Comparing And Contrasting Two Different Trailers And Evaluating Their Effectiveness.

Comparing And Contrasting Two Different Trailers And Evaluating Their Effectiveness

Trailers are mainly used as marketing tools. Trailers make people aware of new movies and new movie release dates, most commonly found in the beginning of rental movies and at cinemas before the movie starts. Trailers are put at the beginning of movies because this is when the audience are paying most attention so they grab the audience’s attention. What is known as ‘the best bits’ of a movie in are in included in the trailer. These are normally the most dramatic or most hilarious scenes, making then make the viewers more interested in watching or wanting to see the movie. I will be analysing two trailers “Mission Impossible 2” and “X –Men”. Both of these trailers are modern and are both 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 that is selected is the Grand Canyons. The camera begins to pan across the location which shows us where the film is set, suddenly the camera goes to and extreme close up on Tom Cruises face. This introduces the main character in the movie (Tom Cruise). The first scenes shown in the movie are quite dramatic and look very realistic these immediately grab the audience’s attention. The purpose for showing us such a dramatic scene and such an early stage in the trailer is that this immediately tells us the genre of the movie is ‘action’. Immediately we are shown the main character is in an environment which he is used to, he is then set his first mission in this scene and reveals some of the hi-tech gadgets such as the sunglasses. This scene is one of the longest effectively followed by more clips lasting only a few seconds, these shorter give us more hints as to what happens in the movie. The shorter clips also inform the audience of the characters and what roles they play and what they do. The audience that is being targeted is a mostly male as the trailer shows us 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 off lengthy and slow, then suddenly change into fast, snappy shots showing the main parts from the movie in a short form.

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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 us the location in which the movie is set this is 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 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. The short fast clips reveal the genre of the movie quickly, the genre is Science Fiction. The audience which is being targeted is people with interests in Science Fiction this interest is shown throughout the trailer likewise with the “Mission Impossible 2” trailer.

The “Mission Impossible 2” trailer is set in America this is shown when the trailer starts in the Grand Canyons. The “Mission Impossible 2” trailer clips are set in the daylight, which makes the movie seem like its set in an everyday situation, which the characters are used to. The setting continuously reminds us that the movies genre is action, as the setting tends to change between inside and outside extremely rapidly. Everything used within the “Mission Impossible 2” trailer is extremely modern and i.e. transport equipment etc.

The “X – Men” trailer is set in a futuristic space shuttle or inside a concealed unit, distant and isolated. The lighting inside the unit/shuttle is bright this is to illustrate the futuristic detail. The set is the same throughout, always based within this same shuttle/unit, unlike “Mission Impossible 2” where the set is continuously changing, showing us how by changing the setting it can be captivating the audience. The shiny chrome objects and silvery colours, which are used throughout the “X – Men” set reinforces the film being set in the future.

There are two central characters in “Mission Impossible 2”. They are Tom Cruise who plays Ethan Hunt and Thandie Newton. Both characters are famous within the film industry. The costumes both characters wear in the movie are modern they are both dressed casually. This tells the audience that they are used to their surroundings and that immediately tells us 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(s). 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 alternative nature unlike “Mission Impossible 2” where the characters are dressed to look human. Some characters are dressed to fit with their name e.g. Iceman one of the X – Men dresses in a uniform associated with his name, his uniform is a costume which is intended to look cold and icy.

The music used in throughout the “Mission Impossible 2” trailer is from a famous artist called Limp Bizkit. This soundtrack has been edited so a more modern audience would listen to it and so it runs with the modern theme of the film. The soundtrack appeals 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 within the film. The music is very catchy and memorable which immediately makes the audience remember the film when the music is played.

The music in the “X – Men” trailer starts off softly but then suddenly becomes very loud and very fast. The music was created just for the film and is unrecognisable if it is heard on its own unlike the “Mission Impossible 2” soundtrack, which is immediately recogniseable. The music used in the “X – Men” trailer would be classed as Techno this 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 big and bold 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 colour which reminds us that the film contains action and the way the texts enters on to the screen is also very fast and it disappears suddenly so the audience must be paying full attention throughout the trailer.

The text used in the “X – Men” trailer is made to look slightly futuristic as it is silvery and slightly scary this is to remind us what the film is about. It also appears on the screen quickly then fades away into the distance. There are only a few hints to what 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 similarly to “Mission Impossible 2”. The font size which is used is not as big as the font which is 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 readable from a distance.

On the whole the “Mission Impossible 2” trailer was the most effective trailer as techniques used within the trailer matched the genre chosen. The “X – Men” trailer clips were too fast and too short which made things hard to see, whereas the “Mission Impossible 2” trailer was a little slower but told us key things which happen in the movie. The “X – Men” trailer had no arrangement and flashed scene upon scene at us making it difficult to make sense of the clips. The “Mission Impossible 2” trailer introduced the characters clearly and showed us who the main characters were 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 as the length of the clips in the “X – Men” trailer were not right in places and the trailer did not tell the audience much which immediately made the audience uninterested and not want to watch the trailer. Effective use of the setting, music, camera work and costume made the “Mission Impossible 2” trailer more appealing than “X – Men”.

This essay was written atCollingwood College. The Teacher said "Excellent Peice Of Work". The Student said " Good Work". This Essay was awarded a mark of A