Main References to Preliminary Task (Research and Planning)

For our preliminary task we were asked to produce two short trailers, one representing our school in a good light and one doing the opposite and representing it in a bad light. During this time we learned many useful techniques and skills which can be encorporated into our actual coursework.

We know that to make a succussful teaser trailer the following elements have to be included. A brief idea of the cast, directors and producers as this acts as a major selling point of the film. Genre indicators which can use humour and parody to give a vague idea of the plot, or to switch it from one genre to another keeping it unpredictable to the audience. Lots of short, sharp shots which don't give away the plot and use fast yet simple editing. This is the main point and one definately worth mastering.

Including important pieces of information in quick shots and transforming these into a montage is something we found difficult but vital if we want to create a successful teaser trailer. Since there is less time for dialogue and action, the shots cannot be explained and spoon-fed to the audience, leaving much of the interpretation up to the audience. Consequesntly we have to make sure we deliever the desired effect through our mise-en-scene which includes lighting, make-up, costume, etc. We were able to achieve this in our preliminary task as the audience were able to distinguish between the two, but obviously with our main task we are dealing with an unknowing audience and will have to take great care in balancing the fluidity and cohesion of our piece.