Alien 1979 2:11mins
The trailer starts off with the
logo of the “Motion Pictures Association of America”, which is an American
trade association that represents the 6 big Hollywood studios. This makes the trailer
look professional and real (not fan made).
Then the camera moves slowly through
space, showing the audience this film is set in the cosmos, possibly in the
future and therefore, that suggests it’s a sci-fi film. The slow camera movements along with the
creepy soundtrack create tension and make the viewer uncomfortable. This has
been done to hint that this film has horror elements in it, and also makes the
viewer want to keep watching as not everything has be revealed. Suddenly the shot changes to an unfamiliar
land and bits of text appear, making the audience unclear of the words and the
place. Then a shot reverse shot is shown of the land and then to the egg; this
shows the audience that there is a relationship between the two without giving
too many plot details. The shots get faster, making the viewer feel threatened
by the egg. Then we see close ups and
medium shots of the egg, making us feel as we are examining the egg; we also see
the text fully spelling “ALIEN”. This tells the audience the name of the film
and makes them think about why the film is called that (about the plot) Later
we see a close up of the egg and it suddenly cracks open; and as the non–diegetic
soundtrack gets louder and faster, we are shown more shots of different things
including spaceships, and people in space suits, confirming the viewer that
this film is a sci-fi film. Then we see a close-up of a female character
showing the audience the story is based around her. Then an eye line match shot
is shown of the inside of a ship; the shot is shaking a lot, creating a feel of
stress. The viewer then knows this main female character is scared of something
(the egg). Then we are shown another shot reverse shot of her running inside
the ship, that then turns to a medium shot of people in space suits exploring;
this is a code to the audience that she is running away from them, wishing they
had never gone. Then the shot reverse shot changes to different shots including
an extreme close up of a cat and other random things. This creates a chaotic
and no control feeling, showing the audience what this main character is
feeling. While this is happen at the same thing the viewer is being introduce
to more characters as shots are shown of different people. Then the shot
reverse shot stops and the viewer is shown random fast shots of the characters as
they are in distress and even a very fast shot of an unknown animal attacking a
person. Then an Extreme Wide
Shot is shown of plants and a spaceship showing the audience this is where the
film takes place. Then the tag line appears “In space no one can hear you
scream.” This tells the audience this film is a hybrid as its both sci-fi and
horror. Then the space background fades out and the title “Alien” is shown
again, this time with the tag line. Then it cuts to the information about the
film e.g. actors, production companies, director etc…
I think this trailer is different to most trailers
as there is almost no diegetic sound, which most trailers use to tell the plot
of the film and show the main characters; however Alien uses non-diegetic sound
(soundtrack) along with random shots to do that.
Event Horizon Trailer – 2:16
The trailer begins with the logo for
its distributer; Paramount. The shot the audiences are
shown is of a male character (Sam Neil), showing the viewer he is the main
character. The medium shot of him is upside-down giving a clue to the viewer
that he might be a villain. Then the shot zooms out and twists at the same
time, showing he is in a spaceship, this movement of the camera suggests this
character might not have much control in the plot. This shot also shows the
audience it’s set in space and that it must be a sci-fi film. While this is
happening, a voice over of a female is played; there is an echo sound effect on
her voice. This echo is a code to the viewer, suggesting these people on this
ship are alone and no one can hear them. Then the audience is shown a shot reverse shot of the male character and a
spaceship showing the audience he has something to do with that ship e.g. he
build it or he flies it. Then the viewer is shown a scene from the film of the
main character talking about how the ship works and then a conversation with
another character telling the audience the plot of the film. “Where has she been
for the last 7 years doctor?” “That’s what we here to find out” giving a clue
to the audience about the plot. Then
there is another voice over, but this one is not from the film; it explains
them exploring the ship and that they are not alone because different shots are
shown of the crew in the ship and Sam Neil in distress. Then the shots get
faster, showing action and horror scenes and dialogue telling the audience the
plot but not telling them everything (making them want more). By watching this
trailer the viewer knows that the film is about a crew that explore a lost ship
and find something inside it that tries to hurt them. This trailer makes the
viewer want to see the film as they are curious
of what this thing is and what happens to the characters.
Area 407 Trailers 1:44
This film uses hand held camera work
throughout its trailer, creating a real feel to it, making the audience believe
this did happen and could happen to them. The audience is shown a girl talking
to the camera showing she’s the main character in this film. She is talking to
the camera as if it’s a person, making the audience feel they know her and care
for her as a character. She moves the camera around showing the other
characters in this film and also the setting (a plane). Then the camera goes
fuzzy and lots of quick random shots of horror elements are shown e.g. people
screaming. This is a code to the audience that this film is a horror film and
tells bits of the plot (the plane crashing). Then it cuts to writing: “In 2011
flight 37A crashed in a restricted government area” This makes the audience
feel as if this really happened and they need to watch it, as it’s important.
Then the trailer continues with fast shots and scenes showing the characters
change location and an unknown animal. This trailer goes through the film
showing bits for the viewer to find out about the film but not too much, by the
random quick shots.
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