Research: Chosen Media (continued) - trailer titles

Titles are an important part of the editing process. They add another dimension to the trailer, and either help promote the cast, narrate the story or informing the audience of the awards and accolades the film has won/is nominated for.

The Spectacular Now (2013) trailer titles

Publicises cast and performance

The type of title above promotes the performances of cast members. If they have been well received by critics, then the audience could be more inclined to go and see the film, increasing box office takings.

Context/Background

 This title gives the audience context or background. By telling the audience the writers' previous work, they can gage whether the film we be of interest to them; they could be of a similar vein. It could also surprise them, and make them re-evaluate any preconceived ideas.

Award/accolade

By including any awards that the film has either won or been nominated for, it gives the film status. This could make the audience want to go and see it, because they realise it must be good. Therefore it helps the trailer adhere to its primary purpose of promoting the film.

Main Title

The main title at the end reinforces the name of the film, teased in the editing (see below). By putting the title of the film at the end it has more of an impact on the audience. They are more likely to recall the name of the film and perhaps want to go and see it.

Editing

The editing plays on the title of the film by emphasising the word "Now". It makes the trailer current and puts the audience in the moment, increasing anticipation and excitement surrounding the film, as well as giving a sense of urgency - suggesting the audience have to go and see the film.

The King's Speech (2010) Trailer titles (narrative)

Narrates story

The type of title above acts as a caption, accompanying the moving footage. It also helps to reinforce and explain events for the audience.

Promotes cast

This title helps to promote the cast in the film. They will often be well renowned actors and actresses, as it gives the film a selling point. In this instance, Colin Firth is a famous actor. If someone is a fan of a particular cast member, it could be the reason they go and see the film, so it is important to promote who features in it. By including any awards the person has won or been nominated for, it makes the audience realise the quality of the acting.

Mamma Mia! (2008) Trailer titles (time and star system)

Time indicator

This slide indicates to the audience when the film will be released, so they can prepare to go and see it. If the date is not close, the film producers can build anticipation and hype early on, it will be discussed and promoted.

Star system 

Some trailers put the name of the cast member on footage of them, so that the audience can easily match up the name with a face. This is different to the name being on a black screen. In this case, the audience are being told that Amanda Seyfried stars in the film.

Reflection
Conducting more specific research into the titles that trailers use has made me realise the diversity of them, and how the genre of the film may cause them to differ. It will be interesting to see what types of titles are used for the genre that I end up choosing; this will inform the editing process.