Influences: Hummingbird

This is a slick and stylish trailer that effectively gets the narrative across whilst still keeping enough time for many action-based and landscape shots.

Establishing shots of London are mixed with close ups and shots that depict a more intimate environment, Chinatown perhaps being picked for its position as a sort of microcosm within the larger setting of the city (as well as its connection to crime). Living in London as we do, I feel that we would be able to emulate some of these shots, utilizing the areas and views that we have access to.

Jason Statham does a voice over in his
distinctive accent, lending legitimacy to the setting, as well as characterizing him. This is an effective technique that may be useful to us in creating characters and establishing premises in such a short timeframe.

Dramatic and unusual lighting is used in the trailer, bright pinks and blues abound, making the trailer an unconventional spectacle in terms of colouring. The neon and lamplight emphasize the metropolitan setting as well as making the trailer more visually pleasing. This is something that, given the right setting, we may be able to use.

The titlecard used in the trailer is animated and bold, making it eyecatching, especially given the dark background's contrast with the bright colours used in the type and indeed the rest of the trailer. This would not be too difficult a titlecard to try and emulate as it is extremely simple and yet extremely effective.

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Influences: Welcome To The Punch

This trailer is extremely bright and fast paced, making it dynamic and eyecatching, with the film's many stars and fairly complex narrative firmly put across at the same time.

The London setting is showcased dramatically using helicopter shots and images of City buildings, all with bright, high contrast lighting. Using the location to our advantage and to make the film look better is something we certainly want to take from this trailer and use in our own.

The bold lighting continues in interior scenes, lights and darks contrasting under predominantly blue filtering, giving drama to the trailer and a distinctive look to the film. A distinctive look or image is a difficult thing to achieve, however using dramatic lighting and bold imagery, it can be possible with the right camera angles and setting.

The camerawork in the trailer is used to great effect, with bold figures being emphasized with low angles, cityscapes being exemplified with high angles, and action being filmed in dynamic and exciting pans and swoops. The mix of different shots for different purposes is especially prevalent in this trailer, something that would be extremely useful to capture.

The titlecard used in this trailer is extremely dynamic, each word flashing onscreen before the final titlecard. The colouring is perfectly in line with the general colour scheme of the trailer, and the bright lettering on dark background is a simple but effective way to produce a bold set of titles.

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Influences: Lucky Number Slevin

After searching for other crime/thriller trailer influences I came across 'Lucky number Slevin', which I was particularly drawn to and so thought I would write a post about some of the things I liked.

• Sound - The start of the trailer is rather unorthodox in comparison to most usual crime/thriller trailers in that the music is quite similar to the sort of soundtrack you would find in a Romantic Comedy. It works extremely well in conjunction with the voice over at the start of the trailer as the soundtrack instantly becomes more menacing despite the peacefulness of the music itself. 
• The slightly grey tint on the screen is also effective as it creates the feeling of 'the past' and suggests that something 'bad' has happened in the past, which has caused the events of the film itself. 
• I particularly like the fast paced style of this trailer - fast editing combined with the 'peaceful'

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Influences: Heat

I recently watched this trailer after looking at 'sound' in multiple different crime/thriller trailers and was particularly drawn to this one because of many reasons, not just to do with sound.
I liked:

• First of all the sound was extremely well used in this trailer to create tension all the way through, especially towards the start whereby fog horn noises, similar to that in 'WTTP' were used in order to show the danger of the situation. 
• I also liked the way they combined the music (soundtrack & voices) with the slow motion shots of Pacino walking towards the camera. 

• The graphics choice to have Pacino's name revealed after only 0.12secs was also extremely effective as it caused his character to stand out in conjunction to the others on screen, which I feel is the intention in this trailer. It also attracts a certain audience (Pacino fans etc). 
• I am also fond of the style of graphics they have chosen to use here as they stand out and are memorable as an audience member. I like the blue neon style below as I feel as though it fits in with the style of the trailer and adheres to the genre. 

• I also like the mood and tone of this trailer - the general aesthetic of the shots combined with sound, colour  

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Trailer Research - Filth

- Fast paced opening
- Bold graphics and bright music
- Catchy soundtrack throughout
- Sex and depravity being sold, maybe the USP?
- James McAvoy, bankable actor
- Scottish culture + extra grimness
- Areas of humor - usually pretty dark
- Author of 'Trainspotting

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Trailer Research - Under the Skin

- Sci-fi/social realism/surrealism genre USP
- Unique style shown (likened to Kubrick)
- Bankable star meets acclaimed indie director
- Tense music and quick cuts unsettle the viewer, suggesting horror or thriller elements to the film
- Intellectual and thought provoking film sold, with Scarlett Johanssen in underwear - appealing to a wide audience

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Trailer Research - Rage

- Nicolas Cage's famous acting ability showcased and suggested as a major feature of the film, is pretty much the USP
- Dramatic music and fade edits are characteristic of the setup in the genre
- Guns, explosions, shouting, Russians - all fairly stereotypical of the genre
- Cheesy lines, delivered by Cage, really selling him as the central character with dark past
- Danny Glover also featured - recognisable face

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