Thursday, 1 December 2011

What is the difference between a trailer and a teaser trailer

A teaser trailer, or just teaser, is a short trailer used to advertise an upcoming film, television program, video game or similar, usually released long in advance of the product, so as to "tease" the audience.

Teasers are also commonly used in advertising. The so-called teaser ad or teaser campaign typically consists of a series of small, cryptic, challenging advertisements which anticipate a large(r), full-blown campaign for a product launch or otherwise important event.

Movie teasers, unlike typical theatrical trailers, are usually very short in length (between 30–60 seconds) and usually contain little, if any, actual footage from the film. Sometimes, it is merely a truncated version of a theatrical trailer. Tester trailers are usually only made for big-budget and popularly themed movies. Their purpose is less to tell the audience about a movie's content than simply to let them know that the movie is coming up in the near future, and to add to the hype of the upcoming release. Teaser trailers are often made while the film is still in production or being edited and as a result they may feature scenes or alternate versions of scenes that are not in the finished film. Other ones (notably Pixar films) have scenes made for use in the trailer only. Teaser trailers today are increasingly focused on internet downloading and the convention circuit.

An early example of the teaser trailer was the one for the Superman film by Richard Donner. The film was already nearly a year late; it was designed to re-invigorate interest in the release. The teaser for the Batman film starring Michael Keaton in 1989 was an emergency marketing move that successfully convinced angered comic book fans that the film would respect the source material.[citation needed]

A trailer or preview is an advertisement for a feature film that will be exhibited in the future at a cinema. The term "trailer" comes from their having originally been shown at the end of a feature film screening. That practice did not last long, because patrons tended to leave the theater after the films ended, but the name has stuck. Trailers are now shown before the film (or the A movie in a double feature) begins.

Movie trailers have now become popular on the Internet. Of some 10-billion videos watched online annually, movie trailers rank #3, after news and user-created video.

Analysing Teaser Trailers - Trailer 1 Attack The Block

Attack the Block Poster

Sound
The music in this has an eerie and Sci - Fi sound which it gives the audience the feeling that there is something out of the ordinary in this film. At the same time there is a bass in the background with music that would be listened to by youths which gives the impression that this film is about youths and crime. It then cuts straight to the plot with one youth saying 'Its an alien invasion' which is closely followed by the youths all running to get their things shouting and saying how they are going to beat some aliens up which is steriotypical of youths these days. The sound of fireworks also sets the date of this film which is around bombfire night. The sound of the aliens attacking follows as the youths are running outside just so people know what the aliens sound like and it links it to the shot of the monster to almost shock the audience. The music then starts to pick up as you see the boys leaving the block on mopeds and bikes which is then followed by sounds of people talking in a panicky way and the sound of bikes and mopeds driving past. The music then gets even faster as fireworks start going off when the youths are running away from the monsters and fighting them. The dialogue in this film also shows that the children are being brought up in a rough area because the young children are talking saying such words as 'pussy' and refering themselves as 'Mayhem' and other names. The change in volume of the music during this trailer gives the audience the idea that something exciting and major could happen.
Mise en scene
The trailer starts off with meteors heading towards earth which gives the hint that it is something to do with outer space.It then shows multiple explosions and meteors hitting the earth with people diving out of the way so they dont get hit. This shows that there is some kind of attack which is worrying the locals. This is also shown by the shot of the young woman with a worried expression on her face. Inbetween each clip there is writing showing quotes from newspapers who have already seen it and also giving people and insight to the film by saying such things as ' This year its the inner city vs outer space!' Suddenly from that shot it cuts to a shot of the monster roaring in flashing lights to add the effect that its scary. It then shows teenages and there friend Ron looking out of their flat window at the explosions before deciding to look at it in more detail by running out the door with their weapons wanting to fight it. This shows the general behaviour of inner city youths and what they have in their flats. Then it shows the teens on mopeds in a park and then cuts to them driving around in it which gives the impression that they want to catch it and find more but this isnt the case. Then it has quick flashes of each of the teens with their own weapons walking worriedly down a corridor looking for a monster. Inbetween each shot of the teens it shows their friends just sitting in the flat tlaking on a brown sofa looking relaxed which is the opposite of what the teens are feeling. It then shows the teens and the young woman in the flat with weapons protecting the door because there is a monster on the other side. They are looking scared. The next shot is of a monster jumping on a teen and then it instantly cuts to shots of fireworks being shot down a corridor which gives the sense of excitement and that there is alot going on. Then it shows explosions from under a police van and more explosions followed by the youths running away which gives the impression that the monster might of been in the van. The shot of the council house (0:48s) is more of an establishing shot which then shows what is being attacked and also where the teens are hiding form these monsters. It then cuts to a shot of the teens relaxing in the flat and having a laugh which shows a relaxing sense.
Editing
The editing for this trailer is straight cuts which shows time is passing in the film and also give it a fast tempo which is what the producers wanted. Although the was its shot isnt meant for the trailer to flow, the editing causes a flow which will keep the viewers attentive to the teaser trailer. It has a flow because it almost slides from clip to clip.
Camera angle
The first shot in this trailer is from a low level looking up at the sky to show something heading towards earth which could show it as a POV shot because someone is looking up at the sky. It then cuts to a close up of a woman looking worried. This shot is used to show how the woman is feeling during these events and it also shows the audience that she is a main character. 10 seconds into the clip there is an over the shoulder of a teenager looking at the explosions going on outside his flat block which gives the impression that everyone is curious of what is happening. It then cuts to a close shot of the teenager from the front to show his facial expression and then his friends join him to get a closer look. Quick extreme close ups then come onto the screan of the monster which is meant to shock the audience. It then cuts to close ups of all the teens grabbing weapons to go and fight the monster with. The shot of the teens in the park is a medium shot from over the shoulder of something so it makes the audience curious of what the teens are looking at. Extreme close ups are then used on the mopeds that the teens are riding to get a sense of action then it cuts to a long shot of the teens approaching on their bikes. The next few shots of the teenages are medium long shots of them hiding from the monsters in such things as lifts and carrying their weapons. Then it cuts to the two men still sitting in the flat just relaxing in a medium long shot. The shot of the teen in shock as he sees the monster through the peep hole is an extreme close up but also a sub focus shot as the others in the background are out of focus. This is immediately followed by high level shots looking down on explosions and then low shots looking up at the building exploding as well. The next shot is an eye level shot of the teens sitting in the flat looking relaxed which gives the impression that the audience are actually there.
Movement of camera
The first shot has a zoom in it to grab peoples attention and give people more detail of what it is that they are meant to be looking at. The shots from then on dont move at all it is just the cuts and the things happening in the shots that capture the audiences attention.

Number of shots
There are 58 shots in this trailers within the minute that the film is actually on which shows that it is fast paced and that the shots dont actually last that long which makes the trailer seem fast paced and very informative.
How long each trailer lasts... target audience...
This trailer lasts 1:01s  which is a good length for a teaser trailer and it still gives lots of information into what the film is about. It target audience is teenagers because this is the type of film that would interest them and make them watch it.

Analysing Teaser Trailers - Trailer 2 The Dark Knight



Sound
At the start of the trailer a fade of mysterious and eerie music plays whilst the company logos is being produced. Then a conversation occurs between two me. This makes you think who are they and what are they talking about which makes the viewers want to find out more. The opening dialogue speaks of a man who must of done something bad as he says 'i've crossed the line.' This makes the viewers want to know what he did. Then another man speaks and talks about how people are following a man that they dont understand which gives the impression that this guy might be dangerous. The tone of voice they are talking in as well shows that they are concerned. The man then says 'some men cant be bought,bullied, reasoned or negotiated with, some men just want to watch the world purr.' This means that the character that they are talking about wont give up without a fight. Then a big rush of music comes in, it is fast paced and exciting which gives the impression that some action is going to happen. An eerie voice then comes in saying 'tonight people will die' which tells the audience that this is the bad guy speaking and he is planning to kill many people. The music as the trailer is ending sounds almost like a clock ticking which could symbolise time running out for the hero.

Mise en scene
The trailer starts off in complete darkness with nothing on the screen but then a flash of light comes out to the left part of the screen which grabs the audiences attention. This flash gives an outline of a shape that is blocking the full beam of light which will get the viewers interested into finding out what it could be. The beams of light then seem to become more consistent in appearance all around this shape and then suddenly the shape of a bat appears which tells the audience who the hero of this film is. As the music gets more exciting the outline of the bat starts to deteriorate as if to show that this hero is going to suffer many injuries during his fight to free the people from evil. The bat outline then explodes and a joker card flies towards the screen which is symbolic because the joker is the evil person in this film and it shows that this was the man who was talking about killing all of those people so you are being introduced to the two main characters.
Editing
There is a lot of editing in this short trailer because lots is going on in this clip. The editing for the sound to merge the two voices together is cleverly done to add the effect that they are talking in secret but also with the tense music still playing in the background which adds tension to the moment. Then with all the flashing lights you have to edit it so the timing between each one is perfect and then the destroying of the bat had to flow perfectly and be in time with the laugh of the evil person. This then had to be edited in with a joker card coming out of it to symbolise evil which gave the effect that the joker was under the bats skin and in his head playing mind games. The captions then fade in saying 'The dark knight' which still gave off the evil and eeire effect because it faded in mysteriously and then faded out again.
Movement
There is no movement of the camera because it is a still shot with lots of lights flashing around one object which creates the effect.
Position
The position of the camera is front on and level with the bat outline and doesnt move throughout the whole trailer.
Institutional reference (title, credits, company logo)
This film is produced by Warner Brothers and Legendary Pictures. This is shown at the start of the clip by the two logos flashing up onto the screen to give reference to the company and to give them credit because that may also boost the amount of people going to see it because the companies have produced other great films such as 'The Hangover' and 'Harry Potter'.
Number of shots
This trailer only uses one shot in it because it is situated in the dark and uses flashing lights and effects to make it captivating for the audience.
How long each trailer lasts... target audience....
 It lasts 0:54 and its target audience is boys and teens because its full of action and fighting which is what teens want to see.

Analysing Teaser Trailers - Trailer 3 Kung Fu Panda 2


Sound
The trailer starts off with the song 'Kung Fu Fighting' playing as diegetic music. This gives the impression that this could be a film about fighrting to the audience. Then you hear the sounds of crackling knuckles as a picture of a fist clenching comes onto the screen which gives the audience the feeling that there is going to a be fight in this film. The sound of a drum then sounds as the writing appears on the screen and then a voice comes in reading the text. This is a very deep voice with excitement in it as if it is building up to something big. There is then the sound of heavy footsteps as the feet of a panda appears into the shot which shows this panda is heavy. The sound of cracking then sounds as  the bear stands up straight as if to say that he has been staying in that position for a long time maybe in hibernation. Then the voice returns with an deep droning voice again saying 'prepare for the return of' which tells the audience that this film is a sequal of one previously released. Kung Fu sounds then sound as the bear is practicing some moves which shows that he is a kung fu fighting panda and that he is preparing to fight. He is also making the noises to add a comedy sense to the film as it is an comedy drama. The sounds are also straining sounds which could show that this panda is overweight which is followed up in the next scene when the panda says 'my fists hunger for justice' and then his stomach rumbles. This also adds a comedy effect to it by implying that the panda is large and the panda wants a fight but is also hungry for food. Then the music picks up in volume and the narator says the names of the main characters voice over who is Jack Black which lets the viewers know who is in the film. This could boost sales since he has been in lots of top quality films but this is his second animation. The music then stops and then the panda speaks saying 'Right kung fu staring contest...go' which adds comedy to the trailer because it makes the audience think that he isnt taking his job seriously. After the pandas final line is delivered, the music picks up to finish off the trailer.
Mise en scene
The opening shot is of a cloudy valley at you can see a little hut in the distance. From the first shot onwards you can tell this is an animation and that the characters will not be real. The hut then gets closer as the camera flies through the valley. This hut is the type of hut that you would see in Japan during kung fu movie which gives the impression that its set in a kung fu sanctuary. Then suddenly a fury fist comes into the picture which shows that it is the fist of an animal. It then clenches which gives the impression that it is willing to fight. Words saying 'Next summer' then flash onto the screen which tells the audience when this film is coming out. Some feet then appear in the shot. These are feet of a panda which introduces you to the main character which also tells the viewers that this film is based on animals. The outline of a panda then appears as if it has been bending down or hibernating for a long time and then stretches with the sun behind him. This makes the audience think what is this characters purpose in the film and why is the trailer all about him. Then more words come up which informs the audience that this movie is a sequal of a previous one which makes the audience relate it to the past kung fu panda film. It then shows a pair of fists punching and doing kung fu moves which tells the audience that he is preparing to fight and also knows kung fu. This also gives the audience some imagination because you would never see a panda doing kung fu normally so you have to imagine that this is a living being. Then there is a medium shot of the panda in a fighting stance which tells the audience that this panda can fight and he is going to fight someone or something. The pandas stomach then rumbles which adds a comic effect to what could be taken as a comedy animation. The comedy then continues as the panda sticks his head towards the camera and stares down the camera because he wants a staring contest. Then in big writing the title appears from the bottom of the screen to inform the audience what this film is called.
Editing
The editing for this clip is good because it had a straight cut between the shots which adds an element of speed to the trailer which is what i want because it keeps the audience involved and also adds the sense of action. The main editing comes within the sound where the volume has to be judged perfectly and also the voice of the narator has to be edited in over the music. This was done well as the different volumes kept the viewers interested and made them think that something was going to happen.
Camera angle
The camera angle is always flat but the level of the camera changes for example the whole body of the panda is shown in one clip from front on which tells the audience what they are looking at and then at some other times it will be concentration on the pandas fists or feet which make the audience concentrate on that one thing. This is important because then the viewers get every little detail of what is going on in the trailer and will not get distracted easily. The best shot is of the panda stretching with the sun behind him. I think this is good because it makes the panda a silhouette and it also shows the sun rising behind him to give the impression that it is early morning and he is getting up ready to fight for that day.
Movement
There is only one camera movement in this whole teaser trailer which happens right at the start when the camera is gliding over a valley looking at a hut in the distance. The camera then moves towards this house so that the viewers can get a closer look at it and see what it is.


Narrative
The narative of this teaser trailer is a deep droning voice which come in when needed. It is not over used because then it would ruin the effect of it but the fact that it is deep and mysterious adds to excitement of the film. The narator says only key information such as the date of release and also builds up excitement by telling them to prepare for the return of awsomeness which  makes the audience think that the film has been produced before and that they are making a sequal.
Institutional reference (title, credits, company logo)
This film is produced by Warner Brothers. This is shown at the start of the clip by the logo flashing up onto the screen to give reference to the company and to give them credit because that may also boost the amount of people going to see it because the companies have produced other great films such as 'Harry Potter'.
Number of shots
There are 14 shots in this trailer which shows that each shot is long and it is quite a slow paced trailer although it actually had a seemless flow and is still quite quick paces although the music keeps the audience relaxed.
How long each trailer lasts... target audience....
This trailer lasts 1:02 which is a good length for a teaser trailer and its target audience is teenagers and young kids because it is an animation which wont keep the older generations interested and also its comedy which will entertain the childeren.

Analysing Teaser Trailers - Trailer 4 Semi Pro

Sound
The trailer starts off with some really up beat music which sounds as if it would be played at a sports game back in the 80's which sets the theme of the trailer almost straight away. The soundtrack then continues and has an over voice of a man saying seductive things to a girl. This soundtrack fits the picture straight away as the camera is panning up a naked mans body. The soundtrack introduces a man named Jackie Moon which may lead you to think this is the main character in the story and the man in the trailer which it is. The music then dies down and the man lying on a bench naked introduces himself as Jackie Moon. He then tells the audience his roll in the basketball club that he plays for such as player,coach and team manager!! It is like an advertisement to buy season tickets and that Jackie Moon (Will Ferrell) is using a seductive voice to lure people into buying them. He then tells the audience what the film is about when he says 'basketball sweaty'. This gives the audience the idea that this is a basketball film. The music then picks up again and the trailer ends.
Mise en scene
The trailer begins with a green band saying that the preview has been approved for viewing. The logo of the company that made the film then fades into the screen telling the audience which institution it is from and it may cause them to go and see the film because of the highly rated films it has produced in the past. The trailer then cuts to a shot of some lockers and a mans socks which tells the audience the location of this trailer (a locker room) and that there is someone in there about to tell us something. As the trailer goes more of this man is shown and eventually you can see a long shot of this man naked with only a basketball hiding his crotch which may startle the audience but will keep them interested because it is so weird. The hair style of this man and the fact that he is wearing a headband helps to tell the audience when this film was set. In the background hanging from one of the lockers you can see a basketball vest saying 'Flint Tropics' on it which tells the audience that this man plays for that basketball team and they are a big part in this film. The bright colour of the vest will also grab the attention of the audience making them pay attention and explore the trailer more. A number then appears on the screen which obviously shows that this trailer is something to do with selling tickets and getting people to come and watch this team as they player might be a promoter to. The fact that it is flashing will draw the attention away from the man that the audience have been looking at for 50 seconds now without much happening and draws their attention to this phone number which should keep them interested for a while. At the end of the trailer a basketball spins into  the screen saying the name of the film on it (Semi Pro) which tells the audience the name of the film and shortly after the release date comes up in big letters which is very eye catching.
Movement of camera
In this trailer there isn't much movement of the camera apart from at the start where the camera pans along Jackie Moons body until it reaches his face. This has been done to show every detail of his body that is meant to show that he is an athlete and shock the audience when they realise that he is naked. After the panning has reached his face the camera movement stops and there is none left for the rest of the trailer. 
How long each trailer lasts... target audience... 
This trailer lasts for 45 seconds which is short for a trailer but they get enough detail in it to make the audience realise what the trailer is about. The target audience of this film is definitely teenagers and sports fans. This is clear straight away by the nakedness of the actors and the sports kit behind him and the fact that he is holding a basketball. This film would not be suitable for a younger age group or an elderly one either. 

Analysing Teaser Trailers - Trailer 5 Scooby Doo 2



 Sound
The first thing we hear as the trailer starts is a voice which says 'Be quiet scoob'. This voice is so recognisable that the audience automatically know that it is Shaggy from Scooby-Doo and that he is talking to Scooby when he is saying 'scoob'. He says this very quietly as if they are trying to hide from someone. A soft soundtrack comes in which sounds like footsteps but in music so it adds tension and suspense as if they are being watched and chased. A deep voice then over powers the sound track and says 'Where danger lurks' which will grab the attention of the audience straight away and fill them in on what the story is if they haven't realised that it is Scooby-Doo yet. A sound of bats then comes in which adds to the scariness of this trailer and sets the scene of then being in an abandoned warehouse. The voice then continues saying short sentences which appear on the screen. Half way through the trailer a sound of chains clanking can be heard. This makes the audience think that they are indeed being followed which makes then anxious to see what it is. Finally when Shaggy realises he is holding a ghost in his arms instead of Scooby he screams and run away which tells the audience that they are scared and were not looking for anything in particular in this abandoned warehouse. The famous Scooby-Doo theme then comes in very loudly as the credits come up which builds up the excitement because it picks up the pace of the whole trailer. The trailer ends with Velma and  Daphne asking in a concerned voice if Scooby and Shaggy were ok which shows that they care and are eager to find out what the two of them saw so they can go in and catch it because they are braver.
Mise en scene
The trailer starts off by setting the scene in a dark warehouse. The Warner Bros logo is in the window which tells the audience straight away the institution that made this film which could boost sales. You then see a man and a dog walking very cautiously through this warehouse looking around as if they think they are being followed. As they walk into the light you can tell that these two are in fact Shaggy and Scooby-Doo which will get the audience interested because these two are well recognised figures because of the successful TV series. Words then appear on the screen such as 'They are there' which keeps the audiences attention on the screen and stops there minds from drifting and losing interest in the trailer. It also tells the audience what's going on and explains a little bit about what Scooby-Doo and Shaggy do! The two of them keep disappearing into the dark patches of the room before coming back into the light in a different pose always back to back looking around the room as if they are being followed. From 25 seconds onwards the monster becomes visible to the audience as it is in the same shot holding Shaggy. This adds a hint of comedy to this trailer as well because this films genre is comedy/action so it portrays the genre very well. The next time the two of them and the monster appear in the light Shaggy notices the monster and screams and runs away showing their cowardliness and that they aren't very good monster hunters. The monster and Shaggy then fall to the floor but Shaggy fainted because he saw this monster and the monster fell over because he was pushed this shows that Shaggy didn't like holding this monster and wanted to get as far away from it as possible but fainted at the sight because he was so scared. The title then appears from the top of the screen and the group of ghost hunters that Scooby and Shaggy belong to appear from between two letters so it is a nice edit between the last scene and the title. This tells the audience what the film is called and also introduces you to some of the characters at the same time. The next thing you see is the Mystery Machine doors swing open and Velma and Daphne peering out as Scooby and Shaggy fly through the door and hit the other side of the van before collapsing on the floor. This shows that they obviously ran very quickly away from the monster and just wanted to get into safety. This adds more comedy to the trailer because of how dramatic their entrance is which is painful. The release date then appears on the screen in big green letters because green is a frequent theme in this trailer as monsters are usually green and it is also very eerie. 
Movement of camera
The trailer starts with a panning shot of Scooby and Shaggy along this warehouse. This is used to show speed and movement of the characters. There is then followed by a zoom from an over head view of the Mystery Machine which is meant to be a POV shot from Scooby and Shaggy whilst running away from these monsters. The majority of the trailer is just panning or has no camera movement however. 
How long each trailer lasts... target audience... 
 This trailer lasts for 1 minute and its aimed at 8-16 year olds. This is because the TV series Scooby-Doo is on childrens television so it will attract young children to the cinema and also monsters and comedy attract some teenagers as well so their target audience is pretty clear. I would rate this film as a 12A which means that it is ok for youngsters to go and watch this as long as they are with a parent because it might be a bit scary for them but it is based on a childs TV show so they are the films target audience.

Analysing film posters - Inception

Title
The title of this film is Inception. This is immediately clear to the audience because it is in red lettering on dark background at the bottom of the page. Although the title isn't very big it is still eye catching because of the colour contrast with red and black. I think that the title is smaller so that the big focus can be on the picture because that is one of the most important things in a poster. This could be a bad idea however if they chose to put this on a billboard it wouldn't be clear straight away what the title of the film would be and the audience would have to look very closely to find out the title of the film because of its position. The fact that it is written in red could mean danger because the film is all about mind games.
Mise en Scene
In this poster there is a very large picture of Leonardo Dicaprio who plays the part of the main character in this film. He is dressed in a suit which makes people think that he is a very serious man and is an agent of some sort. The background however looks like a city from a birds eye view which could lead you to believe that it is a big puzzle because in this film he is stuck in another world but cant figure out which world is the real one after a while. He looks like he is concentrating hard and is focused because he has to save the world in this film. This poster is eye catching because of the giant picture of Leonard which fills the screen but also if the audience have a close look his body isn't complete because it is blurred in places which could make people think that he has limited time in this film to complete his task. The slogan for this film is 'Your mind is the scene of crime' which shows that this film is all about mind games and shows the genre of the film as well.
Release date
There is no release date on this poster it just says coming soon which shows that this poster was released long before the film was due to be released. This means that on later posters they will have the release date but are building up suspense by putting coming soon on this one. This may give the film more popularity if they keep following what is going on with the film to find out the release date which means more people will want to come and see the film. The position of it however is very well chosen because it is near the title so people will be able to see it but it is to small for people to see from a distance if they catch a glance of it. Because it is written in white however it means it can stand out more on a black background and be seen easily from up close.
Actors Name
Leonardo Dicaprio is such a well know actor that his name doesn't need to be very big on the poster, in fact they haven't put it on there at all which shows his popularity. Having him in this film will get lots of people watching it because he has such a big fan base and lots of people will go to see the film just because he is in it.  He is recognised worldwide for doing such films as 'The Departed' and 'The Aviator' both very gripping films. The fact that they didn't put his name on the poster shows how famous he is but if people didn't know who he was then it would be a really bad poster because people might chose not to go and see the film if it has an undiscovered actor in it because they might think the quality of acting isn't very good.