The wolverine: Poster analysis

The first key feature of this film poster is that it uses direct gaze from Hugh Jackman, this creates a direct mode of address from the film company to the audience.
Another feature of this film poster is that it features Hugh Jackman's name on the top and in the centre. This is because he is the main actor and the film company are wanting to use him to draw in as many viewers as they can.
Also at the bottom of the poster it feature a hashtag #THEWOLVERINE this is used so that anyone who see's this poster can use this hashtag and then they are essentially doing free advertising for the film company.
This poster also advertises the fact that this film can be viewed in 3d again to draw in a greater number of people.
This poster features an image of Hugh Jackman with his shirt of with the claws out in an intimidation stance. This highlights the fact that this is going to be a gritty action film also the fact that Hugh Jackman has his shirt off could be used to draw in a greater number of women.
Finally the background of this poster is showing somewhere in Japan which you can tell by the text on one of the buildings. this conforms with the uses and gratifications theory of consuming media to escape and also the background is also quite dark and sinister looking which is again trying to hint at the type of film that this is going to be.

The wolverine: international trailer analysis

The Wolverine, directed by James Mangold, is an American/Australian superhero film funded by over $100 million. It will be the 6th instalment of the X-Men series following the story of X-Men: the last stand. The Wolverine, will be starring Hugh Jackman who has appeared in previous Wolverine and X-Men films.

The general premise of this film is that it is set as a sequel to X-Men : The last stand and Logan (Wolverine) travels to Japan where he discovers a familiar face from his past. But now he is more vulnerable than ever before so now is pushed to his physical and emotional limits.  Jackman said, "He realizes everyone he loves dies, and his whole life is full of pain. So it's better that he just escapes. He can't die really. He just wants to get away from everything."

As for the international trailer it works in a chronological format going in order of the films time sequence almost kind of giving a summary of what will be happening without issuing and spoilers. This trailer is only 2:28 minuets long and goes through 116 different cuts and clips. To do this the vast majority of the edits in this trailer are jump cuts this is done to keep the trailer under a fast tempo to suit its action/adventure genre to make the film appear action packed and keeps the audience on the edge of their seats. Another common edit used within this trailer is fades to black. These are used at the start and end of this trailer and their purpose is to create a dark atmosphere and also start to build tension and overall make the trailer more suspenseful.

The trailer has many ways of showing that the film is going to be filled with action and also have a dark nature some of these ways are more obvious such as the train fighting scene at 1:52 minuets in

others are a little more subtle such as the man pulling out his gun at 0:22 minuets into the trailer.

As for the sound used in this trailer it starts of with a voiceover of an unknown person who could either be a character or just a narrator however due to his accent we can assume that this person is a character. Also there is some low background music that is much quieter than the narrator to ensure that he is still the main focus thus far but is still there to build tension. The trailer then transitions to just sound coming from the clip of wolverines claws coming out and glass breaking with brief talking as we see our first potential fight scene of the trailer ensuring that this film is going to be action packed. The trailer then goes back to the use of a voice over of different characters but still over the quieter sound if music but this time the music is slightly louder as if the trailer is building up towards something and creating an atmosphere of anticipation. The trailer then cuts the narration again and the sound of the drums and low bass become more prominent with sounds from the clips then being used such as the wolverine screaming in pain, and sounds of clinking metal and the swipes of punches from the fight scenes being shown as well as minor dialect as the music becomes louder until suddenly all sound stops and the title appears. The main focus of the sound of this trailer is to keep the audience in suspense and unsure of what is coming next by going from having a lot of sound and music over fight scenes to make it exciting to just a beating drum or someone talking over a series of close ups to build suspense.

History of trailers

Throughout the history of film, trailers have been at the forefront of advertisement and as such have undergone a huge transition to try and keep them effective and entertaining. This transition is both in the nature of the trailer from the typical 'promotional trailer' which is used to simply promote an upcoming film, to the 'theatrical trailer' which make the audience feel as if they are part of the film itself. Trailers have also adapted in the technologies they use from simply the use of colour to now where the majority of the trailer is in CGI (computer generated imagery)

One of the most notable trailers throughout history come from 1937 and is Walt Disney's Snow White. Throughout this trailer there is a heavy use of large text put on screen which conforms to the stereotypical 'bigging up' of the film "nothing ever like it'. Also throughout the entirety of the trailer there is no use of any clips or segments of the film. This style would never be used in the modern day film industry as company's now thrive of hinting story lines and showing clips of the film. instead the 1937 Snow White trailer opts for having a segment where Walt Disney himself is shown with figurines of the characters and explaining their role and mannerisms.

Jumping forward the next key trailer is Alfred Hitchcock's Pyscho. Pyscho was very much a experimental type of trailer and even today its still seen as an oddity. The trailer itself lasts 6 and a half minuets which in itself is strange the modern trailer very rarely lasts over 2-2:30 minuets. The theme of the trailer itself is Alfred Hitchcock in character giving a tour of the motel in which pyscho is set as he hints at certain story lines as he goes about his unveil. This trailer was a leap forward however in comparison to Snow White when comparing them both to the modern trailer as the text when appearing on screen is in a much smaller font. However the trailer of Pyscho do not use a voice over like modern trailer and instead sticks with just Hitchcock's narration.

Another key trailer comes from 1977 which Star Wars: A new hope. This trailer was so important as it was one of the first trailers of its time that featured its special effects that were considered way ahead of its time in a major role as the vast majority of clips of the film were highlighting its technological capabilities. however by now its use of a voice over was now seen as common and it also still used large text to advertise the film further.

From here on out the main development in trailers since has been the use of music that is now seen as a necessity in film trailers as well as further use of CGI.

questionaire responses

Male 56%
Female 44%

Age

5-10		13%
11-15		0%
16-20		38%
21-25		19%
26-30		13%
31-35		0%
36+		19%

Favourite Genre

Action		6%
Comedy		0%
Romance		0%
Western		13%
Horror		38%
Thiller		19%
Sport		13%
Drama		0%
Independant		0%
Animated		13%

Do you watch trailers on the internet

Yes		56%
No		44%

What is most important to you in a film

Actors/Actresses		13%
Special Effects		13%
Plot		50%
Music		13%
Locations		13%

Where do you see film trailers normally

Cinema		25%
Internet		19%
T.V		38%
Social Media		13%
Other		6%

Do trailers help you decide whether or not you want to see a flim

Yes		81%
No		13%
Sometimes		6%

From these results i can see that the genre of film i should create to please the greatest number of people is horror. As well as this there should be a large emphasis placed on the traler of this film as this is a huge factor as whether or not people will come to see the movie. Also the selling point of this film should be a great story and this should be showcased and advertised in my trailer again to make more people want to come and see the film.