The voiceover is very standard and familiar voiceover that is used to in many film trailers. It is typically recognisable as it is deep and distinctive. The accent is American and has a serious tone. The voiceover in ‘The Little Mermaid’ is used right through the whole trailer. It tells the story in a fairytale like way starting with the classic “once upon a time.” Near the end there is the use of alliteration “dozens of delightful new Disney characters. This makes the trailer seem memorable and stays in the viewers mind, therefore enticing them to go and see the film. The voiceover is still the typical voiceover that is normally used but the tone is instead buoyant and jovial. This reflects the type of genre meaning it is a fun film that is packed with lots of adventure and exciting moments.
In ‘Men in Black’ the voiceover is only used to give you extra information about the film. This is because the audience it is targeted at (twelve to sixteen) are at an age that can put the scenes together to work out the plot of the play. A voiceover is not needed to tell the audience what the film is about. However, ‘The Little Mermaid’ has a much younger target audience (two to ten), and so it is easier for them to understand the storyline if it is told by the voiceover.
The last information given at the end of a trailer is always significant. In ‘Men in Black’ the last thing you see is the title. This is also the same in ‘The Little Mermaid’ and ‘Unbreakable’. It is the last thing that you see and the main thing you will remember from the trailer. The name of the film is put at the end so when a person think about seeing a film because they remember the name, it will also gradually help them remember the trailer and in effect making them want to go and see the film.
There are certain things in the trailers that constantly remind the person watching it the genre of the film. An example is in ‘The Little Mermaid’. Because it is an animated adventure, it has the bold bright colours of the animation. The trailer shows clips of the villain suggesting there will be an adventure. The hundreds of characters and fun packed clips imply the film is fun and exciting. The genre for the ‘Men in Black’ is a comedy sci-fi with action. The constant reminders and hints of this are through the scenes packed with humour and also the scenes with the aliens in it. The indirect reminders are through the fast moving packed clips that support the action part of the genre. The frantic and exciting soundtrack also supports this.
In ‘Unbreakable’, the genre is a supernatural thriller. The scenes are strange and dramatic at some points and seem to catch the eye. In the short scenes there appears to be a lot of questions asked which links to the idea of the supernatural, the unknown. The short scenes that seem to keep you in suspense and the cliffhanger at the end ties in with the thriller part of the genre. The fact that there is no music in the trailer but just eerie sounds also hints the thriller and supernatural elements in the film.
All three films trailers have key images that are significant in the film and help link all the parts of the trailer together. The key image in ‘The Little Mermaid’ trailer is the waves in the background. This plays a very important part in the trailer because the story of ‘The Little Mermaid’ is set under the sea. The key image in the ‘Men in Black’ is the flashes that help link the changing short clips together. In the ‘Unbreakable’ trailer is the shattering glass which ties in with the title, as the story is about a man who cannot get hurt and so is unbreakable whereas the shattering glass contrasts to this.
All three film trailers are very well made as they all have a unique selling point (USP). This is a factor that makes a film different from others in the same genre. All the trailers focus heavily on the target audiences and genres of the films. Because trailers are part of a teaser campaigns, the main object of them is to make the audience watching it want to go and see the film. In order to do this they need unique selling points.
‘Men in Black’ uses many factors to attract its target audience, these includes the type of film itself. Whereas sci-fi films are usually serious, it combines sci-fi with comedy. The storyline is also very different; the thought of aliens living as humans helps us see things from a different angle and lets our imagination go crazy. The idea also of a secret agency that is kept hidden by the government is very interesting to think about and questions our understanding of what is and isn’t reality.
‘The Little Mermaid’ attracts its target audience in many different ways. The first is the storyline. The fact that Ariel (the little mermaid the story is about) is a fish is very interesting and the setting as well under the sea. This gives scope for a child’s imagination to explore. You also have the classic love story but because of the storyline and setting, it differentiates it from other romantic Disney animated classics.
The ‘Unbreakable’ trailer uses certain factors to attract its audience. This is probably the suspense it creates and the way it leaves you with a cliffhanger and unanswered questions. The storyline also, this is the idea of someone who is like superman because they cannot get hurt. The use of supernatural elements makes you curious and you seem to want certain questions answered. All three film trailers are successful in attracting the audiences and constantly tell you about the genre of the film.
