Film Trailers

Audition without sound

The trailer starts slow paced which suggests that something bad will happen. Then the film becomes fast paced and more violent which shows that it is a thriller. There are also quotes from reviews that  mostly describe how scary it is, which suggests that it is horror. The writing and scenes fade out slowly at the beginning but speedup at the end to show that the film is a thriller. There is black and white pouring down the screen, like blood, suggesting something bad will happen. This tells us that it is a thriller.

We see torture happening in the film e.g. there is someone trapped in a bag, someone is being stabbed. There is also murder in the film which tells us that it is a horror thriller. The choice of colour also tells us that it is a horror as it uses dark colours which suggests that something bad will happen. It also uses the colour of red which signifies danger and seduction.

Swedish trailer of 'The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo' 

The trailer start slow paced, filming the back of someone in a hoody walking; this suggests that something is going to happen to this character. It then shows a girl working on a computer and the camera zooms in on details on the computer which suggests that she is working on something secretive and tells us that it could be a thriller.The film then becomes  fast paced showing that the film becomes more dramatic as time goes on.
It then shows the girl fighting someone, indicating it could be a violent thriller. We also see the girl following and taking pictures of a man which shows that there is stalking involved in the film. We also see a body that might be dead and pictures in an investigation
of it which suggests that a murder could have
happened this shows that the film has elements of
horror. The trailer also uses lots of dark colours
suggesting something dangerous happens in the film.

Cuban Missile Crisis

Cuban Missile Crisis

It was during the Cold War between the USA and Russia. It was close to becoming a nuclear war. It was the closest the World came to a nuclear war. Premier Nikita Khrushchev wanted to place nuclear missiles in Cuba as the USA had more powerful missiles that could strike the whole of the Soviet Union. Soviet field commanders in Cuba were prepared to use battlefield nuclear weapons to defend the island if it was invaded. During the summer of 1962 the Soviet Union secretly built missiles. In October 1962 the USA discovered photos of the Soviet Union's missiles. Kennedy organised an meeting that lasted seven days with his top advisers. He announced that any missiles launched from Cuba
would be an attackon the USA and that the Soviets
had to remove all missiles. JFK and the Premier
made an agreement that the Soviets would dismantle
the missiles and return them back to the Soviet Union.
They also agreed that the Soviet light bombers
would be removed from Cuba and that the USA
would not invade.

Kyle Cooper

Kyle Cooper

Kyle Cooper is a designer of title sequences and also a movie director. He has directed 'Se7en', 'Spider-Man', and 'The Mummy'. He did the title sequences for 'Iron Man', 'Tron','Legacy' and 'The Walking Dead'. He was also one of the founders of the Imaginary Forces but he left in 2003 and he founded the company Prologue.

Background Information

Kyle Cooper studied graphic design under Paul Rand (graphic designer) at Yale University from where which he obtained an MFA. He also studied at the  University of Massachusetts where he was awarded a BFA. He has earned five Emmy Award nominations and he has one win for his work for the 81st Annual Academy Awards . He also holds the title of Honorary Royal Designer for Industry from the Royal Society of Arts in London. 

  

 Examples of his work

Most of his title sequences  have a similar style where the pictures are layered over each other.

'Se7en' Opening Sequence

In the opening sequence we see lots of dark colours and the colour red is used, suggesting something dark and dangerous is going to happen which suggests that the film will be a horror.  The music that is used is sinister suggesting that the film could be a psychological thriller. Kyle Cooper uses picture layering in the film which is his signature film design.

My Opening Sequence

The film will start in an office with windows and a big wooden desk. The shot will start in the office with a serious approach to establish where the location is and what the scene could be about.

The audience will see three men sitting at a desk wearing suits. One of these men will have a pocket handkerchief (JFK) - he will have the most authority. One of the men will be Nixon and another will be JFK. There will be an American flag in the background (for a sense of patriotism).  There would not be much dialogue happening, as they would be looking through maps. The clip will be based in the 1960’s and influenced by Mad Men (which shows what looks like an office looks like). The mood will be serious at first and then chaotic. The thriller

would have a conspiracy and political theme.

We would identify the characters as  the President of the USA, the Defense Secretary and maybe the Secretary of State. We would be able to identify the President, as he would have a triangle pocket handkerchief and a thin tie; he would also be placed in the middle of the two other men and he would have the most authority in the meeting.

The location would be in an office with a big wooden desk. We were inspired by the idea of Mad Men which is set  in 1960s offices.  The costumes would be suits. The props would be an American flag, a black 1960’s telephone, and maps. The lighting would be natural (light from the windows). There would be a wide shot camera angle to show the audience where the film is based. There would be 180degree angles when the three men where debating on what to do and there would be close-ups when the scene became dramatic.

1st thriller idea

Opening sequence thriller 

The opening scene is set in the grounds of a big old fashioned stately house with a long gravel driveway, forming a semi circle in front of the building. There is a vintage car in front of the house. It is set in early evening with the light just starting to fade away. The house lights are on. There is light fog which creates a mysterious ambiance.  

Driver is wearing a suit, red tie and leather gloves.

Girl is wearing a white coat, red accessories and red lipstick.

The girl walks back from the house to the car. Driver’s back is turned. She waits for him to open the door. Close-up of girl’s hand - no wedding ring.The driver looks around before getting into the car. Close-up of driver’s glove.
News is on the radio. Driver makes small talk as they drive along. He asks about her husband. Girl puts wedding ring on. Girl gets out mirror and re-applies red lipstick. Close-up of her face. Close-up of driver’s face looking back at girl in car mirror.

Driver turns into abandoned house and presses lock on doors. Girl asks what’s wrong. Driver tells her to ask her husband and gets out of car.   

'The Usual Suspects'

'The Usual Suspects'

It’s a criminal photo booth with five men. This shows that they have done something bad so it could be the genre of a crime thriller. The man in the middle looks like the head of the group, as he is taller and he has taken up a suspicious stance. The two men on the right seem to be the innocent ones in the picture as their clothes are mostly light colours and their facial expressions look very scared; this suggests that they do not want to be involved. There is a man in the middle on the left hand side who looks very serious and tough, although he does not look very well educated. This suggests that there could be some violence involved in the film. The guy on the left hand side who is shortest has greasy hair and is wearing a garage jacket; his appearance suggests that the others might make fun of him which implies that the film could also be comical. The poster shows that the film could cover a range
of genres including crime, violence and comedy.

New thriller idea

I think our thriller idea is moving forward very well as we have thought of the idea being based during the Cuban missile crisis and still during the 60’s and there would also be an assassination. It would also be in an office, not in a hospital, to show that the film was a political genre.