Poster Research - The Usual Suspects

The Usual Suspects:

This poster is of the film The Usual Suspects. Immediately, we see that there is a line-up of the characters, which gives away the genre to the film. It doesn’t follow the conventions of having just one main image; however it works as it aids in the narrative as the film always keeps you guessing. The colour used is white that gradients into a yellow colour and a black bar at the bottom of the page and the poster is slightly dark in lighting too, all of these features are conventions of this film genre.

The film title ‘The Usual Suspects’ appears on the bottom centre of this poster which is the conventional place and draws the audience’s attention to the title. It is bold, medium size and a clear font and is white in colour, which contrasts against the dark background. This will capture the audience’s attention.

This poster also includes the typical convention of the stars’ names, in the conventional place at the top of the poster. This allows the audience to know who is in it and attract fans that are already familiar with films that these actors have been part of. This would create a secondary target audience.

The poster includes a tagline below the title. It says ‘Five Criminals. One Line up. No Coincidence.’ The tagline helps to inform the audience on the genre of the film, as the word ‘Criminal’ relates to Crime. It also reveals some of the narrative but not enough to give away the plot, therefore enticing the audience to watch the film. Like the title, it’s also in a white text so that it contrasts with the black background.

It has the typical convention of a billing block, containing the names and institutions involved in creating the film. It allows the producers and institutions to be included in the poster. It is right at the bottom of the poster, in a darker colour so as not to take the attention away from the main image. This poster, however, does not contain a release date. This won’t allow the audience to know when the film is released, so in not having this feature, it won’t aid in promoting the film.

Poster Research - Now You See Me

Now You See Me:   

This poster is of the film Now You See Me. This poster doesn’t follow codes and conventions, as instead of having one main image, they have all the main characters of the film walking, with the title overlapping them in parts and them overlapping the title in parts. It’s original and a little complicated, which may also suggest the narrative of the film. The colour used on this is gray, which suits the genre of the film. The angle of the camera is looking down on them, which may mean inferiority or someone’s trying to keep their eye on them, which may also add to the narrative.

The film title 'Now You See Me’ appears twice on this poster, as it’s placed in the bottom centre of the page, which draws the audience’s attention to the title, and it’s also being used as a sort of overlay over the characters. This is to make the name of the film stand out to the audience. It is bold, clear and easy to read, which will capture the audience’s attention.

This poster also includes the typical convention of the stars’ names. However, contrasting from the usual position at the top of the poster, the cast list is just above the title at the bottom centre of the page. This will be one of the first places you look, so it will capture the attention of the audience and attract fans that are already familiar with films that these actors have been part of, thus also creating a secondary target audience.

The poster includes a tagline just above the cast list. It says ‘The closer you look, the less you’ll see.’ The tagline helps to inform the audience what the film is about and it also hints at the narrative. It’s mysterious, which will intrigue the audience to want to know what it means. It’s also in a light text so that it contrasts with the dark background.

The poster has typical convention of a billing block. The billing block includes the names and institutions involved in creating the film. It also allows the producers and institutions acknowledgements to be included in the poster. Finally, included right at the bottom of the poster is "In Theatres 6 Jun". This allows the audience to know when the film is released, and will also remind them every time they see the poster when it will be in the cinema.

Poster Research - Wasteland

Wasteland:

This film poster is of the Crime Thriller film Wasteland. The main image on the poster is of the main protagonist in the film. The poster typically follows the codes and conventions of both genres, as it has the main image covering a majority of the poster and the fact the protagonist is holding a crowbar also hints at the genre, as this may be used as a weapon or as a way of breaking into something. Also, what the protagonist is wearing indicates that this is an up-to-date film, which may be appealing to the films target audience. The angle of the camera is tilting slightly up to look up at the protagonist, which may indicate superiority and power which could reveal some of the narrative for the film.

The film title 'Wasteland’ is conventionally placed bottom centre of the page, which draws the audience’s attention to the title. The title itself is large, bold and clear, it also contrasts against the colour of the protagonist’s jacket, making it stand out and easy to read. Below the title is the name of the director, which would help to promote the movie if they are interested in that particular directors work.

The poster includes a tagline at the top centre of the page, just above the protagonist’s head, which says ‘He gave a year of his life. Now he’s stealing it back.’ The tagline helps to aid the narrative and inform the audience what the films about. It also hints at the genre, as revenge is a common convention of a Crime film. This is also in a dark text so that it contrasts with the light background.

The billing block is placed at the bottom of the page along with the institution, which is a familiar convention to film posters as it allows the producers and institutions acknowledgements to be included in the poster. The text is small in size so that is doesn’t take the attention away from the posters main image.

Trailer Research - The Usual Suspects

The Usual Suspects (1995)
Directed by: Bryan Singer
Written by: Christopher McQuarrie
Stars: Kevin Spacey, Gabriel Byrne, Chazz Palminteri
Released: 25^th August 1995
Age Rating: 18
Genre: Crime/Mystery/Thriller
Institution: Gramercy Pictures







The trailer opens with the Gramercy Pictures logo. This is used to promote the movie as if the audience recognised the logo or the company name from other films they have watched and enjoyed; they are more likely to be influenced to watch the movie as they know the standards of the particular institution.











The next sequence of shots show parts of a boat then a cigarette being dropped into petrol and catching fire and a man pointing a gun, which indicates the setting of a crime and presenting the genre of the film. The speed of the camera shots builds up suspense, which will catch the audience’s attention as they will want to know the plot to the film.





















Unconventionally, the disequilibrium appears immediately in the trailer, as we see that a crime has been committed and the suspects involved in the crime. This works in grabbing the audience’s attention and getting them interested in the plot straight away. We see the characters in a line-up and also in an interrogation room, further implementing the film genre.






















The speeds of the shots in this trailer are more of a slow-pace, which is a feature of thriller, the other genre to which this film has claimed. This makes the audience suspicious as the repeatedly show the same few men throughout the trailer.

The sound in the trailer is mainly dialogue from the characters and the voice over, as well as the non-diegetic incidental music which is played throughout the trailer. The dialogue and narration aids in revealing some of the narrative, while the music helps to create the mood of the film. This film also has a motif, the repeated mention of the name ‘Keyser Soze’. Having this repeated shows the audience that this person is important in the film, allowing them insight into the narrative and enticing them into finding out who that person is.

The trailer ends with a character talking about Keyser Soze, before it shows a brief shot of a porthole from a boat and then a shot of water at night. This is to show the setting of the big moment in the film. The lighting also influences the narrative and thriller genre, as it may be dark and full of suspense. Following this is the conventional title of the film and the names of the stars featuring in the film.

Trailer Research - Now You See Me

Now You See Me (2013)
Directed by: Louis Leterrier
Written by: Ed Solomon, Boaz Yakin
Stars: Jesse Eisenberg, Woody Harrelson, Mark Ruffalo
Released: 3^rd July 2013
Age Rating: 12A
Genre: Crime/Mystery/Thriller
Institution: Summit Entertainment

The trailer opens with an establishing shot of a skyline in New York. Then, the next sequences of shots are quick and brief, showing clips of the characters doing magic. This establishes the equilibrium as it shows the characters during a normal period before the disequilibrium occurs. It then shows the institution logo, Summit Entertainment. This is a way of promoting the movie, as the audience may have watched films by this institution and enjoyed them they may be influenced to watch the film.

In the next sequence, one of the lines of dialogue are ‘we are going to rob a bank.’ This clearly establishes the crime genre in the film, which allows the audience to know what kind of film they would be watching. We also have a character narrate over the top of the next few clips on what the crime entails, which aids in influencing the plot onto the audience without giving it away completely.













The disequilibrium appears after this sequence, as we see police breaking into the four magicians’ home and arresting them. The setting then changes to a police interrogation room- another feature of crime. There are also a few establishing shots in these clips, which are a feature of a thriller, showing that setting is an important part.












The sound used in the trailer is has moments of diegetic- as all the crowd noise is real -  however, there is a lot of non-diegetic incidental music playing throughout the trailer. The edits are also fast-paced and action packed, which are features of crime. The trailer lacks a little in showing the thriller side to the film, however it does work in grabbing an audience’s attention who are interested in this genre. The lighting in the trailer is quite dark, yet vibrant and artificial- which might symbolise the theme of magic and deception, as artificial is fake.

The trailer ends with three of the magicians jumping off a building, then surrounding a hologram full of codes, which implies that the movie is modern. Then, the title of the film and actors who star in it flash up, before the ‘Coming Soon’ text, which closes the trailer. Over the top of this is a narration by one of the characters, who says ‘Look closely, because the closer you think you are, the less you’ll actually see.’ This line is used often throughout the trailer, which intrigues the audience as they will want to know what the meaning behind it is.














 

Trailer Research - Wasteland

Wasteland (2013)
Directed by: Rowan Athale
Written by: Rowan Athale
Stars: Matt Lewis, Iwan Rheon, Timothy Spall
Released: 20^th September 2013
Age Rating: 15
Genre: Crime/Drama/Thriller
Institution: MoliFilms

The trailer opens with the institution logo by MoliFilms. This is used as a way of promoting the movie as if the audience recognised the logo or the company name from other films they have watched and enjoyed; they are more likely to be influenced to watch the movie as they know the standards of the particular institution.

There’s a brief moment of dialogue between two characters, where the main character, Harvey, asks the D.I “What do you know about Steven Roper?” The next shots are quick, while the D.I narrates over the top of these shots, saying what Steven Roper’s criminal activities are. Then, the next sequence of shots you see Harvey in prison, while he narrates that it’s down to Roper that he was put inside and then in between shots, the words ‘Unfinished Business’ flash up on the screen. This is used to introduce the backstory of the characters and sets up the revenge plot that will be formed by Harvey, all of which are also conventions of Crime Thrillers.

The next sequences of shots are quick and involve a lot of dialogue, which allows the audience more insight into the plotline of the film without giving it away completely. Some themes involved in this film- such as a heist and revenge- are common conventions in Crime Thrillers. There’s also lot of split-screening, which keeps the trailer interesting and also shows brief clips that aid in enticing the audience into wanting to watch the film. The lighting throughout the trailer is dark in parts then natural lighting.





Nearing the end of the trailer, the next sequence of shots are brief clips of the heist, which tells the audience that this is the most important part of the film. However, it cuts to a quick moment of dialogue between a police officer and the D.I and a narration by Harvey, saying; ‘You haven’t heard the interesting part yet’. This leads to the final sequence of shots that wrap up the trailer, with three moments of text between shots that say ‘Don’t believe your eyes’ ‘Don’t trust your ears’ and ‘Nothing is as it appears’. This aids in capturing the audience’s interest and to entice them into wanting to watch the film.

 

 

 

 

Finally, it ends with the film’s title and ‘Coming Soon’ with the films Twitter and Facebook address so that the audience can visit them and find out more information.

 

 

Overall, the trailer captures many of the common conventions of a Crime Thriller film as it aids in telling you enough of the plot to get you interested but not enough to give away the film and has the usual criminal/police theme involved. The incidental music used in the trailer is fast paced and there a few establishing shots, both of which influence the atmosphere of the film. However, the editing is snappy and fast, which isn’t a convention of a Crime Thriller but it works well for this trailer.

Research Plan

The genre of my proposed media product is Crime Thriller. I have chosen this genre as it’s something different and I’m familiar with a majority of the codes and conventions that are used in this particular genre, which will allow me to create a successful teaser trailer that is easily recognisable to the target audience that are interested in this genre of film.
 
In addition to creating a trailer, I also intend to create a film poster and a magazine cover. I have chosen to do these as I already have experience with designing a magazine cover from last year’s tasks which will allow me to use my knowledge that I have gained to help me create the product. Also, the skills from making a front cover of a magazine will aid in the designing of a film poster.

The lowest age rating for a Crime Thriller would be around 12A, however the commonly used age rating for Crime Thrillers are usually around 15 to 18, as this age group are more likely to be interested in this genre.

Crime Thriller is a popular genre, so many professionally produce films already exist, so I can use them as a guide to create my own trailer for this particular genre, such as The Usual Suspects, directed by Bryan Singer. This film is one of the most famous Crime Thrillers and is interesting and imaginative. It was also praised highly by critics and earned a high rating on IMDb. The director has also produced many other popular films and even TV shows, therefore I believe looking at the way Bryan Singer and other accomplished directors produced their Crime Thrillers will allow me to create a successful trailer of my own.

Finally, the brief allows me to be as creative as possible with my trailer. Therefore, I can use a variety of techniques and also use my knowledge of Mise En Scene, Sound and Camera shots and angles to create a successful and professional looking trailer. Also, it will allow me to be creative on designing a poster and magazine cover, too.