The Signal Trailer - Research and Essay

• This trailer like pretty much every trailer starts off with a voice over, therefore it is essential that my trailer starts off with a VO aswell as it sets the tone of the trailer and introduces the key characters
• The trailer  also includes the festival it has been to, Sundance, this showcases to the audience that it is a good film this is also shown to the audience by reviews appearing in the trailer giving it positive reviews
• The production company is shown at the start of the trailer and the title of the film is shown at the end. However neither the actors or directors names are shown, instead a tag line is shown, this is strange has to do with the production company not viewing them as bankable stars, however Laurence Fishburne is. 
• The tone of the trailer in the first act is one of romance and sadness, through the shots of him and his girlfriend. This is unusual to a science fiction film however it quickly changes into a more common sci-fi trailer with action and suspense
  
• The use of colour in the trailer is also visually interesting due to the contrast. The exterior shots are mostly in the desert or grass and the interior shots are all white along with the change to darkness and the use of red light in some shots, a contrast is created which makes the trailer far more visually exciting 
  
• The music is unusual and creepy, setting the tone of the film. The music in the first act is electronic and mysterious. The music cuts when Laurence Fishburne's character says an exciting line. This builds tension and suspense. The music now becomes even creepier using buzzing sounds and a strong hard beat, which further increases the tension. The music then cuts out again and when it starts in the third act, a piano piece is playing, this increases the creepy tone that the trailer has made as a piano piece is normally used in the first act not the third. As the trailer enters the final montage the buzzing starts again
• The use of the body suits are also striking as they are memorable and interesting, the trailer does a great job of not revealing too much of the film therefore the audience is still left wondering why these suits are needed
  
• This trailer is slightly unusual as it doesn't follow the usual structure of the editing, which is the editing speed getting faster and faster. In this trailer, it starts off slow, then gets faster, then slows down again, and then speeds up dramaticly, then slows down again. This creates a far more visually interesting trailer as it doesn't follow the usual pattern.
• The trailer also includes a montage towards the end of the trailer, which showcases the action and excitement of the film and further increases the suspense
  

AF