Tuesday, 22 September 2015

Questions on 'The Expendables' Trailer



·At what point in the trailer are we told the name of the film? Why is this?
We are told the name of the film at the very end of the film just before the release date. This is because the audience are much more likely to remember the film name at the end rather than at the beginning as it would still be fresh in their minds.

·Why are we told who is starring in the film? How is this information given to


us?
The information of who is in the film is given to the audience towards the end of the trailer. The names of the characters have been written in clear, big, white font which then is followed by a shot of the character. The audience are usually told this as the majority of stars in the film are all big Hollywood actors meaning that they will be easily recognised. A film with lots of famous people in usually suggests that the film is going to be really good meaning it is more likely to be watched by a very large audience.



·What type of action from the film do we see?
Throughout the film there is a lot of action, there is a lot of violence as well as well meaning this could be one of the reasons why it has been rated 15. There is a lot of fighting with different types of gun eg machine guns. A lot of special effects have been used in the trailer such as big fire explosions and sound effects which go with explosions and shootings.

· What clues does the music give us as to what type of film the trailer is
advertising?
The majority of the music that has been used in non-diegetic, the music is very tense and loud. This could have been used to cause suspension when the audience watch the trailer. The music also fits together with all the explosions and shootings that take place in the film which suggests that the film is an action film. When the action scenes are being shown in the trailer the music then starts to pick up pace and becomes very quick in order to make people want to see what happens next.

· What can you say about the voice of the person delivering the voiceover?
Why do you think this voice was chosen? What effect does it have?
I think this voice was chosen because as it is very serious and immediately sets the atmosphere for the rest of the trailer. The voice over has also only been used at the very beginning of the trailer this could have been to show mystery to the audience as the characters do not know what is going out yet.

· How does the speed of what we see compare to watching a clip from a
film? Why is this? Does the speed alter through the trailer or stay the same?
At the beginning of the trailer the speed is quite a slow place, the trailer also seems to be flowing in order of events of what happen throughout the film. As the trailer moves on the music starts to get louder and louder and the trailer starts to get quicker this is because it is only showing very small snippets of the film at the end.

· What information are we given in the very last frame of the trailer?
‘Join the fight’ The word ‘join’ is very effective as it will make the viewers click on the facebook link to see what is going on. It is also a very persuasive word as it could make the person feel very involved with the film and automatically side with Stallone and his men. However by putting this on social media it could then mean that different people can discuss the trailer and also could help the trailer get more views as if a lot of people are talking about the trailer then this could make people who haven’t seen it go and check it out.


· Which is more effective in making you want to see the film, the poster or the
trailer? Why is this?
I would definitely say the trailer as this actually shows you different clips of the film meaning that you are more likely to understand the film. I also personally think that the trailer is more likely to leave it fresh in your mind meaning there is more of a chance you actually going to see the film. Whereas if it was just a poster then there is more of a chance people would forget about the film. A poster cannot really tell you what the film is about either.

· Where would you expect to see this trailer : (give reasons)
a)    before what films at the cinema-
I would expect to see ‘The Expendables’ trailer before going to watch an action film at the cinema as the people who are going to watch the film being screened must be into action films meaning if this trailer were to be shown before another action film then these people are more likely going to go and watch it as they must like films like this.
b)    before what TV programmes ?
Probably before crime programmes on TV or even big reality TV programmes just because a lot of people would be watching the TV meaning all the money spent on the advertising wouldn’t be a waste and may actually pay off as it would be reaching out to a large amount of people on the TV.

Friday, 18 September 2015

Codes and Conventions of 'The Expendables' movie



'The Expendables' was released on the 13th August 2010. The synopsis of the film is Mercenary leader Barney Ross (Sylvester Stallone) and his loyal men take on what they think is a routine assingement: a convert operation to invade South American country of Vilena and overthrow its dictator. But they are then soon to learn that the job will be a suicide mission and they must choose between redemption or the destruction of their brotherhood.   https://www.google.co.uk/#q=what+is+the+expendables+about 

Narrative: The film seems to be very typical as a team of highly trained mercenaries attempt to take down the dicactor of Vilena- as the film goes out the amount of violence seems to increase along with the non-digetic music becoming more and more tense. The film is also following the typical action genre of their being a fallout between the loyal men. It is also obvious that the film is action as throughout the trailer there is many weapons being used such as guns.




https://prezi.com/yie1obmwgvyh/codes-and-conventions-of-the-expendables-action/ 

The first thing we see on the trailer is an establishing shot of the 'appropriate for all audiences' this means that all ages are allowed to watch the trailer and then the film. This would have been done as it means a larger audience would be viewing the trailer meaning that the film company would not be missing out on any category of people and the company will also have a higher chance of making a bigger profit. The establishing shot is also green- this means that anyone can watch this trailer however sometimes there can be two film trailers where one will have a red background. This means that the trailer is for more mature audiences so will not include any immaturity that is shown in the all audiences trailer.


The main institution for the film is 'Lionsgate'. Lionsgate is a Canadian American film production studio. It is the largest and most successful mini-major film studio in North America. It focuses on foreign and independent films and has distributed various commercially successful film series. Another institution that helped produce the film was 'Millenium'



The film was written by David Callham and Sylvester Stallone and directed by Stallone. Stallone was also the lead role throughout the movie. At the end of the trailer is also have a picture with names of people that are involved in the film itself. This could help bring in a large audience of people as if they see someone that they recognise then they are more likely going to watch the film.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lionsgate_Films 

Voice Over- At the beginning of the film there is a voice over, this automatically is creating suspense for the audience as it sounds like the characters are in the unknown. However for the rest of the trailer it is little snippets of the film that has all been put together. But the effect of a voice over is that it straight away grabs the audience attention.

Digetic and Non Digetic Sound-  Throughout the trailer there is non diegetic and diegetic music that has been used. At the beginning of the trailer non digetic music has been used- this means that the characters cannot hear the music. However when the characters are fighting with their weapons this is when the music becomes digetic as the characters can hear the noise as well. There is also screaming and shouting in parts of the trailer which have an effect on the action trailer which has connotations of people being scared and fighting for their life as there is also a lot of fire and fighting throughout the trailer.

Binary Oppositions: 
In the trailer we see a good example of binary opposites when Mercenary leader Barney Ross and his loyal men try and take down the South American country Vilena. The trailer is showing the good people and the bad people as the Mercenaries try and help the people of Vilena where as the South American people are trying to destroy and kill everyone. This is a clear example of Levi Strauss binary opposite theory of good vs evil.


Romantic Subplot-
Towards the end of a trailer we can see a romantic subplot- this would have been placed here as all movies usually have a romantic subplot in them. They are used to capture the audiences heart and make them feel sorry for both of the characters. Especially in this trailer as it is shown that the female character is in a lot of danger meaning the audience will fall more in love with the male character as they will want him to save her from the danger she is in and survive.




Star Marketing-
Many famous Hollywood stars have been used in this trailer, this will straight away capture a huge audience of people who are already fans of the stars wanting to watch the movie. It would also mean that the fans may have very high expectations about whether or not the film will be good or not. One of the main characters in this film is Sylvester Stallone who not only is the main character he also helped write and direct the film as well.







Thursday, 17 September 2015

The Purpose of a Trailer

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trailer_(promotion)
http://www.slideshare.net/poppyadams/purpose-of-a-trailer 

A trailer is an advertisement or a commercial for a feature film that will be used in the future at a cinema. The term 'trailer' comes from their having originally been shown at the end of a feature film screening. However the audience would always leave the screen at the end meaning they would miss all the future trailers. Therefore trailers are now shown at the beginning of the film as more people are likely to see the trailers and then come and see the film in the future.


The main purpose of a trailer is to promote and advertise the film before it is released into the cinemas. The trailer is also there to inform the audience and therefore potential viewers. This means that in the trailer it is a short snippet of what the film is all about- however the trailer is there to encourage the viewers to go and watch the whole film. Films also have different genres e.g action, horror, comedy, thriller etc this means that each of the trailers will be portrayed in many different ways in order to try and capture the audience’s attention. Another purpose of having a film trailer is to leave the audience with a feeling on anticipation and the urge to want to go and see the film. There are also 'teaser trailers' which are trailers before the main trailer itself actually comes out. A very popular one at the moment that has been released is Batman vs. Spiderman.


The teaser trailer will only give a small amount of information away however because the main characters are so successful they will rely on the original films huge success and the viewers ability to relate their past experiences with the new trailer.

The music in the trailer is also very important as depending on the genre without the soundtrack the whole effect of the trailer may not be able to be achieved. The music is very effective as it establishes the most appropriate mood and tone throughout the trailer. Even without the visuals a definite mood can be created through the choice of music types and instruments.

In order for film companies to reach their unique selling point, they will need a large audience so that they have the potential of gaining a much profit as possible. This does link back to the purpose of the trailer as if the trailer wasn't very good then people wouldn't be interested in coming to see the film. This is why the trailer needs to be exciting and interesting as possible. Some films have different trailers that concentrate on aspects of the film in order to appeal to a larger audience.

 Overall film trailers are now becoming increasing popular on the web. There are approximately 10 billion videos that are watched online annually and film trailers now rank number #3 after the news and user-created videos. One of the most popular film trailers at the moment is James Bond 'Specture' 



http://www.markedbyteachers.com/university-degree/media-studies/what-makes-an-effective-film-trailer.html 
http://www.slideshare.net/melaniacross/the-purpose-of-a-film-trailer 


Sunday, 13 September 2015

Intertexuality


Intertexuality means 'the shaping of texts meanings by other texts' - In many different films or TV programmes some texts refer directly to each other and make different remarks about them.

 Intertextual figures include allusion, quotation and parody. This means it can help the audience take further meanings away from the text.


 The assignment of a text to a genre provides the audience of the text with a key intertextual framework.
     
                                             




Here I found a youtube video which shows different music videos which have Intertexuality in:

                                                                                                               
                                          

Analysis of a music video with intertexuality in: Katy Perry- Last Friday Night