I will be analysing two trailers: for "Mission Impossible 2" and "X-Men".

Comparing Trailers Hussain Jawad

Film trailers are used as marketing tools. Trailers are most commonly found in the beginning of rental movies and at cinemas before the main feature starts. They make the viewers aware of new movies because this is when the audience are paying most attention. What is known, as ‘the best bits’ of a movie are included in the trailer. These are normally the most dramatic or most hilarious scenes, making viewers more inclined to experience the movie. I will be analysing two trailers: for “Mission Impossible 2” and “X-Men”. Both are fairly new and are aimed at modern audiences.

“Mission Impossible 2” begins with a hi-tech map appearing on the screen, which then zooms in and selects a location; the location is the desert cliffs of Australia. The camera begins to pan across the location, showing the viewer where the film is set. Suddenly, the camera goes to an extreme close up of Tom Cruise’s face. This introduces the main character in the movie. The first scenes shown in the movie are quite dramatic and look very realistic. They immediately captivate the viewers. The purpose of showing the audience such a dramatic scene at such an early stage in the trailer is to highlight the fact that this movie is in the action genre. Immediately we are shown the main character is in an environment, which he is used to. He is then set his first mission, which reveals some of the hi-tech gadgets such as the sunglasses, which have lasers. This scene is one of the longest, effectively followed by more clips lasting only a few seconds. These shorter clips are give the audience a taste of the actors and what roles they play. The audience that is being targeted is mostly male, as the trailer shows the audience the hi-tech gadgets, car chases, sports cars and explosions. These are things, which tend to be more appealing to the male audience. The shots in the “Mission Impossible 2” trailer start of lengthy and slow, then suddenly into fast, snappy shots that show the main parts of the movie in a shortened form. This effect of increasing the pace of the trailer excites the audience.

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In the “X-Men” trailer the first scene starts very slowly and zooms into a set of opening automatic doors. This then shows the audience the location in which the movie is set, similar to the layout of the clips in “Mission Impossible 2”. The clips used in the “X-Men” trailer are short and fast, unlike the clips in the “Mission Impossible 2” trailer, which vary in length. The reason I think the shots are short and fast in the “X-Men” trailer are so the audience has to watch the trailer closely to uncover what the movie is really about. Giving the audience several short glimpses of scene in the film causes the audience to feel curious, without giving too much of the film’s plot away. This causes suspense. This short fast clips reveal the genre of the movie quickly; the genre is science fiction. The audience that is being targeted are fans of science fiction. This focus is maintained throughout the trailer, as is the “Mission Impossible 2” trailer.

The “Mission Impossible 2” trailer is set in Australia; this is shown when the trailer begins in the desert cliffs. The “Mission Impossible 2” trailer clips are set in the daylight, which makes the movie seem as if it’s set in an everyday situation, which the characters are used to. The setting continuously reminds us that the movie’s genre is action, as the setting tends to change between interior and exterior rapidly. Everything used within “Mission Impossible 2” trailer is innovative such as the transport and equipment, which is always a thrill to look at.

The “X-Men” trailer is set in a futuristic space shuttle or inside a concealed unit that is distant and isolated. The lighting inside the shuttle is bright and intended to illustrate the futuristic detail. The set is the same throughout, always based within the same shuttle, unlike “Mission Impossible 2” where the set is continuously changing. The shiny chrome objects and silver colours, which are used throughout the “X-Men” set reinforces the idea that the film is set in the future.

There are two central characters in “Mission Impossible 2” they are Ethan Hunt played by Tom Cruise and Thandie Newton played by Nyah Hall. Both actors are famous within the film industry. The costumes the characters wear in the move are modern and casual. This demonstrates the audience that they are used to their surroundings and that immediately establishes that the time period is current.

In “X-Men” there are many different characters, making it difficult for an audience to decide on a main character. All the characters are dressed in tight PVC suits and some of the characters have dyed hair or wigs. This shows the audience that they are of an alternative nature, unlike “Mission Impossible 2” where the characters are dressed to look human. In “X-Men”, some characters are dressed to suit their name; “Iceman’s” uniform is a costume, which is intended to look as if it was hewn out of snow and ice.

The music used throughout the “Mission Impossible 2” trailer is from a famous band called Limp Bizkit. This soundtrack has been edited so a more modern audience would listen to it and so it runs with a modern theme of the film. The soundtrack, would appeal to any audience. The soundtrack may attract more people to watch this film because they may like Limp Bizkit and want to see how the music was used in the film. The music is very catchy and memorable which helps the audience to remember the film when the music is played. The music sets the mood of the trailer.

The music in the “X-Men” trailer starts off softly but then suddenly becomes very loud and very fast. The must was created just for the film and would be unrecognisable if heard on its own, unlike the “Mission Impossible 2” soundtrack. The music used in the “X-Men” trailer would be classed as “techno”. The Music is not as modern as the music used in the “Mission Impossible 2” trailer, so it may only appeal to a smaller audience.

The text used in the “Mission Impossible 2” trailer is ‘fiery’, and zooms to the centre of the screen with great speed as if a bomb is about to go off and generally appears at the end of the trailer. The same text is used to tell us the name of the movie, the release dates and main characters within the movie. The font ties in with the film, as it is a ‘fiery’, which reminds the audience that the film contains action. The way the text appears on the screen is very fast and it disappears suddenly so the audience has to play attention throughout trailer, for fear of missing vital details.

The text used in the “X-Men” trailer is made to look futuristic, as it is silvery and mysterious to remind us what the film is about. It also appears on the screen then fades away into the distant. There are only a few hints to the name of the movie, but the name of the movie and the main characters are all given away to the audience at the end, similar to “Mission Impossible 2”. The font size, which is used is not as big as, the font used in the “Mission Impossible 2” trailer. This is ideal, as the audience has to focus and read the text more closely unlike the font size in the “Mission Impossible 2” trailer, which is clearly dominating.

The “Mission Impossible 2” trailer was the most effective as techniques used within the trailer match the genre chosen. The “X-Men” trailer clips were to fast and too short, which were hard to view, whereas the “Mission Impossible 2” trailer was a little slower and told us key things which happen in the movie. The “X-Men” trailer had no clear arrangement and instead it flashed scene upon scene at the audience, making it difficult to make sense of the clips. The “Mission Impossible 2” trailer introduced the characters clearly and showed us who the main actors where, unlike the “X-Men” trailer where it was more of a guess as to who was the main character. The main reason for the “Mission Impossible 2” trailer being more effective was the lengths of the clips, which in the “X-Men” trailer were not appropriate in places nor did the trailer tell the audience anything, which would involve them. More effective use of the setting, music, camerawork and costume made the “Mission Impossible 2” trailer more appealing than the one used to promote “X-Men”.