Research Into Modern Film Noir Posters - 'Brick' (R.Johnson 2005)

Poster 1
This poster consists of an image of an arm in water in the centre of the poster that has been digitally manipulated to look cartoon like. The rest of the poster is dark and foreboding especially at the top of the poster. The colours of the poster are dark around the edges but then lighter in the middle where the image appears to be glowing. The contrast between dark and light in the poster is also displayed in the trailer for this film. This chiaroscuro effect is often used in Film Noir films.
The title of the film is in quite an old fashioned, classic font that seems to give an eerie edge to the poster. At the bottom is information about the film such as directors and producers and the website for the film. All the writing featured in the poster is a cream/gold colour that makes the poster look more sophisticated. This contrasts with the image in the centre that looks more raw and disturbing.

Poster 2

This poster shows the faces of the main characters as well as a low lit masculine figure in a telephone box. Large faces of the main characters take up the top left corner and seem to intertwine through the use of a smokey effect (which comes from the image of a cigarette beneath the title). The smoke effect used gives a mysterious feel to the poster as the faces seem to appear from it. The smoke also gives the faces a blue/green grey tinge which makes them look cold and harsh. The characters featured on the poster are 3 males and a female who could represent the femme fatale character.

Overall the poster is very dark and uses blue and grey colours which immediately suggests mystery to the viewer. The title in the bottom left corner is in a plain, bold white font which makes the poster seem more modern. The 'K' of the word 'BRICK' looks as if it has been burnt by the cigarette beneath it which in a way suggests danger.

As this film includes aspects of Film Noir, I tried to pick out elements of the poster that implied this. Firstly both posters include a contrast between dark and light which is often found in the camera shots in Film Noirs. Both posters suggest mystery as something negative. For example the arm in the puddle suggests death (in poster 1) and the low lit figure in the telephone box looks suspicious which could imply crime. Both posters have pale coloured text that stands out against the background making it more eye catching - attracting a larger audience. The 2nd poster includes images of younger people so would then attract a younger audience.

Research Into Pyschological Thriller Posters - 'The Uninvited' (C.Guard 2009)

Poster One

This poster consists of a window with a girl looking through it, yet the girl's face is hidden by shadow. The overall poster consists of grey tones (light and dark) which gives the poster a somber and serious feel. The fact that there is only one character featured on this poster implies to the viewer the sense of isolation.This could then link to the psychological thriller genre itself as these types of films are based heavily on the mind and perception of an individual. The woods behind the figure look deep and mysterious. Woods are often seen as a symbol of being lost or finding your way in life, so this then links again to the idea of emotional troubles and conflict (found in the psychological thriller genre). The title of the film is in a font that looks informal as if it has been written. The title is skewed slightly which gives the impression of a lack of control - again linking to themes included in the psychological thriller genre.

Poster Two
In this poster there are 4 faces, 2 of which being the same character which implies the idea of identity/identities (a common theme in psychological thrillers). In the background there is a black and white image of a girl in old fashioned clothes that appears to be blurred - which suggests the idea of a memory or history.The overall poster seems quite grainy rather than a clear image so again brings up the idea of memories (in psychological thrillers flashbacks are often used). Woods are also pictured in the poster as well as an image of a house that is well lit up which could suggest isolation (physically or mentally).

In both posters there are female characters, however they look 'stronger' and more outgoing from looking at their body language. This contrasts with the typical vulnerable female characters often seen in thriller films, so could link more to the femme fatale character found in Film Noirs. For example in the 2nd poster an attractive female figure stands in the foreground who seems to look quite confident.This combined with the mysterious connotations of the rest of the poster would then attract a male and female audience probably ranging from 15-30.

My Chosen Genre

After carrying out research into sub genres within the thriller genre and the Film Noir and Neo Noir styles I have decided on a genre for my teaser trailer. I have decided to combine the psychological thriller genre with aspects of Film Noir as I feel I will be able to create an effective trailer considering the resources I have. I have chosen to combine the psychological thriller genre with some elements of the Film Noir style as there seem to be links between the two. For example in my research on the Film Noir style I recognised themes of suspicion, disillusionment, paranoia that would also appear in a psychological thriller.

In Film Noir films there is often some sort of mystery and ambiguity which is also often the case in psychological thrillers. As psychological thrillers are often based on mental and emotional conflict and ambiguity I thought it would be interesting to use this with a Film Noir style as Film Noirs are usually based more on literal conflict eg. a death or crime. By combining Film Noir elements with the psychological genre I feel that a more modern edgy trailer would be the result.

Although I found similarities between the themes of Film Noirs and psychological thrillers I think it would be difficult to incorporate the two. Therefore I have decided to mainly use the themes and content of a psychological thriller such as deception, the mind, identity, death (though some of these themes overlap with those of Film Noirs) . However I like the idea of using a femme fatale character in my trailer, so I will use some Film Noir content here. I will then use the Film Noir style when it comes to the technical part of my trailer. This means that I will use things such as disorientating camera shots, a contrast between dark and light, and dark mysterious settings.

As mentioned before, I feel that the psychological thriller genre combined with Film Noir aspects would best suit the resources I have. For example, psychological thrillers don't often include many characters which means I wouldn't need many people to use as actors/actresses for my teaser trailer. Also, I would be able to go to an urban setting such as London. However if i wasn't able to then I could always use rooms in houses or dark alleyways which would give a more mysterious feel to my teaser trailer. The dark lighting and the chiaroscuro effect would also be easy to achieve as well as skewed camera shots to create the feeling of disorientation.

I think that the target audience for this genre would be large because it would appeal to males and females. I think the age group could range from about 15-30 as teenagers would be attracted by fear and tension of the psychological thriller genre whilst the older side to the audience may be attracted more to the Film Noir elements as they may be able to relate it to Film Noirs they've seen previously. The fact that my teaser trailer may appeal to a wide audience in terms of age and gender means that it could be easier to include elements in the trailer that relate to the whole audience. However a poster and film magazine front cover including my film may be harder to create in order to appeal to the whole audience. Therefore I shall carry out research on thriller posters and film magazine covers to try and investigate how they appeal to a wide audience.

Aspects of Film Noir In More Modern Trailers & The Neo Noir Style

Neo Noirs are aware of modern technology and issues, including themes such as identity crisis, memory loss and technological problems. However the Neo Noir style is more futuristic such as the film Blade Runner (1982 R.Scott) which would be hard to create in my trailer. I feel that if I was to incorporate aspects of Film Noir in my trailer then it may be hard to create a typical Film Noir feel as the style is typically associated with the 1940s-60s. Therefore, as I want my trailer to seem more modern it may be more successful if I just include aspects of Film Noir rather than trying to create a completely Film Noir style trailer.

I have looked at the trailer for 'Brick' (R.Johnson 2005) as I came across it whilst researching more modern Film Noir type films. In the trailer I concentrated on how aspects of Film Noir were made more modern. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KBzX6fFvhwA

The image above shows printscreens that I selected from the trailer that I felt displayed Film Noir elements:

• Printscreen 1 shows a chiaroscuro effect as there is a strong contrast between light and dark. This printscreen also shows a telephone box and lamps that imply a modern urban setting.



• Printscreen 2 shows a gun being fired. In Film Noir film there is often a dramatic death usually someone being shot that shocks the viewer. A low angle shot is used to capture the hand and the gun. This unusual shot used may confuse the viewer adding to the sense of mystery that Film Noirs have.



• Printscreen 3 displays a femme fatale character typical of Film Noir films. However, this character doesn't look as sophisticated as those found in older Film Noirs which gives the trailer a more modern edge.
  
  
• Printscreen 4 shows a normal looking setting of a house or apartment. The low lighting used creates a more mysterious, uncomfortable atmosphere which contrasts with the 'homely' connotations of the setting. Film Noirs often include settings that are obviously 'dangerous' to the viewer such as an abandoned warehouse. The fact that this scene challenges this Film Noir stereotype making it seem more modern.



• Printscreen 5 shows a close-up of a hand in water. The hand is pale and lifeless suggesting that it belongs to a dead body - the theme of death is used in Film Noir films. The close up bird's eye shot used creates a sense of confusion for the viewer as they wonder who the hand belongs to. This theme of confusion and mystery is a common theme in Film Noirs.



• Printscreen 6 is a low lit shot where a hazy light reveals the highlights of a figure's face. The shot seems to have a disorientating feel as the viewer doesn't know where the light has come from. The low lit figure adds a sense of ambiguity to the shot.



• Printscreen 7 also demonstrates the chiaroscuro effect and creates ambiguity as the figure's features aren't made obvious.



• Printscreen 8 is an establishing shot showing the setting of an American high school. Although it could be argued that the setting is quite urban looking (the type usually found in Film Noirs) the setting isn't the kind you'd see in a typical Film Noir as it is more open and exposed - rather than being secluded and hidden like a dark alleyway.

Research Into The Film Noir Style

Film Noir is a style/mood/tone found in thriller films that became popular during the 1940s. Above is my research into typical characteristics associated with the Film Noir style. I would be able to incorporate most of the elements shown above in my teaser trailer as they would be simple yet effective to carry out.

Research Into My Chosen Genre

Thriller
The thriller genre can be sub-categorised into different types although they all seem to share the same basic elements such as a unpredictable plot, heroes, villains, suspense and a link to reality.
These are some of the 'sub genres' that fall under the thriller genre:

• Action Thriller -usually invovles alot of violence, guns, explosions, fast cars etc. It would be hard to create a teaser trailer that projects an action theme as the props and effects needed would be hard to get hold of and expensive. An action thriller would have high production values as alot of money would be needed to fund things such as special effects and elaborate props.
• Crime Thriller -focuses on criminals or police and follows failed crimes or 'successful' ones. A crime thriller could be easy to do as you wouldn't neccesarily need many actors and actresses, and the setting would have to be somewhere reasonably urban (as crime thrillers are usually set in cities and towns). However if you wanted to include the police in a trailer then it would be difficult to get hold of them or a convincing costume.
• Disaster Thriller -usually based around a natural or artificial disaster such as an earthquake or the spreading of a deadly virus (for example in '28 days later' D.Boyle 2002) where the characters experience conflict or try to survive. This type of thriller would be hard to replicate in my teaser trailer as special effects would be needed to simulate a natural or atrifical disaster.
• Psychological Thriller -based upon mental and emotional conflict between the main characters sometimes resulting in a violent ending (for example 'The Uninvited' C.Guard 2009). This type of thriller would probably be the easiest out of all the sub-genres to caryy out in a teaser trailer as the number of actors or the setting is flexible. For example a pyschological thriller could include many characters or just afew, and the location could range from an isolated, rural setting to a busy, urban one.

Initial Ideas - Inspiration

Originally I was inspired by the teaser trailer for Brazilian crime drama film 'City Of God' (F.Meirelles 2002) (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6opvlPFS5_c) as it creates a fast pace, energy and suspense through the use of non diegetic sound, camera shots and editing:

Camera Shots

• I liked the contrast between dark and light shots in the teaser trailer (shown in the image above) as the balance between the two seems to create a sense of unease about the trailer, consequently building tension.
• There was a wide variety of shots used in the trailer ranging from extreme close-ups to tracking shots. I feel this mixture of shots gives a more lively, exciting feel to the trailer.

Sound

• There is no dialogue in the trailer just music that begins slow then increases in pace as the movement within the shots increases.
• At one point there is a moment of silence then non diegetic gun shots and screaming. This surprises the viewer and could portray to them that the actual film may be unpredictable and surprising too.

Editing

• The cuts between the shots are very fast so contribute to the fast pace of the trailer and may add a sense of confusion for the viewer. This would then make them want to watch the film to find out what happens as the trailer is ambiguous.

...However I think that I would like to create a teaser trailer for a thriller film as it would be easier to do regarding:
*the resources I have

*people to feature in the teaser trailer

*the location for it

The teaser trailer for 'City Of God' includes many actors and actresses and many locations which would be hard and complex for me to achieve. Therefore I may use some aspects of the trailer even though it falls under the 'crime drama' genre, in my trailer to create the same feel of unease and suspense.

My Chosen Brief

A promotion package for a new film, to include a teaser trailer, together with a film magazine front cover, featuring the film and a poster for the film.