Thursday, 25 May 2017

HOW DO TRAILERS HELP FILL CINEMAS?

Trailers signal a film's genre to potential audiences but they must also offer audiences something fresh, new and exciting to make them worth watching and paying money for. 

The 'unique' element is called the USP, unique selling point. Using Film Space's tasks on the USPs of The Mummy, Baby Driver and Lady Macbeth, I viewed the trailers to identify their USPs.

THE MUMMY
The trailer shows the bandaged body of an ancient Egyptian mummy being transported in a US military plane, accompanied by Tom Cruise.  
It draws attention to the horror elements of the narrative when the view from the cockpit mid-flight shows a swarm of bats engulfing the plane and threatening to bring it down. The trailer showcases classic spectacle and peril conventions as the pilot loses control and the passengers are violently thrown about as the plane barrels down in a spin to crash land. 

The mix of ancient curses being fulfilled and modern life makes this film special. The crossover between the two is visually signaled in the shot where a series of human corpses lie wrapped in rows, like ancient mummies, in plastic sheeting in a makeshift lab. The voice-over cements these links as the narrative announces "Welcome to a new Order of Gods" accompanied by visuals of a devastated landscape and close-ups of an grim, terrifying mummy's face.

Another striking and innovative element is that the threat comes from a female antagonist: "Princess Ahmanet has come to claim what she has been denied". She is both ruthless and beautiful. Amid huge set-piece action spectacles such as desert battles, temple interiors and London's Westminster Bridge under attack, Princess Ahmanet in slinky outfits, tattooed face  and spiky fingernails (fresh concept) battles it out with dashing Tom Cruise (traditional element) to claim the title of world victor.


BABY DRIVER 
At first glance, the film appears to be another run-of-the-mill action adventure heist film with a team of hard-nosed, tough and experienced criminals who undertake thefts masterminded by Kevin Spacey.
What makes it stand out is encapsulated in the title: the 'driver' (of the get-away car) is the baby-faced genius who is under an obligation to Kevin Spacey to work for his team until his debt is paid. Challenged by the beefy team who are suspicious of his intellectual approach and soft appearance, he proves his worth as an asset, showing the new face of villainy.









 LADY MACBETH

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