What is a Trailer? What is a Teaser Trailer?

Today we looked at 6 different styles of trailers and discussed our views on what we liked and the creative ways they've promoted the films.

To my mind I find a trailer is short clips promoting a film that leaves the audience interested to watch the whole film. Teaser trailers, on the other hand, i find are shorter and more secretive as they do not give too much of the story away.

The Looper

I found the trailer for 'Looper' was very good as I enjoyed the fast shots and the storyline. The first thing that is said during the trailer is "so you're me in 30 years" this immediately tells the audience that it is a sci-fi film that involves time travel as the two characters are known to be the same person but different ages. This part of the trailer shows the back story but, as trailers do best, not the whole back story as it would ruin the film. 

The company's title is flashed and changed to suit the style of the film as it turns black and white from colour. This suits the time travelling idea as it goes to black and white as if it was like the past without colour television. After this happens the trailer begins to have a voice over telling the audience about time travel. I thought this was a good way to keep the audience entertained and informs them who is the main character and what a "Looper" is. After the definition of "Looper" is explained a series of quick clips are shown from the film giving the audience a taster of what the film is like. Throughout the short clips dramatic music is played to build tension and create an excitable and entertaining atmosphere.

After a while the Short clips are separated by information telling the audience when the film is released as well as who it is directed by.

There are also short sentences questioning what may happen within the film. This, I find, is a clever way to advertise the film as it keeps the audience on their toes and allows them to question the sentences that appear on the screen. After the writing has finished quick clips are presented with the music speeding up to build suspense. The last picture shown on the series is a pocket watch which relates to the theme of time travel.

When the pocket watch is shown the music dramatically stops. One of the main characters say "I'm sorry" while holding guns this implies that he is about to kill someone. This gives the story an excited feel and as the character apologises makes the viewers feel that there may be betrayal involved within the film. The idea of betrayal is evenmore implied as a woman's voice then says "Oh my god". After the dialogue more short clips are shown invlolving guns, more sci-fi effects and explosions. This shows that the genre of the film is sci-fi, action. During the last clips the music speeds up which builds the tension of the trailer and then is added to when the music stops suddenly as the main character is falling.

It then cuts back to the pocket watch and has a faint sound of ticking to link back to the theme of the film. After all of this has happened it is then cut suddenly and, like many trailers, the name of the film is left.

I find that this is a good advertising skill as by putting the name of the film last on the trailer it is the last thing the audience see so therefore it would stay in their mind.

Man of Steel

In my opinion this is a teaser trailer as it does not show clips realted to the theme of the film which is an action/ sci-fi genre.

While watching this trailer my younger sister entered the room and decided to watch the movie trailer with me and gave her opinion to what she thought of the teaser trailer. At this moment in time I have a cold so please excuse my croaky voice within the interview with Ellie...

Ellie brought up some interesting facts as the trailer is mistaken as an emotional film at first but to the viewers surprise ends up to be about superman. Unlike "Looper" the name of the film is shown before the ending of the trailer. This, to my opinion, is because the trailer shows the audience who the "Man of steel" is. When the film name is shown the emotional music stops which makes the viewers think the trailer has stopped. They are then surprised as they find out who the man of steel is as well as become more interested in the film.