We looked at several different trailer sequences to see the sorts of titles used in order to establish which trailers would be useful for us in order to gain an audience. For example they can include the casts' names along with the names of the crew working on the trailer; if these names are high profile and well respected then it is likely to make more people want to watch the trailer as people may like their other work. The titles are an essential part of the marketing campaign of a film as for a lot of people they will watch the trailer to determine whether or not they should watch the full film or not. As a result of this titles are important as not only does it inform people of who is in the film but also helps to create an atmosphere and build on the story made by the clips.
There also tends to be a general structure to the titles in a film which helps us to decide which order we should have our titles in:
There also tends to be a general structure to the titles in a film which helps us to decide which order we should have our titles in:
- The title that tends to appear first is the distribution company which is the company in charge of making sure the film gets publicity which allows the film to succeed as if the distribution company is better then it is more likely to gain a bigger audience as people who like other films they have distributed will trust that these companies will only invest in films they think will be successful.
- The next title that tends to appear is the production company if not at the same time as the distribution company as they are the company that invested in the film and provided the budget for the film to be built upon.
- These titles are followed by three titles that are used to give a brief description of what the film is about however can also be used to create tension, especially for a horror film. These titles will appear throughout the trailer and are often all linked together and are related to the title of the film.
- The next title to appear is the actual film title which is important as that is the part that the creators of the film want their audience to remember and stick in their heads therefore it is important to make the title interesting and memorable. The title can also be used to grip the audience as if it is a mysterious title then people will be more intrigued to find out what it is about.
- The final titles that will appear will be any other additional information such as a hashtag and website which lets people know where they can find out more information about the film. If the trailer information is more accessible then people are more likely to find out about it which means more people are likely to go and watch the film.
Hostel 2005
The first trailer we looked at was Hostel made in 2005. The first thing we picked out from the trailer was that it had 23 titles which, in comparison to other horror trailers, is a very high amount. During these titles they have managed to build tension and fear as the titles progress as the further into the trailer you get the darker and more evil the titles get. This conforms with the stereotypical trailer as it also gives a brief description of what the film is about and what sort of things it will include.
Saw 3D (2010)
The next film trailer we looked at to help us gather an idea of what titles we should be using and in what order is Saw 3D which was made in 2010. In contrast to the example of Hostel, the titles produced were mainly there to give hints of the storyline in the film and to try and create an atmosphere for the audience. They have done this by using titles such as 'Will you survive?' and 'Witness the final cut' as these are the typical horror style of questions which should make the audience feel scared and on edge. This is because they are trying to put the audience in the shoes of the actor/actress so they can feel the sort of emotions that the victim would be feeling.
The Grudge (2004)
The final film trailer we looked at was The Grudge which was released in 2004. This film trailer, like Hostel, conforms with the stereotypical order of titles used as this order provides a professional feel to the film as other films, that have been highly successful, have used this order therefore by using this order the creators of the trailer know they can inform and grip their audience successfully. As well as this, after the titles they have included a short clip that is designed to try and scare the audience. As this is after the titles they have aimed for this to be the thing that their audience will remember about the film therefore their audience can know what to expect when they go to see the full film.