This short documentary sticks to the conventional structure. It includes; - interviews - soundtrack/ incidental (non diegetic) music - credits - a range of clips relating to the documentary topic - changes in the music according to the mood created by the person talking
What this documentary didn't use which goes against the typical structure of a short documentary is titles at the beginning of the documentary. The camera starts off by tracking the subject in the centre frame at a mid shot. The mes en scene and costuming tells the audience about the location, that the setting is in a boxing ring and the guy in the centre frame is a cage fighter. There is a diegetic voice over from the clip as well as sound of an audience and the incidental music is intense and low pitched. The camera then cuts to a mid shot of a man with a microphone introducing the cage fighter, in which the camera then cuts back to a mid shot of the man cage fighting. The editing sets this shot to slow motion and the titles "Raged UK, Swindon" appear on the screen. This is done as a brief introduction to the main character of the documentary so the audience get an idea about who its about and what its about. As the next shot starts, the non diegetic voice over is edited in. This then starts up a montage of clips ranging from long shots to over the shoulder shots, all in which have been edited into slow motion to capture the intense action;
MS, low key lighting
MS, High key filtered lighting
MCU, Low key lighting
MS, low angle, low key lighting This montage has been created to give the audience a taste of what he does within the time management set. When the voice over stops, the incidental music fades and the camera cuts to a new, high key lit location. This long shot shows the cage fighter in training, in which the diegetic sound from the scene of him yelling is loud and emphasises his pain and effort in his work, which tells the audience how difficult the training is. The camera then cuts to a different location, in which the camera pans across to a close up of a photo in a frame. This is then followed by a medium close up of a man from the photograph, in which tells the audience he has a connection with the cage fighter as shown from the photograph, and the camera movement is still. Further evidence is in the titles, which come up on the screen as "Dave, the dad" which confirms he is the cage fighters dad.
The voice over is diegetic and the music is calming and quiet. The camera then cuts to a medium close up in which the dad is in the corner of the shot so the voice over is still diegetic, and the boxer has been framed in the centre of the shot looking over at his dad, which shows a personal and emotional connection, in contrast with the music and the dialogue. The camera then cuts back again to the previous shot of the dad, and the incidental music is still calming and quiet. This has all been done to show the audience the downside of cage fighting and also tells of his dads concern and worry, which further tells the audience its a dangerous sport, especially for someone with his disability.
The camera then cuts to a different location which shows a long shot. This is then followed by a voice over and a short montage of clips, including close ups showing intense concentration and focus, which shows the hard effort he has to put in to become a cage fighter. The non diegetic soundtrack bridges over the montage has more of a beat to it and it a bit louder which emphasises his concentration and focus. This further tells the audience of his dedication and motivation despite his disability. The camera then cuts to a mid shot, in which the sound and the voice over becomes diegetic. The editing cuts to different points of the cage fighter putting on layers of clothes but uses the same camera angle and shot to show time passing by. The camera then cuts to a new shot tilted from a high angle at a long shot, in which the incidental music slowly fades out. The camera then cuts to a closeup of a clock, which once again signifies time passing. The camera then cuts back to a close up, in which lasts for 10 seconds and also the diegetic sound is loud and there is no soundtrack. This then emphasises his focus and concentration, which shows the dedication and pain he goes through to do what he does. This is then followed by another close up from a different angle, in which is a lot shorter but set out for the same purpose. The editing then cuts to a mid shot, in which shows the cage fighter taking off his shirt. This has been set at this range so you can see the sweat come off him as he takes off his shirt so as to show his hard work and dedication. It then cuts to a closeup of weighing scales, in which signifies weight loss and his efforts paying off. This shot is then followed by a medium close up of him looking down, and then up at the camera, in response to the previous shot. The editing then cuts to a close up of him looking down at the scales, in which follows from the previous shot, in which by using a close up, we can clearly see his emotion in which is in response to the first close up of the scales. During this sequence, there is little or no non-diegetic soundtrack and so the mood is purely created by the dialogue which is diegetic, and sets an intense atmosphere. All this shows the audience that he is preparing for a fight, in which is set from the atmosphere and also hints in the dialogue. The editing then cuts to a new location, in which there is a montage sequence of clips that starts off with an establishing shot, and then a range of close ups and mid shots. The use of a montage is to give the audience an idea of what is happening without the need of a structural narrative as it has been set out through the use of shots, editing and soundtrack/voice over. The location uses low key lighting, which sets a dark and intense atmosphere and the non diegetic soundtrack is quiet but is slow paced yet driving to create tension. The voice over is non-diegetic and the editing has used slow motion clips to create a build up and tension.
In the montage, there are clips of the cage fighter preparing, fighting and training in mid shots, close ups and medium long shots;
Low angle, Medium long shot
Low angle, mid shot
Mid shot, high key lighting
Medium long shot, low key lighting
Close up
Medium long shot, eye level
In this sequence, there are clips that have been repeated from the first montage at the start of the documentary which links it up together and puts the audience into an understanding about the commitment and effort put into the cage fighting and they see it in a different light. The last two shots of the montage show him doing push ups, in which starts off on a close up on his bad arm and then the editing cuts to a medium long shot of him doing push ups. This shot shows the audience how strong and determined he is, even with his disability, in which touches upon a brief summery of what the documentary is about . The editing then fades into credits, in which have used the same typography as the titles that introduced the characters, and the soundtrack in the background sound bridges into the credits and fades at the end. It also uses a medium long shot of the cage fighter sat next to a pair of red boxing gloves, in which uses low key lighting to create the same mood and atmosphere.
This short documentary sticks to the conventional structure. It includes; -interviews -soundtrack/incidental (non diegetic) music -titles and credits -a range of clips relating to the documentary topic -changes in the music according to the mood created by the person talking
The mood created in this documentary is very dark and moody. This is created by the soundtrack which starts off quiet, light and moving which then dips into a heavier, driving beat. Most the settings used in the documentary use low key lighting, with filtered blue lighting. Altogether, this creates both a dark and moody atmosphere. At the beginning of the documentary, there are a range of long shots and medium long shots in which have been edited into slow motion montage of clips, as well as a non-diegetic voice over narrating over the soundtrack. In these clips, there is a girl showing off her skills hanging off high straps. At this point, the soundtrack is quiet and light which works along side the clips making the woman appear to be angelic and swift. These clips have been slowed down to captured the detail in her work so the audience can understand more about the way its done. These clips, without the use of the voice-over, tell the audience more to what the documentary is about as a brief insight into what it involves and showing off what it is.
Long Shot, low key lighting with filtered lighting
The last clip in the montage sequence is then edited so the titles appear over the top of the clip but the clip is still in motion. The titles appear in big, blocked letters, which conventionally would expected to be seen on a circus poster as to attract the attention of the audience and to make it seem big and exciting.
Long shot, low key lighting
Title screen using long shot from previous shot
After the title screen, there are more montage clips showing the girl showing off her skills and tricks with the straps. This involves more long shots, a range of close ups and medium close ups. These shots use the same lighting from the previous shot and the same voice over. The pace of the editing is much quicker in this montage, in which the shots are a lot shorter and the music is more driving and faster which reflects on her energy and concentration on the ropes.
After these montage clips, the editing cuts to a medium long shot in a different location. This location uses high key, bright lighting and the non diegetic soundtrack fades a little and becomes a lot calmer and less driving. the mes en scene shows the woman in a different location with a collage of imagery in the background with skulls and punk art which reflects on her culture and character as a person. This shot is still and motionless and is longer than the other shots, in which this is the shot positioning they have used for interviews.
MCU, interview The camera then cuts to different location, and shows a medium close up of the woman, who to the side of the shot. In the centre of the frame, there is an outfit, in which the woman is reaching out to. The importance of this is that by having the costume in the centre of the shot, it shows the significance of it for the woman and for the documentary. The camera then tracks the subject (the woman) in which the duration of the shot the woman is voicing over (non-diegetic), in which the audio is being used from the interview in the previous shot. The non-diegetic soundtrack at this point is still calm and quiet, and the camera then cuts to a close up of the outfit she is holding up, which confirms that she has a significant connection with this item of clothing.
MCU, outfit centre of shot CU, outfit Another shot then shows another costume piece in the centre shot (mid shot) with the girl at the side of the shot, which again shows the significance of the outfit piece as it it placed in centre frame. This confirmed in the next shot which shows a mid shot of the woman wearing the outfit piece, followed by another mid shot with the outfit piece in her hand, and the woman talking to the camera (diegetic sound) about it in which the audio has been lapsing over the previous shot so the voice over was non diegetic. All the while the non diegetic soundtrack is playing in the background, setting a mysterious yet calming atmosphere. The camera then cuts to a close up of the woman, giving indirect mode of address to the camera. The soundtrack is unchanging and bridges over from the previous shot to the new shot location, in which the voice over is diegetic. The camera then cuts to a close up of a photograph, which matches with the eyeline match. This use of editing tells the audience the woman has a connection with the photograph, which is confirmed in the dialogue when the woman says "This is my grandma" which further tells the audience about the personal connection with the photograph. Further evidence of this can be found in the following shot, where the camera cuts into a big close up of the photograph to emphasis the importance of the photo.
CU, high key lighting
CU, eyeline match The camera then cuts to a long shot to a different (outdoor) location, in which there is higher key lighting and the soundtrack (non-diegetic) becomes softer and more calming. The soundtrack changes as the story being told by the voice over goes on to explain her grandmas death, in which the soundtrack becomes softer and calming to emphasise the sadness in her situation and the pace of the editing is also a lot slower.This shot is followed by a small montage of close ups showing photographs from the background in the first shot of the interview;
CU, part of montage
At the end of the montage, there is a mid shot of the woman giving direct mode of address in a low key lit location. This helps to create a darker mood set by the non diegetic soundtrack and the topic being discussed by the voice over (non diegetic). As the voice over starts a new topic, the incidental music changes from calming vibes to more driving and motivated tone. A new montage starts up showing different shots of close ups of different parts of her body, using low key lighting and the editing speeds up to match the pace of the non diegetic soundtrack. the montage also includes a long shot of the woman preparing the straps, whilst the non diegetic voice over plays in the background. The camera then cuts back to the medium close up of the woman being interviewed, and then back to the montage of clips showing close ups of the woman getting ready to practice on the ropes. The editing then fades out to show the end of the collection of clips, and fades in to show slow motion footage of close up of hands, in which then cuts to a medium long shot of the hands in motion from the previous shot, creating an action match. The lighting is low key but uses bright coloured filters, in which is continuously used throughout the montage. The montage consists of slow motion footage to express her elegance and skills on the rope and consists of long shots and closeups to show the action from different angles and perspectives. The voice over bridges the clips in the montage and the non diegetic soundtrack continues to be driving and energetic to emphasis her motivation and skill. The last shot shows a low angle shot of the woman hanging from the ropes, and uses lowmkey lighting, in which the camera fades and cuts to the title screen, which uses the same font colour and style as the intro.
Rich kids go shopping | gypsy with golden car | (2015) produced by; channel 4 distributed by; channel 4 awards; N/A This short documentary sticks to the conventional structure. It includes; - interviews - incidental music - titles and credits - a range of clips relating to the documentary topic - Changes in the music according to the mood created by the person talking
The clip starts off by showing us some shots from the interview. shots shown from the interviews are at a medium close up, the camera is motionless and faces the subject at eye level;
MCU, interview clip
By using a clip from the interview before the title, it gives the audience a brief look into what the documentary is about, which is brief introduction to capture the audiences interest. High key lighting has been used and the background has been blurred out so we can focus our attention on the interviewee in the foreground.
After a brief 7 second look at this clip, the editing cuts to the title screen, Which is a black screen with white, animated typography;
Title screen
The non-diegetic soundtrack bridges from the first clip to the title screen. The soundtrack slowly fades in and gradually becomes louder. When the editing cuts to the next clip, the soundtrack fades as the non-diegetic voice over is played, but the soundtrack doesn't completely fade out and can still be heard faintly. This is done so the atmosphere created by the soundtrack remains but also so we can hear about the topic being discussed.
The next shot after the title screen cuts to an outdoor location, in which the subject is positioned in the centre of the shot as a long shot and the camera is in motion and is tracking the subject. The camera then quickly cuts to the same location but tracking the subject from a side angle. The subject is framed from a low angle at a medium close up, whilst both the non-diegetic voice over and soundtrack are being played. This is done as so it gives the audience the bigger picture and shows them the place he is describing, and so adds to the atmosphere created by the voice-over and incidental music. It then cuts back to the interview where the voice-over is now diegetic and the subject is framed in the same position as the previous interview shot. This shot also has inter-titles in the corner on the screen giving us information about the person being interviewed such as name, age and profession.
LS, tracking
MCU, Low angle tracking
MCU, motionless The clip then cuts back to the boy in the interview standing outdoor location at a medium long shot, in which the voice-over from the interview becomes non-diegetic whilst the soundtrack is still running in the background. The camera then cuts to a medium close up of the subject, in which the voice over becomes diegetic. The location of the interviewee differs from the previous locations and the interviewee is being interviewed in the location shown in the previous shot. Although the camera is focused is on the interviewee and the background is blurred, we can tell its the same location as the previous shot due to the lighting and the positioning of the camera in which we can make out the houses we have seen in previous shots.
The camera then cuts to long shots of other items or "props" on set of the location. The first shot shows a LS of a garden ornament and the next shot shows a LS of a bike. This gives the audience an wider picture about the location including the social class, which relates back to the topic being discussed in the voice-over in which the interviewee discusses where he came from and his previous social background. The shot then cuts back to the interview in the same outdoor location using the same positioning, which then cuts to medium long shot of the subject being tracked, whilst the voice over from the interview in the previous shot is still running. The editing has used all these shots to create an atmosphere but also to give the audience a bigger picture as to what the interviewee is talking about and so they have more to look as rather watching the interviewee talking for 2 minutes. After the camera cuts back to the interview at the first location, The interviewee changes the topic discussion, to which the camera cuts to a new location;
XLS, motionless The change in location also shows the change in topic in which the soundtrack bridges over unchanging as well as the voice over. The shot used is an extreme long shot in which the camera remains motionless for the duration of the shot. The camera then cuts back to the interview, medium close up shot and cuts back to another outdoor location which briefly tracks the interviewee. In this shot there is no voice over, but the camera then cuts to a Long shot of a gold car. The camera positions the car so it is in then centre of the shot but also eyeline match to the interviewee which is confirmed in the dialogue when he says "There it is". The camera also slowly focuses onto the car until all viable detail can be seen. all of this tells the audience that this car is an important part of the documentary as with the use of editing it is seen as a treasured item to the boy being interviewed.
LS, slow focus The camera then cuts to a medium long shot of the interviewee walking up to the car, in which the camera tracks the interviewee keeping him centre of the shot. It then cuts to a medium close up of the subject looking into the car, and then a long shot of the same shot of him looking into the car. All these shots further confirm the relationship between the boy being interviewed and the car he is admiring.
The camera then cuts back to the MCU of the boy being interviewed, in which he discusses further about the car he was admiring in the previous shots. The camera then cuts to a new location which is indoors. We can tell it relates to the topic he was previously discussing as there is a white car to the left of the shot which tells the audience the topic is still about the car. Other things within the mes en scene also give hints about where he is such as the laptop and the man at the desk which tells the audience the interviewee is going to do business as desks and technology are often associated with an office or business class setup. Another shot shows a MCU of the front bonnet of two cars in which the camera focuses on one then the other. This shot further relates to the boy being interviewed in which is also a voice over in the duration of this shot from the interviewee. The camera then cuts to a long shot of the interviewee admiring these cars, and then a medium long shot of the same shot. The camera then cuts back to the MCU interview, and then back to a long shot of him looking at more cars. The camera then cuts to a Big Close Up (BCU) showing the price tag inside the car;
BCU The aim of this shot relates back to the title "Rich kids", which shows how expensive the car is. It further shows the vast income the interviewee could potentially possess and also gives a rough idea about the worth of the gold car in the long shot. The next shot then further shows a long shot of the interviewee looking into the car in which we saw the price of in the previous shot. This confirms his mass income as he can afford to be interested in such a pricey car. The camera then cuts to a mid shot of the subject walking into an office location, whilst the camera tracks from behind. It then cuts to a medium long shot of the subject sitting down behind an expensive computer. This further confirms his mass income as the brand of the Mac is visible, in which is notorious for being an expensive brand of computer. It then cuts back to the MCU of the subject being interviewed and then cuts over to a different location of a different man being interviewed;
MS The camera is motionless and positioned at a Mid shot. The man in the shot is wearing a suit, and everything within the mes en scene relates to this theme of "office" or "business". This tells us that he is important and potentially earns a mass income. The camera then cuts to a close up of a photograph of the boy interviewed previously whilst the man being interviewed voices over. This tells us that the man being interviewed has a connection with the boy such as friend or relative. This is confirmed in the next shot when the camera cuts back to the man being interviewed and the titles come on the screen "Alfie best senior" which tells the audience the man is the boy's, or "Alfie Best's" farther. The camera then cuts to a long shot of the boy and the car, in which there is a change in the music to something more uplifting, in which the camera cuts to a medium long shot, tracking the subject around the gold car we saw in the previous shot. The camera then cuts to another long shot of the boy looking into the car. There are then two more shots, one is a mid shot of the boy pressing buttons, and then the second shot comes to a long shot showing the car roof come off the car. All these shots have been used to show the relationship between the boy (Alfie Best) and the gold car, and also to show the cars impressive abilities which further proves how expensive it is and how much the young boy can afford, relating back to the documentary title "rich kids". There are then more shots showing the relationship between the boy and the car including a close up of the bonnet closing, mid shot showing the inside of the car, medium close up of the boy looking into the car, and a mid shot of him getting into the car. There is also another medium close up of the boy being interviewed at 2:20, in which in the dialogue he says he brought a car because he wanted one rather than needed one. This further confirms the mass income he possesses further relating back to the title "Rich Kids". The last shot in the documentary at 2:47 gives us a long shot, tracking the car pulling out of the drive and onto the road, in which the screen then fades out to black. There is an emphasis on the sound of the car as it accelerates into the distance which further shows its worth. This tells the audience that he now owns the expensive gold car, in which the non diegetic soundtrack suddenly becomes a lot louder and then the credits flash onto the screen.
When producing a documentary, it is important to focus on a specific audience. Usually the audiences who watch the documentaries relate to the chosen topic or have specific interests in the chosen topic or people being interviewed e.g. fans of certain celebrities will watch a documentary if they are being featured.
Different types of documentaries also have a varied target audience. Informative documentaries, for example, can have an age range varying from young children to the elderly, but documentaries that focus on social groups or age groups are more likely to have a specific target audience e.g. a documentary focusing on drinking habits in teens and young adults is more likely to gain interest from that age group as it targets them as an age group.
So for a documentary to be successful, it has to connect with the audience it is targeting or gain some form of interest. If it doesn't relate with the audience then it has failed to document the subject being discussed as without an audience, a documentary cannot be successful. Not only that but if a documentary cant define the audience being targeted, then it cannot be structured in terms of language, soundtrack and mood set by editing using camera and lighting.
This is because different age groups have different interests as well as different forms of communication. So, if there is no audience in mind when documenting a topic, there is no way of being able to determine what soundtrack to use, whether it be modern and connect with a young audience or classical and connect with an older audience; as well as language used whether it be sophisticated and technical to connect with adults and the elderly or whether it be patronizing and easy to connect with young children. By abiding the conventions and stereotypes, it gives the producer an idea of how a documentary can be constructed to suit the audience but if there are no conventions to follow, then the documentary cannot be created.
When distributing a documentary, it is important to bare in mind which platform to use to get through to the target audience. For example, pre teens up to young adults (11-29) are more likely to find documentaries on internet sites such as YouTube in comparison to adults and the elderly (30+) who aren't as familiar with modern tech as young people, and so would be more likely to find and watch documentaries on the television such as The BBC, Channel 4 and The Discovery channel.
Whereas Channel 4 are known to showcase short independent documentary films, these are featured at a specific time of day and so cannot be guaranteed to reach out to a mass in that audience targeted. My documentary will be distributed onto YouTube which, as already explained, will reach out to a younger audience, and so therefore I have decided for my target audience to be teens and young adults.
Being a teen myself, I understand the concept of the different social groups as well as being aware of the vast interests and hobbies of my age group. I have decided against creating informative documentary which is seen as "educational" and would generally be considered boring for people of my age group. I will create a documentary that focuses on the audience I have targeted and I will find a interest that is considered popular within this age range and document the positive values of this interest according to young people.
Famous documentaries that are known to a niche audience, or even a worldwide audience, tend to feature on main channels as big television channel like the BBC and Channel 4 can afford to distribute a documentary if they have faith it'll do well. Documentaries such as Planet earth and Panorama get regular slots on TV channels such as the BBC. This is because they are both produced and distributed by the BBC. Channel4 documentaries such as Dispatches are distributed by Channel4 as they have gained attraction as well as a target audience, in which a new topic each episode keeps the audience engaged. Before digital, documentaries were only shown on Television on Channel 4 and the BBC. This made it hard for smaller documentary production companies to distribute their documentaries as they couldn't get the funding to have their documentary featured on TV, and even though channel 4 do show feature documentary films, its only shown at a specific time of day, which limits the access to the audience. Feature film documentaries produced by amateur/ semi- professional producers depend on digital distribution as well as critical acclaim to reach out to a niche audience. Online distribution is important for small documentary production companies for both promoting the short film to the audience and distributing their film. The web is an international online platform so not only would it reach out to a niche audience, but a tent pole audience which puts small producers at an advantage over national TV documentaries. These smaller producers can use a viral strategy to reach out to a global audience. If they promote their film right and if the content appeals to a tent pole audience then they can reach out their film to a wider audience then they would if their film was only viewed on the BBC/ channel 4.
Another way to gain a positive online status to gain views is by critical acclaim. This can be achieved at the Oscars, who have an award dedicated to the best short documentary, and other documentary award ceremonies including The IDA awards (international documentary association), BAFTA's and Cannes Film awards. Here's an example of a short(ish) documentary that won the Oscar for her short documentary in 2010; http://www.filmsshort.com/short-film-pages/the-warriors-of-qiugang-ruby-yang.html#.Vadu1-Zg61J
By gaining critical acclaim for being the "best" documentary, these small producers gain mass popularity, particularly if it gains critical acclaim at bigger award ceremonies such as the Oscars and BAFTA's, which are shown on an international scale.
A documentary can last from 3 minutes up to an hour. Conventionally, documentaries that last longer tend to be produced and distributed by the BBC, such as "Planet Earth" (BBC One), "Panorama" (BBC One) and "Don't tell the bride" (BBC Three). Each documentary presents a different topic of discussion, and yet lasts around a similar sort of time frame; - Panorama is a journalistic documentary that investigates current affairs within society in which is presented in a serious and unbiased manner. It is the world's longest-running current affairs television programme and has been presented by many well known BBC presenters, including Richard Dimbleby and Jeremy Vine. In 2014, it still retains a peak time transmission slot on BBC One, but without a regular presenter. - Planet Earth is a informative documentary about natural habits and animals all across the globe. It was produced by the BBC natural history unit and presented by David Attenborough. The show started airing in 2006 and at the end of each fifty-minute episode, a ten-minute feature takes a behind-the-scenes look at the challenges of filming the series. - Don't tell the bride is a British reality TV documentary following around couples getting ready to get married, but the groom is organising it instead of the bride. In 2015, the show moved to BBC Onedue to the potential closure of BBC Three as a TV channel.However two series will air in 2015, one on each channel. In February 2012, it was announced that the show had been nominated for a Rose d'Oraward for best 'Factual Entertainment' show. Each of these shows are produced and distributed by the BBC, so naturally they will be funded by the BBC. In each of these 30minute to an hour documentaries, there is; - A voice over - An introduction to what the documentary is about - A montage of clips from the documentary in the introduction - Establishing shots after the introduction has ended - Instrumental music that adjusts according to the mood of the documentary - Titles and credits Other features present in these documentaries include; - Interviews - Behind the scenes (10 minute feature) - stats and facts (on screen formal information about the topic of discussion) In contrast to the BBC, Channel4 produce a wider range of documentaries. Not only do they produce long, 1 hour documentaries but they also produce a series of short 3-5 minute documentaries on 4OD and Youtube; https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLBKfErliSueMcd9M_0tx9jvfJCnPQFvg1 I will take inspiration from these resources to create my own short 3-5 minute documentary. Whats different about these documentaries from the longer documentaries is; - They don't have introductions/ the introduction is much briefer - There's no behind the scenes or extra features The content in these short documentaries which is also used in the longer documentaries includes; - Interviews - Voice overs - A range of clips relating to the documentary including establishing shots - Instrumental music that adjusts according to the mood created by the documentary - Titles and credits So as shown, documentary content can vary depending on the timing. There are certain things I can't put into my documentary due to timing (5 minutes) and so using this research, i can get a better idea about timing and content.
Teaser trailers and trailers are both created for the same purpose, to raise awareness of the film and to create hype and excitement for the target audience or pre existing fan base so they will go and watch it. However the difference between them is this;
Teaser trailer - is shorter than trailers, about 30 seconds to 2 minutes long. It can be released up to 2 years before the film release and makes hints about the narrative. It can also introduce the main characters in the film and generalise the release date e.g. summer 2016.
Trailer - Are longer than teaser trailers, can be up to 5 minutes long. Its general release can be up to 6 months before the actual film in which information about the narrative is much clear, but still doesn't reveal too many hints about the plot and certain details are established such as as the genre/sub genre. We also get more information about the film such as star system and directors and the release dates are much more clear e.g. June 18th 2016.
Big Hollywood conglomerate productions will be released worldwide to a tent-pole audience. The Big 6 e.g. Disney, Paramount, etc, are the most successful companies and can afford to view their films in national cinema chains such as Odeon and Cineworld. The cinema will then have a window of about 2-3 months viewing the film to the public, depending on how successful the film is. E.g. the film E.T. (The Extra Terrestrial) was so popular, it stayed in cinemas for over a year.
A smaller independent production would be expected to be seen in independent theaters such as the UPP in Oxford. Not many will make it into the mainstream theatres as 9/10 production shown in cinemas are made by Hollywood conglomerates.
A big Hollywood blockbuster would be expected to be released during the summer (June-August) as this is a public holiday where kids and teenagers are out of school, and so have more time to do things with friends and family. Films typically released as summer blockbusters includes superhero films, romance, animations and action. In terms of seasons, its expected that thriller and horror films to be released around October in time for Halloween, which is a holiday known for celebrating all things scary. In winter, the can also be a release of Christmas themed films around late November - December time as well as other big Hollywood blockbusters, as more people get time off work for Christmas and want to spend time with family and friends.
The purpose and idea of a trailer/teaser trailer is to gain audience interest for a film and to create hype and excitement without revealing too much about the plot of the film itself. A teaser trailer will be released around a year before the actual film and a trailer will be released 3-6 months before the actual film.
All good trailers and teaser trailers have a good narrative structure. The narrative of the film has been created by the script writers and structured by the director, which is then structured and laid out according to the editing. A narrative structure can be;
- Linear; in chronological order - Non-Linear; in no particularly order
An example of a narrative that uses a non-linear structure would be Pulp Fiction by Quentin Tarintino. This story follows a non-linear narrative and it is based around three distinct but interrelated story lines: mob contract killer
Vincent Vega is the lead of the first story, prizefighter Butch
Coolidge is the lead of the second, and Vincent's fellow contract
killer, Jules Winnfield, is the lead of the third.
Although each story line focuses on a different series of incidents set
in different periods of time, they connect and intersect in various
ways.
Most films conventionally stick to a linear structure, mostly because it is easier for the audience to follow. Some film narrative structures may also use;
- Flashbacks; A scene or moment in the film in which the audience is shown an event that happened earlier in the films narrative.
- Montage; The juxtaposition of seemingly unconnected images in order to create a meaning. An example of a film narrative that uses flashbacks is Forrest Gump. In the narrative, the protagonist Forrest Gump (played by actor Tom Hanks) tells a story about his childhood growing up in Alabama. To illustrate this, the editing cuts away from him talking about his past to new locations, in which uses a voice over to set the scene for the audience. We then see through use of casting, a younger version of the actor in the previous shot, which tells the audience that this is a flashback sequence to Forrest's childhood.
An example of a film that uses montage is the first Rocky film. The narrative uses a montage sequence to show the audience that the protagonist, Rocky, is training for his big fight, and rather showing hours of footage of him training in gyms, they have used a range of clips of him training to show time has passed and that he is training hard;
Even though narratives tell different tales, the structure and set up is roughly the same. Todorov's narrative theory claims that most narratives follow the same pattern or path. There are 5 steps to this pattern; 1) Equilibrium - The first part of the story will display a setting where the characters are content and everything is how it is and it should be.
2) A disruption - The second part of the story will feature a problem or something that will disrupt the narrative.
3) Realisation - This part of the plot is when everyone realises the problem and it is chaos. 4) Restoring order - In this part of the plot, the characters attempt to repair the damage and restore the problem. 5) Equilibrium - This is the final part of the plot where the problem is resolved and normality can resume again. To show how Todorov's theory works, we can use an example from Toy Story; 1) Equilibrium - Woody is Andy's favourite toy, which is accepted from the other toys. 2) A disruption - Andy gets a new toy for his birthday, Buzz, and he becomes the new favourite toy which Woody is unhappy about. 3) Realisation - The other toys find out Woody is jealous of Buzz when he gets pushed out the window by Woody and they are mad at him; Woody and Buzz then both get lost at the gas station when arguing over Andy. 4) Restoring Order - Woody and Buzz then try to get home to Andy before he moves house; the other toys then realise that Woody doesn't hate Buzz when they are chasing the moving van and Woody saves Buzz from the dog chasing them down the street. 5) Equilibrium - They arrive at the new house safely and both Woody and Andy share being Andy's favourite toy which the other toys accept. Another narrative structural theory comes from Syd Field. He has outlined a A paradigm ( a conceptual scheme)
most Hollywood film narratives follow. This paradigm
is the structure that holds a narrative together. According to Field, a narrative follow a three-act structure, meaning the narrative
can be divided into three parts: Setup, Confrontation, and Resolution.
Act I The Set up -
comprises the first quarter of the narrative. It is important that a film narrative has a good setup to get the audience interested into the film, in which they learn about the protagonist/ antagonists character and personality (For a two hour movie,
Act I would last approximately 30 minutes.)
Act II Confrontation - takes up the next two quarters of the film's narrative. In this part, this is where things would start to get problematic for the main character and they are faced with some kind of problems which could go from bad to worse (For a two hour movie, Act
II would last approximately 60 minutes.)
Act III Resolution -
comprises the final quarter of the film. The protagonist manages to overcome their problems, potentially by confronting an antagonist, and will achieve a final decisive victory (For a two hour movie, Act III
would be the final 30 minutes.)
The Plot Point - According
to Syd Field's theory, the three acts are separated by two plot points. A plot point is an event that thrusts the plot in a new direction,
leading into a new act of the narrative. Later narrative have
built on Field's theory by stating that Plot Point #1, which leads into
Act II, is the moment when the hero takes on the problem.
These structures can then be used to create a narrative structure for the audience to follow. The elements from a good, well structured narrative which have the most appeal e.g. excitement, drama, comedy, can be then taken and edited together into a trailer/teaser trailer to make the audience interested and want to watch the film.
