Name of film: Shaun of the Dead
Year Released: 2004
Genre of Trailer: Rom-Com-Zom Action Horror
My Mark after Viewing: 7/10
What happened in the trailer?
This trailer begins by establishing our protagonist: Shaun. It follows all the menial tasks he does every day of his life and compares this lifestyle to that of a modern zombie. He works, visits his girlfriend and goes to the pub. This equilibrium is then disrupted when a news report mentions a new influx of zombie attacks. At this news, Shaun and his best friend, Ed, set off to equip their group of friends to fight off the monsters. Through a series of highlights we see them defend the pub, fight off two people by throwing vinyl discs at their head, and attack a man with snooker cues, all culminating in a scene with the two friends performing the beats of a song with a zombie.
This trailer begins by establishing our protagonist: Shaun. It follows all the menial tasks he does every day of his life and compares this lifestyle to that of a modern zombie. He works, visits his girlfriend and goes to the pub. This equilibrium is then disrupted when a news report mentions a new influx of zombie attacks. At this news, Shaun and his best friend, Ed, set off to equip their group of friends to fight off the monsters. Through a series of highlights we see them defend the pub, fight off two people by throwing vinyl discs at their head, and attack a man with snooker cues, all culminating in a scene with the two friends performing the beats of a song with a zombie.
Which positive, clever or interesting aspects do you
think you could include in your own trailer? What generic features are
fulfilled well?
From the beginning, it is made clear that this movie is a comedy as much as anything else. They do this through both dialogue and slapstick humour. Although this isn’t what we plan for our own film, some good one-liners and catchphrases can make the trailer memorable and give a better understanding of the characters to the audience. The characters’ costumes also play a big part in revealing things about their personalities and could be an aspect we take into consideration when choosing what props and outfits to use in our own trailer. At the start, Shaun acts as the narrator, talking about the mundanity of modern life. In other international versions of this trailer, there is a different voiceover saying very much the same things. One particularly good aspect of the film is its British-ness. This film would not look the same if it were set in a fancy American suburb, so its locations and dialogue are very important to the believability of the narrative. These aspects of a non-glamorous hero narrating his own trailer makes the character relatable and add to the comedy. As well as the unconventional aspects, there are some limited moments of body horror and gore. In parts, there is also an element of psychological horror in which the zombies surround the group’s hiding places and bang on the windows. Unconventionally, a lot of this film is set during the day which means there is limited use of low-key lighting. As we will, most likely, be filming during the day, many of these aspects could be useful when we storyboard how to work around this issue.
From the beginning, it is made clear that this movie is a comedy as much as anything else. They do this through both dialogue and slapstick humour. Although this isn’t what we plan for our own film, some good one-liners and catchphrases can make the trailer memorable and give a better understanding of the characters to the audience. The characters’ costumes also play a big part in revealing things about their personalities and could be an aspect we take into consideration when choosing what props and outfits to use in our own trailer. At the start, Shaun acts as the narrator, talking about the mundanity of modern life. In other international versions of this trailer, there is a different voiceover saying very much the same things. One particularly good aspect of the film is its British-ness. This film would not look the same if it were set in a fancy American suburb, so its locations and dialogue are very important to the believability of the narrative. These aspects of a non-glamorous hero narrating his own trailer makes the character relatable and add to the comedy. As well as the unconventional aspects, there are some limited moments of body horror and gore. In parts, there is also an element of psychological horror in which the zombies surround the group’s hiding places and bang on the windows. Unconventionally, a lot of this film is set during the day which means there is limited use of low-key lighting. As we will, most likely, be filming during the day, many of these aspects could be useful when we storyboard how to work around this issue.
Which aspects of the trailer did you think were
unsuccessful, and would put off its target audience? How is it disappointing?
As this trailer is much shorter than most theatrical trailers, there is less time to show many of the highlights. It is also, more than likely, a green band trailer because the gore shown on screen is very limited. Although this means it can be played to a larger audience, it also means that the target audience is missing out on one of the big selling points of the film. Also due to the length, a lot of the shots are very short takes and much of the trailer is hard to follow because it moves at such a fast pace. In general, there is less focus on the horror aspect in this trailer and it is aimed more at the ‘comedy’ audience. At times there is also the issue that the action horror can be farcical and look more like slapstick than a tough team of zombie fighters. There is also the addition of a romantic couple at the centre of the film. Although this is typical of many horror films, it may not be best for our trailer. In addition, a large percentage of the trailer is taken up with a fuel for the narrative: the news reports. Although these are helpful, they were too prominent in such a short trailer. The trailer also ended on a comedic moment in which Shaun and Ed drunkenly perform the beats of a song with a zombie. This moment could have left much more of a thrill with a jump scare or even some gore/horror through restricted narration, instead.
As this trailer is much shorter than most theatrical trailers, there is less time to show many of the highlights. It is also, more than likely, a green band trailer because the gore shown on screen is very limited. Although this means it can be played to a larger audience, it also means that the target audience is missing out on one of the big selling points of the film. Also due to the length, a lot of the shots are very short takes and much of the trailer is hard to follow because it moves at such a fast pace. In general, there is less focus on the horror aspect in this trailer and it is aimed more at the ‘comedy’ audience. At times there is also the issue that the action horror can be farcical and look more like slapstick than a tough team of zombie fighters. There is also the addition of a romantic couple at the centre of the film. Although this is typical of many horror films, it may not be best for our trailer. In addition, a large percentage of the trailer is taken up with a fuel for the narrative: the news reports. Although these are helpful, they were too prominent in such a short trailer. The trailer also ended on a comedic moment in which Shaun and Ed drunkenly perform the beats of a song with a zombie. This moment could have left much more of a thrill with a jump scare or even some gore/horror through restricted narration, instead.
No comments:
Post a Comment