I have taken 9 screenshots from our trailer to show how our trailer conforms to conventions of an action trailer. The first screenshot is from the titles we used throughout the trailer, these are typical not just of action trailers, but most trailers, as they build the tension as the plot develops throughout the trailer. We have conformed to the conventions of action trailers through our font and our use of questions. The silver font on a black background features in many action films and we used this as we think it is effective and it is also simple and stands out against the black engaging the audience. The use of questions is also typical of action films as it sets up the plot of the film and indicates what the big fight in the film will be about. This is also effective in drawing the audience in as it directly addresses them.
The second screenshot is of one of our main characters being taught how to ride a bike by her dad, this establishes the relationship between the character and allows the audience to associate themselves with them. This also allows the audience to become more emotionally attached to the characters which then goes onto create tension throughout the trailer as the two characters are shown more. This shot is in the format of a home video which furthermore adds a more personal touch to the trailer emotionally involving the audience more. Although this is not a typical convention of trailers, a relationship between characters is usually established, however we decided to do it through the use of home videos as we thought it was more effective in engaging the audience, especially as the character was young.
The third screen shot shows the moment when the daughter goes missing with the shot of the empty swing and the mum. This is shown after the home video clips which creates a strong contrast, this keeps the audience engaged. Quick changes in the atmosphere is common in trailers as it keeps the audiences attention and keeps them watching which is why we used this quick pace change in our trailer. The setting is also a convention of trailers as it is a recognizable and relatable place for the audience from when they were younger, therefore creating more of an emotional impact on the audience when she goes missing.
The next screenshot is an establishing shot of Trafalgar square in London, it is a long shot showing the National Gallery in the background and highlighting the crowds in the area. We also have the dad in the shot dressed in a suit indicating he has come from work. This setting makes the trailer more realistic and builds tension as we have the voiceover playing over the shot and the business makes the task of finding his daughter even more difficult. A setting in a city is a common convention of action films as almost all action cities are set in big cities as they often use lots of fast cars and big fight scenes which appear more dramatic in big cities. We chose London for this reason but we also thought that by setting a film in a place which is a big tourist attraction it not only attracts an English audience but an international one also.
The fifth screen shot is a high angle shot of the dad walking down the steps in Trafalgar Square again, this shows the audience that this is a vulnerable character. However we did it through the railings which suggests to the audience he is being watched by somebody. This further demonstrates the storyline to the audience and establishes the genre as action as this scene indicates there will be a stereotypical fight/chase scene. This scene is also conforming to the conventions of action trailers as it increases the tension therefore starting to build the suspense in the trailer which is a key feature action trailers rely on.
The sixth screen shot is a different shot of the stereotypical car chase scene which we experimented with. We decided to do the shot of the wing mirror of the car as we thought it was different which then draws in the audience as it stands out. This is conforming to the conventions of action trailers as it increases the pace of the trailer and also indicates to the audience that the trailer will include the stereotypical things which are in action films.
The seventh screen shot is a low angle shot of the dad being chased back in London. He has changed his clothes which demonstrates to the audience that this is a different day which in a way increases the pace of the trailer as it indicates how the dad has now started the fight for his daughter. We used a low angle shot of the chase scene as it makes the man chasing the dad seem more intimidating which increases the tension in the trailer. This scene conforms to conventions of action trailers as it is towards the end of the trailer which is usually when the pace picks up which we have done through this stereotypical chase scene. This draws the audience in and keeps the engaged as the faster paced shots indicate the action genre.
The next screenshot is of the title of our film "Playing With Fire" which we put at the end of the trailer before our last scene, although typically it would be the last title of the trailer we had seen the title of the film placed here in action trailers and thought it was effective. We used bold white font in capitals as this a convention of action film titles, we also think it is effective as it stands out against the black background. We decided to have the word "fire" in orange as it made it stand out and just further demonstrates the danger the characters experience.
The last screenshot is of Rebecca tied up, we showed her whole body before showing a close up in order to highlight how she has been kidnapped. We also used quite a plain setting in order to emphasise the sense of isolation. We put this scene after the titles which is a convention some trailers used in order to make the audience remember important scenes or to surprise them, we think that this scene was unexpected and effective.
Throughout our trailer we used fade to blacks between most scenes as it is a common convention used in action trailers in order to build tension and suspense. They are also effective in making the transitions between scenes better as the trailer is not in chronological order.
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