Case study: The dark Knight.

I have chosen to analyse The Dark Knight as it is a very popular film. Which created alot of publicity. I want to discover how this film did this so i can make my film just as successful.

This film poster is very dark and dim it shows the villian in the film to be standing what almost looks like frosted glass. This creates a sense of mystery as we aren't really able to see his face in much detail. He is standing in a black coat with a bright light behind him this also creates more mystery. At the bottom of the film poster is the name of the film and its logo which is a bat this resembles batman and indicates that this is a batman film. The most interesting part of this poster is the catch line from the film which is 'why so serious?' This is shown to be the most important part of the poster as it written in the jokers blood from his mouth. This indicates to me that ther is something about the storyline in the film is important about the jokers mouth. It also makes me think that the catch line of the film made it popular and have alot of publicity.

The magazine cover i am anaylsing for the dark knight comes from Entertainment. On this magazine cover there is a dark background which carries on the theme of the mystery.

Within the picture is the two main characters this gives publicity to the film as they are both big stars who are good actors however they are dressed up as their charcaters. They are different ends of the picture frame. This shows that there is a rivialary. Both of the characters look like they could kill the other. This means that they are in character within the picture. This shows what the tension will be like in the film. The text on the magazine cover falls between the two characters. It says ' BATMAN TRAGEDY AND TRIUMPH. below that it talks about the death of Heath Ledger, it tells us about his brillian performance within the film. It is written in bold and bright writting to attract the audience to read it and be interested in the film.

http://www..youtube.com/watch?v=xxKJgOZXEho

The trailer for the dark knight starts with a very dark long shot of the film with the main character Batman, standing on the roof of a building. We then get a birdseye view of the city, which then pans to the building in which Batman is standing. We then get another birdseye view of the city from batmans point of view and it shows him falling from this building. This introduces the main character in some way, he doesn't need to be introduced in detail as batman is an iconic character that most of the audience with already recognise. This makes the film have some publicity from start before the trailer is even saw. As batman gets near the bottom we see blue flames with the production team logo within these flames. This introduces the production team but also keeps the dark and mysterious theme. The non-digetic music is one that is parrell to the trailer as it builds up tension for the viewers. There is then a sound bridge of the jokers voice and see the building in broad daylight. We are then shown the characters within the film with the jokers voice as the sound bridge over a number of clips. This shows that the joker is an important character and one that may help promote the film. The music gets more tense and we are shown some action with a car driving through a window, this shows the audience that it is an action packed film so therefore this aspect of the film will appeal to a certain type of audience. We can see from the clips following that the joker is an iconic character as we see alot of him within the trailer and he stands out because his voice, mannerisms, and make up. we are also shown an explosion this also appeals to a certain audience who likes action. The edititng picks up a faster pace but then begins to slow down as the joker is shown walking down the street with a knife in his hand and he says in a sound bridge to the next cut where we see his face 'here we go' then the edititng pace picks up again. The action shown within the clips builds up a storyline that appeals to the audience. It is like it is a quick overview of the film shown by little snippets of the film. The editing gets quicker again where the clips are shown in a flash, this builds up tension and excitment for the audience to want to watch the film. The trailer uses non- digetic music that also builds up tension. Throughout the trailer we also hear characters saying quotes out of the film. This also just gives an insight into the different characters. The non-digetic music then hits its peak of tension and we are shown the film title.

Research into chosen genre: social realism.

Social realism is a genre that explores the life styles and experiences of certain groups in society. This can be certain social classes, subcultures. Social realism films are films such as, kidulthood, adulthood, full Monty, brassed off, a kind of loving. These films show everyday situations for different groups in society, they show the situations people are put in throughout life. The problem that people have with social realism films is that they give a negative representation of people in that group. However i feel that this type of film create an empathy with the characters and show that life can be hard for them and we should take into consideration what happens.

Both of these film posters show the main characters within the film. It shows them in normal everyday clothes, this makes the characters seem real. Both of the posters show that the characters are not having a good time of and it is showing some emotional turmoil.

Social realism films often are about crime, drugs, violence, alcohol and smoking. It often represents working class life in a negative way, but it shows the reality of living in working class areas and having working class lifestyle. We have chosen this genre as we are able to relate to working class life in some way. We can also relate to being young in today's society. Within our film trailer we will try and show our own interpretations of life today for young people.

The characters within social realism films are usually having a bad time of it and they are having problems that they have to sort through. The reason audiences like this genre of films is because they feel they are able to relate to the different aspects and situations of their life's.

The setting of a social realism film is usually in the city in a run down working class estate, it shows the house in which they live and the background that the characters have came from. It is usually a place of poverty. The props that are used are often weapons, money, drugs and other materialistic items. When producing my trailer i will ensure that i will use the setting effectively, by using long shots of the area to set the scene.

Analysis of trailers: High school musical 3

The second trailer that i am going to analyse is High school musical. The reason i have chosen to analyse this particular film trailer for my research is because it also represents teenagers. However it represents them i a positive way, instead of a negative way.
The micro feature show a lively happy mood which is created by the mise en scene, sound, lighting and editing. The editing used are quick fades this builds up excitement which is parrell to the trailer. A montage of images flow along to the quick pace fades which portrays the narrative and genre of the film. This helps the audience to have an insight to what the film is about. The genre of the film is also gave away in the title, as it is called high school musical. Primary colours are used in the trailer this shows a brightness and innocence about the film as it is a film for a young age. High key lighting is used this gives a uplifting feeling.

The Macro features show a range of locations, this shows a range of settings are used within the film. There are many songs and singing in the trailer this shows that it is a musical. The narrative shows a happy upbeat high school. Which is often a portrayal of the Americans portrayed by the media. In this trailer there were 83 edits, this is important as the edits set the pace and build up the excitement and motivation to go and watch the film.

The target audience for this film are typically tweens 11-16. This is because it is all about young teenagers within a school. It would also be typically aimed at girls as the film shows a love story. The film portrays teenagers in America in a positive light, whereas the connotation of British teenagers in British films is usually negative.

Analysis of trailers: Kidulthood

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mdoKD4gTQ2c
The first film trailer I am going to analyse is Kidulthood. The reason why I am going to this is to help me when i produce my tralier. Kidulthood is a good tralier to analyse as it has the same genre as what mine is going to be, which is a social realism film with a gangsta hybrid. The trailer starts with the production team logo which is revolver entertainment and then fades to the name of the film Kidulthood. It is written in white capital letters however the i is written in small case letters this may indicate the youthfulness of the characters in film even though it is hard to remember they are kids at times due to the lifestyle they lead. The non- digetic music starts from the beginning of the trailer. It then shows a DJ deck and cuts fast to different people within the film. Then sets the scene with an establishing shot of the area, The main character is then shown in a hoody walking down the street. The other main character is then shown in a hoody. A shot is then shown of someone walking but it is from the point of view of under the characters feet. The main character is then shown again smoking and then some is shown walking from behind but upside down. The music builds more and one of the main characters is shown swinging a bat and there is screaming in the background. A quick cut is shown its almost a flash of a girls face. This makes you feel that the girl is going to be hit by the bat. A rapper is then shown who is singing the track that is being played so at this point this is digetic music. It then cuts to three males in a car getting all excited. It then cuts to a bag of cannabis on the table, There is then a cut to a bag of cocaine, it then cuts to a bag of pills being put on the table. This is to show that the characters in the film take drugs. There is a quick cut to a girl and then cuts to another girl smoking cannabis. There is then a cut to someone taking alcohol off a shelf in a shop. A girl is then shown robbing a bottle of alcohol and hides it behind her coat. This shows that the characters in the film drink. Lots of different parts of the film are shown but it keeps cutting back to the singer rapping. A towel is shown and wrapped in it is a gun. It then cuts to a male character in a car being handed a gun. This shows that the characters in the film are involved with gun crime. It then cuts to the male character being handed alot of money, this shows that they are probably motivated by money. We then see the girls taking drugs by sniffing cocaine. We then see someone get punched this may show violence. Throughout the trailer we are shown the different things that will be involved in the film such as violence, crime, drug use, swearing. Towards the end of the trailer the edits have a faster pace. Between some of the clips words are wrote saying 'Before adulthood comes' 'Kidulthood' this shows you the catch line for the film. At the very end of the trailer we are told the date that the film will be released this is a very important as after the trailer has made the film appealing to an audience they are then told when they are able to watch it.

Film Magazine covers.

The first Magazine cover I am going to look at is the cover for Entertainment. I can identify this as the word entertainment is on the cover in big bold blue writitng. This is so everyone can see and attracts the attention of the reader. Another thing that the cover includes is a photo of two main characters within the film new moon which is part of the twighlight saga. The facial expressions of these two actors are very serious as if they are in character for the photo. The characters Bella and Jacob also are made to look 3D as Jacobs head is infront some of the Title of the magazine. (entertainment). This makes the magazine cover stand out alot and makes it attracting to the eye. Therefore readers will buy it. In the bottom left had conner the film New Moon is mentioned in bright white bold text. In the bottom right hand conner is other things that will be in the magazine, in this case in bold yellow, white and red writing it says "All The Buzz On 112 Fall Movies.' It also has pictures underneath this text to attract the readers attention. The colours on the magazine cover are very bright and attracting to the eye.

The second magazine cover I will be analysing is the magazine cover for Empire. I am able to indentify this as it is the title at the top in bold , upper case, red writitng. The font is also quite unique this is something that will stand out the reader alot. The image on this magazine cover is of the character Harry potter which is very popular, so this will attract a wide audience. However the image doesn't seem as important on this cover as it does on the one for Entertainment as the text stands out alot more and the image looks like it is in the background. Another reason why the title Empire stands out so much is because it is such a bright colour and the image is really dull and dark. The other text also isn't that bright because it is yellow and white. On the left hand side in small writting it says ' 45 new movies you need to know about and right now!'. This is not very visible as it in a small text. The text underneath that is more visible is the names on the new movies such as Harry Potter, Star Trek, Green Zone. The reason that this is in much bigger font than the other text is the audience will be attracted to the magazine just by seeing the names of the films. Below that is a another image which is mixed images from the different films that the magazine will talk about. In the right hand conner is the bar code. Above that is more text which says something about the image and mentions Harry Potter to relate to the image.

research into existing posters

In this research I will analyse two film posters. The first one being The Strangers. The denotation of this film poster is three people standing in masks will two people in front of them sitting down tied up. This connotes violence, horror, terriorisation and mystery.
The icon that is used is the masks as this shows it is a horror film. The Anchorage is the film title as it is called The Strangers this gives the image a meaning this shows that the three people behind the masks are strangers and unknown. The film title is placed at the bottom of the picture but across the middle of the page. Its font is like light coming through a door. This shows mystery and spookiness. At the top of the film poster a slogan from the film is shown, this gives you am indication of what the antagonists motive is. The fact that the atagonists are standing up and the protagonist are sitting down shows the power that the protagonists have over them.

The second film poster is eclipse. The denotation of the film poster is the main character standing in a white dress, holding a red ribbon which drapes down her dress to the bottom of her dress which is then a puddle of blood. In the background there is a house and dark storm clouds. Within the storm clouds are two faces either side of the girl. They are the other two main characters, both men. The house represents her normal life and the setting of the film. The white dress connotes the girl as being pure and innocent. The red ribbon connotes love as it is red, however the puddle of blood at the end of the ribbon connotes that the love is dangerous. Also indicates vampires are within the film. The faces in the background that are either side her are the two loves in her life. The Storm clouds connote the tension and rivalry between the two men that love her.

Brief

For my A2 coursework I have been asked to produce as a main task a film trailer. Along side that I will produce ancillary tasks of film poster and a magazine cover. The film trailer will be in the horror genre. I will work with a partner who will be Sarah I am working with Sarah as we work well together as we did our AS coursework together. I have already looked at the types of subgenres that I may want to use. I like the idea of the subgenre the human monster. The conventions of this subgenre are usually a Psycho and the horror of the personality. It shows humanity at its worse and uses humans as the source of evil to scare the audience. I also want to try and use a twist within the idea for my film trailer to keep the audience interested. As most of the time horror films can confuse the audience as they dont have a great storyline but concentrate on scaring the audience.