After finishing the first draft of our Teaser Trailer, the feedback we received said that our beginning montage was too long, providing an unclear narrative as it seemed more like a film opening rather than a Teaser Trailer. It would have therefore confused the audience, as they may not have been able to clearly identify the genre of out piece.
We therefore decided to cut down the montage at the beginning of our trailer. We only used three scenes, all with the protagonist with her back to the camera. The feedback from our changed montage scene was more positive due to the shorter length, and the fact that it provided a clearer narrative for the audience, as the transition to the party scene in our trailer works better.
To make this transition work, along with cutting down the beginning montage, we also added the non-diegetic sound of an alarm clock, which increases in volume and tempo to mirror a heart monitor, which provides a clear transition to the next scene, which is the POV of the protagonist the party.
The first shot of this trailer is a tracking shot, first showing the audience the 'Missing' poster and then moving towards the crowd of people holding candles. The lighting is low-key and the diegetic sound of crickets in the night creates an eerie ambience. This is contrasted by the non-diegetic contrapuntal piano music which sounds upbeat and romantic. There is a sound bridge to the next shot- a midshot of Nick speaking into the microphone, with Amy's parents to the right of him, and a poster of Amy framed in the background to his left. Everyone believes Nick is the only thing standing between Amy being reunited with her parents and this framing further suggests that. It is a low angle shot, and possibly a point-of-view shot, as Nick is standing on a stage, above the crowd. This presents him as powerful and dominant. Nick is also presented as powerful in the next shot, in which Amy's head is against his chest and she looks up at him. His hand is stroking her head and she is in a vulnerable position. The non-diegetic love song continues and the lyrics depict everything the audience is lured into believing Amy is innocent.
Three shots of Nick Dunne are used, separated by two contrasting shots- one of them kissing and then of the first sign that something is wrong when Amy disappears. The shots of Nick zoom in each time, closer to his face as he realises for the first time that something bad has happened. Nick is framed alone; the long shot leaves him in the middle of the screen, surrounded by the interiors of the house, the cool tones of the shots on his own, contrast the warm yellow tones of the shot of the couple. Their lives have changed so drastically from then to now, and this is evident in the lighting. The shots of Nick have high-key natural lighting suggesting that the truth will be revealed while the kissing shot is low key, and only their silhouettes are visible clearly. The eye level midshot presents a balance in the relationship that is no longer there.
The last shot of Nick in this sequence, is a low angle close up, presenting him as powerful and is one way in which the audience are made unsure of what happened to Amy. His face is lit naturally from the windows on the left but the right side of his face is left dark, conveying a duplicitous nature and a hidden truth, once again handing the audience false clues as to what has happened.
Throughout the trailer, there is a variation of lighting- often a high-key lit shot will be followed by a lowly-lit shot. Other shots incorporate both light and darkness- such as the shot of Nick pulling down the blinds. His face is in the background of the shot and is dark and appears sinister as he shuts the light out. The blind is in the foreground- and is brightly lit by natural light. It is also white which furthers the contrast to Nick's shadowed face in his dark home.
Fast paced montage editing is a convention of teaser trailers and the shots are often cut quickly to prevent giving too much away to the audience. The screen goes black just as Nick grabs Amy, and the audience are more likely to watch the film to find out what happens next. To add drama, this is where the music gets faster and a fast paced drum beat comes in. This is supposed to be the most romantic part of the song, but when paired with the contrasting abusive shots, it is twisted and becomes disturbing.
The straight cut editing gets faster as the teaser trailer progresses until the last shot of Amy's body in the water after being drowned. This creates tension and intrigue, which is the ambience a Psychological Thriller wants to leave with the audience. The water is dark and appears murky- which contrasts Rosamund Pike's fair skin and blonde hair. She is often labelled as an English Rose. The fade to black after the shot adds more mystery as Nick Dunne's voiceover pleads innocence while the audience can see her body on screen.
The trailer finishes on the line "I did not kill my wife. I am not a murderer," which reiterates the main plot, and leaves the audience to decide whether they believe him or not. The last shot matches the poster and the website- shots similar to this are used to connect the trailer with its ancillary products, and help to promote the film to a larger extent.
The non-diegetic sound of an alarm clock beeping synchronously with the straight cut editing of the opening montage depicts a sense of normality and mundanity. The high-key lighting and the emphasised diegetic sounds of each shot add to this image. Everything is as it should be.
Until the alarm clock sound effect increases in pace and it soon begins to sound like a heart monitor measuring a quickening heart beat. The distortion of a mundane sound, into one that symbolises panic and danger, highlights how easy it is for someone's life to spiral out of control- even when it was seemingly perfect before. This could be a representation of addiction itself- one may think they have it under control but by the time they realise, it's too late. The use of the reviews at the beginning is to lure the audience in. The contrasts between the black background and the white typography is eye catching and draws the audience's attention.
Similarly, the alarm clock beeping is a sound people often find tormenting and uncomfortable which further draws their attention to the teaser trailer. The three shots used in the opening montage are examples of graphic matching and don't allow the audience to see the protagonist's face, leaving them wondering who this person is.
The time-lapse is used to present the passing of time, as the protagonist travels to the party. The sun is setting which not only depicts the sky going from light to dark, it depicts the protagonist transforming from good to evil.
This is emphasised by the use of breaking the fourth wall in the next shot, as Bethan takes a drug, looking directly into the camera. This act of defiance is paired with a non-diegetic pop song remix, to further highlight the distortion the protagonist is experiencing. The lighting has now become low-key and the lights of the party are multi-coloured, adding to the warped, distorted tone. Not only this but the use of a Fish Eye lens makes the point-of-view shots blurred and hazy, giving the audience insight into how one would feel under the influence of drugs. Some of the shots are lit with red lighting, perhaps symbolising danger and evil- addiction is not only dangerous, it can bring out someone's dark side.
Other than red lighting, layering is also used to give the effect of disfigured reality. An extreme close up of the protagonist's eye is layered with a long shot of her spinning around absent-mindedly, portraying the two sides of a person struggling with addiction. One is aware of what they are doing, while the other doesn't realise the consequences of their actions. Drugs provide the protagonist with a sense of both entrapment and escape. The music increases in speed as the intensity of Bethan's addiction worsens.
The use of the overlapping typography combined with the distorted music and silhouetted shot of Bethan taking one drug too many symbolises utter chaos as the protagonist's addiction goes from bad to worse. The fast paced editing that follows this, emphasises the downfall of the character as she continues to become more and more dependent on the drugs. Close ups of these drugs are used to present their significance on the plot. Bethan uses them as a short-term escape but is ultimately trapped within her addiction. Compared to their dark, low-key lit surroundings, the pills are brightly coloured and evoke a sense of both emancipation and intrigue.
The fast-paced straight cuts are parallel with the sound as they were in the opening montage, to present the drugs have now become a part of the protagonist's daily routine. The cold-tone shot of the protagonist staring into the mirror- looking afraid and puzzled as she slowly wipes her bleeding nose, is preceded by more warm-tone shot of her laughing and once again breaking the fourth wall.
The contrast of emotions are intended to make the audience feel uncomfortable while also giving them a close up look on the different ways in which one can be affected by addiction. The penultimate shot of the protagonist running, mirrors the tracking shot at the beginning, when Bethan is mundanely walking to the party. The alteration in lighting as well as the increased shakiness of the hand held shot signifies the huge juxtaposition between the start and end of the Teaser Trailer. The music stops momentarily as the screen goes black- leading the audience into a safe sense of security. When you think the addiction may be under control, the serenity is interrupted by the last shot of the protagonist screaming under water.
The last shot of a teaser trailer should be memorable in order to ensure the audience watch the following trailer and eventually the film and the jump from pitch black to a predominantly white shot as well as the abrupt increase in volume, does this effectively.
The very first shot in this teaser trailer is an off centre still shot of the television, from behind the sofa, the mise en scene in this shot initially appears to be depicting normality, as an average living room setting is displayed, with a comfortable sofa, a table lamp and tea cups, which all connote comfort. However, the low-key lighting of the room creates an eerie feel, which is harshly contrasted by the bright colours on the television screen. The vivid colouring of the TV causes this the become the central focus of the shot, even though it is not central on the screen. This depicts the significance of the media, and television throughout the narrative of the film. This significant is also presented throughout the trailer though various other shots:
Such as this 'We got a winner' shot, which displays a television presenter and an audience to a TV show, as the bold typography mirrors that to one that would pop up on a game show. Additionally, the non-dietetic voice over of the character saying 'I'm going to be on television', reiterates this importance of the media and specifically the television.
The next shot is a central still shot of a dimly lit fridge. Similarly to the previous living room shot, upon an initial glance one may analyse this shot to connote comfort and an average life, do to the family photos, fridge magnets, and untidy side counters. This shot depicts normality through the mise en scene. However, the low key lighting changes this, as the room is very dark all apart from the white fridge, which stands out in the shot, becoming the pivotal factor. This demonstrates an aspect of the narrative, as the fridge is displayed as somewhat daunting, this is because of the character's anorexia, as within the plot she develops a fear of the fridge as it will tempt her to eat.
One of the main factors to the plot of this film is the use of drugs, this is depicted all the way through the trailer. One effective way in which this is done is through the use of extreme close ups, such as:
Extreme close-up shots of the characters' eyes, which convey the physical effects that drugs have on their bodies; as the shot displays their pupils dilating.
Various extreme close up shots of drugs, such as a syringe, a lighter, and pills. These illustrate to the audience that the characters are using a dangerous amount of different drugs; it depicts how their lives are arguably drug-orientated, due to the sheer amount of it all.
Love is an theme which is displayed throughout this teaser trailer, it is depicted through various different shots:
A sexual love is conveyed through this elevator shot of the two characters kissing. Simultaneously, there is a non-diegetic voice over of the female character whispering 'I love you', which adds to this theme of love.
This shot has a post-effect over it which causes it to appear as if it is footage from the elevator camera, this could suggest that the characters are willing to express their love no matter who is watching.
Furthermore, the same sexual love is presented though this extreme close up of the characters kissing, the kissing effect mirrors this at the same time. The indiscreet nature of the shot is very apparent, as it is straight in the audience face and leaves them nowhere else to look, and the sound effect also makes this shot very explicit.
Similarly to the previously discussed shot this suggests that the characters do not care about hiding their love, but want to express it regardless of the audience.
Familial love is also portrayed through this trailer, as it explores the love between the mother and son. This is conveyed through this close up of the two characters embracing. This is an important aspect of the narrative as their relationship is weakened as they are both caught up in drugs and addiction. The contrast between the bond they have prior to the drug use and their isolation after the drugs have taken their toll really emphasise the negative effects of drugs.
This shot depicts a romantic love between these two characters. Here they are displayed to be running together, holding hands, through a bright, sunny park. The high-key lighting of this shot connotes their happiness together, and contrasts the low-key nature of the rest of the drug-filled trailer. This suggests their happiness before their drug troubles.
These shots are contrasted against the shots that are displayed in the later part of the trailer, which depict the very negative effects of addiction
This is close up shot is very low-key and presents the female character in a negative light. Her make-up is smudged, she is sweating, and looks very exhausted. This displays the character craving the drugs she is addicted to. Money is another theme that is a apparent through the trailer, which is depicted through various close up shots of money. From this it can be suggested that the character has run out of money and is therefore suffering from withdrawal symptoms. This is also displays through the blue lighting on half of her face, which causes her to appear sickly.
As Teaser Trailers are typically less than 2 minutes long, it is a convention to use fast-paced montage editing, in order to fit in a variation of shots and parts of the movie. However unlike most teaser trailers this Teaser Trailer is made up of one shot, which automatically makes it interesting to watch. The screen starts off black, and soon there is a fade into the shot: a corridor with two bright red elevator doors at the end of it. There is a chandelier attached to the ceiling, and paintings on the walls- signifying this is quite a luxurious hotel.
The credits roll upwards and it is more reminiscent of the ending of a film, rather than a teaser trailer. The non-diegetic sounds starts quietly at first and it is difficult to determine what the sounds are. A high-pitched melody plays over the buzzing, creating an eerie, tension-building soundscape. The typography is simple, so that the audience can read it easily and quickly. The shot is still motionless- it is only the music that continues to build suspense. The lack of movement makes the audience feel uneasy- as though something shocking will soon happen. The non-diegetic buzzing sounds get more aggressive and the melody gets faster.
As the elevator doors are also red, when the blood first spills out of the wall, it is unclear what is happening. There is a contrast between the deep red of the elevators and the pure white of the walls, which is further illustrated by the gallons of blood that sweep through the corridor- staining the white walls. The source of the blood is left unexplained and the sheer amount of it is enough to make the audience feel uncomfortable. It fills the corridor and even has the strength to drag one of the sofas towards the camera. Blood engulfs the screen and the audience can see the shapes of furniture moving, as it is appears to float away in the river of blood. The screen turns to black- although not in the gentle fade that the audience is lured in with at the start- a blunt straight cut that leaves the audience guessing the possibilities of the teaser trailer and what the full film will be like.
The opening shot of this teaser tailer is an extreme close up of the protagonist's eye. This is very shocking to an audience and immediately captures their attention, and invades their personal space, forming a sense of discomfort. The character's eye is very wide, dilated and bloodshot, this automatically connotes a sense of panic and fear, and depicts that something is very wrong, to the audience.
The following shot displays the protagonist waking up with her partner. The natural lighting allows for the protagonist the be lit with sunlight, whereas the partner, whose face is hidden, is shadowed. As his face is hidden and he is shadowed this creates negative connotations, and depicts that the male character is hiding something.
Positions of power are established in several ways throughout this trailer, one of which being the framing of characters, particularly in this shot. The audience is presented with a central, front on, medium-long shot of the male character, which focuses the audiences' attention onto him, whereas the female character is displayed through an over the shoulder shot, she is out of focus and heavily shadowed. This gives the power to the male character and grants him with a more superior and pivotal position. Additionally, the low-key lighting resembles the female character's confusion and negative emotions.
This displays very effective use of graphic matching, as the sequence flickers between the protagonist in her home and in hospital wear. This highlights her disorientation, it could suggest that this is a flashback, due to her lack of memory. It hooks the audience as it creates a sense of mystery and tension as it causes the audience to question what has happened in her past.
Several of the shots within this trailer obtain very low-key lighting, which could depict the darkness and deceit found within the film. One example, is this shot, which portrays the protagonist's husband lingering by the door, watching her as she sleeps. This is a very disturbing shot, as it distorts the traditional view on marriage, and creates the impression that the male character's intentions are not as he says, but perhaps are much darker. This is done by creating a sense of mistrust and fear throughout the trailer, this is done through the cinematography, music, typography and the narrative. For example, the use of red in the typography 'What if everything is a lie', connotes pain, blood and evil, which could represent what the protagonist has experienced in her life.
The music is very tense and dramatic, it builds tension by beginning as very slow and eerie, conveying the disturbed nature of the film to the audience. This conforms with the psychological thriller convention of the use of contrapuntal music, as the sound is high pitched, slow, piano music, which would usually be associated with serenity and tranquility, but in this trailer it is distorted by a low pitched ominous swooshing sound, which causes the music to appear dark and eerie, which mirrors the onscreen action and enforces the sense of fear. A change appears when the phone rings and there is a high pitched sound which evokes tension within the audience, this signifies the thrilling side of the film. As the on screen action unfold, the music mirrors it throughout the trailer, as it grows in intensity and creates fear and tension in the audience. The music constantly builds up to a climatic point at the end of the trailer, this creates anticipation, which is followed with very quiet sounds and a non-diegetic voice over of the protagonist.
The narrative such as 'Sometimes when the truth is painful I don't always have the strength' and 'He says he's protecting you, but don't trust him' reiterates this lack of trust and sense of fear, as it suggests that the protagonist has a very disturbed past and is now left confused and unable to trust anyone in her life.
Evidence of her disturbed and traumatic past is conveyed repeatedly throughout this trailer, such as flashbacks to her attack. These flashbacks are presented in black and white, along with this being done to convey to the audience that these are flashbacks, this effect could be used to depict the darkness and the trauma of the events.
The past paced editing used in these sequences highlight the panic felt by the protagonist as she is being attacked. Additionally, as conveyed in the narrative, she is an amnesiac, therefore, cannot fully remember her past, so the fast paced disjointed editing represents her inability to remember the events properly and chronologically.
The trailer starts with an establishing shot of an empty living room with the television on. Low key lighting is used, conveying a sense of uneasiness to the audience. This is followed by a split screen shot of a woman sorting her pills. There is a close-up pan of the different coloured pills on the table, indicating that the pills are a central part to the plot of the film. This further shown through the repetition of the voiceover used at the end of the trailer by the woman sorting the pills, where she says" Purple in the morning, Blue in the afternoon, and orange is the evening." This suggests the woman may be addicted to these pills, again conveying addiction as one of the central themes of the film.
There are a variety of different camera angles and movement throughout the trailer. A fish eye is used in one of the scenes shown. This may be used to create a sense of disorientation for the audience, as well as a sense of uneasiness felt by the characters. Close-up shots are used frequently throughout the trailer, also creating the same effect.
There is a close up of one of the characters in a nightclub, and another close-up of the lips of someone smoking, again conveying the theme of drugs to the audience. This is further shown through the close-up of an eye where the pupil grows bigger. This allows the audience to see the effect of a drug on the character. These types of shots allow the audience to see what is happening in a very creative way. This can also be seen in the shot of the orange, where it disappears in the next shot to show passing of time. Another shot showing this, is when one of the characters is walking down the street, whilst other people pass her in fast motion. This adds a sense of confusion for audience, linking to the conventions of a psychological thriller.
Fast paced editing is used in the trailer to show the variety of locations, as well as not giving too much away in what is happening in the trailer, as the genre of Requiem for a Dream is a psychological thriller, therefore not giving enough information to the audience in order for them to completely understand what is happening.
The first shot of this teaser trailer is immediately eye-catching. Even for those who are not fans of the show, this figure creeping towards the camera dressed in black latex raises a number of questions that a viewer might want to be answered. The lighting is low key and for the time being, the only sound is a crackly unidentifiable non-diegetic noise. The shot doesn't last long before it is followed by a very fast shot of a head shaking vigorously. Although the editing is fast-paced, the speed of the action on screen changes, and this variation makes the trailer that much more interesting. The majority of the shots are monochrome and this gives the trailer a particular gothic, grungy aesthetic.
A loud beat signifies the beginning of the non-diegetic music and is familiar to fans of American Horror Story. The shot on screen when this occurs is a close-up of some eyes that are distorted with an effect similar to a mirror being bent.
Throughout this trailer, some similar shots are repeated over and over again, which is a technique often used in teaser trailers, to tease the audience. Some shots I really like are the close ups of Lady Gaga when she's dressed as a sort of puppet or doll. It has the appearance of a type of photo shoot- the background is completely white which contrasts Lady Gaga's body which is grey and shadowy and over-exposed. In this montage of three shots, the first and last depict slow, creepy movement while the middle shot is of her body shaking. From what we can see, it seems that this technique of altering shots is used to create a sense of not being in control.
The overall effect of this trailer is very twisted and grotesque which makes you feel uncomfortable as it is intended to.
The first shot is preceded by an 'old television' transition, giving the viewers an opening that immediately suggests everything is not as it appears. For the first 15 seconds, the soundscape is empty, with the exception of a few non-diegetic parallel sounds, which match the quick paced straight cuts. The first shot is an eye level close up of a girl's face, as she awakes from unconsciousness. The audience cannot see the girl's face clearly due to her wayward hair and the low-key lighting.
Shadows occupy most of the screen which gives the shot an ominous feel. With the camera so close to the girl's face, as she wakes up, their is a voyeuristic ambience. Between shots of the girl waking up, the audience are shown quick flashes of footage, all with a red tint. It is hard to determine exactly what these shots are of, but the close up of the eyeball is very effective and again supports the theory of voyeurism.
A clear establishing shot of the city is presented next, and is followed by 3 more city-based shots. In each, the city is increasingly distorted- which may relate to the film's theme of drugs and the effects they have on people. Two of these have blurred bright lights, while the last one is a tracking shot of some dark buildings.
Throughout the trailer- typography is used to give the audience extra information on the plot and production of the film. The white sans serif typography is clear and modern and it is very effective against the dark black background. The white powder floating through the air is an interesting technique and ties in with the theme of drugs.
The trailer uses a collection of close up shots and distortion, to give the effect of being high. The close up shots of the girl's face when she's walking along the road in low key lighting, suggest the distorted shots are from her point of view. The music is very effective and increases in intensity as the trailer goes on. The main colours used are red, blue and black, which are all dark and contrast the occasional use of white.
There is a continued motif of a hand with white powder in the dark. This is very effective, as the contrasting monochrome colours are aesthetically eye-catching.
The first shot of the trailer is a tracking shot of the protagonist with his daughter, outside by his house. This is followed by close-ups and mid shots of his wife, daughter and his two friends and their daughter in the house, with the diegetic sounds of them laughing and talking to each other. This displays a sense of equilibrium to the audience, but also conveying a sense of tension, due to the film trailer being a Psychological Thriller, therefore leaving them wondering to what will happen to these two families, which would likely make them want to continue to watch the trailer.
As the two young girls leave the house, the music changes to a fast-paced drum sound, followed by quick, straight cuts of the girls, followed by a medium shot of a trailer, this is used to build up the tension, as the audience will be aware that something will happen to the children, but are unsure of what. The ambiguity of what happened to the girls is continued throughout the whole trailer, in order to not give away any of the plot, a convention of the films genre, and of a trailer.
This is followed by a close-up of a man holding an item which may have belonged to one of the girls, suggesting to the audience the importance of the object, as well as giving them clues on who took the girls, which may lead them to watch the film. There is a series of straight cuts between the two worried families and an extreme close-up of shots of someone drawing on a piece of paper. The shot is such an extreme close-up that the image seems distorted to the audience. This creates a sense of ambiguity, leading the audience to wonder what it actually is, or what it represents. The shot of the chalk being drawn on the piece of paper is repeated throughout the trailer, becoming clear to the audience that the person with the chalk is drawing a map, which could potentially represent where the abducted girls are. By giving these small clues to the audience, the trailer is able to draw them in, as they are more likely to watch it.
As the trailer progresses, the protagonist is displayed to lose control of his emotions, as he shown through a variety of close-up shots to lose his temper. Towards the end of the trailer, when confronting a potential suspect, he is displayed a
t a low angle, making him look, powerful and threatening to the audience. This may lead the audience to question if his intentions are actually valid, or if he to is hiding something, adding to the mystery of the trailer.
The last shot of the trailer shows an injured man peering out a wardrobe where he is locked in. The background is black, and conceals most of his face apart from his eye. It is clear to the audience through the blood on his face that he is injured. The diegetic sound of the protagonist screaming at him for his daughter, builds up the tension, and also leaves the audience wondering why and how the protagonist has locked him in a wardrobe. This shot therefore conforms to the conventions of a Psychological Thriller Trailer as it leaves a sense of ambiguity, which may persuade the audience to view the full film.
We therefore decided to cut down the montage at the beginning of our trailer. We only used three scenes, all with the protagonist with her back to the camera. The feedback from our changed montage scene was more positive due to the shorter length, and the fact that it provided a clearer narrative for the audience, as the transition to the party scene in our trailer works better.
