the settings are also ver sci-fi ish, and further establish the genre. Other ways in which genre is established in this trailer is through the costumes, they are very space like, and match the genre and the setting, and further establishes that this is a sci-fi film set in the future. The costumes are also modern versions of the original Star Trek costumes, so fans of the original film and TV series will be able to easily recognise these costumes, and recognise that this is a Star Trek film, and therefore a Sci-Fi film. Furthermore, the weapons used are also quite futuristic, and the explosions shown establish that this is going to feature action packed scenes as well as sci-fi scenes. The voice-over of the villain also establishes this, and the introduction of said character is very well done. We see that there are issues with Kirk, and we see that it has something to do with the villainous character we are briefly introduced to. The scenes in space further establish genre, and the technology on the ships do so as well.
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