Teaser Trailer Analysis 1 - Stars Wars

Here's my analysis for the science fiction film Star Wars which is due to be released December 2015.

• There is a voiceover throughout, but no dialogue from the actual film
• There are a lot of jump cuts which show quick clips from the film - images to tease the audience
• The editing is rapid and consists of frequent cuts to black
• There is music throughout and the frequent use of impact sounds
• The trailer does not give any information away, it is vague
• The trailer contains recognisable iconography from the genre
• It shows some of the characters
• It says the full name of the film
• It says the month and year of its release date

Comparing Teaser and Theatrical Trailers - Introduction

For the main production task for my A2 coursework I will be producing a teaser trailer, so I thought it would be useful to find out what the differences are between teaser trailers (released well in advance of the film appearing in cinemas) and theatrical trailers (which appear much closer to the films released, in the final promotional push to encourage audiences into the cinema).

I suspect that major differences in between the 2 formats will include the length of the respective trailers (I think the teaser trailer will be considerably shorter than the theatrical trailer) and that the theatrical trailer will show much more of the story line than the teaser. I also expect there to be similarities between the 2 types of trailer and that both will include production company logos, images from the film, the fils title, credits, a website and social networking links, and an indication of when the film is fire for release.

Once I had decided upon the genre my film will belong to, I will look much more closely at the ways that genre conventions are shown in trailers. But for now I just want to try and get a clearer understanding of codes and conventions in trailers in general.

For my comparison I have decided to look at a teaser and a theatrical trailer for 2 contrasting audiences, from films from very different genres: 50 Shades of Grey and Captain America.

Potential Magazine Front Cover Images

Below are possible photos I took of my main woman protagonist for my magazine front cover.

 

List of magazine front cover conventions

Having looked at 3 magazine covers, here is the list of conventions that I have found. I will try to include each one of these conventions on my own magazine front cover.

• Main Coverline:

• Masthead:

• Issue Number:

• Barcode:

• Dominant Image:

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• Website:

• Banners:

• Date:

• Slogan:

• Price:

Analysis of SFX Magazine Front Cover

Even though SFX magazine targets a sci-fi audience, it still contains the same layout conventions as both Empire and Sight and Sound.

Analysis of Sight and Sound Front Cover

The second magazine cover I have looked at is from Sight and Sound - a completely different kind of film magazine from Empire, targeting a totally different audience.

As you can see, even though the magazine tackles different types of films and the audience is different, the basic layout conventions are roughly the same.

For my last magazine cover I am going to look at a niche publication, targeting a specific genre.

Different Film Magazines, Different Content?

I have analysed the general conventions of layout and design of magazine front covers and found that many of the conventions are the same.

Magazine Cover Conventions

Now I am going to look at the ways that these common conventions (such as coverlines, mastheads and images) are subtly altered to reflect the content of the magazines and the intended target audience. I have chosen to look at five very different types of film magazines that I think cover different types of movies and that are aimed at slightly different audiences: Total Film, Sight and Sound, Fangoria, Screen International and Filmmaker Magazine.

Potential Poster Background Pictures

Analysis of Empire Magazine Front Cover

The first magazine cover I have analysed is from Empire.

Analysing Magazine Covers - Introduction

Now that I've finished looking at the basic design/layout features of posters and compiled a list of different types of film publication, i've decided to look at three different types of film magazine covers to make a note of the typical conventions.

I have chosen a mainstream magazine (Empire), an independent magazine (Sight and Sound) and a magazine that specifically focuses on genre (SFX) to see if the basic conventions are the same even though the film publications focus on different types of films and are aimed at different audiences.

Existing Film Publications

1. SHIVERS: Shivers was a British film magazine focusing mainly on the horror genre. The cover of the magazine often featured a contemporary horror film but would also make reference to the cult from the genre.

2. American Cinematographer: American Cinematographer focuses on the art and craft of cinematography and features in-depth interviews people such as cinematographers, directors etc. The magazine also features historical articles and information on technology that impact the craft.

3. SFX: SFX is a magazine that is published every four weeks by Future pic. It was founded in 1995. The magazine covers topics in genres of popular science fiction, fantasy and horror, within the media of films, TV, video games and comics.

4.  HOT DOG: Hotdog was first published in 2000 in the UK. It focused more towards a cynical view of the film industry. It avoided blockbuster films, however, in the last few years the magazine moved towards more mainstream film press.

5.  TOTAL FILM: Total Film is a British film magazine which is published 13 times a year. It was launches in 1997 and includes reviews, film, DVD and Blue-ray news, and features. It is the second biggest selling film magazine in Britain and predominantly features Hollywood movies. The cover picture is usually of a global, recognisable star.

6. film comment: Film Comment is an arts and culture magazine. It features reviews and analysis of mainstream, art-house and avant-garde filmmaking from around the world. It was founded in 1962 and is published on a bi-monthly basis. 

7. PREMIER: Premier was an mainstream, American film magazine. It was released 10 times a year and included regular features like letter from readers, a spotlight on the 'hot' screenwriter and behind the scenes articles.

8. FIMMAKER: Filmmaker magazine was founded in 1992. It is a quarterly publication magazine that covers issues relating to independent film. One of the magazines annual features is that each year they publish a list of independent film's emerging talent. The list typically contains directors, producers, actors and animators.

 9. Sight&Sound: Sight and Sound reviews all film releases each month, including those with limited release, as oppose to most film magazines which concentrate on those films with a general release. The magazine features a full cast and crew credit list for every reviewed film. Sight and Sound focuses on smaller, independent British films. The image on the front cover is often of a director, however if the cover features a well known star, it will be because they have appeared in an authorised film.

10. UNCUT: Uncut magazine is a monthly publication based in London. It is available across the English speaking world and focuses on music, but also includes films and books sections. It was launched in May 1997 aimed at 25 - 45 year old men.

11. SCREEN INTERNATIONAL: Screen International is a multimedia film magazine which focuses on international cinema. The magazine is published weekly. The company also produces daily publications at film festivals. The magazine is aimed at people who work within the industry and therefore includes box-office statistics and features crew rather than actors.

12. S T U D I O: Studio is the UK's first film magazine for women. It is packed with witty editorial and Hollywood news, plus all the latest film reviews. Studio stands out from other film magazines with its distinctive pages dedicated to the hottest film - inspired fashion, proving to be the one - stop source for female film and entertainment enthusiasts.

13. CINEASTE: Cineaste is a film magazine which is published quarterly. It features reviews, in-depth  analyses and interviews. The magazine independently operates in New York without any financial ties and covers mainly films outside of the mainstream.

14. FANGORIA: Fangoria in an internationally distributed US film fan magazine specialising in the genres of horror, slasher, splatter, and exploitation films, in regular publication since 1979.

15. EMPIRE: Empire is the biggest selling film magazine in Britain. It is a British magazine but is also published in America, Russia Turkey, Australia and Portugal. Empire focuses mainly on mainstream Hollywood movies and the cover usually features images of Hollywood stars from franchise movies.

16. THE Hollywood REPORTER: The Hollywood Reporter is a multi platform America media brand hounded in 1930. It focuses on the Hollywood motion picute, television and entertainment industries. It is one of two major publications focused on Hollywood. It covers the entertainment  industry.

17. Entertainment WEEKLY: Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine which is published by Time Inc. It covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture. The magazine primarily concentrates on entrainment media news and critical reviews.

18. Little White Lies: Little White Lies is a British independent magazine that features writing, illustration, and photography related to cinema. The magazines content has 6 different sections: the lead review, an editorial introduction, theatrical reviews, a series of articles inspired by the film, future releases and the back section.

19. filmstar: Filmstar is a general film magazine, in competition with Total Film and Empire. It was launched in May 2009. 

20.  FILM THREAT: Film Threat is a former print magazine and, now webzine which focuses primarily on independent film, although it also reviews DVD's of the mainstream films and Hollywood movies in theatres.