This is an Empire magazine with the cover of Shaun Of The Dead, which was a comedy made in 2004 by Working Title Films. From the tag line "The 500 Greatest Movies Of All Time" which it indicates that the film on the cover is classed as one of the greatest films inside the issue. It's strange that Empire would use a film in the comedy genre as they conventionally reserve the front cover the place for big blockbusters and films that fall into the action genre. However Empires usual red and black conventional house style still remains on this issue, and in addition works well as the main image includes quite a lot of red, and with the addition of the red border gives this classy red carpet tone, which is created quite often as it looks professional and eye catching, thus encouraging the target audience to buy the issue and watch it to find out why the film has the front cover spot.
The Anchorage text is just simply "Shaun Of The Dead" no word play or puns are used as the film is very well known by most people. As usual on this issue the Anchorage text does not conflict with the main image instead has been placed slightly below to create this suitable balance of text and image. The creators of the issue have decided to use a light brown colour which resembles that of an award, further indicating a red carpet tone.
The Dictator was released June 2nd 2012. Like all of Sacha Boran Cohen's films the genre is Comedy. Sacha is very well known for his lead roles in "Ali G In Da House" and "Borat" The film features another one of Baron Cohen's controversial comedy characters. As expected this film has tongue and cheek humour, and by that I mean it relies on controversial jokes to entertain the audience. Unlike the other films I've analysed this one was much less successful than my others as the film only grossed $58 million when the films budget was $65 million which shows that the studios lost $7 million dollars on this project. The run time for this film was 82mins, which is only 1 hour and 20 mins and incredibly short for a film. The films target audience was 15-20 as it had specific tongue and cheek humour, which only caters to few people, which is probably the reason why the film wasn't very successful.
In the first 30 seconds of the trailer the audience is deceived in a number of ways into believing the film isn't a comedy. Firstly dramatic diegetic sound track is placed over the top of serious scenes to create the impression that the film has a mature tone, but ironically the dramatic music then is being used ironically In addition the trailer uses actual members of the U.N. i.e. Barrack Obama and David Cameron. The music all eventually leads into a sting however and reveals the threat talked about is Sacha's character, whom is a self centred prince from Arabia. Soon after the reveal the music turns into a Bollywood style track, which fits the setting of Arabia.
Another convention the trailer uses to great effect is camera angles, but more specifically panning shots of Arabia and New York during the montage, which ultimately reveals the setting of the audience, which also hints at Levi Strauss binary opposition theory because the two settings Arabia and New York are very different settings contrast and are run in very different ways, which is something thing Sacha's character will need to overcome to survive New York's concrete jungle. Also this relates to Todorov's disequilibrium theory as the main characters world is shaken, and creates this problem he must overcome. In relation to the Mise-en-scene the two contrasting locations have been deliberately been chosen for the narrative as the contrast will create challenges for Cohen's characters and lead to some comedic moments.
A convention that is present at the end of the trailer is the institution credits, despite being used its strange that this convention would be placed at the end of the trailer as they're usually found at the beginning of a trailer, as the institution gives the audience the initial idea of what the film might be because most institutions specialise in a certain film genre. In this case its Paramount Studios, which create multi genre films. Another convention that producer tend to put on the end of their films now days is a caption screen with either the films website or social network icons. This allows and even wider audience to be reached via technological convergence
Overall the trailer seems quite effective in encouraging its target audience, as the audience experience part of the main plot, the main character, and the setting, which is enough for the audience to make a decision, however despite its content. I personally believe that the trailer reveals a little too much and think they should leave the audience guessing what might happen.
Poster:
Here is the official poster for the Dictator movie which was placed in cinemas all across the globe as well as bus shelters and telephone box's. As you can see the main image consists of a close up of Sacha Baron Cohen's character. Mainly focused on his head and the top half of his patented attire. In relation to mise-en-scene his outfit connotates he could be part of the military and may have extremely high authority. Also Sacha's character is wearing sunglasses which has been manipulated by the film studio to reflect the American flag through his shades, thus making him seem that he's heading straight into the U.S.A. like its his playground to do what ever he pleases or to overcome as a challenge. This gives the audience an idea of the setting Another aspect of Mise-en-scene used is Sacha's facial expression is quite serious, which partly misleads the audience into thinking the film may have a serious political tone. This helps reach out to people who may not be fans of Sacha's previous films. Unlike the other posters I've analysed Sacha is the only character on the poster, which therefore means the image must be adjusted to be bigger to fill in more space, hence why the editors chose to capture Sacha by a close up shot. Unconventionally the subject isn't dead central, which allows more of the background to be seen by the audience further encouraging the audience that the setting of the film is the U.S.A. In relation to the background the audience are presented with blue skies and an urban metropolis, but more specifically New York, as revealed from the Empire state building behind the character. In relation the proportion of the character and the buildings it would seem that Sacha's head has been made to look taller than the sky scrapers, which conotates how egocentric and big headed the Dictator actually is.
In relation to the text the creators of the poster seem to have used a white and blue house style. White text which is similar to what the character is wearing. As expected the title of the film is the biggest text on the page, thus illustrating its importance, however it seems the text they have chosen connotates a serious tone and may not attract Sacha's comedic fan base, thus losing the target audience. Despite the font though the positioning of the title seems conventional as its placed near the top of the poster. Above the title the actors name is clearly highlighted as he's the main star an shares the poster with no other character. Also by the studio highlighting the actors name this prompts audiences who are fans of Sacha and his previous movies. Finally a billing block has been used below the main title of the film to present the studios and companies responsible for the movies creation and release, which is a usual convention used in posters now days.
Strangely the poster doesn't include a tag line like the other trailers I've analysed, this is probably because the film studios didn't want to give too much away to the audience. In addition something I've noticed on most film trailers an age certificate isn't found anywhere, this is probably because its either for all ages or it doesn't want to exclude any audiences because of ages.
In conclusion I believe that because of the addition of the serious pose and mature font. I believe the poster excludes Sacha's usual comedic audience and alienates usual by seeming to head in a different direction. This may be the primary reason why the film didn't do so well as it discouraged usual fans of Sacha's films. If I was in charge of creating this poster I would firstly change the text to bold and yellow connotating fun and exciting. Next I would change the main image to Sacha sitting on a throne in the background watching some crazy event i.e. two monkeys fighting to the death or something along those lines. This would not only attract Sacha's usual fan base but also those who seem interested by the events in the poster.
The Inbetweeners movie was a comedy released in 2011 Directed by Ben Palmer, who's known for directing the Inbetweeners TV series, so naturally because of the shows success he was selected to direct the film. The film had a budget of £3,500,000 and successfully grossed £41,800,000 thus stating the films overwhelming success. Stars include Simon Bird as Will, James Buckley as Jay, Blake Harrison as Neil, and Joe Thomas as Simon, which happen to be the same actors from the T.V. series The target audience for this movie was teenager in general as the film had a 15 certificate rating. This is probably because the characters in the film are teenagers and the audience will be able to relate as the ages between the audience and characters are very close. The secondary audience would've been 20+, because the film appeals to those who have been on a lads holiday.
The plot revolves around the 4 boys finishing their final year of college and enjoying their summer holiday before they move on to university e.c.t. However the before the boys go their separate ways they go on a lads holiday to Malia in Crete, where they aim to get as drunk as possible as well as flirt with the local girls.
As usual the trailer starts with convention of institution credits to represent to the audience what companies are responsible for creating the film. In this case its "Entertainment Film Distributors" and "Film 4" In addition to the inclusion of adding the institution credits the audience due to their experience with the companies films will have an idea what to expect from past experiences and projects.
Within the first 10 seconds of the trailer the character Jay is introduced to the audience, whether or not the audience is a fan or not just by looking at this character and his laughable attire its clear to the audience that Jay is an impulsive and funny character. Via the low camera angle Jay appears to be quite a strong character at first glance despite his ridiculous appearance. In addition due to the Mise-en-scene and how the camera is positioned the audience may notice there are posters behind him the most noticeable is the one of Tinie Temper, who's is a famous rap star, who's music is really enjoyed at that age, so by adding this poster in the characters bedroom adds verisimilitude to scene and allows the audience to relate to the character.
In this part of the trailer Jay suggests that the 4 lads go on a holiday together this is done by using a sound bridge, which is where dialogue from one scene carries on into the next scene. This is a usual convention in trailers as it presents the setting to the audience and ultimately introduces part of the narrative to the audience. In addition to this convention as Jay says sand "sun,sand, sea and booze" the screen actually cuts to shots of these objects for just under second. To illustrate to the audience just exactly what the characters will be experiencing and also teases the audience and encourages them to watch the film. In relation to theorists the narrative presented in this trailer gives an example of Todrovs Disequilibrium as the characters have finished college and are now going to a foreign country for a lads holiday, where it is almost certain that some trouble will occur. Here in this medium 4 shot all 4 characters have this particular facial expressions, which thanks to the Mise-en-scene connotates that the holiday might not be as they imagined, thus encouraging this disequilibrium.
In this screen shot the genre is revealed to audience if the audience hadn't already realised its a comedy. This part is undoubtedly the funniest part of the trailer. In terms of the mise-en-scene the characters are all dressed differently which represent their personalities. For instance Jay is wearing an English Away football shirt connotating he's "Jack The Lad" and always up for a good time, Neal is wearing an all white holiday suit, which highlights his ridiculous spray tan. His outfit also connotates his innocence and that he's a free spirit. Will is wearing a checkered shirt with beige trouser, and his usual nerd glasses, connotating he's a geek and has a fairly different personality from the other boys. Finally we have Simon, who seemed to be wearing a trendy shirt and plimsolls, connotating that he's the most normal or closest to a conventional teenager which the audience will be able to relate to easier.
A convention this trailer tends to rely on is soundtracks. Throughout the trailer 5 soundtracks are used, which highlights the importance of music. I believe that so many soundtracks were used because there are so many different types of teenagers i.e. Rockers, Indie, Goths, Gangster wannabes and more. So of course the producers want to attract as many teenagers as possible as their the target audience, and by choosing the right music in the trailer this can encourage the teenagers to watch the despite not being solely based at one type of teenager.
Film Poster:
Here is the official Inbetweeners Movie poster which was placed in cinemas, bus shelters, telephone box's and billboards all across the U.K. As you can see the main image consists of the 4 main characters Simon, Jay, Will and Neal all from the original T.V. series on channel 4. All 4 characters are dressed in different ways demonstrating their individuality and their differences. Starting from the left Will is dressed in a checkered shirt much like he would wear in the T.V. series. In addition his attire creates the impression that he's a sensible and balanced character. The addition of his glasses only encourages that point across to the audience, thus creating this impression of being a nerd an outsider, which most audiences will be able to relate to. In terms of the Mise-en-scene Will's facial expression seems confused, thus further indicating that he's out of his comfort zone and ultimately and outsider. Secondly we have Simon, who's dressed in a trendy yellow shirt, which connotates that he's the most average teen of the group, whom will be the most easiest for audiences to relate to. Strangely he's placed behind two of the other characters, which could mean he's a less interesting character compared to the others. Next we have Jay, who's dressed in a red England away football shirt, which may indicate to the audience that he's a stereotypical "Jack the lad" kind of character and is always in the mood to party. Finally we have Neal, whom is dressed in a white shirt, indicating he's simple as there is no patterns or designs on his attire, which fans of the T.V. series will know him for. In addition just from the his facial expression the audience can gather that he's the funniest character of the group by his overly large smile, which resembles that of a clown anyway.
At the very top of the poster there is the tag line "THIS SUMMER FOUR BOYS BECOME MEN" Firstly this indicates to the fans of the show that this is the boy's final outing and that they're going to go out in a bang in true Inbetweeners fashion of course. In addition to catering towards the teenage audience the tag line also stimulates the older audiences memories and triggers there memory of a lads holiday, thus encouraging them to see the film to see if there are any similarities between the lads holiday in the movie and their own. Below the tag line there is the title of the film "The Inbetweeners Movie" Interestingly the title itself is very simple and does not use puns or wordplay to distract from the message it's trying to present, which has been conventionally been adjusted to be dead centre and the biggest text on the poster. The font they've used resembles that of a neon sign that you may see on top of a night club, which further encourages the idea that the setting in of the film may be in a foreign country, which furthermore creates this adventure the characters will go on. In relation to layout of the word "MOVIE" The word is placed diagonally attached to the end of "The Inbetweeners" and seems a little displaced and spontaneous much like the characters in the film.
Another convention the poster follows is the billing block which is the chunk of small thin text above the characters heads, and reveals the companies responsible for the films creation and release. Strangely the poster gives two sets of release dates one being dates of previews and the official release date for all cinemas. Conventionally on posters I've analysed only one set of reease dates are used, which is the films main release. Finally the background of the trailer further suggests the setting of the film is somewhere other than the T.V. series and characters usual surroundings. As you can see behind Will, and Neil's heads there is a cluster of neon signs advertising bars and night clubs e.c.t. and by the positioning of the character the audience can tell the characters are right in the heart of all the chaos. In relation to the Mise-en-scene the location looks exciting and exotic
I believe that the Inbetweeners film poster does in fact encourage people to see the film if analysed long enough, however it seems pretty dull with layout, and may not grab the audiences attention as they may just walk by. The whole poster assumes a familiarity with the characters and the T.V. series If I was in control of creating this poster I would first of all have a more interesting image i.e. the Inbetweeners characters on the beach being hand cuffed and arrested, which creates this enigma that stimulates the audience asking "why are they being arrested?", which relates to Todorv's theory.
The Hangover was a comedy released in 2009 and directed by Todd Phillips, who's made such films as Road Trip and School of Rock and to this date is the 3rd most successful comedy's of all time by grossing $467.4 million dollars. The film also won an Oscar for best comedy of 2009. Stars include Braddley Cooper, Ed Helmes, Zack Galifianakis and Justin Barrtha. The film had a budget of $35,000,000 and made $44,979,319 on opening weekend thus reflecting the films success.
The plot revolves around 4 characters all opposites who are going a stag (bachelor party) in Vegas but of course things go out of hand as they they wake up to a trashed hotel room only to find that they are in all sorts of trouble including losing their friend Doug the groom one day before the wedding. At the risk of stopping the wedding the 3 must work together to remember what they'd done the night before and ultimately find their friend before the wedding.
The type of trailer I am analysing is the teaser trailer (which is different from most trailers because) The role of a teaser trailer is to give the audience a preview of what to expect by introducing the setting, characters and narrative In the first opening seconds of trailer the institutions credits are briefly presented to the audience. This is a usual convention in film trailers and shows the studios affiliated with the film. In this case its Warner Brothers is the company associated with this project.
After the 7 second mark the audience is presented with a long shot which shows the 3 characters and within the scene reveals the plot to the audience. After this an inter textual title screen is used which says two days earlier which takes the audience back in time to see some of the events that lead up to the first scene. A voice over is also used briefly within the first 30 seconds of the trailer. The voice over is used to explain how none of the characters have any knowledge of the night before, thus creating this problem before the characters that they must overcome,which in turn relates to Todorov's Narrative theory as the trailer starts at an equilibrium but when they lose their friend the problem becomes a disequilibrium.
The Hangover trailer follows is using soundtracks to connotate the adventure the character are about to go on, and also pumps up the audience and encourages to go on on this thrill ride by watching the film. An example of sound is used between 20-30secs of the trailer with use of a heavy metal soundtrack. and then again at the end of the trailer.
A convention used withing the trailer is a title card which has the purpose of revealing the title of the trailer, however strangely despite being used its not inserted at the end of the trailer but instead about 3/4's of the way through the trailer, with the addition of a comedy sketch with Mike Tyson (famous boxer) being used at the end of trailer, which shows the audience that the film can afford sporting celebrities, and furthermore encourages boxing fans to go and watch the film.
By the end of the trailer I believe the trailer achieves in what it sets out to do as it gives the audience this adrenaline rush and a second hand experience of what the characters have gone through,but most of all leaves the audience wanting more i.e. what happened to Doug? and what else occurred that night?
Posters
Here is the official poster released in cinemas across the globe. As you can see the main image consists of the three main characters and a baby. Braddley Cooper's character Phil (the one in the middle) seems to be the leader of the gang despite being at the back he is dead central also indicating that he's more aware of his surroundings. The character Stu positioned on the right is clenching a towel and pointing to a gap in his mouth where his tooth should be indicating to the audience that he may have lost his tooth indicating an enigma (Barths Theory) Creating the question why is he missing a tooth?, thus encouraging the audience to watch the film and find out. In terms of his facial expression he seems dazed and confused much like a person would if they'd had a hangover.Finally the character on the left Alan seems really easy going despite his serious face expression. This is mainly due to his long hair and beard. Out of the 3 main characters Alan is the only one wearing sun glasses creating the impression that he's trying to look cool to the audience. The baby in the foreground is used as a comedic prop as the baby also wears sun glasses to add further humour to Alan's character and further adds to the comedic effect. In addition the audience will want to find out the importance of the baby by watching the film.
Another convention in which this poster follows is by having the title "Hangover" as the biggest and boldest text on the page. The text is in the style of a neon light that you'd find in Vegas, which relates to the setting which is in fact Las Vegas. Below the title institution credits are present displaying the institutions responsible for creating the film, and further below this is the release date, which says "Feel it June 5" the sentence feel refers back to the Title "Hangover" as it implies the audience will feel this bodily experience if they watch the film.Finally There is a Tag line "Some guys just can't handle Vegas" Indicating the misfortune the characters will go through. In addition to the text on the poster the title the "Hangover" is the biggest font on the page, which is conventional as on most if not all poster the title of the film is the biggest text on the poster. Above the tagline there is a reference to the director eventhough no name is mentioned the only thing metioned is that they've directed "old school" which I'm guessing is a good film and will attract fans of the director to see the hangover also A billing block has also been used on this poster, which is the chunk of thin small text, which states any companies involved in the film. This is common on most trailers as it fills any negative space on the poster. Strangely their is mention of box office stars on this poster probably because they're not A-list actors, however if they were there would be medium sized text of the actors name, which would encourage fans of the actors to see the film.
Overall I believe this poster succeeds in grabbing the attention of the audience with a balance of clever text and ambiguous image.
As part of my A2 Media coursework I have chosen to create a film trailer
choosing whatever genre I want. Personally I’m looking forward to this part of
the unit because it will allow me to have total control over the project and
can be as creative as I want, however before I start I must analyse existing
film trailers, posters and other promoting media products. I myself enjoy a
variety of different of films and genres .i.e. Indiana Jones, Star wars,
Kick-Ass, Xmen, Scream, Saw and many others. Initially I thought that I would
find it difficult to pick a genre that I would want to create a film trailer
for, but in fact it wasn’t. After about an hour I decided I would create a
trailer for a comedy. I’ve chosen to review the genre of comedy as it has one
of the most difficult audiences to please. By this I mean that comedies are
usually hits or misses and this is because what may make one type of audience
laugh others may find offensive or insulting, but I’m up for a challenge and
believe I’d be able to create a successful comedy trailer. My primary target
audience will be teenagers but more specifically 12-25 and my secondary
audience will be 30+
