Teaser Trailer Analysis 3) Monsters University

The last teaser trailer I analysed is for the film Monsters University.

This is the teaser trailer:

• Production company logos at the start of the trailer - Disney and Pixar Animation Studios
• Voiceover
• Fades
• Many scenes of child friendly humour
• Little narrative development
• Little dialogue
• Name of the film in the middle of the trailer
• Shots of well known characters
• Reference to film format (3D)
• Some fast editing
• Release date near end of film
• Website displayed at the end of trailer

Teaser Trailer Analysis 2) Scream 4

The second teaser trailer I analysed is for a horror film called 'Scream 4'.

This is the teaser trailer:

• Production company logo at the start of the trailer - Dimension Films
• Fast editing with fades and impact sounds
• Range of different camera shots
• Eye-candy 
• Lots of horror scenes
• Reference to the director - Wes Craven
• Reference to previous films
• Little Dialogue 
• Little narrative development
• Exciting, dramatic music
• Taglines punctuate the images
• Name of film at the end
• Date at end - 4.15.11

Teaser Trailer Analysis 1) London Has Fallen

The first teaser trailer I chose to analyse is for an action film called London Has Fallen.

Here is the teaser trailer:

• Production company logos at start of trailer - Lionsgate and Millenium Films
• Quick editing with fades and impact sounds
• Shots to establish location
• Shots of star-studded cast
• Range of different camera shots 
• Eye-candy - Explosions
• Reference to previous film 'Olympus Has Fallen' - Both by name (almost like taglines) and by scenes
• 'Taglines' punctuate the images
• Many action scenes - explosions, car chases, etc...
• Very little dialogue (only hear words twice and that sounds like a news report in the background)
• Very little narrative development.
• Name of film at the end
• Release date at the end - coming soon
• Billing at the end

Teaser Trailer Conventions Introduction

I have now distinguished the differences between the conventions of teaser and theatrical trailers. I will now research more teaser trailers and identify all the common conventions that typically reappear.

I will look at 3 teaser trailers and analyse the coventions of each.

Comparing Teaser and Theatrical Trailer 2) Last Vegas

Below are the teaser and theatrical trailers for the film Last Vegas.

This is the teaser trailer:

This is the theatrical trailer:

• The teaser trailer has faster editing with some impact noises between cuts.
• The teaser trailer has very little narrative development and in comparison to the theatrical trailer, has little dialogue.
• The teaser trailer has a voice over which introduces the characters and tells us a little about the story.
• The theatrical trailer has slower editing.
• There is more dialogue and narrative development in the theatrical trailer.
• We see more characters in the theatrical trailer.
• The teaser trailer displays the production companies immediately. The theatrical trailer displays them after a short scene.
• Both trailers display the name of the film and the release date.

Comparing Teaser and Theatrical Trailer 1) Skyfall

Below are the teaser and theatrical trailers for the film Skyfall.

This is the teaser trailer:

This is the theatrical trailer:

• The teaser trailer has quick editing with impact noises and fades.
• The teaser trailer has very little dialogue and narrative development.
• The theatrical trailer has slower editing, even when the action scenes are displayed in a montage at the end.
• There is more dialogue and narrative development in the theatrical trailer.
• We are introduced to more characters in the theatrical trailer.
• Both trailers have the production company logos, 007 logo, social media links, film release date and the name of the film displayed prominently.
• However, the teaser trailer displays the production company logos at the start, the theatrical trailer does not.

Comparing Teaser and Theatrical Trailers

As part of my project I need to create a teaser trailer. In order to do this, I will conduct research on both teaser and theatrical trailers so I will be able to determine the conventions and differences between them.

I will look at the teaser and theatrical trailers of 'Skyfall' and 'Last Vegas' to discover the differences so I will be able to apply the correct conventions on my teaser trailer.

Empire Magazine Cover Analysis

Empire is a British magazine which focuses on mainstream Hollywood blockbusters. Empire's masthead is bold and vibrantly coloured (normally red) so it stands out against its background. The dominant central image tends to be of a famous actor in character (below Jennifer Lawrence in The Hunger Games) and this is 'eye-candy' for the viewer. The coverlines also display the magazines Hollywood roots with actors names such as 'Angelina Jolie' and 'Christian Bale'.

American Cinematographer Magazine Cover Analysis

American Cinematographer is a film magazine which focuses on the art and craft of cinematography. The slogan (The international journal of motion imaging) suggests just that. The dominant central image is of a film called 'Gone Girl' and the coverline displays that there is an interview with Jeff Cronenweth, the cinematographer of the film. The other coverlines are also names of cinematographers.

Filmmaker Magazine Cover Analysis

Filmmaker is a film magazine which focuses on independent films. The 'modestly' coloured masthead is not designed to stand out to the viewer, it's more to look professional and not be overwhelming on the cover. The slogan (The magazine of independent film) also shows the viewer what the magazine is about. The dominant central image might be of a famous actress, but the coverline shows how she was interviewed as a filmmaker. The other coverlines are all independent films such as 'Cosmopolis' and 'Beasts of the Southern Wild'.

Studio Magazine Cover Analysis

Studio is a film magazine which is aimed at women. The font alone suggests this as it has a softer, curvier feel. The slogan alone (Britain's First Women's Film Magazine) shows the viewer that its a women's magazine. The main coverline is 'Women in Hollywood' and most of the other cover lines reference women with words like 'sister' and 'queen'. The dominant central image is also of a female actress in a pose.

Total Film Magazine Cover Analysis

Total Film is a British monthly film magazine which focuses on Hollywood films. Its thick white (generally white) font masthead captures the eyes of the viewer as is stands out from the rest of the cleanly laid out cover. It generally has a well known character on the cover and the coverlines are normally big Hollywood productions. The issue below displays the 'swagger' of James Bond and it is stated that this is 'The Cool Issue'. The other coverlines and images show the top 10 'coolest movies' right now such as 'Django Unchained' and 'Jack Reacher'. The Hollywood theme really stands out with other big actors names being listed like 'Hugh Jacman' and 'Ben Affleck'.

Magazine Front Cover Conventions

As I researched magazine front cover, I noticed that the same basic conventions continually appear. These are:

Masthead

Web Address

Dominant Central Image

Barcode

Slogan

Main Cover Line

Banners

Cover Lines

Other Images

Issue Number

Date and Price

Magazine Cover Analysis Conclusion

As I've previously displayed, there are currently many different film publications. Some aim for the mass Hollywood market, while some focus on independent films and attract a more niche audience. Once I decide on a genre, I will have to decide what type of magazine to produce a front cover for. Most magazine front covers display the same basic conventions, but the layout of them varies massively between different types of magazines.

When you look at the conventions of the posters above, you can roughly see what type of magazine it is. For example, look at the cover lines of Studio and Filmmaker. It is very clear that Filmmaker focuses on independent films while Studio focuses on Hollywood. From the slogan on Studio, it is apparent that it is a women's magazine. Cinefex is a weird cover as it barely has any of the standard conventions on it. This is to keep the front cover 'clean' as the magazine focuses on graphics. There is barely a distraction from the image. 

When I make my magazine front cover, I will include content which is related to the type of genre/film that I choose. I will also decide which audience to aim at.

Magazine Cover Analysis 2 (Sight & Sound)

The second magazine cover I analysed is Sight & Sound. This is a British magazine, produced by the BFI and focuses on independent films.

Although the two magazine front cover I analysed were aimed at two completely different types of people, they both shared many of the same conventions. These were: masthead, dominant image, barcode, slogan, main cover line, cover lines, and the date, price and issue number.

When I make a magazine front cover for my film, regardless of who I will be aiming it at, these conventions will be included to give the magazine an authentic feel.

Magazine Cover Analysis 1 (Empire)

The first magazine cover I analysed was Empire. Empire is a British based magazine which focuses on mainstream Hollywod films.

Magazine Cover Analysis Introduction

In order to understand the conventions for different types of magazine publications, I will be analysing 2 magazine front covers. One is a mainstream Hollywood magazine (Empire) and the other is an Independent film magazine (Sight & Sound).

Below are the two posters I will be analysing.

Existing Film Publications

In order to make a poster, I felt that it was necessary to do some research into different types of magazines and how different they were from one another. I found 20 different film publications and researched them. I feel that I now have a bigger understanding into which type of magazine I should pick for a specific genre.

Below are the 20 front covers of the magazines I researched and a short paragraph explaining a little bit about each one.

1) Fangoria: Fangoria is an American horror magazine which was first published in 1979. When it first came out, it was a fantasy magazine, but after 7 issues, it adopted its current horror style. Fangoria is internationally distributed and its target audience is teenagers.

2) Shivers: Shivers was a British horror magazine which ran from 1992 till 2008. It produced 8 issues a year focusing on horror films, TV shows and literature.

3) Hotdog: Hotdog was a British film magazine which ran from 2000 until 2006. Hotdog originally started with a cynical view towards the film industry, however when circulation began to decrease, it was led to more mainstream film and Hollywood, Its cover which once displayed images of history and cult were transformed into a glossy format with the latest star of a film.

4) Little White Lies: Little White lies is an internationally distributed, film magazine which is based in London. It was founded in 2005 and it is bi-monthly. It is well known for its illustrations and the fact that each issues layout is dependant on what film is illustrated on the front.

5) Empire: Empire is the biggest selling film magazine in the United Kingdom. It started in 1989 and is issued monthly. Empire is also published in the United States, Australia, Turkey, Russia and Portugal. It reviews mainstream and art films.

6) SFX: SFX is a monthly British magazine which started in 1995. It is based on the science fiction, fantasy and horror genres. It focuses on films, TV shows, video games, comics and literature.

7) Cinefex: Cinefex is a quarterly British journal which started in 1980 and covers the visual effects in films. It has a unique 8"x9" configuration which enables for an easy reproduction of film frames in a format similar to their original film aspect ratio.

8) American Cinematographer: American Cinematographer is an American monthly magazine which started in 1920 and is published by the American Society of Cinematographers. It focuses on the art and craft of cinematography, covering domestic and foreign feature productions, TV shows, short films, music videos and adverts. The emphasis is on interviews with cinematographers, but directors and other filmmakers are often featured as well.

9) Entertainment Weekly: Entertainment Weekly is a weekly American magazine which was first published in 1990 by the Time inc. It covers films, TV shows, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture. The magazine features celebrities on the cover and addresses topics such as TV ratings, movie grosses, production costs, concert ticket sales, advert budgets and in-depth articles about scheduling, producers, showrunners, etc.

10) Film Comment: Film Comment is a monthly American magazine which was first published in 1962. It features reviews and analysis of mainstream, art-house and avant-garde filmmaking around the world. 

11) Film Journal: Film Journal is a American magazine which was first published in 1934. It covers exhibition, production and distribution reporting both U.S. and international news with features on industry trends, movie theatre design and technology, screen advertising and other topics.

12) Filmmaker: Filmmaker is a quarterly American magazine which was first published in 1992. Filmmaker covers issues relating to independent films. With a circulation larger than 60,000, the magazine includes interviews, case studies, financing and distribution information, festival reports, technical and production updates, legal pointers and filmmakers on filmmaking in their own words.

13) Film Quarterly: Film Quarterly is a quarterly American film journal which was first published in 1945. Film Quarterly is peer-reviewed and publishes scholarly analysis of international cinemas, current blockbusters, hollywood classics, documentaries, animation, independent, avant-garde and experimental film and video.

14) Moviemaker: Moviemaker is an bi-monthly, internationally distributed American magazine which was first published in 1993. It focuses on the art and business of making movies wit a special emphasis on independent film.

15) Premiere: Premiere was a monthly American magazine which ran from 1987 until 2007. It featured letters from readers, behind the scenes action, first look, previews, reviews, etc...

16) Sight & Sound: Sight & Sound is a British monthly film magazine  by the British Film Institute which was first published in 1932. The magazine reviews all film releases each month, including those with a limited release, as opposed to most film magazines which concentrate on those films with a general release. Sight & Sound features a full cast and crew credit list for each reviewed film.

17) Starburst: Starburst is a monthly British science fiction magazine which was first published in 1977. Starburst contains news, interviews, features and reviews of genre material in various media, including TV, film, soundtracks, multimedia, comics, books, etc. 

18) Studio: Studio is the UK's first film magazine for women, Packed with witty editorial and Hollywood news, plus all the latest movie reviews, Studio stands out from other film magazines with its distinctive pages dedicated to the hottest film inspired fashion. This magazine is only in digital format.

19) The Hollywood Reporter: The Hollywood Reporter is a weekly American magazine which first published in 1930. It's main focus is on Hollywood motion picture, TV and entertainment industries as well as Hollywood's intersection with fashion, finance, law, technology, lifestyle and politics. The weekly print edition includes profiles, original photography, interviews with entertainment figures, articles about major upcoming releases, product launches, film reviews and film festival previews.

20) Total Film: Total Film is a monthly (extra issue published in Summer) British film magazine which was first published in 1997. Each month, Total Film provides a range of features, from spotlight interviews with actors and directors, to making of and on-set pieces for new and future releases. Each issue always includes the Total Film interview, which is a six page in-depth chat with an actor or director, along with a critique of their body of work.