Early Research

My partner and I have now began researching Thriller trailers and films deeper, as we are soon to reach the point where we must pitch our ideas for original trailer ideas. To begin research, we decided the best plan was to devise a survey on what people enjoy about Thrillers - their trailers in particular - and what they wish to find in said trailers. These results will help to steer us in the correct directions, beginning with which films to draw inspiration from. Next to most results we have commented on our findings to demonstrate our planning though processes. The most popular movies from our survey were The Bourne Series, The newer James Bond Series and Shutter Island. Psycho was chosen only once, but it is one of my favourite Thrillers so I chose to analyse it's trailer regardless to see if there were any points I could use in our own trailer.

In my analyses I have put asterisk's next to the elements I have identified that I believe will be most useful to us and ones we will try to include in our trailer to produce the same effects.

The Bourne Identity

-Diegetic building sound FX-Female dependancy - subverts stereotypes
-Stereotypical Action Film voice over - opinion is that it is too 'naff' and 'cliche'
-Tacky credits - too veered towards Action than Thriller
-Soundbriding - demonstrating speech with other clips*
-Fast cutting leading to ending - keep pace up and audience interested*
-Clow motion mixed with fast motion - creates confusion
-Synchronised to music*

*Ideas that stand out initially

The Bourne Ultimatum

-Bourne is vulnerable as is being chases - his success in holding them off connotes his intelligence in imminent power

-Fast editing - builds pace and tension - gives a sense of the films speed*

-Voice over of the narrative sets out storyline clearly

-Fight scene conforms to male aggression and violence stereotype - highlights Male power - anti-feminism

-Sound builds tension and pace with drums - keep audience alert*

-Mainly close-up shots to include audience and express emotion through facial expressions

-No women in trailer - anti-feminism and suggestion of extreme danger

*Ideas that stand out initially

Shutter Island

-Synchronised to music*

-Jumpy scenes

-Sound bridging leading to shocking information*

-Calm music builds to climactic crescendo*

-Mysterious, untelling dialogue

-Unexplained settings*

-Surrealism - Flash back and dream sequences

-Gore - disturbing injuries etc.

*Ideas that stand out initially

Psycho

-VERY UNCONVENTIONAL!

-Consists of Hitchcock giving tour of Bates Motel as if the setting was real

-Explains events and key points abiguously so as not to give away detail*

-Too much of a risk and unoriginal to copy

-Clever that only scene from movie is iconic shower scene - enforces significance.*

*Ideas that stand out initially

Skyfall

-Women are in power - M and female agent - unstereotypical
-Protagonist is vulnerable - shot - subverts stereotype of male power*
-M is shown to be vulnerable and has weakness' as Boss disciplines her - flipping of power*
-Bond 'raises from dead' - Godlike - anti-feminism
-Explosion of considered safe building MI6 - thriller concept of removing safe zones
-Crescendo music for massive events - music synchronisation*
-Change in dynamics and dissonent, polyphone textured music*
-Rapid editing and cuts - creates tension and pace

*Ideas that stand out initially

Orginal Storyline or Adaptation?

In addition to finding trailers to draw inspiration from, we wanted to use our survey to decide on what type of film to make - one with an original story line, or one that is an adaptation of a book. Our results were interesting as a larger percentage wanted an original story line, though the smaller percentage that wanted an adaptation seemed to fit into a niche. Those that chose an adaptation were typically males between the ages of 25 and 40. It was then up to us to decide together whether we would follow the quantitative research and choose the form of story that most chose, or aim our film at a niche market. Following a tutorial with our teacher, we decided on an adaptation as it became evident that past adaptations succeeded due to two reasons; fans of the original book would watch out of interest and curiosity and also other audiences, possible younger, less read viewers, would watch due to a love of the genre or a want to learn the story, despite the fact that they are adaptations. By considering the niche adaptation fans, we are not only aiming our film at them, but including a mass market and making our film available to the most people.