Trailer
In addition to a 6-7 minute film, we also have to create a trailer to go along with it as part of the requirements for the IB Film course. This trailer is understood to be worth as much as our final film (if not more), and therefore is an aspect of the course that cannot be underestimated and be done just for the sake of it (i.e be done to a poor standard by just throwing a bunch of clips together), as it will be significant when determining what your final grade for IB Film will be.
Since this trailer is so important I decided that I wanted to make mine fairly original (which ruled out just throwing a bunch of clips from the film together) although still include concepts of modern mainstream trailers. I wanted to create a trailer like this as I felt it would allow me to display my creativity, as well as showcase the various skills that I have when it comes to filmmaking, including editing and cinematography. In addition to this, I felt as if a original trailer will allow the examiner to gain a different perspective of our film, and will possibly show how much I understood of what I was creating. I've defined "original" in this context as something that doesn't follow the conventions of a normal trailer, which then gave me the idea to create a trailer that doesn't include clips from the actual film, essentially making another short film. Listed below are some conventions that may be seen within a mainstream film trailer:
- Introducing Actors
- Establishing Shots
- Introducing The Narrative Line
- Key Scenes From The Film
- Disequilibrium
- Graphics To Make The Film More Interesting
- Cuts To Music
- Name Of The Film
- Critic/Magazine Reviews
TRAILER IDEAS
To start the process of creating a trailer I first had to braintorm a number of different ideas in order for me to progress along. By having more than one idea, this prevented me from wasting time by working hard at my first idea, as I knew this wouldn't be the final outcome of my trailer as the first idea is usually always the worst. Therefore, I had to have several in mind before I actually started to create a trailer, as I could take elements from each idea and combine them with others to generate more ideas. Below are the initial ideas that I brainstormed for my trailer:
1. Amelia telling the story from her point of view
2. Montage editing (quick cuts) along with music
3. A narration from Oliver along with quick cuts
4. The Homeless Man talking to the camera after he mugs the siblings in the alleyway (basically a scene from the film which isn't actually shown within the film)
5. Story from Homeless Man's point of view
6. Oliver "breaking the fourth wall" and talking to the camera
7. Police interview with the Homeless Man
8. Police interview with Oliver
In the end I thought that my seventh idea of a police interview with the Homeless Man would be the most interesting to work with as it gave a lot of room to be original, as there isn't an interrogation scene in our final film anyway. Furthermore, I thought that this could also show off my editing skills due to the fact that I would need to use a lot of different shots, L cuts and flashbacks to keep the audience interested.
TRAILERs For Reference
Linked below are some of the trailers I've looked at:
By looking at these, I was able to establish what people would be expecting to see when viewing a trailer.
Interrogation Trailer Notes
As mentioned before, I decided that my main idea for my trailer would be an interrogation scene between an officer and the Homeless Man, as I thought this allowed for the most creativity and originality, whilst also allowed me to be able to follow the conventions of a mainstream trailer. However, if I wanted to accomplish this properly, I would need to plan out what I was going to do and what I would need to include. Listed below are some things that I noted down that I thought would result in a better final product if I were to incorporate them into my trailer:
- Over The Shoulder Shots
- L Cuts
- A Dark Room
- Shallow Lighting
- Fades
- Intense Music
- Reaction Shots
- Flashbacks
I then also looked at the two following video clips for inspiration, the second one a finalist of Tropfest Australia 2012, the world's largest short film festival.