After learning all the conventions that would be needed to create a trailer of my own, I was put into a group to produce a trailer from the film 'The Omen' which we was watched during 2 of our lessons (see poster to the right).
Creating the trailer meant not using a simple Windows program such as Windows Movie Maker, we had to use a Mac (Apple branded computer) and using the program Final Cut Pro to create the trailer.
I have used Final Cut Pro before to create a short film, so that gives me an advantage when it comes to creating a simple 2 minute trailer, piecing together the best bits of the film, being careful not to reveal too much.
In the end, We were only able to create a trailer that was about a minute and 20 seconds long, however we were aiming for something that was two minutes long, so the trailer wasn't finished. We had the beginning and the middle of the trailer done, but we hadn't started the end. This was due to poor time management skills, along with poor communication skills. I will take the skills that I have learned here onto my main task and hope that poor time management and communication skills do not become my downfall again.
Halloween
9th in the Halloween series, this remake of the 1978 film is an American slasher film written, produced and directed by Rob Zombie. Rob's remake follows the premise of John Carpenter's original version, where Michael Myers (the main character) staalks the character of Laurie Strode and her friends on Halloween night, however, Zombie's film goes deeper into the characters mindset, trying to figure out what his reasons for killing people are, unlike Carpenter's version where Michael Myers just kills for the sake of killing.
The use of quick edits and extreme close ups at the beginning of the trailer with the newspaper articles (see to the right and below) convey to the audience that a lot had happened so many years ago, it also conveys to the audience the main characters fascination with the night of Halloween (the title of the film) but also because of the newspaper cut outs, there is a lot of mystery created at the same time.
Another thing the quick edits used in the trailer have done is give the audience a taster of some of the violence and possible deaths that will happen at one point or another throughout the film. At the end of the trailer, when Michael Myers carries a girl away in his arms, it possibly indicates to the audience that he has whatever he is looking for, but also poses the question of will she somehow manage to escape, which makes the viewer want to watch the film even more to see if anything more has happened.
The final edit, which is think was best used in the trailer, was between 00:20 and 00:22 where you just catch a glimpse of the 10 year old Michael Myers wearing a mask and looking much older. This I believe was used to once again, see into the future and give the viewer a possible inside as to what the main character is going to look like at some point within the film.
The use of non-diagetic sounds such as a blade possibly being cleaned, the piano at the end of the trailer when the intertitles are showing, the heartbeat when you see adult Michael Myers for the 1st time and at the end of trailer, the screaming that comes from nowhere and the background music playing throuhgout all help to create an desired effect of building up the tension and perhaps get the viewer excited, but also possibly scare the viewer a little bit, but only enough that would make them want to go and see the trailer. The use of diagetic sounds throughout the trailer add a realism to everything that you see happen within the trailer.
There are quite a few valuable shots used throughout the trailer, such as the close up of Michael Myers' face (00:27-00:29) which was used to show no expression on his face. The very long shot of Myers walking away from a hallway of blood (00:42-00:46) which puts emphasis on the blood stain on the wall, indicating to the viewer that someone has possibly died here. The extreme close-up on Myers' eyes (01:10) allow the viewer a quick glimpse into the coldness of Michael Myers, which possibly indicates that there is no feeling inside him whatsoever for what he is doing.
The Hurt Locker
This American made war film was directed by Kathryn Bigelow, with the screenplay written by Mark Boal who was a freelance writed, but was embedded as a journalist in 2004 with a US bomb squad in Iraq. This film was premiered in 2008 but wasn't globally released until July 24th 2009. It is about a three man US Army team that dealt with the disposal of explosives during the Iraq war.
There is a slow motion edit used from 01:29 and 01:32 which I believe to be the best edit used throughout the trailer because it enhances how close he was to almost being blown up by the bombs which are just right behind him and also shows that just like the environment around him, he can also be easily destroyed. I also think it places the viewer on the edge of their seat at this point because of how close he is. In my opinion, all the other kinds of edits used in this film don't stand out as much as the one i've just talked about.
In terms of shots used, there are some close ups used whenever you see significant objects like the bombs or the wires from them being cut throughout the trailer to emphasis the importance of them. There aren't a lot of any close ups on anyone's faces and of what there are, they only show happiness, however a lot of the tilted framed shots show a lot of expression on the characters faces, mostly to do with fear.
The non-diagetic sound of the watch ticking away which speeds up, the heavy breathing you hear and the heartbeat you hear all show tension and that something dangerous is happening. When the ticking speeds up, the tension and danger builds during the trailer, making the audience wonder if the main character will survive all the way to then end. From about 01:10 onwards, the music playing reflects the genre that the director was trying to aim for in the creation of the trailer. It also reflects a fast paced movement, which is something the army always has to be. My final point on sound is that most of the diagetic sound used, which outnumbers the non-diagetic sound used throughout the film, is enhanced, which takes away from the realism of everything shown throughout the trailer, but the audience who the director has tried to aim this trailer at don't see this, they are only interested in the trailer because it plays on male stereotypes with the guns and explosions etc, so the director is allowed to get away with this.
