V for Vendetta Teaser Trailer Deconstruction

Link to trailer on YouTube

An incredibly effective shot in the trailer is a close up of a woman's feet as she is dragged away; we had considered using a close up of a woman being dragged away, but not from this particular angle. However, this angle connotates vulnerability and submission, whereas we wanted our female character to be struggling.

This close up of the female character, Evey, works particularly well because the darkness of the background highlights the white of her eyes and emphasizes the shadows on her face, creating mystery. The angle of her face, which exaggerates the slant of her eyebrows, also makes her look strong and determined.

The anchorage for this trailer appears part way through, which shows how the plot and characters are more of a draw than the studios who produced it. The Warner Bros, Vertigo DC Comics and Silver Pictures logos are all altered to fit with the red colour scheme, giving connotations of violence and anarchy to follow in the film.

There is a midshot of soldiers in red and black uniforms marching, which tilts down to show their marching feet in time with the non-diegetic music. This shot is effective because it is an iconic army-related image, which show the extreme measures taken to keep order and how individuality is being crushed. Using the colours black and red again cements the idea of violence and darkness in the film.

This close up shot is the first glimpse of the protagonist, who is wearing an iconic Guy Fawkes mask and flat-brimmed black hat, which makes him easily recognisable through the trailer. The shot is particularly effective because he steps forwards out of the darkness, but the angle of his head keeps his eyes in darkness, giving him an air of mystery and danger.

This trailer uses words on the screen, rather than a voiceover, to indicate the finer points of the plot, which is what we also want to do. The back ground is an aggressive swirling black and red cloud-like matter, with a white font, glowing red, indicating the nature of the trailer. This carries on the red colour scheme and uses the same font from the poster.

We also want to use a similar shot to this long shot; the head of the government giving a speech on a large screen to the masses. This one works incredibly well, because the antagonist's head is huge and imposing, adding to the melodramatic effect of having the cross-like symbols of his rule everywhere, and the men watching him are unidentifiable, linking to lost identities within the film.

This close up of the protagonist's thumb about to press the switch for a bomb is juxtaposed with the fast cut action shots preceeding it, which gives it far greater impact and gravitas, as it is a long cut in comparison. Through this, it also creates tension, as it is an iconic bomb switch that every viewer would easily recognise, and the previous cut showed that it was linked to TNT strapped to the protagonist.



Having the protagonist's symbol of rebellion as the very last shot of the trailer has an incredible impact on the viewer; the "V" is bright red on a black background, and the dripping gives connotations of spray paint, or blood, which again link to the notion of a rebellion and violence in the film. It is an easily recognisable symbol that the viewers will remember, over everything else they see in the trailer.

V for Vendetta Poster Deconstruction

The V for Vendetta poster is in the style of war-time propaganda posters, using the colours red, black, green and white, which promote connotations of violence and anarchy.

The main focus of the poster is V, whose eyes are hidden, giving him an air of mystery, and his fist is raised in an iconic image of strength, and the military signal for "attack", which is what he commands the people to do, as the head of the revolution. Above him is one of the taglines of the film, “FREEDOM! FOREVER!”, which further suggests the idea of rebellion against an oppressive force in the film.

V is mainly in black, but beside him is Evey, who is mainly white, and is cradling her head, making her a far more vulnerable figure and indicating that she undergoes trauma during the narrative. They are both larger and above the title, which shows that their relationship and character development is the most important part of the film.

Beneath them is a crowd of people dressed as V, representing the call to revolution that the film represents, and how the governement has removed all identity from the people through censorship. They are above the title, which shows how the notion of the masses revolting against the government is a key idea in the film.

The title is in a white stylistic font, using V's logo as part of the typography. Using the red and white on the black background makes the title stand out, and also continues the connotations of violence and the battle of morality. In our own film poster, we want to use the symbol of our rebellion as part of the typography, and this poster is a particularly effective example of that.

Beneath the title are the credits, and beneath them, in much larger writing, is the release date. This makes the release date stand out and helps the viewer remember it.

Equilibrium Teaser Trailer Deconstruction

Link to the trailer on IMDB

The trailer begins with the anchorage from the company who made it - Dimension Home Video. They are well known, but not as famous as companies such as Warner Bros or Universal, so it is an idication that this will be more of a "cult" film, with a selective following, rather than a big box-office hit.

The trailer begins with a synthesized humming and a sound like the clash of metal as the anchorage wipes onto the screen, on a black background. Already, this gives a futuristic sense to the trailer. An overhead shot of Cleric Preston appears; he is in a martial-arts pose, dressed entirely in black and under a spotlight. This turns into a fast tilt shot, slows, and finishes as a low angle shot, a close up on Christian Bale’s face before he looks up. There is non-diegetic violin music behind a voiceover talking about the Cleric as “the final line of defence”, coinciding with Bale lifting his head, indicating that he is a member of the Cleric and introducing him as the protagonist.

There is a close up on his gloved hands and his black military style coat, as he removes his guns from his holsters, which then zooms out and tracks him sideways as he runs along a corridor between two lines of helmeted men into a pitch black room. For a split second there is the iconic image of him standing in an A-frame stance, guns at his sides, silhouetted by the light behind him from the corridor. These clips set the protagonist up to be highly physically competent and a trained combatant, the peaking violin music highlighting how dangerous he is.

 There is a non-diegetic synthesized beat over several fast-cut clips, including a long shot of rows of black-clad men practising martial arts in a temple, a window being smashed and a mid-shot of people in grey walking past a child stood on a pedestal. The shots are cut with white flashes between them and in time to the synthesized beat. These images suggest the idea of control by force and fear, and a lack of individuality, are key to this futuristic civilisation. The shot with the martial arts is particularly effective because the men all move exactly in time, which makes them look like like cogs, or a clock, all turning in a windmill motion in time with the non-diegetic music.

The long shot of the rows of grey-clad men and women all sitting on benches works really well, because it implies great numbers, all similar, without actually showing many people. It also continues to cement the previously introduced idea of individuality and creative thought being destroyed. The shot before shows that they are watching a video of Father giving a speech, which is an idea that we are using in our own teaser trailer. 

The climax of the trailer is a sequence of fast-cut action shots, which show the protagonist demonstrating his prowess with both guns and a katana. Left: a mid shot of the protagonist sweeping his katana from its hilt is made incredibly effective by the introduction of sinister choral music, which he moves in time with, and this gives the shot greater power by emphasizing how dangerous the protagonist is. Right: an extreme close up of the protagonist shooting his gun, and the camera follows the empty clip as it falls. This is preceeded by multiple fast-cut action shots of the protagonist flipping through the air and firing in different directions, which gives the clip greater emphasis, as it is a relatively slow cut in comparison, and an extreme close up, compared to the previous mid-shots.

The trailer features many close-up shots of the protagonist's face, because emotion is such an integral part of the plot, and because Christian Bale is a very famous and easily recognisable actor, so they act as a draw. This close up works really well because, like the gun shot before, it is preceeded by lots of fast-cut shots of the protagonist performing impressive physical feats in mid-shots and long-shots. The shot lasts for a fraction of a second, but is very effective because of the protagonist's completely composed face, which shows the extent of his capabilities, as he has fought off all of the foes shown, but has not even changed his facial expression.

The final cut has the title appear in the same futuristic font as the poster in white, with a black background, again suggesting the ideas of good versus evil, and the cold emotionless nature of the dystopian future. Behind the title, "Equilibrium" scrolls across the background in giant grey font, reinstating the futuristic quality of the film.

Equilibrium Poster Deconstruction

The first striking thing about the poster is that it is monochrome, reflecting the cold, emotionless society of Libria under Prozium. Having the stark contrast between the black and white also conveys the struggle between good and evil – rebellion and dictatorship – that is the climax of the film.

At the top of the poster are the names of the actors, in white capitals, in a futuristic-style font. The focus of the poster is the two figures, Christian Bale and Taye Diggs, whose poses are identical, again reflecting the lack of identity in the society of Libria. They both wear the military-style frock coats of the Clerics, are holding guns, and are standing in an A-frame aggressive stance, as if ready to fight. The contrast is turned up on their faces, leaving dark shadows for their eyes and highlighting their emotionless expressions.

Between them is the film tagline, written in the same futuristic font as the actor names, but in black, to stand out against the background of a grey city with white fireworks. The focus on the image of the actors suggests that the focus of the film is on the development of the characters, and having the city between them implies that they are both loyal to the city, but on different sides. The title is at the bottom in white in the futuristic font, followed by the credits and the release date.

Matrix Poster Deconstruction

The Matrix’s UK poster displays the qualities of its genre and is similar to the trailer in the way it suggests at the narrative, however it is much more subtle.

The colours used in the poster are blue, black and white. These darker colours assign themselves to the action/science fiction genre as it makes it seem like the plot line will be heavier. The white text contrasts against the darker colours of the background, making all the text clearer to read. Interestingly, the protagonist wears a bolder black than the other characters, which makes him stand out according to his role.

The costume also suggests at the genre of the film. The characters all wear dark colours, and all but the protagonist wear leather clothes. This makes the film seem increasingly other worldly, and also makes the characters appear dangerous. Both the protagonist and female character to his right hold guns, which applies to the action genre.  Most of the characters also wear sunglasses, which creates a sense of mystery.

The actor’s names read across the top of the poster. Keanu Reeves, protagonist and highest paid actor, is first, followed by Laurence Fishburne. The title of the movie, ‘The Matrix’ is below the characters, in the centre of the poster. The typography of the title is broken and has connotations of technology. All the text is in capitals, but the other text is not as broken, but still has the suggestion of a technological world.

The set out of the poster helps build intrigue about the narrative. The female character is separated physically from the other characters by the protagonist. It is interesting that there is even a gap between the protagonist and the female character, perhaps relating to their initial relationship within the film. All the characters look right out of the poster, making the poster more intense. They are not hidden by the text in any way, which makes them appear more strong and bold.

The tag line used in the poster ‘ON MARCH 31^ST THE FIGHT FOR THE FUTURE BEGINS’ differs from that used in the trailer. The release date is specific and the use of alliteration highlights the idea behind the tag line. The genre is realised, it is clearly an action adventure film, and it involves the audience in the way that it seems like our future is at risk. The cast and crew list, a staple in movie posters, is smaller than all other text but still legible. 

Matrix Trailer Deconstruction

The Matrix Teaser Trailer begins with the name of the production companies who made it. In this case, Village Roadshow Pictures and Warner Bros Pictures. Trailers often begin with the names of the companies who create the film as it is an important factor in the type of film it will be. The name of a familiar company will attract a certain audience. It is also interesting to note how the typography is presented: the juxtaposition of black and blue creates a sense of mystery and adheres to the genre of the film.

 The shots within this film are presented in order to illustrate danger and power. For example, the birds eye shot of a person jumping between two high storey buildings. There is also a constant reiteration of the same shot of several television screens, which either flash up combinations of letters or mirror the shots before or after them with the television effect.

Another important part of this trailer is the introduction of what we assume is the protagonist of the film. A close up of Keanu Reeves is exactly the kind of shot we could use to display our protagonist.

 The science fiction element of the film is shown through shots such as of the fake mirror. We see the character putting their fingers through the mirror and then a close up of their confused face. This creates an idea of mystery which is always present throughout the trailer.

 Another character is presented in the trailer through a long shot which changes to a close up. He is presented as solemn and frightening. The low key lighting used throughout the trailer is particularly effective here, as the darkness adds to the intrigue and foreboding.

This is an example of when a shot is mirrored within the televisions.  It suggests that there are two worlds within the plot and illustrates a science fiction/technological theme. Once again danger is presented in this shot.

Another major character is presented to the audience, but the length of the shot is shorter so we can assume she is not as important as a character or perhaps actor compared to the others. She is holding two guns, emphasising danger once more.

 The shots continue to be fast paced which gives the trailer an energy which epitomises the conventions of the genre.

These shots relate to our initial idea as an army is used. It suggests that there are two sides, the ‘rebels’ and the ruling ‘government’ and that they clash violently.

 Another shot of the female character is used. By interspersing shots of all the main characters, the trailer makes the audience wonder at the relationship between them all.

 This shot effectively uses depth of field to highlight the paranormal power of this character, and the subsequent unimportance of the army characters.

 The highest billed actor who acts as the protagonist is introduced first. The same typography is used as before, adding to continuity of the genre. The text is followed by a shot of the actor in action to identify him. This is also done for the other male character, but notably not the female character.

 Silence is used for around two seconds to create tension and is interrupted by gunshot noise.  The film is clearly an action film. Once again this shot is mirrored in the television screens.

The title of the film and the tag line ‘the Matrix has you’ is portrayed in a similar typography to the other text. The tag line itself creates intrigue and involves the audience heavily.

This trailer deconstruction was written by a member of the group who hadn’t seen the film in order for it to be unbiased to the plot. We thought this was important because the main idea of the trailer is to create a sense of mystery. There are no spoilers to the narrative, only suggestions to what might happen through intriguing imagery. It pulls you in and compels you to see the movie but gives nothing away, which is why this trailer is so effective.

Monday 26th September 2011

Preliminary filming and location scouting for our teaser trailer! We began by filming a motion detector and followed it up with the burning of newspapers relating to the hacking scandal in order to create the idea of a paranoid oppressive society within our narrative. 

We printed off the front covers of articles pertaining to the News of the World closure and court cases surrounding their immoral journalistic techniques. We also put a blank CD in the fire to suggest that data is being destroyed. We bulked up the pile with other newspapers and literary articles relating to the media. 

Storyboarding

Our storyboard went through many phases of editing - firstly it was cut down, removing shots that didn't fit the genre as strongly as others, secondly we cut out each of the shots and rearranged them to imply narrative, create enigma and to fit the intended increasing pace of the teaser trailer.

This first board (of 3 shots) is representative of the montage we aim to create at the opening of out teaser trailer. We will use a number of reporters and lines of dialogue to create the social setting.

The static and the disconnection 'beep' are symbolic not only of the technological aspect of the narrative but also physically divide the story in the present to the future our film presents. The future is intoduced by our political figure, making a speech at a podium and framed by a british flag.

There will be a few shots of the speech we film being shown in different locations eg. a school hall, a pub and a home to give the impression of importance and a nationwide announcement. The speech will be one of our first shoots because it is required for following shots.

A half light, half shadowed image of our protagonists face will be shown - he is also in the previous over the shoulder shot watching the speech. This is to introduce him as an important character. The trailer will then cut to his face, after which the pace will increase. Burning newspapers are a powerful image of destroying evidence and have historical context which the audience can relate to. The shots of a dissabled internet on the computor screen are to remind the audience of the modernity of the narrative. Technology is also a convention of soft scifi (one of our genres).

These are followed by action shots - running and jumping down stairs which allows the audience a glimpse of the bleak, urban setting of the narrative and builds tension which is a Thriller convention. The shot of something posted through a letterbox is at first an enigma but later revealed to be the beginnings of a resistance or rebellion.

A close up of our rebel symbol is a shot that we will return to to emulate subliminal messaging and create an identity for our rebellion group. The group meeting in the warehouse implies planning and potential action. We will shoot this from a number of angles and return to it (as seen below) to imply a longer frame of time in which the narrative takes place.

Zoom in on the symbol and potential a shot of the group leaders (our protagonist) setting up the symbol in the warehouse to show the formation and unity of the group will also be concidered. A close up of a male and female joining hands is symbolic of unity but when edited with slow motion and a soft, bright light will also imply romance. By including an aspect of this genre we are conforming to conventions of media texts we have already deconstructed but will also be appealing to a female demographic, the action will appeal to males.

This is a shot of our love interest being dragged away to amplify the danger and highlight the emotional centre of our story.

The protagonist crashes his fists against a wall or metal container (found in the warehouse), the loud crash will be amplified and synchronous with the music. It is also to show the strength but also emotional outburst of the character building on the romantic storyline - the audience should empathise with him. More action shots and brief glimpses of the symbol will follow.

A match on action jump shot - energy, fast pace, action, drama and tension. Use of low key lighting will further create this ambiance.

An extreme close up on the protagonists eyes with a bruised side of his face with connote to the violence and danger of the situation, further gaining the sympathy of the audience. The title font is still under development but may appear in front of our rebel symbol. A final close up of the politician ending his speech breaks the fourth wall and makes the audience feel part of the film. Hopefully this will create an ominous and tense ending with plenty of enigmas to entice viewers ( a convention of a teaser trailer).

We may also incluse a tagline within this trailer which will also appear on the poster so that they link well together. We expect that during filming this may change and develop as the project also evolves. We aim to collect as much footage a possible to have loads to play around with when editing, however, this is our intial structure.

See Shooting Diary 

Conventions of a Teaser Trailer:

 ‘Teaser Trailer’ Definition:  A teaser trailer is a short series of film clips used to advertise an up and coming film, game or TV series.
The purpose of a trailer is to promote and inform audiences about a film to inspire interest before the film is released.

The use of the word ‘teaser’ reflects the amount of footage used, because little or no actual film footage is shown during its 30-60 second sequence. This is used to create narrative enigmas and inspires mystery to ‘tease’ the audience and make them want to see the film. These quick clips from some of the most exciting parts of the film are often the events building to the resolution but not necessarily in chronological order, this is to build tension.

Another teasing aspect of the trailer is that, unlike theatrical trailers, it is generally released long in advance of the film, sometimes up to a year and a half before, often while the film is still in production or editing.
Teaser trailers differ from theatrical trailers in that they are mainly shown/ viewed on websites such as YouTube, and film web pages preceding the theatrical trailer release. This subtle difference in viewing location and medium allows film companies to market their product from many different avenues to allow the widest range of possible consumers to see it or to target sell to a particular demographic. Another benefit of multi-medium marketing campaigns is that it generates hype around the film, increasing speculation and the ‘word of mouth’ effect long before the film is released.

Within a trailer an audience is supplied with information about the film production and distribution companies, release dates are shown several weeks in advance and the closer to the release date.

Teaser trailers do not reveal many or any significant plot details and are meant only to give a minor glimpse at what is to come, alluding to genre and creating mystery.

On how film narrative or ambience is condensed into such a short space of time the Russian theorist, Tzvetan Todorov, who suggested that all narratives have a four part structure, gives us a clue.

Therefore, in a trailer and also a teaser trailer, which many believe are often used as merely a truncated version of the theatrical trailer, the narrative should be broken down as such:

Editing techniques frequently used in teaser trailers:

> PACE = the pace of the cuts is usually fast or starts slow and builds in speed for dramatic effect. These quick cuts allow for only tantalising glimpses of the film.

>TRANSITIONS = fade to black is popular to use as boards for anchorage such as “This Year” . Fading between shots, so for a moment the two images are layered, allows movements to seem fluid or for moments to echo each other in composition or motion. Trailers also allow for more exciting transitions to be used, such as swipes and dissolves, to cut between unrelated scenes and represent time ellipses. The transitions and the sound bridges (if they are synchronous with the transition) imply the atmosphere and genre of the film being promoted. For example, comedies will have more unusual and fun transitions to highlight the fun within the film. 

>SOUND = The sound bridges mentioned above are used to place significance on the text on screen and build tension. A common use of sound is to pick specific, crucial lines of dialogue from the film or voiceover. These introduce us to the catalyst or enigma of the narrative or the characters.