Promotion is a huge part in the film industry as there’s no
point of having a really good film if no one knows it exists. Film producers
need audiences to interact with their film either by watching it, buying the
DVD or buying other merchandise. This is
how they make their profit. Because of this it’s essential that they use
promotion that appeals and attracts a specific audience.
In the film trailer for Beautiful Creatures, media techniques
such as a variety of camera shots and narrative strands are used to represent
the fantasy/drama genre and to attract as wide of an audience as possible that
enjoy watching this genre.
The audience that this genre tends to draw in are usually
people aged 15 to late 20’s. This is
mainly because these people are still young enough to have an active
imagination to be able to accept and enjoy the film, but they are also old
enough to understand the deeper meanings that come with the film such as the
relationship between the two protagonists.
The opening to the trailer starts with an enigma showing an
elderly women talking about a girl named Lena Duchannes played by actress Alice
Englert. She is talking how the character in the past has caused accidents and “even
deaths.” This enigma keeps the audience interested and they will be more likely
to watch the rest of the trailer in the hope of finding answers.
Also the use of a famous actress is used as a unique selling
point by the producers. Audiences feel more comfortable watching a film if they
recognise an actor/actress from other films, especially so if the actor has
built up a good representation of themselves. You also get certain niche
audiences who are ‘fans’ of certain actors and will just watch a film because
they are in it. This is why it is important for the trailer to include famous actor’s
right from the start.
Also the actress is very pretty. This is important when
attracting the ‘male gaze’. Male audiences are more likely to watch films if
they have seen that there is attractive female’s in the trailer. This theory was created by Laura Mulvey in
1975.
Enigmas also appeal to audiences who enjoy the fantasy
genre, as fantasy is all about mystery. For example in the film Snow White and
The Huntsmen, enigmas are used to create questions such as why is Snow White
being hunted and why does the Huntsmen decide to protect Snow White.
In this particular
scene, the dialogue is diagetic. This forces the audience to pay more attention
to what is being said. This represents the seriousness to what is being said
and the relevance it has in junction with the rest of the film. This also
represents the Drama genre in the film.
The way people think can affect the type of genre they like
to watch. Therefore people are placed into different categories under
VALS. As beautiful Creatures is a
drama/fantasy genre, the producers need to promote their trailer at people who
fit into the top end of VALS such as Innovators and thinkers. This is because films
with the genre of drama tend to hold deep themes and ideas and it requires the
audience to understand these themes.
We can see the themes that come with the drama genre in
Beautiful creatures. One of these themes is the idea of a difficult
relationship between the two protagonists. This is also represents the romance
genre in the film. Iconography is used
throughout the trailer to show this. For
example towards the end of the trailer we see the two main characters kissing
in the rain. The rain is a useful piece of iconography as audiences; especially
female audiences relate kissing in the rain to be romantic. Also the rain makes
the scene more dramatic and adds to the atmosphere. Once again the non-diagetic
sound has been taken out at this point making the scene feel more emotive as
the focus is just on the two characters. There is also another scene were the two
characters kiss. But this time, when the
scene starts dramatic music starts playing and we see lightning flash outside. This could represent how the characters love
isn’t going to be easy and is full of drama. Kissing is also an anchorage to
the romance genre as it’s symbolic to love. This attracts audiences who like the romance
genre as they will want to know what happens next. This is also an enigma. This
will also attract female audiences as females will often feel sympathetic to
the characters as they may have gone through a tough relationship themselves,
and can in some way relate to what’s going on.
The drama and confusion that is involved around the two
characters relationship is also reflected in other scenes in the trailer. For
example at one point we see a table spinning in one direction with Lena’s (The
protagonist) family whilst Lena and the house are spinning in another direction.
This represents the conflict between Lena and her family and the struggle in
her life. This again reflects the drama genre and will attract audiences that
may also have conflicting lives with their own family at home. This is known as
Personal Identity as audiences can explore their self identity by comparing
themselves to the situations in the trailer.
The theme of magic is also represented in the trailer. Magic
is typically connected with fantasy and audiences come to expect magic in
fantasy films. For example in the TV series, Once Upon a Time, or in the film,
Oz: The Great and Powerful. Both of these are fantasies and both contain
the theme of magic. This can be seen through the mise-en-scene which is
utilised.
During one point in
the trailer, the mise-en-scene is of a dark forest. This setting represents the
theme of dark magic and fantasy. The idea behind the forest is that anything
could be lurking inside without us or the characters seeing it. This creates a
sense of fear but it also fits nicely with the theme of dark magic which is linked
with the genre of horror. This will draw in audiences that are intrigued by the
idea of not knowing what’s about to happen and like to feel a bit on edge.
These audiences are usually people aged 15 to 21 and normally fit into a niche
audience. They fit into the niche audience category as fantasy/drama films
aren’t usually watched by the masses. This can be seen by using primary
research and looking at what films are currently being shown at cinemas. By
doing this you will see that current film genres that are being shown are
action and comedy, with films like 007: Skyfall.
As the producers are targeting this film at a niche audience
they don’t have to worry about including things in the trailer that would
attract a mainstream audience. For example images and pieces of iconography are
used throughout the trailer that connotes certain genres that attract this
specific audience. An example of this
would be the number 13 written on the protagonist’s hand. This reflects the
horror genre as the number 13 is stereotypically connected with the horror
genre. This is also anchorage to the genre.
A piece of iconography that relates to fantasy in the
trailer is the mysterious creature on the lock. Audiences relate this to the
fantasy as other fantasy films also contain mysterious creatures. For example
dragons are used a lot in fantasy films. Another piece of iconography used is
the full moon. This again anchors the genre of fantasy as the moon is symbolic
with werewolves which like dragons are a creature known to be in fantasy films. Also a full moon can be used as a piece of
iconography for the romance genre. This is because full moons are seen to be
romantic
Clues to narrative structure can also help us get an insight
into what audiences the trailer may attract to the film. The trailer suggests
that the movie is going to be multi-strand. This means that the film follows
the story of the two protagonists. This is narrative strand is conventional to
the romance genre. Audiences who enjoy the romance genre will notice that the
film follows the multi-stand narrative in the trailer and will be more drawn to
the film as they will recognise the narrative type from other romance
films.
The film uses in-direct mode of address to the audience. This creates
a separation between us and the world in which the film takes part in. This has
been used as they want to show how the film isn’t set in the word the audience
is familiar with rather a world full of dark magic. This intrigues the audience
as they want to find out more about this place. It also intertwines with the
fantasy genre, therefore attracting audiences who like the fantasy genre.
