In most cases the costume and makeup give the audience a good idea on the genre of a film but in some it can be misleading. In the trailer for “The Guru” we see the Guru wearing traditional male Indian dress of orange robes and red turban. This creates the impression that the film is of a cultural and historical genre when in actual fact it is a comedy set in the twenty first century. Other non-Indian characters were wearing formal evening wear of dresses and suits. This is typical English dress. This shows the contrast between the two cultures. This tells the audience that the film is quite likely to display a collision of two very different cultures.
The body language of the trailer is very positive with everyone smiling, singing and dancing happily. One shot shows the Guru dancing. He looks happy but is serious about what he is doing then he gives a sigh of what appears to be relief. This would intrigue the audience as they would want to know why he changed his mood and why the sigh was focused on. This would make them want to see the film so they could find out why the Guru sighed. This could only be found out if the film was watched in full.
Editing is the way in which the series of shots in the trailer are put together. The way in which a trailer is edited is very important. If it is done properly it can make the trailer interesting and numerous effects can be achieved. The first seven frames of the trailer for “The Guru” display gold text on a black back ground. This text contains several words in each frame that make a sentence. This is striking and encourages the audience to take notice of it and actually read it. The background music is slow and orchestral. The music matches the speed that the frames change. The first six frames fade slowly from black to text, then from text to black. The frame stays on black for a few moments then the next frame comes up. This gives the audience time to take in what has been written. The text displayed reads. “This year an ancient culture will collide with modern life and one man will bring the world to its feet.” From only seeing this audience think the film is calm, cultural and historical. Until they see frame seven. Frame seven is the last frame of text for this section and is edited differently. The words “to its feet” do not fade out to black but move in to a close up. As the text moves closer it moves faster and the text gets larger. This change in editing suggests to the audience there will be a change of style, speed and mood to the rest of the trailer and another side to the film than was originally thought.
After frame seven the trailer breaks into an upbeat style of music. This is the first in a series of scenes in which the cast dance through the house. All the scenes with people in use a quick straight cut going from one scene to the next. There is not much variety in the way in which the trailer is edited. The only variation in the cuts is when the text is displayed. After every few scenes red text appears in the frame on a black background. This change in font, to a chunkier more comical one represents the more comical side to the film. These frames of text appear in the shot using jump cut. This is where the audience’s attention is bought into focus on something suddenly. As the text stops on the screen it coincides with a drum beat in the music. This makes these simple frames more dramatic. This encourages the audience, who will otherwise think these frames are not important because they do not contain actual film footage, to pay attention to them. For example the facts that the film is made by a well known production company who have made successful films in the past must be made clear to the audience as these are aspects that are going to greatly encourage audiences to see it. The words “There’s a new Lord of the Dance” are also displayed as red text on a black background at the end of the trailer. The words the “The Lord of the Dance” are written in larger text thus telling the audience that some people may find the Guru very important and that they may actually worship him like a God. The word “dance” is larger because it lets the audience know “Dance” is a main feature of the film.
In this trailer lighting is not a key feature, it is very low key. There are no sudden changes in the lighting used to represent sudden changes in mood. The lighting is quite subtle as there are no harsh or overly bright lights. It is just bright enough to portray a lively atmosphere. The light in some places, mainly those when the Guru is in the shot, has an orange hue to it. This is used to represent the Indian aspect of the film. Orange is one of the many warm colours associated with India. The calm lighting in the hectic atmosphere helps create an equal balance. If there was a stronger lighting it could be too overpowering. When lighting is actually used for effect it is usually spot lighting. It is used to bring the audience’s attention on to the main characters. For example at the end of the trailer the Guru is stood on a stage-like platform. He is illuminated while the characters off the stage are in a dimmer light. This gives the impression that the Guru is to be worshipped. The audience will want to know why he is so important so they will watch the film to find out.
Sound in this trailer is mainly non diegetic, sound that is not recognised as part of the film world. For example music that cannot be heard by the actual cast is featured often in this trailer as an effective way of creating a mood. At first the music is slow and calm, giving the audience the idea that the film too is gentle and of a relaxed nature. Then when the music becomes louder and more upbeat it is an indication to the audience that the mood of the trailer has changed and another side of the film had been revealed. As in many trailers a voice over is featured. These are important as they tell the audience additional information that can not be displayed through actions. In this case the title of the film, “The Guru” is displayed in the text and is spoken by the voice over. As two sources are used in order to advertise the name, a bigger impact should be made, ensuring that there is a greater chance of the audience remembering the film.
There is some diegetic sound used in this trailer, sound that is part of the film world but not much is used. Some dialogue is used effectively so not too much of the film is given away. For example a comment made by one of the characters is used to cleverly introduce to the audience the main character of the film, the Guru himself. She says I give you, Ramu Gumpta” Then the Guru appears suddenly out of no where in to the shot.
Camera angles, the framing and the movement of the camera are key features of a trailer. They tell the audience a lot about what the atmosphere of the film is. Wide shots are often used to show the audience what is happening in the room. They will see a fun, exciting, party-like atmosphere. Audiences will want to know whether it is a party and if it is why are the characters having one? There are many close ups taken of the Guru showing he is the main character. He is never alone in the shots. He is always surrounded by a crowd or a few people. This gives the audience the impression everyone idolises him and wants to be with him. The trailer does not reveal why so seeing the film would explain this. There are also quite a few two-shots of the Guru and a woman in a blue dress. This makes the audience think something could go on between them, i.e. a relationship. To find out they again would have to watch the film. A mid-two shot is taken of two characters. From the trailer the audience are unaware of who they are and would have to watch the film to find out there role. The only indication about the characters we get from the trailer is that they might be main characters. A high angle shot is taken of the girl in the blue dress. To the audience it looks as though she is looking up at the camera smiling, saying, “Look at what a great time I am having.” It is almost as if she is inviting them to have fun with her but in order to do so they will have to see the film.
Not many actual camera moves are used. Zoom in is used a few times on the Guru to focus your attention on him as he is the main character. Other than that all the camera actually does is follow the Guru’s every move thus giving the impression the camera too is dancing. The way in which the camera moves also makes the audience feel as if they are dancing with them.
Overall the trailer for “The Guru” contains most aspects that a trailer needs to make the advertised film a success. For example it displays the different genres in the film that will attract the different types of audiences. These types of genres include a cultural aspect shown by the traditional Indian dress and music and a comical genre. We know it is of a comical genre as it made by the makers of successful comical films, stars many comical actors and samples some comical dialogue. It would also appeal to those who are interested in dance.
The structural side of the trailer is very good as it is simple and the editing of the scenes together is not complicated or too varied. The scenes merge well together making the trailer pleasant to watch. The variation in music, fast and slow is effective and the camera shots a lot about the film and characters. The fast movement shows the fast mood, up beat atmosphere of the party and creates excitement thus encouraging the audience to see the film as it looks fun and exciting.
All the above features together make the trailer interesting. The trailer does not tell the audience much about the actual film. This is both good and bad. It is bad because some people may be put off by the fact that they are not fully aware of what the film they are seeing is about. It is also good because it means the audience do not know too much of what the film is about and will keep guessing possible storylines until they actually see the film. Using text in a trailer is also a good way to intrigue the viewer. It tells them about the film in such a way that they do not know what it is about. For example in the trailer for “The Guru” the text saying “and one man will bring the world to its feet” This quote tells the audience what affect the Guru has on the characters and the world but to find out how he achieves this they will have to watch the film.
Like many things improvements and criticisms can be made. These will help in the long run and help to make the trailer and film successful. For example the certificate of the film is a fifteen but this is not included in the trailer. This is probably because people under that age will be put off by the film so would not wish to see it. In future though this piece of information should be included in the trailer so from the outset people can see whether or not they can view the film. This saves future disappointment
All aspects of this trailer as mentioned help to show audiences the film’s potential and will increase the film’s chances of success therefore making the trailer for the film “The Guru” successful throughout.
