This is my blog where I will post all of my A2 media work. After completing AS Level Media and enjoying it I am very much looking forward to learning new things this year.
The first ever intertitle was in the short film 'How It Feels to Be Run Over' (1900) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=65rGf2swdtU
- In this example the typography was suitable as it looks hand written.
- No sound is heard (since it's a silent film) and it is edited using cuts.
Since then intertitles have progressed a lot being heavily featured in short films as well as trailers. They were incredibly popular in silent films as they were a way to communicate with the audience what the character was saying or thinking.
The typography itself is very important and should be in a style and font that is suitable to what is written. An excellent example of this is from The Cat and the Canary (1927) where the word 'Ghosts!' is displayed. The blue background, and white font with a blue outline are a perfect combination of colours. Blue could be representing the night sky and white is the colour of typical ghosts you would see in older films. The slight movement in this example emphasises the terror someone saying this feels as he or she sees the ghosts.
Intertitles these days in trailers tend to provide the audience with information about the film (marquee names, production companies, quotes from critics, etc.) You can see many examples of this in my previous analyses of trailers.
From analysing all the trailers I have I would broadly say that the main features of typography, sound and editing in terms of intertitles are:
Typography - completely dependent on the genre, always clear to read.
Sound - again dependent on the genre, sometimes intertitles can trigger a change in sound.
Editing - most commonly cut to or faded in and out from, other more complex transitions are used at time, also the amount of time the intertitle is shown for is generally dependent on how much information is shown for the audience to read.
Intertitles can vary incredibly depending on a number of factors from the genre of the film, how much information is being shown and what kind of information. The title of the film directly links to the intertitle as they tend to link in one or many ways (e.g. transition, typography, colour).
To get us started, here are some examples of titles:
Pictures sourced from http://intertitles.tumblr.com
Just from these 5 examples I can see how different titles can be. Just by looking at them the audience are able to identify the most likely genre or at least the themes in the film (e.g. Youth In Revolt is likely to have younger themes and be in general more uplifting than a film like Gravity where the title looks very simple and dramatic).
Sound is an important part of any piece of film whether it's a short advert or a full feature film. The sound is the main thing that creates the atmosphere and it can give characters their preferred reading.
I felt it was necessary to take a moment to properly research sound, so that I fully understand it.
Diegetic Sound -
e.g. ambient sounds, dialogue
What is it? Sound from the world of film which the on-screen characters experience.
For example;
Wayne's World (1992)
In this film there's a scene in a car where the main character, Wayne, puts a cassette tape of Bohemian Rhapsody (by Queen) on. The sound of this track playing is diegetic as the characters themselves can hear it.
Other examples of diegetic sounds in this scene include the characters getting in the car, the dialogue spoken and the car driving away.
Non-Diegetic Sound -
e.g. voice overs, sound effects
What is it? Sound outside the world of film, added in post-production.
For example;
The World's End (2013)
In the toilet scene of this film (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nNJPPLg6aJE) we hear non-diegetic sound at the start in the form of incidental music. This was clearly added in post production and used to emphasise how hard the character is thinking in that scene or the tension for what will happen next.
Other types of sound include ambient sound, non-simultaneous sound, direct sound, synchronous sound, postsynchronization dubbing, offscreen sound and sound perspective.
Once Upon A Time In The West (1968)
This film is an excellent example of showing the possibilities of diegetic and non-diegetic sound and how they can both be used in a way to heighten emotions, increase tension and/or make the film seem more realistic.
Diegetic examples
The wind; a haunting sound that's heard a lot throughout the film.
Gunshots; fits in nicely with the 'spaghetti western' genre, an icon of this genre.
A door slamming; sounds similar to a gunshot, comparing it to one makes the action itself seem more dangerous than it is.
A bird tweeting; in some scenes this happens almost constantly, helps to build the tension.
& many more. Non-diegetic examples
the soundtrack (incidental music) as a character appears in shot, this emphasises the importance of the characters at this point in the scene.
the music has the tendency to build and we can hear various themes again to give a sense of familiarity excerpt this time the music has a thicker texture and appears to be more dramatic, therefore building more tension.
when the two characters are standing opposite each other and looking at each other the music fades out and the use of silence really builds tension.
the use of the harmonica in the score is also very relevant, important and again quite haunting, at multiple times a harmonica is put in someone's mouth who is struggling so the theme heard by the harmonica represents the person (with the harmonica in their mouth) breathing.
& many more.
Therefore from this example I can see how much diegetic, non-diegetic and even how no sound can be very effective.
Analysing 5 genre specific trailers has been very useful. It has made me more aware of the conventions of drama films and I have seen by looking at some cross genres that the genre 'drama' is incredibly broad.
For my next lot of analyses I will research into tragedy trailers as that is the sub-genre I wish to go into.
I will now research into 5 different film trailers that are of the genre I have decided to do (drama). Most drama films have two genres (e.g. drama, thriller) but I will still analyse ones like these that I wish to as ultimately one of the main genres is drama. However, in these trailers I will focus on the drama element and maybe mention the other genre in passing as I am focusing on drama and what to be able to understand that in itself as much as I can without another genre added.
The trailers I will research and analyse are as follow;
Born 20th August 1958 in New York, New York.
David is also a producer and screenwriter as well as a director.
He released his first debut feature-length project called 'Spanking the Monkey' in 1994.
Later he directed the action drama 'Three Kings' (1999) and the comedic 'I Heart Huckabees' (2004).
He earned Oscar nominations for his directing work in three of his recent films; The Fighter (2010), Silver Linings Playbook (2012) and American Hustle (2013).
I analysed the trailer of Silver Linings Playbook back in September. The genre is a hybrid genre including drama (as well as comedy and romance). I thoroughly enjoyed the trailer (and the film itself). From seeing American Hustle I realised that I really liked David O. Russell's directing style as it involved including themes/ideas that really made me think. I also love the mise en scene and camera shots/angles used in both trailers.
A genre hybrid is a mixture/fusion of genres. This allows both themes from either genre to be incorporated in the film.
For example Drama + Action = Disaster The hybrid would be drama, action and natural disaster. (e.g. Sweeney Todd)
My chosen genre 'drama' is a pure genre when it stands alone and I will aim to use it like this. This is quite unusual as most 'drama' films are genre hybrids (e.g. Forrest Gump - drama and romance).
I am basing my trailer on the sub-genre 'tragedy' so I will focus on themes involved in tragedy. Therefore I will not use genre hybrids.
I showed a range of teenagers and young adults (my target audience) my presentation on 'My Chosen Genre: Drama' and here is the feedback I received...
I think you've justified why you wish to do Tragedy Drama and have explained the conventions of the genre well.
I think that the chosen genre is an interesting choice because it's broad and encompasses many sub-genres so allows for original plots to be thought of. Drama, particularly tragedy, is attractive to the audience because the story lines are often something we are able to relate to, and it's in the human nature to want to watch someone else's struggle. This is because it may be a way of expressing and clarifying our own issues, and we are able to learn from the film if a solution is put forwards. By using a realistic set and characters, the escapism feels more tangible than it would in a sci-fi or fantasy film, where it can seem false and leave us feeling emptier than before we watched it due to the inaccessibility of the world captured within it. I think that the only difficult within this genre that might be encountered is the requirement for an unpredictable plot that keeps the audience guessing as our knowledge and experience of tragedies in our own lives mean that there is a risk of the audience knowing the outcome of the film before the characters appear to.
Well explained and plenty of detail, well done.
The presentation was good and there was a good amount of detail on each slide.
Target Audience Questionnaire
After putting together some questions I asked 12 people (6 male, 6 female) in my target audience to answer the questions.
My thoughts on the results of the questionnaire...
It is clear that my target audience enjoy watching the genre 'drama' and it is evenly split between whether males or females enjoy it more. This is a good sign as it confirms that my choice of target audience is well-suited. This therefore shows that people have different opinions on the gender that prefers it more, but it is not necessary for me to aim my trailer at one gender (as the results are evenly split). Good sound is essential for my target audience, as well as relatable characters. Of-course, I will also have titles in the trailer but I will focus on making sure the sound is to the highest standard possible (the titles will also be to a high standard though..). I have decided to definitely use characters in the 13-21 age bracket as it's the most popular (in the questionnaire) and although my overall genre is 'drama - tragedy' I may incorporate themes of romance as my target audience thought that genre works best with drama.
In conclusion, I believe this target audience questionnaire was a useful thing to do as it allowed me to get to know my target audience and what they want from a 'drama' trailer a little more. Throughout the process of making my trailer I will keep in contact with various people in my target audience and get regular feedback so that I know whether I'm on the right track or not to please my target audience.
Here is the presentation I filmed for 'My Chosen Genre: Drama' prezi. I used the music from a copyright free source and credited it on the YouTube description of this video.
I will now show this video to a number of people who are part of my target audience (teenagers and young adults). I will ask for verbal feedback (which I will write down) and also for them to fill out a questionnaire that I have created about trailers.
Doing all of this will give me a better understanding of how my target audience feel about this genre and what kind of aspects (conventions, themes, etc.) they feel are most relevant.
After some feedback from my teacher I decided to improve upon my presentation by starting from scratch but taking some of the information I put in my other 'drama' presentation.
The main points of my feedback were:
consider ways to develop the audience and conventions of the genre with more detail
develop clear examples of chosen genre with more examples
include this all on your blog
I've completed all 3 points above. I will film myself presenting this in the near future and then receive feedback from people in my target audience. In addition to this I am planning to make a questionnaire on the genre 'drama' so I can see what elements of it my potential target audience like, dislike and want to see the most.
Above is the PowerPoint I presented on the 10th of October in a Media lesson. Due to some unfortunate events the footage of me presenting it has been lost. Instead of presenting it again I have decided to develop and improve my presentation. Once that is done I will either film myself talking about it (presenting it to the camera) or present it to a couple of people (if I get the opportunity to).
Yes, for both audiences and institutions, they are incredibly important.
A trailer is a vital element of promotion and a way of reaching out to the target audience to let them know that the film is coming out. It gives them a taste for the film, allowing them to see the actors/actresses involved which could make them want to see the film more.
For institutions this means their potential target audience could be growing which ultimately means more profit if more people go to see it at the cinema. In addition to this it advertises their company through streaming sites such as YouTube, Vimeo, etc as the production (or distribution) company will generally upload the video so the target audience will then be more aware of that production or distribution company, possibly raising it's popularity for future film releases.
After researching and analysing 5 of some of my favourite trailers I realised that 2 out of 5 of them had 'drama' as one of their genres. I understand that the word 'drama' as a genre is incredibly broad but if anything I think this just gives me more possibilities and options when looking into sub-genres.
Therefore, working independently, I have decided to produce a trailer with the genre, 'drama'.
What is 'drama'?
Drama films rely on having realistic characters that develop throughout the film through emotional and relational themes. These themes are often taken or inspired from real life problems. Therefore, the aim of a drama genre film is to 'tell an honest story of human struggles'.
For example;
Silver Linings Playbook (one of the trailers I analysed)
The genre of this film is drama, romantic but the drama element is very obvious and clear.
Life doesn't always go according to plan. Pat Solatano has lost everything - his house, his job, and his wife. He now finds himself living back with his mother and father after spending eight months in a state institution on a plea bargain. Pat is determined to rebuild his life, remain positive and reunite with his wife, despite the challenging circumstances of their separation. All Pat's parents want is for him to get back on his feet - and to share their family's obsession with the Philadelphia Eagles football team. When Pat meets Tiffany, a mysterious girl with problems of her own, things get complicated. Tiffany offers to help Pat reconnect with his wife, but only if he'll do something very important for her in return. As their deal plays out, an unexpected bond begins to form between them, and silver linings appear in both of their lives.
Above you can see a plot summary written by The Weinstein Company and from it you can pick out the elements of drama easily (e.g. how he was in a state institution etc.). Why 'drama'? On deciding a genre, the reality of being able to achieve it myself has to be considered. These factors include; location, budget, actors, props, genre iconography & more. The fact that drama shows, as I said before, 'an honest story of human struggles', gives a large scope for where I would want to film and who to film. It is also similar to the social-realism genre which is suitable for Independent Film Companies as the budget can be very small. Therefore, this is great for me as I am just one person and will by no means have a large (or any) budget.
As part of a promotional package a distributor will show a BBFC Certificate for the film. BBFC stands for British Board of Film Classification. The BBFC decide what age you have to be to be able to view a film, with the aim to protect children from harmful, unsuitable content. My target audience is teenagers and young adults so I need to decide what certificate my trailer will be. To get a better idea of what certificate I will choose I have decided to research what each certificate means and includes/involves.
12 Certificate
A 12 certificated film means that material in the film is not suitable for children under 12. Therefore, children over 12 may watch a 12 film without an adult (a 12A film requires an adult to accompany the child). Some tragedy films (e.g. The Lovely Bones) are classified 12, but this is more unusual as tragedy films tend to include more mature themes. A film certificated a 12 includes:
- Moderate language, sex references and violence
- Infrequent strong language
15 Certificate A 15 certificated film means that teenagers must be over the age of 15 to watch the film. This is generally because the levels of language, violence, etc. are much stronger. Black Swan is a good example of a tragedy film certificated 15 and I believe this is the most common certificate for tragedy films as it allows the content of the film to be more mature which generally more teenagers and young adults (my target audience) will relate to. A film certificated a 15 includes:
- Frequent strong language, sexual nudity, and strong violence
- Discriminatory language or behaviour
- Drug taking
18 Certificate
An 18 certificated film means that you must be over the age of 18 to watch the film. This is much more unusual in tragedy films but can happen if the content is particularly disturbing or offensive for some people. A film certificated 18 includes:
- Very strong language, strong portrayals of sexual activity, and strong horror
- Real sex (in some circumstances) and scenes of sexual horror
- Strong blood and gore
Following this research I believe the idea of my film could be suited for the age 12 certificate however I may use content that comes under the 15 certificate. As well as this young adults will probably be more interested in a film that is rated 15 as it will probably have more themes that interest them. With the aim of attracting as much of my target audience as possible it is likely that I will choose to certify my film as a 15 as this allows me to include more mature content. By making this decision I will make sure I do not include content that applies to the 18 certificate (e.g. strong horror).
From analysing 6 trailers of various genres I now feel more confident in writing out a list of conventions that I will consider following when I produce my own trailer.
At the start of 5/6 of the trailers I analysed a message from the 'Motion Picture Association of America Inc.' was shown stating the appropriate audience for the following trailer. Therefore something like this may appear at the start of my trailer to create a sense of professionalism however I do not think it is completely necessary as it clearly comes before the trailer (and not as a part of the trailer).
The Ingredients (Conventions) To Making A Trailer..
The ident of your production company (or companies)
An establishing shot or at least a shot that establishes something (the location or the relationship between 2 characters)
Protagonist introduced
A storyline (narrative) is set up
Part of how the film develops is shown (usually through an antagonist being introduced or a change of location)
Something (e.g. the antagonist) stopping something happening.
A voice over heard throughout either providing context for the film or linking the shots the audience sees together (conventionally one of the characters talking in a scene is used as a voice over, not another person).
The length of shots shorten and a montage of shots are shown at various points in the film
Non-digetic incidental music increases (either in tempo, dynamics or texture), therefore building anticipation for the end of the trailer and making the target audience more excited to see the film.
The title of the film is shown. (Other inter-titles are shown throughout the trailer as a break from the shots themselves).
However,
Not all trailers follow these conventions. This is important to understand and recognise simply because if I chose to create a trailer following every single convention listed above then my target audience would become bored and not watch the whole trailer.
Examples where conventions are not followed:
Toy Story 3 (2010) - the trailer is one scene showing the characters preparing the words 'Toy Story 3'.
This works well for this film as it allows the audience to see the recognisable characters in one scene with each other. With most other films this would be ineffective but Toy Story 3 make it work as it plays off the idea that the audience knows who all the characters are and uses this and recognisable non-diegetic music to bring a sense of nostalgia to audience members who have seen the previous films. A technique like this is only possible in a film franchise.
School Of Rock (2003) - shows a very small amount of inter-titles throughout the trailer.
This trailer focuses on music so there is less of a need for inter-titles as fans of music will be easily persuaded to watch the film. Inter-titles give the audience pieces of information about the film (e.g. marquee names) and so are used to entice the audience to want to see the film. This trailer, as I said, relies heavily on the music aspect and so it is not necessary to have the standard use of inter-titles as that would only distract the audience's attention from the main focus, which is music.
The reason these trailers can get away with not following the conventions is simply because they don't need to in order to create an effective trailer. If a trailer can be effective without following al l of the conventions then there is simply no need to put them in for the sake of it.
