Seen above is to show that the film has been rated appropriately and ha been given a film rating by 'The Motion Picture Association of America'. Although this doesn't reveal anything in particular about the film it has to be shown at the start of trailers for the majority of feature films and is commonly seen at the start of trailers.
This above is the logo of the production company that produced the film 'Apollo 18', again something that is commonly seen at the start of most professional feature films. However the way the logo is shown can reveal a lot about the theme of the film itself. For example the logo of this production company 'Dimension Films' was flickering a lot among a black background as if lost, perhaps reflecting on the nature of the main characters in this film lost in space with no where to escape. Moreover the connotations from the black background already suggests to audiences that they can expect a dark and sinister film.
At this point the trailer has already addressed a number of things. Firstly it straight away begins to use text to explain some of the plot of the movie to the audience which is a very good way in letting them know what to expect from the film. Also it reveals that whilst not only being a horror film, it is also a sci-fi film and it does this by putting scientific facts into the text, showing visually a image of a US spacecraft and also using non-diegetic sounds of a spacecraft for sound effects. This allows audiences to identify some of the themes of the movie (science), whilst also revealing some of the plot to the audience as they can identify from this that the film must have something to with space and science.
What is smartly done here is the trailers use of seemingly real images combined with the facts from the text which makes it seem as if the events of this film are actually based on reality. This is good as it is obviously what the producers of the film were trying to do, make it as realistic as possible. This supposed realism from the shots used and the text also creates excitement curiosity towards the film from the audiences perspective. This is because the trailer has risen questions on the films validity or not which then makes audiences want to see the film so they can form their own opinion on whether the events of film are false or not.
Usually trailers would use their star actor or even director to promote the movie as using a popular actor or director who audiences can identify with is likely to create a lot of buzz for the film as they're familiar with that actor/ directors work. However, this trailer completely ignores these conventions and instead of repeating them varies them to make the trailer unique. This is smart as is plays off the already established idea that the movie is in fact real footage from space and then creates a unknown quality about the film which then creates a lot of excitement and curiosity about it amongst audiences. This however is a dangerous thing to do and can only be done depending on the type of film being produced.
Apollo 18 - Official Trailer [HD] by user8513544
Above is a audio clip of just the sound from the trailer accompanied with two different headings used in the trailer to reveal the plot to the audience. This something the trailer does throughout, using sound effects of a space craft for example to go along and match the visuals and text on screen in order to reveal some of the plot and the theme of the movie to audiences. The music also plays a big part in this as well, helping to build tension due to the pace and amplification of the music towards the end of the trailer again accompanied with text on screen (two above) this creates excitement for the movie and also a sense of anticipation as it leaves the trailer on a cliff hanger, which then encourages audiences to see what happens next.
The trailer uses a lot of smart camera shots and editing techniques to create a distorted view for the watching audience which creates a lot of mystery and also a menacing feeling about the film. Here the camera distorts by cutting from a long shots showing the scene to showing a noise screen where the audience can see no images at all. This reestablishes the mystery about the film whilst also creating a threatening feeling about it. This therefore highlights the genre of the film as being horror to audiences, whilst also revealing the mystery of the film which from the trailer seems to be the main basis of it.
The films genre is revealed in the trailer through the use of quick contrasting shots. You can see from the shot above that it quickly goes from a bright setting that connotes happiness into a dark setting with dark lighting which now connotes a evilness and creates a sinister feeling. This sudden change highlights the way in which horror movies usually change instantly from a good situation into a bad one. The use of a close up of a distorted image on the face of the actor present also highlights the fear factor the trailer creates. This lets audiences identify straight away that the genre of the film is horror.
Not only the genre is revealed through the use of gory images like this telling audiences that its a horror, also the plot and theme is revealed through these montage of events which cross cut constantly at a fast pace. From the use of these montage of events and images like this the plot and theme of the movie is quickly revealed. What's best about this montage however is the pace and tempo of them with the shots happening one after the other instantaneously. This only increases the fear factor created by the trailer, especially as the shots used are used with the intention to show or scare. This therefore creates excitement and anticipation for the film.
This is a prime example of how all trailers repeat and vary conventions in order to create a unique movie but of the same genre. Here it repeats the convention of most trailers by showing the title at the end of the film so its the last thing audiences remember and also so audiences can associate everything they've just seen with the title of the film. From personal experience of watching the this trailer the first thing I wanted to know was what the name of the film was. However it also varies its conventions by not using a date and instead says 'coming soon'. This not only builds more anticipation for the film as audiences now want to know when the film is released, but also plays with the already established unknown quality of the film, constantly staying loyal to the theme of the movie.
As this trailer clearly expresses the codes and conventions seen in a horror movie it would be likely that you would only see this trailer at the cinema before the films of similar movies specializing in horrors (films like paranormal activity, final destination etc). Also during the breaks of television programs directed at mature audiences as the content of this film is unsuitable for children, but gender is not a issue as this movie is targeted at both men and women of a mature age. Also with the power of the Internet in this modern day it is extremely likely that this film would be featured on various video sharing websites around the web.
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