Theories Within The Media

Vladimir Propp's Character Type:

In 1928, Propp suggested that in any story there are only a limited amount of character types, who each had their own purpose. Many of these characters will be displayed within the trailer to help promote the film, as different people may prefer different characters.

Hero- Traditionally male, but modern narratives now include females, these are central protagonists and drive the story forward, usually with a mission or quest. Such as Beast in 'Beauty And The Beast'

Heroine or Princess- This character acts as a reward for the Hero. In more modern narratives the Heroine can be much more fiesty and active than traditional Heroines. Such as Belle in 'Beauty And The Beast'

Villain- This character usually seeks riches, glory and power and causes a lot of trouble within the film. Such as Gaston in 'Beauty And The Beast'

Donor or Mentor-  These give the Hero information or equipment to help them with their quest. They're usually wise or special, but unable to do the quest alone and rely a lot on the Hero throughout. Such as Lumiere, Cogsworth, Chip and Mrs Potts in 'Beauty And The Beast'

Helpers- The helper's accompany the Hero for support throughout the film. Such as all the furniture in 'Beauty And The Beast'

Tzvetan Todorov's Narrative Stages:

Todorov analaysed how films move forward through different stages, regardless of the genre. He creathed five stages used within a film. The five stages are also briefly shown within the film trailers in an attempt to catch the audiences eye and encourage them to watch the film. 

Equilibrium- Within this stage the setting, key characters and storyline is intorduced.
Distruption- Oppositional characters appear and the story takes a different direction.
Recognition of disruption- Usually the longest stage within a film, as tension is built as events and characters lives are interwoven.
Attempt to repair distuption- This is the highest point of tension, the film changes a lot after this stage.
Reinstatment of equilibrium- Matters are sorted and problems are solved, answering any unresolved questions the audiences have about the storyline.

Claude Lévi-Strauss Binary Opposition Theory:

Lévi-Strauss studied how stories show the values and beliefs within a culture unconsciously. This was then adapted by media theorists to show underlying themes within the media, as well as symbolic oppositions.

        Binary opposition is a pair of concepts or terms which are theoretical opposties. Such as black and white. Black symbolises death, whereas white is more related to purity. Binary oppositions are then used within film to convey different ideas about scenes and/or characters.

Richard Dyer's Star Theory:

Richard Dyer published a book called 'Stars' in 1979, in which he established that the viewer's understanding of the media is influenced by stars. Therefore famous actors are used as characters within the film, as this attracts the public attention and increases sales. This is also the case within trailers, as the cast list is used to emphasise famous stars within.

Laura Mulvey's Feminist Theory:

In 1975, the British feminist film theorist, Laura Mulvey, published a well known essay called 'Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema'. In this essay she established the 'male gaze', as Mulvey believed media audiences view women from a heterosexual male perspective. For feminists this meant: how men look at women, how women look at themselves and how women look at other women

           

Stanley Cohen's Moral Panic:

Stanley Cohen wrote 'Folk Devils and Moral Panics' in 1972. In which he suggested that a moral panic happens when a 'condition, episode, person or group of persons emerges to become defined as a threat to societal values and interests', leading to people who threaten the social order being described as 'folk devils'.
       Cohen believed that the media has a huge influence on moral panic. He used this to describe the presses reporting of the ‘mods and rockers’ behaviour. For example, the film Quadrophenia is all about the 'mods and rockers' behaviour. This attracted a wide audience as the trailers voice over states 'the major musical statemant about a angry generation is now a motion picture for every generation'. It also portrays a negative string of characteristics within this stereotype. Cohen’s Moral Panic has been used within the media to lure a audience ever since.


Judith Butler's Queer Theory:

The queer theory was created in the early 1990's as a development of the gay/lesbian and feminist studies. The theory investigates different gender stereotypes, as well as their sexual orientation, focusing on the sexual identity.

Research Into Marketing Campaigns

I am going to focus on Tim Burton's marketing campaign for 'Frankenweenie', as he has a range of films within the animation thriller genre. Tim Burton is extremely well known, and therefore very recognised in the film industry for being both a director and producer. The film was released on the 17th October 2012, and is estimated to be released on DVD/Blueray around January 2013. The voice over cast included Catherine O'Hara, Winona Ryder, Martin Landau and Christopher Lee who are outstanding actors. Additionally Atticus Shaffer and Robert Capron are also within the cast, as they are younger actors who appeal to a younger generation.

Frankenweenie trailer from YouTube

Frankenweenie posters, including personal character posters.

Frankenweenie's website includes many features, such as: videos, character studies, images, a studio tour, the soundtrack and games. Synergy has been used to link the website to Facebook, Twitter and Youtube. For example, Frankenweenie's Facebook page:

Throughout the marketing campaign, many codes and conventions have remained the same throughout The same colour theme is used throughout all the promotions, linking them to eachother. Also the constant use of the black and grey links the film to the horror/thriller genre. 'A film by Tim Burton' is repeatedly used, displaying how highly regarded he is. A film will sell more by just mentioning that he's participated with the making of it.
             Most of the characters in Frankenweenie are modelled in the style of classic 1930s horror films and their names pay homage to those films. Each of these characters have individual posters, this lets fans get to know the characters a bit before going to see the film. Additionally, the studio tour on the website intrigues the audience and lets them get to know more about the making of the film.

A exhibition was shown worldwide to promote the film. The exhibition displayed the models and designs used by Burton to create the film, as well as original sketches and notes. The film’s production involved a huge team of artists, puppet and prop makers alongside 33 animators.

 

Synergy Within Film Packages

A film package will usually include many different forms of conveying similar information, such as a trailer, posters, a website and a main article in a magazine, and many more. This synergy promotes and advertises the film to a wider range of an audience.
    Les Misérables is promoted in many ways. For example:

Les Misérables has an official website- which promotes the film in many ways- as well as a poster.

The trailer has been connected to the website and YouTube, promoting the film even further. IMDb and Wikipedia are also used to promote the film, as they are well known websites.

Certain conventions have been kept the same throughout the synergy.

• The photograph of the young girl has been used on the poster, as well as being the background throughout the website. It's also displayed on IMDb and Wikipedia. This is used to associate them all with the film.
• The same colour theme has been used throughout the website and poster as well, such as the gold text, and blue background with dark clouds.The same lighting has been used, to convey that there is hope for the little girl, regardless of the tone the background gives off. The gold text is also associated with wealth.
• The same tagline has been used. 'Fight. Dream. Hope. Love' conveys the idea of what the film is about, and shows all the different emotions throughout the film. Also emphasisng the genre.
• The use of Richard Dyer's star theory is used to attract a wider audience, displayed within all websites, the trailer and the poster.

Additionally, Anne Hathaway was the main feature within the December 2012 Vogue. As Vogue is a highly regarded magazine across the world, this is a great way to promote the extremely well known story, Les Misérables, worldwide. The website vogue.com also promotes the film, with a slideshow of extremely professional pictures of the cast. Vogue have also incorporated the  well known song 'I Dreamed A Dream' associated with the film within the headline 'Dreaming a Dream: The Cast Of Les Misérables.

Analysis Of A Magazine Cover; The Dark Knight Rises

• The magazine cover is very basic. They have used the minimalistic approach to create a sophisticated image of the magazine and the film. This is reinforced through the lack of text across the cover, as only that which is desperately needed has been used.
• The main text within the cover is the title of the magazine 'Empire'. However Batman's head is covering the middle of this. This shows how most people know it's Empire, as it's highly recognised and is 'the world's biggest move magazine'.
• 'Empire' have interpreted the famous Batman logo within thier title. This shows how well known the Batman franchise is, so the name of the film is not needed to help sell the magazine.
• The cover has been displayed to be a 'world exclusive', this attracts a wider audience mainly Batman fans as they'll believe they'll be recieving information about the film and characters which is unknown to many. It also informs the audience that number 1 is Batman, '#1 Batman'. This is displayed in gold, as it holds connotations of power and strength.
• The cover is centered around the medium long shot of the main character, dressed as his alter ego Batman. The stance used is rather intimidating as he's staring at the audience. This is used to portray his strong attitudes within the film, as he is very resistant to change unless he initiates it, emphasising his power and authority. This idea is strengthened through the gold belt displaying Batman's logo. 
• Batman's power and intimidation is also conveyed using the the mis en scene and colour theme. The theme focuses around black, white and grey which are all very dark. The connotations of black are mystery associated with the unknown, as well as elegance conveying Bruce Wayne's wealth within the film. This colour theme sets the mood for the film, as there is some mystery as to who Batman actually is. It also conveys the idea that the film is a thriller.
• Overall the fact that Batman and Empire are a very well known franchise and company sells the magazine on its own.

Analysis Of A Magazine Cover; Breaking Dawn 2.

• The actor's heads are covering the middle of the text, as 'Entertainment Weekly' is a well known media magazine, similar to 'Empire'.
• The used of the pink title shows that this cover is meant to attract females, as the main article is 'Twilight'.
• The use of the close up of distorted flowers shows that our focus should be on Edward and Bella. Additionally, the fact that the flowers are very colourful pinks and purples highlight the romantic genre, emphasising the attraction for females.
• We learn a lot from the body language within the picture, Bella has her arm around him to highlight that they're in a loving relationshop, portraying the romantic genre. However, Claude Lévi-Strauss' binary opposition theory conveys two contrasting attitudes. This seen by Edward's facial expression, as we can tell he's worried about something, thus creating a lot of concern for the audience about his feelings and their relationship.
• Richard Dyer's star theory is used to attract fans, as well known actors Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart are the focus point of the magazine cover.
• The bright yellow text 'A SNEAK PEEK' is used to stand out within the magazine cover, attracting a wider audience of 'Twilight' fans.
• Addtionally the use of the text '98 NEW FILMS' also stands out as it is on a ornage background, and written in white and yellow. This also creates a wider audience as is advertises other genres, stereotyped to males.
• To conclude, this magazine cover has used a different approach to those of my chosen thriller genre. The bright colours attract a audience who are interested in a different genre as the colours represent a romantic drama.

Analysis Of A Film Poster; The Woman In Black

• Richard Dyers star theory is used within this poster. Therefore the only actor mentioned is 'Daniel Radcliffe' to attract a wide audience, especially Harry Potter fans.
• A dark theme has been used throughout this promotional poster. This emphasises how it's a thriller genre, with the black creating a mysterious mood.
• The greyscale represents the early 1900's, in which this film is meant to be set.
• The interrogative tagline 'what did they see?' reinforces the thriller genre, as it intrigues the audience. It also implies that the dark silhouette is a ghost.
• The lack of mis en scene within this poster reinforces the mysterious tone, as we are not told too much, intriguing the audience.
• The poster holds a supernatural mood, emphasised through the smokey background associated with ghosts.
• One of the focus points within the poster is the picture of the main character, Daniel Radcliffe. The lighting shades some of his face, emphasising his stern facial expression. This highlights the thriller genre, as he looks fearful.
• Another focus point within the poster if the dark silhouette of a male walking towards a rundown looking house. This highlights the thriller and horror genre, as he is unknown. 
• Minimal text has been used on the poster. However the font type creates a intimidating portrayal of the film, as it resembles scratches in wood.

Analysis Of A Film Poster; Skyfall

• There is a theme of black, white and gold throughout. Black has connotations of evil, which is surrounding James Bond. It is also associated with power and mystery, denoting strength and authority towards Daniel Craig. The use of white on black stands out a lot, as the white symbolises success and goodness. This Binary Opposition conveys a lot about the character, James Bond, and the type of film it is.
• The  007 logo is used on the poster, as it is highly regarded within the action movie genre and very well known. The use of the gold for the logo shows personal power and success within the Bond films.
• The focus point within the poster is the image of Daniel Craig as James Bond holding a gun and dressed in a suit. This displays how the film belongs to the action genre as a gun usually represents a lot of violence and danger.
• The use of '#Skyfall' within the poster promotes the poster further, as it connects it to the social media site Twitter.
• The colour theme strongly attracts a male audience, usually from teenage years onwards, which is the stereotypical targeted viewers for a movie of this genre.
• Overall the poster is extrememly basic compared to others. However this conveys a sophisticated stereotype of James Bond, which is emphasised through the colours used.

Analysis Of A Film Trailer; Prometheus

• Dark mis en scene is used within the trailer, emphasising the genre of the film. This is reinforced through the use of quick shots followed by dark flashes displaying how this film is a triller with a lot of action.
• There are connections to Ridley Scott's Alien throughout, which attracts the attention to those who are fans of the director.
• The pathetic fallacy of a storm, as well as thunder and lighting, shows that there's trouble coming. This sets the mood for the film.
• The trailer has heavy music on throughout, this use of Dolby Digital makes the music within the film a lot more clear. The voice over also tells the audience the story, highlighting Torodov's Narrative Stages.
• Richard Dyer's Star Theory is used within the trailer numerous times. The billing board displays that the film is 'From Director Ridley Scott', attracting a wider audience. Additionally, cose ups are used to show the actors/actresses who are well known.
• We are showed that the film also belongs to the scifi genre as a lot of technology is displayed within the trailer.This is also portrayed through the costumes.
• There are several close ups of masked characters during the trailer. This intrigues the audience, as well as displaying the villains used within Propp's Character Type.
• The dark mis en scene sets Cohen's Moral Panic, as it conveys a sense of anguish and fear, adding to the genre.
• The lighting conveys Binary Oppostition. We see those who are the villains in a lot darker conditions than those who are being protrayed as the heroes.

Analysis Of A Film Trailer; Les Misérables

Les Misérables is a romantic musical, which involves a lot of drama. It will be released 11th January 2013 in the UK.

• The very first shot within the trailer is an extreme long shot. This shows a silhouette climbing a desolate hill, emphasising the tone of the film as well as the struggle within the story. Thus setting the equilibrium, as the three key characters are then shown briefly.
• One of the main characters, Anne Hathaway, is singing throughout the whole trailer, which is unusual but this highlights how it belongs to the musical genre. Dolby Digital is used so the music is a focus point of the trailer.
• The choice of song also sets the mood, and the well known song ‘I Dreamed a Dream’ attracts a wider audience. It is recognised for being associated with the on stage performance of Les Misérables.
• There isn’t any narration used within the trailer so the premise is unknown. Therefore a lot of clips of the surroundings and characters have been shown to try and enhance the audiences understanding of the plot.
• Two separate cast runs are used to display who the Director and Producer are, which are separated by 5 seconds of shots to convey how they’re from two different aspects of the media. Tom Hooper is the Academy Award Winning director of The Kings Speech, and this information is shown within the trailer to attract those who enjoy his work.  Similarly you are told that Cameron Mackintosh is the Producer, and that he has worked in many musicals. This uses Richard Dyer’s Star Theory to attract a wider audience.
• The middle of the trailer shows many men doing hard physical labour and a lonely child. This is the recognition of disruption used in Todorov’s Narrative Stages, and is the climax within the trailer. It shows the high point of the pain throughout the film, and that many are lost and alone.
• There are several close ups of the many main characters, followed by a cast run. The use of Richard Dyer’s star theory attracts a wider audience as there are many highly regarded actors within the film, especially as it’s a well known stage performance.
• The attempt to repair disruption is also quickly shown within the trailer. We see a wide array of different types of characters (shown by the mis en scene) celebrating together, highlighting how the story is taking a different dynamic from the beginning of the trailer.
• We also see that the lonely child from earlier on in the trailer is found by an adult, who looks very pleased to see her. This conveys the man as the hero within the film according to Propp’s character type.
• Through the mis en scene we see a difference in characters quickly within the trailer. The costumes used convey the idea that there is a very clear hierarchy within the film and the time it was set. It also uses Judith Butler's queer theory, conveying the typical stereotype of different gender's.
• We see a male and female wearing high quality clothes in a rundown street which contrasts to their appearance. We also receive a feeling of lust between them both due to their body language with each other. The lighting used on the two characters highlight them two within the street, this means all our focus should be on them. Although the trailer conveys a very distressing image of the film, this small clips shows that there are some positive aspects within the film.
• The trailer has a lot of quick edits of short clips, where each actor is usually alone. This portrays the numerous forlorn characters throughout the film, as well as emphasising how many stories there are interwoven within eachother.

History Of Film Trailers

Film trailers have evolved a lot since the first trailer was shown in the U.S. in 1913. Due to a clearer understanding of what attracts a wide audience, there is a distinct difference in trailers for different genres from different decades. Since the late 1990’s there have been various types of trailers being created due to the development of technology and animation techniques. It has also been easier and cheaper for companies to produce and distribute film trailers because of the internet and sites such as YouTube and IMDb.

The traditional ‘Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs’ is a romantic fantasy film, which is also enjoyable for the whole family as it is also an animated musical. It was the first trailer to be produced by Disney, which was released in 1937.

• As trailers were a fairly new concept in the media industry, it lacked a lot of qualities which are used in trailers nowadays. This meant the trailers were not as effective as they are now: the main reason the film was so acknowledged was because it was 'WALT DISNEY'S FIRST FULL LENGTH FEATURE PRODUCTION'. 
• The traditional ‘Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs’ trailer relied a lot on Walt Disney. He reports the information throughout the trailer, which means not much is learnt about the plot of the film. The trailer tells the audience a lot about the making of the film and the characteristics of the Dwarfs instead. We learn about the character's, conforming with Propp's Character Types, as the Dwarfs are mentors for Snow White.
• A lot of voice over is used within the trailer from a strong voiced male. This could have been seen as rather intimidating by many, or as males were highly regarded in the late 30’s they could have been more influenced to go and see it. Also, many superlatives are used as a way to convince to public to see the film.
• Due to a lack of understanding, this early trailer is heavily texted. This makes the trailer boring compared to more modernised trailers as it doesnt involve the audience much. Therefore the film is not portrayed to be a family film, as it doesn't appeal to children as much as trailers now-a-days.

‘The Sound Of Music' is a romantic musical drama from 1965.

• The soundtrack is footage for the film, portraying the musical genre.
• The trailer is voice overed by a strong accented male, which would have been seen as influencial in the 60's.
• The trailer is heavily texted, conveying a lot of information about the film instead of using a voice over. This shows how the technology is modern trailers is a lot better.
• The voice over tells us a lot about the making of the songs for the film, and the background history.
• Superlative are used, 'The perfect motion picture', to create the idea that it was the best film so far in the history of films.
• The footage used within the trailer is very long, this shows how there is no mystery within the story. We are greeted to the whole cast, although we are not told who is who.

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs’ was rereleased in 1987 with better video resolution and sound quality. Therefore the created a new trailer to promote it.

• A better insight of the film is seen within the rereleased trailer. A lot of clips from the film are used to portray what the film is about, rather than how it was made like the original trailer.
• Although a whole new approach was used when making this version of a ‘Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs’ trailer, there have still been some concepts reused. Such as the masculine voice over and we’re introduced to all the Seven Dwarfs, as well as Snow White (Propp's theoretical Hero). This reminds the audience that the film is the same, just advanced more due to better technology in the 80’s compared to the 30’s.
• The trailer still includes quite a lot of text which shows some information about the film which makes it more highly regarded, such as the fact it’s ‘the motion picture event of the year’ and ‘the 50^th Anniversary’. The use of the colour gold within the text on a black background makes the film seem rather luxury, as well as emphasising the fact it's the golden anniversary.
• This version of the ‘Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs’ trailer shows clearly that it is a family film. It attracts a child-like audience due to the bright colours and use of the well known song ‘Heigh-Ho’ which is associated with the film.
• The use of the voice over conveys how the film is suitable for all the family, as well as many different countries as it was shown in '42 countries worldwide'.

Pearl Harbor is a 2001 American war film that mixes action and romantic drama.

• The voice over is used throughout the trailer, as it tells the story easily. Actual film footage is also used.This is a convention commonly used within modern trailers.
• It creates a sense of the war genre through the war footages. The romantic genre is also portrayed as well see close relationships throughout the trailer. This attracts the audiences who are fond of the genre.
• A close of up actors creates a wider audience using Richard Dyer's Star Theory, another key convention within modernised trailers.
• Similar text is used within the 2001 film as 'The Sound of Music' which is a 1960's film. This sets the mood of the film and emphasises the era it is set, attracting to those who enjoy old fashioned films.

 In 2012 ‘Snow White and the Huntman’ was released. As this is an action adaptation of the fantasy 'Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs', the trailer has an extremely different feeling compared to the original trailers because of the change in genre.

•        Actual film footage was shown throughout the trailer, which doesn’t happen within older film trailers. This helps the audience understand the film a lot more.
• A lot of quick shots are used within this modern trailer to convey the action genre. This makes the trailer a lot more exciting compared to older trailers.
• Close ups are used throughout to show Richard Dyer's Star Theory. It displays very famous actors/actresses to attract a wider audience. The billing board also displays that the 'Producer of Alice in Wonderland' has worked on the film, taking the theory further.
• Heavy voice over is used, however you're never shown whose voice it actually is, creating a sense of myserty.The action shots use a lot of slow motion, to emphasise the violence and tension  within the film.These features convey a lot of information about the film

Codes And Conventions Of A Trailer

• A trailer has to have graphic captions. This should include the director's name, the release date and text related to the film to distribute information to the audience.

• Non-diegetic sound will be used to reflect the genre of the film being advertised.

• Agencies who create the trailers use a lot of editing. They create tension and excitement using quick and slow edits, which vary depending on the genre.

• The agencies also use close ups quite frequently to show the stars from the film.

• Agencies may use narrative enigma. This is a narration, which is commonly a question, that underpins a story, and will usually be answered at the conclusion of the film. This helps to set the film up.

• The production companies will advertise their logos on the trailer. i.e 20th Century Fox, Paramount, Columbia etc.

Terminology

Plot Summary- Similarly to a feature film, the trailer usually has a three part structure. At first we are introduced to the idea of the story, shown through part one, by the advertisement of characters and the settings setting the scene. The middle of the trailer is usually a climax, showing a brief clip of the highest point within the film. The end includes a lot emotional and visual moments within the film. As well as a cast run as there is often some well known cast within the film, this will help to sell the film.

Voice Over- This use of narration sets the premise within the film. It also explains the film where it’s needed, increasing the audiences understanding.

Music- Music sets the mood of the film within the trailer and you can tell the genre a lot easier by the type of music. However the music isn’t usually used within the film, except in musicals.

Cast Run- Any well known actors/actresses who appear in the film will usually have a mention, as well as any highly regarded directors/producers. This will increase the sales due to their fans.

Billing Block- This is a cast list which is always shown at the end or beginning of the feature film, this will include everyone involved in the making of the film. Some of the billing block is usually mentioned on any promotional materials also.

Studio Production Logos- Logos of Production Companies or the distributors who were involved with the film are advertised at the beginning of the trailer. However until the late 70’s they were shown at the end.

Sound Mix- The use of sound effects and music are a main convention within modern trailers, therefore Dolby Digital is used to present the trailer. This makes the sound a lot more focused and easier to understand.

Video Resolution- Trailers are usually in the same format as the feature film; a digital format or a 35mm format. This makes the trailer a lot easier to distribute, so therefore it can be played on websites such as YouTube to attract a wider audience.

What Is A Film Trailer?

A film trailer is an advertisement, which is usually less 2 and a half minutes long. This is the maximum length allowed by theaters. However, each studio or distributor are allowed to exceed the time limit once a year.
         The trailer is used to highlights key parts within a film to advertise and attract an audience, using a series of selected shots without giving away too much about the story. However there are no spoilers within the trailer, and the scenes are not necessarily in the order in which they appear in the film. 
           'Special shoot' footage is sometimes used for some trailers. A famous example of this is 1960's thriller Psycho: the director Alfred Hitchcock gives the audience a guided tour of the infamous Bates Motel, arriving at the shower where he reveals Vera Miles behind the shower curtain, screaming.

1960 trailer for Psycho

               Trailer's are usually being made while the film is still being shot. Therefore, the trailer editors have to use dailies- which are the unedited footage shot during the making of a film- to create the trailer. The trailer's created by agencies such as:

• MOJO
• The Cimarron Group
• Aspect Ratio
• The Ant Farm
• Trailer Park

To conclude, film trailers are ranked third in the most watched videos online. The trailer influences the majority of the audience to go and see/buy the film, as it shapes their first impression. Therefore the trailer has to be relevant, and include all the right information without giving the film away too much.

2012 trailer for Great Expectations

What's This Work About?

For our A2 media studies, we have been asked to create a promotional package for a new film. I have to create a 2 minute teaser trailer for my choice of genre, as well as: a website homepage for the film, a film magazine front cover featuring the film or a poster for the film.
            My blog will include a sizable amount of research to help with the production of the promotional package, and to help determine which genre I'll create the package based on. This blog will show how my coursework has progressed over many months.

Modern film poster

Old film poster