For this textual analysis I am going to look at other genres of film trailers as I have already analysed some horror trailers but it's important that I develop my knowledge of other genres too.
The Last Song
Genre: Drama/Romance
The Last Song was produced by Touchstone Pictures and features a well-known actress, Miley Cyrus, who would attract a large audience. The production company is acknowledged briefly at the beginning of the trailer as the non-diegetic music in the trailer begins and it is mentioned again towards the end of the trailer. As I have seen this film many times, I do have a strong understanding of the storyline, the characters and the soundtrack. This trailer appears to reveal a lot of the storyline, however, the clips from the film have been put in a different order to how they take place in the film, making the storyline in the trailer slightly different. For example, when Ronnie (Miley Cyrus) reads the letters from her dad at the beginning of the trailer, in the actual film she doesn't read these letters until near the end of the film. Many of the transition effects between the film clips fade in and out, giving an impression of the audience reflecting back on a memory which frequently happens in the film. As well as the film's production company, the trailer also acknowledges that this film is a film adaption of Nicholas Sparks' novel, The Last Song. This is actually shown on the trailer for longer than the production company was, conveying that this is more important. Slightly later on, text comes up in the trailer with the same effect saying 'author of THE NOTEBOOK'. The Notebook is a well-known, popular book and film so this is likely to attract an audience. The music being played in the trailer changes a third of the way through when the romantic part of the storyline gets introduced- the music went from a casual song with guitars to a gentle, romantic song being played on the piano, completely changing the atmosphere of the trailer. The romantic clips stop and the trailer refers back to the relationship between the dad and his son, with the same song playing. The song then changes again to the main song on the film's soundtrack, 'When I Look At You' by Miley Cyrus, and the romantic clips begin again setting a mood. More hints of what the storyline is about are shown as text flashing up in the trailer such as 'a story about SECOND CHANCES', 'FIRST LOVES', 'AND THE MOMENTS IN LIFE...' and 'that lead us BACK HOME'. The title of the film is shown just before the end, this is a typical convention of any film trailer. The trailer finishes with an establishing shot of where the film takes place with text over the top of the clip acknowledging the production company, four of the actors/actresses, who created the music, the co-producer, the producers, what book the film is based on, the director and who did the screenplay as well as a few brands which contributed to making the film such as Kodak and DOLBY Digital.
I think this film trailer is effective because it acknowledges all the things that would attract a large audience such as the author that wrote the book it is based on and the well-known actress, Miley Cyrus. It also reveals enough of the storyline to make an audience interested in seeing the film.
The Inbetweeners Movie
Genre: Comedy
This film is based on a popular television series on Channel 4 called The Inbetweeners. As this television series already has a large audience, this film is likely to receive a large audience as it already has public interest. The film company associated with Channel 4, Film 4, is acknowledged at the beginning of this trailer. Film 4 is a well known film company and television channel so this would immediately catch the audience's attention. The production company, Bwark Productions, is also introduced which is already associated with The Inbetweeners television series. For half of the trailer, it introduces the storyline of the film in order. This contrasts with the trailer for The Last Song which put the clips in a different order, revealing less of the true storyline to the audience. For the other half of The Inbetweeners Movie trailer, it shows humorous clips from the film which would make the audience laugh and make them want to see more of the film. Text comes up in the trailer occasionally in the recognisable Inbetweeners font which helps to contribute to the audience's understanding of what the film is about. Half way through the trailer, it tells the audience that the film will be released 'this summer', which would be a convenient time for the film to be released because the film itself is set in the summer. Establishing shots are frequently used to convey the settings of the film. Similarly to the trailer for The Last Song, the title of the film is not shown until the end but when it is shown it is in the same font as the previous text, the easily recognisable font from The Inbetweeners television series. Another similarity to the trailer for The Last Song is how particular companies and individuals are acknowledged at the end of the trailer such as the actors and producers.
Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows Part 2
Genre: Fantasy/Thriller/Drama
This film is a sequel to Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows Part 1, so it is likely that the audience watching this trailer have seen the first part and they would understand the second part. As the characters are assumed by the production company to already be known, the characters' individual personalities are not introduced as much as the characters in The Last Song trailer, like The Inbetweeners Movie trailer. The storyline picks up where the first part of the film left off, giving no detail of what happened previously so for this trailer to be effective, the audience would of had to of seen part 1 of Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows.
The beginning of the trailer is captivating as it plays the well-known Harry Potter theme tune slowly, and for each note of this theme tune that is played, a clip from the film appears- this creates a very eerie atmosphere. The lighting throughout the majority of the trailer is very dark, creating a night-time vibe, a convention of the thriller genre. When the theme tune ends, the film's production company, Warner Brothers Pictures, is introduced but it is in a black and grey colour scheme. Usually the Warner Brothers colour scheme of their logo is gold and blue but the black and grey colour scheme is used to add to the dark, mysterious atmosphere being created in the trailer but as the Warner Brothers logo is so well-known, the audience is likely to still be familiar with the production company as it has created popular films. Dramatic orchestra music begins to play whilst the Warner Brothers logo is being shown, then clips of the film begin to be shown with an audio clip of Voldemort, a main character in this film, being played over the top. The visual clips being shown are relevant to what Voldemort is saying, developing the audience's understanding of what he is saying. The music then becomes more dramatic and more dramatic clips are played. As this film comes under the fantasy genre, much of this film is edited with effects such as adding a realistic-looking dragon and fire to some clips which is difficult to create through just capturing the footage on a camera. The film's release date is shown in the well-recognisable Harry Potter font. More text also appears in the same font, revealing more of the storyline and more of Voldemort's audio is used like a voiceover. The background music becomes increasingly dramatic, creating a more intense atmosphere. The music ends just before an intimate clip which features Harry and Voldemort begins and this is done for dramatic effect but as soon as this clip finishes, the dramatic music begins and more of the film's clips are shown- this is done twice. More text appears in the Harry Potter font which really flatters the film, using words like 'epic' and 'worldwide phenomenon', making the film appear outstanding and superior to other films. At the end of the film there is a crashing glass sound effect which conveys that it is the destructive end of the trailer, and the title of the film appears in the Harry Potter font. 'The Deathly Hallows' flashes up with a lightening bolt effect which is relevant to the well-known lightning bolt scar on Harry's forehead. Then the text 'COMPLETE THE JOURNEY IN 3D' appears- 3D films are very popular at the moment so this would appeal to the audience more and by using the phrase 'complete the journey', it gives the representation that this film will complete the audience's life. The date of the film's release is repeated in text form, and cinemas that are showing the film are displayed as well as the production company and the film's website- all this information is again shown in the Harry Potter font.
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