A2 Media Studies Detailed Research

1. DETAILED RESEARCH
KATIE MOULD

2. 500 DAYS OF SUMMER
• I thought that it would be a good idea to look at this film
because it has a similar storyline to what I am going to
create.
• The film itself focuses around the life of one individual
who thinks that their life depends on another person. This
is the same type of concept that I am going for in my
own trailer which is why I thought that it would be a
good idea to look at it in more detail.
• In regards to my own trailer I am obviously going to
change the general story behind it to my own idea but
keeping the same approach to making it. I like the way
it jumps between time periods so that we aren’t
continuously watching the same period of time as well.

3. We can see that the main character is
obviously not happy with his life from the
facial expression and the way that he is
sitting which is what I am going to try and
replicate when I am creating my own trailer
to get the same type of emotion across.
This is a scene where we see the two main
characters socialising, which is something
that I am going to include in my own trailer so
that we can get a good idea of both
character’s personalities, much like in this
trailer for 500 Days of Summer.
This is another screenshot of the two main
characters socialising, however this
time, there are other people included in the
shot. I am going to use this same idea, but
instead of them socialising with the other
person or people, they are going to be
ignored to show how neither of them are
wanted.

4. This is a happy scene in the
trailer, however I am going to use this
type of scene and change it into my
own idea making it a very dramatic
sad scene to show the audience the
type of emotion that the character is
feeling. I think that this is a good
idea to get the overall mood of the
trailer across to the audience.
This particular scene in the trailer, is
something that I really like the look
of. The sun beaming through really
caught my eye and I think that I
would like to do something like this
for when my two main characters
meet. The effect looks really pretty
and will replicate the mood in the
shot.

5. FOX SEARCHLIGHT
• Fox SearchLight generally creates films that are dramas rather than
institutions such as ‘Hammer’ create stereotypical horror films.
• This institution is generally very centered around a dramatic storyline.
Films under Fox SearchLight
127 Hours
500 Days of Summer
Never Let Me Go
Slumdog Millionaire
The Art of Getting By
• It is clear that the popular films that are created by Fox SearchLight are
very dramatic and have very relatable storylines.
• I think this institution would be best to use for my film trailer because of
the fact that they tend to focus around drama films.

6. KEY SELLING POINTS
• There are various selling points in the trailer that
would make the audience want to watch the film.
• The characters in the film played by well known
actors Joseph Gordon – Levitt and Zooey
Descahanel makes for a strong selling point
because they will most like have a very strong
fanbase that will want to watch the film purely
because they are in it.
• The location that the film is set, would also be a
good way to sell the film and the location in 500
Days of Summer would be somewhat desirable to a
lot of people.

7. KEY SELLING POINTS
• The storyline of the film and any film for that matter is
always a key selling point when it comes to films and
their trailers because at the end of the day, it is going
to be the main reason that someone will choose to
watch the film. As long as the storyline is put across in
a good way in the trailer, much like it is in 500 Days of
Summer, then you are going to be a lot more likely to
draw in the audience to watch the entire film rather
than to just watch the trailer and be satisfied with the
information that they are finding out. trailers tend to
leave a few cliff hangers so that the audience will
have to watch the film in order to find out the answers
to their questions.

8. HOW DOES EACH TRAILER ESTABLISH GENRE,
MOOD AND EXPECTATION OF THE FILM?
• The trailer for 500 Days of Summer establishes the genre
through the storyline that we are shown. The typical
dramatic romance that we get a sense of, gives the
audience a very direct indication of what the genre of
the film itself is.
• It also gives a good idea of the mood of the film through
the use of the voiceover near the beginning saying ‘This
is not a love story’. It gives us the impression that it will be
based on a relationship but not the typical, boy / girl
ending in marriage and totally in love type of storyline
which I think is actually really effective.
• I think that everything working together in this way
makes the overall expectation of the film quite
high, especially for the type of relationship we are
expecting to see after watching the trailer and getting a
good feel for each of the characters.

9. SUCCESSFULNESS
• I think that this trailer is highly successful because of
the relationship that we get from the trailer. It is also
successful because it establishes to the audience
the storyline that we are expecting. After watching
the film we are assured of the relationship which
proves that the trailer was a good way of
presenting the relationship.
• In regards to establishing the genre to the
audience, the trailer does a good job at signifying
that is a drama about a romance. This is important
so that the audience will get a good idea of
whether or not they are going to enjoy the film or
not.

10. SUCCESSFUL
UN-SUCCESSFUL
The voiceover throughout the
trailer works well.
Some of the shot types aren’t as
effective as others.
The actors are good at
establishing the genre.
Particular characters could have
been used more/less.
The music over the top of the
entire trailer is in-keeping with the
storyline.
Aspects of mise-en-scene aren’t
inkeeping with the background of
the film.
The locations create a good
sense of verisimilitude and
representation.

11. WHO APPEARS TO BE THE TARGET
AUDIENCE FOR THE FILM?
• From watching the trailer I think that it would be fair
to say that the target audience of the film would be
16 – 21 year old females due to the storyline behind
the film. The ‘lovey dovey’ relationship that we are
presented with would suggest that a younger
audience would be more appropriate.
• It can also be argued that the target audience for
the film is a little older due to the failure of the
relationship that we see throughout the film. It
would be understandable in this sense that the film
would be targeted at a higher audience as it has
more mature ideas behind that would maybe
appeal more to a female audience of around 18 –
30 y/o.

12. HOW DOES THE TRAILER SPECIFICALLY
TARGET THE AUDIENCE?
• The audience is particularly targeted in this trailer
through the representation of the characters and the
relationships that we are shown. The storyline would also
most likely be a reason as to how the trailer would target
audiences.
• Characters in this film are easy to relate to, which would
be a selling point and a reason to watch the actual film
which is why getting their personalities and demeanors
across in the correct way is vital in the trailer. The
relationships work in the same way because the target
audience would much rather watch a film that they
know is going to have relationships involved that they
are familiar with. The storyline is also very important
because it is essentially the reason that a person will
decide whether or not they are actually going to see the
movie and the trailer has a lot of impact in helping the
audience make their decision.

13. THE GREAT GATSBY
• I wanted to look at this film and trailer because I
love the storyline and also how Baz Luhrmann
presents the entire film.
• The storyline is also somewhat similar to what I am
planning on creating as it centres around the main
character searching for someone to change his life
which is essentially the same type of idea that I am
going for in regards to the two characters finding
each other.
• It won’t be as extravagant as the way the two meet
in The Great Gatsby but I would like to try and make
it as dramatic as their meeting.

14. I thought that this shot was really intriguing
and you can see the background
characters through the main characters. I
might attempt to do this type of shot in
order to show how no-one wants to talk to
them so I might try and show people talking
in the background away from them.
This shot of one of the characters moving
close in to the woman works really well and
adds a lot of tension. We can clearly see
from her facial expression that she is upset
which I think adds to the mood of this shot.
It would be interesting to try and create this
type of shot when creating my own trailer.
This establishing shot is really interesting
because it shows the luxury lifestyle in
which the majority of the characters in the
Great Gatsby live. I might try and do
something similar with my own trailer to
show at large the type of area that my
characters will be in.

15. This shot of Gatsby going to punch one of
the other characters is really effective
because we can see from the others body
language that they were unprepared. I am
going to create a similar shot when creating
my own trailer, to show the frustration in one
of the characters.
I like the way that Baz Luhrmann has
presented Gatsby to the audience as it
shows his personality really well. This is
important, so that the audience knows
exactly what the character is like. I am
going to do something similar, by showing
that my character is sad and lonely.
The music in the background of this trailer is something that I took note of
straight away. The slow but gradually building music adds a lot of suspense
to the overall feel of the trailer which works perfectly with the storyline.
Even when the characters are speaking, the music does not completely
disappear which is something that I would like to keep consistent
throughout my trailer when I am creating my trailer.

16. WARNER BROS. PICTURES
• Much like Fox Searchlight, Warner Bros. also produces mainly family
orientated drama films that would appeal to a wide audience with
the majority of the audience being that which I am targeting my own
trailer.
Other Films Under Warner Bros.
We’re The Millers
Harry Potter Films
Horrible Bosses
Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close
Sweeney Todd
• I think that this institution would be good to use because they clearly
produce films that are popular and dramatic. Even though they are not
all relatable storylines they are all very dramatic and have interesting
storylines that draw the target audiences in.

17. KEY SELLING POINTS
• The key selling points of the trailer would firstly be that The Great
Gatsby is a worldwide phenomenon of a book written by Scott
Fitzgerald. This is a key selling point due to the fact that it would
already have a great deal of hype behind it meaning that it
would be a much more popular trailer and film.
• Another key selling point would be the actors in the film. With
Leonardo DiCaprio and Carey Mulligan as main characters with
stars such as Joel Edgerton and Isla Fisher featuring throughout.
As these are seen as ‘Hollywood stars’, they are going to have a
lot of people wanting to see them in their next movie which
would make them want to go and see the film after watching the
trailer.
• The extravagance of the film such as the location (Gatsby’s
house) and the clothes that all of the characters are wearing
give of the rich lifestyle that some would be attracted to in a film.

18. HOW DOES EACH TRAILER ESTABLISH GENRE,
MOOD AND EXPECTATION OF THE FILM?
• The Great Gatsby establishes genre through the
extravagance of the storyline and the relationship that is
featured throughout the trailer that highlights the key
aspects of the film. Through the trailer presenting
location, actors and basic relationships using micro
elements such as mise-en-scene and
camerawork, establishes in an interesting and different
way the genre in the film.
• The mood is also established in the trailer through the use
of body language and facial expression. The overall
mood of the trailer establishes the mood of the film
through the different micro elements that are featured
throughout.
• The expectation of the film is great built up throughout
the trailer due to The Great Gatsby being a highly
anticipated movie. This is due to The Great Gatsby
being a very popular novel by F. Scott Fitzgerald.

19. WHAT IS THE SUPPOSED TARGET
AUDIENCE?
• After watching the trailer, I would say it was
representing a target audience of a mature
background. I would say an audience of around 21
– 30 year old females is probably the most likely
targeted due to the film promoting strong ideas
and in regards to being targeted at females in
particular, I would say that this is due to the
relationship that we are presented with.
• The trailer and film is also targeting the people that
like romance. The story, despite being a clear
indication of drama, also has a very strong element
of romance throughout.

20. HOW DOES THE TRAILER SPECIFICALLY
TARGET THEIR AUDIENCE?
• The trailer especially targets the audience through
aspects such as the actors, relationships and
storylines. The main characters that we are shown
throughout the film are all played by desirable
characters in regards to the target audience. This is
important because it means that there is a lot more
chance that they will want to go and see the
actual film.
• They also target the audience specifically through
the use of storylines. The ideas that are presented in
the film are ideas that would most likely appeal to
the target audience which is why the specific ideas
are used throughout the film/trailer.

21. THE BLINDSIDE
• I thought that it would be a good idea to look at this
movie because I think that the idea of an ‘unlikely
relationship’ is very similar to what I am looking to create
when it comes to making my own trailer. The idea of a
rich woman finding a friend in a young and homeless
boy is similar to the type of thing that I want to create as
it is seen as highly unlikely.
• When it comes to creating my own trailer I want to use
the same types of ideas, like the woman taking in the
boy and comforting him and giving him a sense of
belonging. This is the same time of idea that I want to
use as my plot involves a young boy finding an unlikely
friend in an old woman.
• The idea behind my trailer should hopefully follow similar
ideologies as the blindside, with similar techniques to
create drama and to keep the audience enticed.

22. WARNER BROS. PICTURES
• The Warner Bros’ stereotypical ideas have been put
across in this film and I think that The Blind Side has
been represented very well. I also think that Warner
Bros. does a good job at portraying to real like story.
• Another reason is that Warner Bros. generally
presents itself as a family friendly type of production
company which is important for the idea behind
The Blind Side. The storyline needs to be presented
in a way that is going to be relatable and
something that people are going to want to watch
and I think that Warner Bros. does it perfectly for the
movie that we are shown.

23. KEY SELLING POINTS
• The main selling point of this movie, would be the fact
that it is based on a true movie. This is a good selling
point as an audience would be much more likely to
watch a movie if it was based on something true as it
adds another element to the viewing purposes and it
makes it even more relatable.
• Another key selling point would be the locations that are
used throughout the movie. The middle class surburban
areas and the ghetto type environments would be easy
to relate to for a lot of people living in America because
the majority of them would probably live in one of the
scenarios. This would mean that the audience is going
to be a lot more likely to watch the film if they feel like
they are a part of it.

24. GENRE, MOOD AND EXPECTATION
• The trailer creates a good idea of genre through the use
of characters, storylines and locations. All of them
indicate a drama film is about to be shown and we are
going to be well prepared for what we are about to
watch. This is important to tell the audience in a way
that they are not being straight away confronted so that
thy will know the storyline.
• The mood is also presented through the use of locations
in particular because it sets the entire scene for the
movie.
• The expectation of the movie is quite high after
watching the trailer as the audience will have a lot of
expectation regarding the fact that it is based on a real
story.

25. SUCCESSFULNESS
• The movie has presented the ideas behind the true
story very well and everything together has made
for a really good movie. Other successful aspects
would be the way that the movie is actually
presented. All of the aspects of mise-en-scene are
put together perfectly to fit the ideologies behind
the film.
• Some aspects however, may be quit unsuccessful
due to the fact that there are some ideas that we
are shown that may be slightly more impactful that
they need to be.

26. TARGET AUDIENCE?
• I think that the main target audience for this film
would be a family type audience as they tackle
family issues.
• I think that you could also say that it is more aimed
at females, probably from age 21 to around 35 due
to the fact that it is still quite a sad and emotional
film, but still tackling ideas that are surrounded with
the family ideology.
• I don’t think that males would tend to want to
watch this film unless they were forced to as it
presents ideas that they may not be comfortable
with and they may not feel totally relatable to the
storyline that they are presented with.

27. HOW ARE THEY SPECIFICALLY
TARGETED?
• The audience is specifically targeted through the
storyline. Due to the fact that it is based on a true
story, people tend to feel like they can approach
the general idea behind it a lot easier.
• They are also specifically targeted through aspects
of mise-en-scene such as the hair and make-up. It
the audience can see something similar to their
own lifestyle then they are going to enjoy the film a
lot more when you are considering drama films and
I think that the hair especially that is
used, represents people in everyday life which is
important to relate to the target audience.

28. IS THERE AN IDENTIFIABLE FORMAT
ACROSS THE TRAILERS?
• The identifiable format across all of the trailers are
due to the production companies that are being
used. They are all family friendly and tend to
produce more and more films that are all very
similar.
• Another identifiable format would be the way that
the trailers are presented and the way that
narrative theory presents them. They all follow the
same type of structure which I think is highly
important as it represents the type of genre that the
audience is going to be presented with.

29. WHY ARE TRAILERS CONSTRUCTED IN
THIS WAY?
• Trailer’s are constructed in this way so that the
audience will understand the movie that they are
going to watch. I think that because they are
constructed in this way there is more chance that
the audience is going to want to watch the movie.
This is due to the fact that the disequilibrium that we
are shown in the trailer is not fully represented and
leaves the audience on a cliffhanger which is
designed to make you go and watch the film. The
majority of the construction of trailers is designed to
make you want to go and watch the film, whether
you realise it is happening or not.

30. SIMILARITY IN GENRE THROUGH TECHNICAL,
SYMBOLIC, WRITTEN AND AUDIO CODES
• All of the trailers are very similar due to their technical
codes due to the fact that they all follow the same
ideologies as the drama genre.
• The symbolic codes seem to be something that does
alter throughout various drama films to add to the
overall effect of the trailer and how it affects the
audience. Hidden signs and symbols in the trailers are
somewhat non-existent throughout some of the trailer
due to the fact that there is no need for them.
• Written and audio codes are also similar as a lot of the
audio codes are very similar. The dialogue in particular is
very similar because it is all from the actual movie. The
narration is also very similar, either getting a character or
an outside voice to narrate what is happening.

31. TO INCLUDE IN THE TRAILER
• The credits in the trailer are important to explain to the
audience because it indicates a lot of the information
that people want to know. The actors, production
companies and everything else is in the trailer and
putting them at the end of the trailer after you have
presented the audience with all of the information is the
way to go with this type of drama genre of trailers.
• The narrative is also in the trailer through the storyline
and the way that it is presented. The change in
relationships that we are usually presented with are
important to the overall feel of the trailer as it depends
on whether or not the audience is going to actually
watch the film.

32. TO INCLUDE IN THE TRAILER
• The release dates tend to come at the end of these
films so that all of the information surrounding the
storyline is consumed before they want to know the
dates. This will give the audience a chance to
decide whether or not they want to actually go
and see the film. I think that it is a good idea to
place the release dates before the credits at the
end of a trailer as it gives them a chance to see the
date.

33. TO INCLUDE IN THE TRAILER
• Everything else such as the
performance, camerawork, editing, sound and
mise-en-scene are all apparent throughout the
entire trailer and it is a good idea to present them in
a way that is going to be fitting with the storyline
and in a way that the audience is going to feel like
they can relate to.
• All aspects of the trailer construction process need
to be considered in regards to the audience as
they are the most important people when it comes
to selling your film and overall idea.