Within real media products there are commonly used codes and
conventions that I too have used within my media product so that the decoder
recognises it as being part of the action/thriller genre. However, while
abiding to the former conventions of film trailers in the same genre, I have
also stretched the boundaries of these conventions to provide my own trailer
with a unique, original selling point.
Genre is a key part of a
successful movie trailer. Genre refers to a category of media product that the
decoders are able to recognise because of repetition of key elements over time
and intertextual links. Therefore the audience will recognise similar films as
being part of that genre due to them having the same forms and conventions. The
factors that determine the genre of the film can be broken down into
characters, setting, themes, use of narrative and certain cinematic/camera
usage. Before my group started filming we researched further into the genre of
action/thriller to gain understanding and influence into what we must include
in our own trailer. Some of the action/thriller genre film trailers I looked at
included Shooter and the Bourne Identity.
These films had a similar storyline to my planned film and
they contained fast paced montage editing and lots of action scenes within.
Among other elements, these trailers included explosions chase scenes, guns
dramatic dialogue, evil character, which all anchor the film as being an action
thriller. By including as many feasible elements as I can in my own film
trailer I was able to create a film trailer within this genre.
Narrative is one of the main factors in what category of
genre the product falls in. The narrative of a film genre includes similar
plots and structures predictable situations, obstacles, conflicts and
resolutions. After presenting our pitch for our
film idea, the audience feedback suggested that the plot had been done too
much. This plot being a man who’s framed for the murder of his wife and is
therefore on the run from the police force he once worked for. Considering the
fact that our aim was to create a unique style to the product, we altered the
plot to make it more dramatic and hopefully original. The newly devised
storyline involved his son being kidnapped - this added an element of despair;
as if it wasn’t bad enough that his wife had been killed and he was the
culprit, the main character loses his son – the only thing he had left. Now the
main character (Mark Steele) must find the people responsible for the
kidnapping of his son, whilst on the run from the police force he once worked
for. This narrative is one very relative to the action/thriller genre, as the
situation of a man with nothing to lose, seeking revenge and on the run is very
much what an audience expects to see in an action/thriller film.
Setting also played a big part in determining the genre. The
calm countryside sets the scene in the beginning when the mood is peaceful and
the audience, for the first time, see a father and son living a happy and
secluded life. This mood is broken as the introduction of a new character
(Mark’s friend) brings bad news. It is at this point that mysterious music
anchors the audiences feelings of worry. As the music builds into suspense the
introduction of ‘bad guys’ holding guns with masked faces strengthens the idea
of this film being an action/thriller.
- Mysterious abandoned house.
Characters and Props are key elements of genre and my film trailer includes that which are typically involved in films of the action/thriller genre. The protagonist is a man who has lost everything but sets out for some sort of vengeance, with nothing to lose. The element of love is engaged through the character of his son, who is the only person the main character cares for. In these types of films there is always a friend of the protagonist who looks out for him but seems to get in the way; in our film trailer I play the part of the friend and at one point in the trailer I am heard shouting, “you can’t keep living your life like this!” This classic cliché line is a perfect example of a friend trying to help, but gets ignored. All action/thriller genre films need a bad guy- someone or group of people that creates a twist or obstacle for the protagonist. In our trailer masked men are seen kidnapping the son and later on, the main character (Mark Steele) is seen chasing a hooded man – these characters being the villains. Also acting as key elements of the genre are the props that we included in the film trailer. Guns are a big indicator of a film being part of the action/thriller genre and are a key prop used in our trailer. Mark Steele is seen baring a handgun when on the search for his son and at the end of the trailer an unidentified figure is seen looking down the scope of a sniper rifle. Another key prop in our production would be the balaclava masked used for the villains. These masks created a sense of mystery to the villains as it is unclear who they actually are and this gave a un-nerving sense of detachment to the characters.
Editing is determined by the conventions of film trailers .
. .
The way in which I edited the clips in our film trailer
followed the codes and conventions of typical film trailers.
No comments:
Post a Comment