RESEARCH: Where are trailers shown

According to the FDA teaching trailers recourse, most trailers are produced at the same time as the film is being edited. They highlighted the importance of the timing of a trailer campaign as it must be shown far enough in advance to generate excitement about the release, but also not so early that the film is forgotten about. 

I watched three trailers - Toy Story 4, Yesterday and The Brink, to understand how they are designed to create a buzz around the film. As a class, we discussed the main talking points from the trailers. We acknowledged the fact that most trailers in the UK are released over the spring and summer months.

Toy Story 4:

The main talking point of audiences of Toy Story 4 will be the nostalgia evoked by the sequel. Throughout the trailer, through the use of intertitles, the key message of 'old friends' is emphasised, making children excited to see their childhood favourite characters again. 

Another strong talking point for young girls is the evolution of Little Bo Peep as she appears an empowered, confident leader in the trailer, inspiring young girls. This reintroduction adds a new, appealing aspect of the film which sets it apart from the other films.

The soundtrack 'God only knows' by the Beach Boys would evoke happy feelings of parents watching the trailer, also provoking nostalgia as the songs are from their teenage and younger years. Throughout the trailer, Disney is trying to sell the idealised happiness of childhood and infer the togetherness that the film would give parents and children from happy memories created by the experience of seeing the film. Most parents count on summer holidays to create 'happy memories', so the film would resonate with both parents and children. 

I think producers would choose spring/summer for the release of the film as it features a summer holiday and also utilises the children's summer holidays in the UK, meaning there will be a greater amount of screenings in cinemas. The feel-good summer song also contributes to the positive, summer quality - making parents feel positively towards the film.

Yesterday

I think the main talking point of the film trailer would be around the internationally famous band - the Beatles. The film leverages these most famous singer-songwriters, adding a new angle on them which is the unique selling point of the film Audiences that love the music of the Beatles in particular, as well as the whole vibe of older bands and music, would be instantly targeted and made to feel nostalgia over the old music. Hopefully, the music would create positive associations for such audiences, making them want to see the film to feel those happy feelings again. 

Another key talking point would be the distinct element of magic and the concept of becoming as famous of the Beatles. The narrative is quite comedic in this sense, as it is not a realistic concept at all. This might intrigue audiences to find out how it happened.

Guest appearances of stars like Ed Sheeran and James Corden appeal to established audiences of the stars, as well as increasing the production values of the film if famous people wanted to be a part of it. The star talent of Lily James is also a key selling point, as the A-List actress will definitely attract pre-sold audiences who love her acting.

I think that the film would be released in the summer months due to the summer vibe of the film. This is created by the uplifting soundtrack and element of live music which is so often associated with summer. For example, there are shots of festivals which as a major part of summer for lots of people. Happy summer memories for people would be successful in causing them to feel positively about the trailer, as they are likely to be longing to be a part of that summer feeling with live music, influencing them to want to see the film.

The Brink

I think the main talking point of the trailer is the 'cinema vertite' approach. It follows real life events and real politicians so therefore has a documentary feel. This evidence provided on the political events might make audiences feel they had an incite into America politics, and feel they are closer to the truth. They might want to watch the film to form their own personal opinions on the events which would appeal to mature audiences that want to understand their political history. 

The release of the political film would have had to be within relatively close proximity to the events happening, to ensure audiences remain interested in gaining the deeper insight. This relevance is one of the key selling points of the film and therefore is something that needs to be present.

I turned to Peter Bradshaw of the guardian to read his film review, as I wanted to learn a little bit more due to not gaining a detailed perspective from the first screening of the trailer. It was interesting to understand Bradshaw's scorn for Bannen but how he still gave the film 4*. 

The Brink positions Bannen in a very contrasting way to the film Frost/Nixon which is of the same political genre. Frost/Nixon immediately positions the politicians in an extremely negatively way with an expose style. Whereas, Bannen has more of a documentary feel, seeming to show the events as they happened which allows audiences to form their own opinions.