Solo Trailer Review 1

Name of film: 28 days later

Year Released: 2002

Genre of Trailer: Action/Horror

My Mark after Viewing: 8/10

What Happened in the trailer?

This particular trailer includes the use of intertitles between cuts of highlighted footage; the trailer begins with a title ‘on the first day’. After this, the trailer cuts to some handheld, point of view footage as the camera approaches a character. The added sound of apes suggests that the camera is from the point of view of an animal like creature; in addition to this, an alarm is sounding which suggests the animals may have broken free from containment. After this, more intertitles are included to demonstrate to the audience that the human race have been exposed to an infection that has led to an epidemic crisis. When the titles end, the audience are introduced to the main protagonist as we see him waking up naked in a hospital. The length of time between cuts increases and the trailer has a slower pace which allows the audience to begin to understand the narrative structure of the film. For example, we learn that the main protagonist will meet other characters and together they will fight for survival.

Which positive, clever or interesting aspects do you think you could include in your own trailer? What generic features are fulfilled well?

The most successful aspect of the trailer was its ability to set out a clear narrative structure that the audience will be able to interpret and understand. For example, the use of intertitles and a voice over provide extra information regarding what is happening in the footage and how the situation has escalated into an epidemic crisis. By allowing the audience an insight into how the events in the film will develop, they are able to determine if the film will be interesting. In addition to this, the use of parallel music and sound effects worked in conjunction with the footage in order to enhance the trailer’s ability to shock the audience. For example, the loud alarms, screams, grunts and animal like noises help to intensify the sense of chaos in the trailer, making the audience feel the tension. Similarly, the quick collision cuts help to create a fast pace that adds to the feeling of tension and also makes the audience less aware of what’s going on in the frames which can becomes disorientating and more suspenseful. Furthermore, the incorporation of point of view shots helps to immerse the audience straight away which can help them to relate to the character and feel the emotions he would feel in that particular situation. By engaging the audience, it helps them to want to discover more and follow the journey of the main protagonist, thus enticing them into watching the film. Finally, body horror is included in order to really catch the attention of the target audience. For example, the trailer shows infected people with blood shot eyes and pus filled faces; this can convey a more sickening and gruesome sensation to the audience. Overall, the most successful aspect of this trailer seemed to be its ability to provide a clear narrative structure by creating a good pace and using sound to shock; therefore, in our own trailer, we could take the idea of using intertitles in order to create a tense, fast pace that will keep the audience gripped and hopefully entice them to want to learn more.

Which aspects of the trailer did you think were unsuccessful, and would put off its target audience? How is it disappointing?

Although the trailer succeeded in creating pace, the cuts between footage and intertitles could at times be too confusing and disorientating which resulted in the audience not understanding what’s happening. For example, the handheld camera was fairly shaky which meant the height of the action couldn’t be seen. Similarly, the body horror appeared to be promising although the trailer could have included more in order to really shock the audience and convey a more gruesome image of the film. For example, the audience never get to see how the infected characters are passing the disease on. If more shocking body horror had been included, then it may have reached a wider audience of horror fans. In addition to this, including more of the scene involving the main protagonist may have helped the audience to relate to the characters and want to see him fight for survival; instead, the audience are introduced to lots of different characters in a short amount of time making it difficult for the audience to engage in the film. Therefore, in our own trailer we need to work on focussing on the main protagonists in order to make them relatable, thus allowing the audience to share the character’s emotions and feel immersed in the film.