Research- Trailer analysis

Zodiac

Notes taken about each category whilst watching the trailer:
Camera shots
The first shot of the trailer shows an establishing shot of a skyline of a city. This is an indication the audience that the film is set in an urban environment. Furthermore, this shot and the sound of the fireworks mimicking the sound of gunshots, indicates to the audience that those people in the city may be in imminent danger that they are unaware of, therefore creating a feeling of anxiety and anticipation.

I found the most common shots were point of view shots and close ups as they allow for the audience to engage more with the characters involved. Furthermore, these shots make it easier to identify the genre of the film, as it shows a closer more in depth shot of what the film is about which gives the audience an idea of what the film involves. There is a large emphasis on the puzzles that confront the characters, and in the trailer they are represented through the use of a zoom shot into a close up. This is one of the shots which shows the encrypted language created by the antagonist. This maybe attempting to replicate that of Hitchcock's style enigmatic thrillers.

An over the shoulder shot was shown between two characters talking, allowing for the audience to see the perspective of each character during the conversation. Therefore, engaging the audience and keeping them interested in the trailer which will determine if they go and see the real film or not.

A high angle shot was used in both shots of the muddlers that were shown in the trailer. This emphasises the vulnerability of the victim and shows how they were incapable of preventing their own death, when come against the might serial killer that is portrayed as a powerful, strong male who is keen to commit horrific crimes and go again the norms of society.



Whilst watching the trailer, I recognised that there are mid shots, tracking shots and establishing shots all put in place in order to signify different elements. Mid-shots are usually used in order to show some part of an object in more detail, whilst still showing enough for the audience to feel as though they are looking at the whole object. So for example, a mid shot is used in this trailer towards the end where the phone call comes in from what seems to be the antagonist. It shows the expression of one of the characters face whilst still showing their outfit, which seems to be knight ware. This signifies that the antagonist is targeting people when they are most vulnerable. Another feature of this trailer is that it includes some birds-eye view shots showing some various locations. For example, there is a birds eye view shot of some of the traffic passing by. Furthermore, this connotes to the audience that the city is in a position of vulnerability, as nobody knows who the antagonist is, which therefore puts everybody in the city at some level of danger. A tracking shot was used during a scene in an office where two characters go steaming past the camera, which adds to the intensity of the trailer. Establishing shots are significant in this trailer, because nobody including the audience knows who the killer is, so therefore he could be anywhere and adding establishing shots gives the audience clues as to where he has been, or even to represent the population at risk.




Sound
At the beginning of the trailer there are sounds of emergency sirens with firework bangs in the background. This connotes that something has just happened, and the fireworks are there to increase the anticipation right at the beginning of the trailer to keep the attention of the audience. The sound of the fireworks creates a juxtaposition, as they can either be seen as a source of celebration, but in this case they indicate power and violence as they were put in place to mimic the sound of gunfire. This is used to immediately offset the audience, which is a reoccurring theme with the work of Fincher in his other films, which makes him a successful director of thriller films.
After the first couple of shots of the trailer, a voice overlaid is used of the detective in the film, which informs the audience of the basic story of the film. Moreover, this will ensure that the audience do not get confused and lose interest whilst watching the trailer. This is also done throughout the trailer at various times in order to inform the audience of key points in the plot of the film, without giving too much away.


There is a point in the trailer where it seems that the antagonist has written in 'Greek Morse code' or some sort of cryptic message, where one other character reads out the translation in diegetic sound. It translates to "I like killing people because man is the most dangerous animal of all". This connotes to the audience that there is a serial killer involved in the film and the plot is based around discovering who the antagonist is. Furthermore, this is an example of how dialogue in a trailer can be important in sending the audience key pieces of information to get them engaged in the film.

In the trailer, gun shots are used when showing a scene of the murder taking place. This sound creates a sense of realism for the audience because the crisp sound of the gun fire almost feels like you are there in the scene, which further intrigues and grabs the attention of the audience. There are three separate scenes with the sound of gun fire, connoting that there is a common theme of violence in this film, which is a common stereotype of thriller films.

I found it interesting how the sound of a telephone ring can impact the audience, depending on what setting the character is in. For example, one thing I noticed in the trailer is that during a scene of an office, it seems normal to hear the background diegetic noise of phones ringing, however when the phone rang at one of the characters houses it immediately felt like something bad was going to happen because of the build up of sound just before it. In addition, when the character picked up the phone, there was just heavy breathing which was intimidating to both the character and audience. This connotes that the antagonist is slightly insane and does not conform to the norms of society.

The general background music throughout the film is relatively dramatic, however the sound then takes a transition into an actual song and does not go to the previous ominous sound that was used before. In addition, this gives a feel of nostalgia, as funky rock music is used which symbolises the time the film is set in which is in the 1960s and 70s. This fits the theme of the film, as it represents this time frame as this sort of music was most popular at this time. On the other hand, i do believe at this expense the trailer lacks a feeling of intensity and I did not feel the same anticipation as other thriller trailers that I have looked into. Therefore, the trailer's soundtrack does not exactly conform to the stereotypes of the thriller genre, which the audience may be disappointed in.

Editing
Whilst watching the trailer, it was evident that the editing had an important role in making sure the audience have an understanding what the film is about, without giving too much away. This is done by adding many, shorter clips which make the overall trailer look smoother and more crisp which is attractive to the audience. In addition, an important part about a thriller trailer is that it does not give too much away because it spoils the anticipation for the film. Anticipation is important for thriller trailers and this is a common stereotype, because the film companies want to have the audience wanting to watch the final product to find out there what happens, and if the trailer includes too many clips of important text, then the audience feels as though they do not need to go and see the film because the excitement is no longer there. The zodiac trailer therefore does not have this issue, as I was left on edge as to who the antagonist is, which was the product of the use of short clips. These brief cuts tease the audience as they just show enough, but without giving too much away. For example, the shot where it shows the serial killer's encrypted message. This is shown for just the right amount of time, where it leaves the audience thinking of what the message actually means and signifies.

The trailer includes many fade transitions, which helps the trailer start off at a slower pace and then it allows for the intensity to rise during the end of the trailer without using prolonged fade outs. The fade to black was the most common transition I saw, this indicates that something bad is going to happen, and every clip is a lead up to some sort of danger.
There are also transitions where the clip dissolves into the next scene which changes the clips. This helps the flow of the trailer, and it plays a significant part in the lead up to the end of the trailer. This is because it slows down the pace of the editing which therefore allows the trailer to pick up intensity soon after the transitions which will be a evident to the audience, and this is what this trailer succeeds in doing. For example, in the trailer it shows an establishing shot and this then dissolves into a a clip of two character meeting in the back of a taxi, soon after this it has a scene showing fast moving traffic which picks up the excitement in the trailer. Furthermore, the most common change of scene was a simple cut, which is a more modern approach to editing. It makes the trailer more satisfying and smooth, which will keep the audience engaged in the trailer.


Mise en scene
This film is based in the 1960s/70s so there are many props and outfits that help represent this era to the audience. For example, the vintage looking car is shown a few times in the trailer to remind the audience of the time frame and what was fashionable at this time. The trailer also contained conventions of a thriller trailer for example, there was common use of dark and sombre lighting which connotes to the audience that the events that will happen in the film are going to be at night, or in dark lighting. This is a typical convention of the thriller genre, as we usually associate darkness with danger.

The costumes of the characters communicated to the audience who they were, and what social ranking they had. For example, the cartoonist shown throughout the trailer is seen to be wearing casual clothing with an unshaven beard. On the other hand, the Chief was seen wearing what seemed to be an expensive suit and overall, presented himself in a good way. This connotes to the audience that the cartoonist is of lower earnings and social ranking compared to the Chief. However, the cartoonist is the character shown mostly throughout the trailer not the Chief. This indicates to the audience that the character of lower ranking may be the one who steps up and solves the case. In addition, this means that he may have to go against what the the people above him want him to do, as a scene is shown where the cartoonist is working on the case, but one of the people who appear to be above him as he is wearing a shirt says "Don't you have a cartoon to finish".
The old fashioned costumes further represent the era of the film. An example of this is where the detectives are wearing trench coats, which was a common trend in the 70's.

Overall, I feel as though it was a successful trailer in making sure it showed the audience the right information for them to understand whats happening, and at the same time the fact that the case is nowhere near solved it makes you want to go and watch the film. This one of the key factors that I will take on board when making our own trailer. Furthermore, I feel as though the duration was quite long in comparison to other thriller trailers, which I believe killed of some of the intensity that a shorter trailer brings. However, this does meet the maximum duration allowed by the MPAA.