A detailed shot-by-shot analysis of the Inception trailer - video on left, audio on right.
These are my notes when I was analysing the Inception trailer shot by shot. I was trying to research trailer construction more deeply by seeing exactly how this trailer was put together in terms of both sound and image. This task helped me see exactly how much content there is in a trailer, which was more than I expected. This was not a long trailer but there are many shots. I had always realised that trailers are truncated narratives, but this task made me realise that they are constructed very differently from films. The narrative is shown to the audience through a series of impressions rather than following any kind of through line or narrative arc. The audience has to do a lot of interpreting but as we are so used to the form, we manage this easily. I noted the use of the intertitles to break of the trailer into segments and give it structure. I also noticed that the shots were organised almost thematically - shots of a character in danger grouped together for example.
Sound is very important in helping the audience with their interpretation. This trailer has a mixture of voiceover and dialogue and all of it is important in helping the viewer understand what they are seeing. For example "He's hiding something and we've got to fins out where it is" is such a simple and effective way of conveying a major plot point. The non-diegetic music also helps to add structyure and pace and drum beats are used to emphasise key moments.
Overall the main thing I took from this was how much help the audience can be given in a trailer. This combines intertitles, voiceover, dialogue and music to give meaning to the video. This is why trailers can use a montage style of editing - because they use other techniques apart from causality and chronology to give structure.
These are my notes when I was analysing the Inception trailer shot by shot. I was trying to research trailer construction more deeply by seeing exactly how this trailer was put together in terms of both sound and image. This task helped me see exactly how much content there is in a trailer, which was more than I expected. This was not a long trailer but there are many shots. I had always realised that trailers are truncated narratives, but this task made me realise that they are constructed very differently from films. The narrative is shown to the audience through a series of impressions rather than following any kind of through line or narrative arc. The audience has to do a lot of interpreting but as we are so used to the form, we manage this easily. I noted the use of the intertitles to break of the trailer into segments and give it structure. I also noticed that the shots were organised almost thematically - shots of a character in danger grouped together for example.
Sound is very important in helping the audience with their interpretation. This trailer has a mixture of voiceover and dialogue and all of it is important in helping the viewer understand what they are seeing. For example "He's hiding something and we've got to fins out where it is" is such a simple and effective way of conveying a major plot point. The non-diegetic music also helps to add structyure and pace and drum beats are used to emphasise key moments.
Overall the main thing I took from this was how much help the audience can be given in a trailer. This combines intertitles, voiceover, dialogue and music to give meaning to the video. This is why trailers can use a montage style of editing - because they use other techniques apart from causality and chronology to give structure.
No comments:
Post a Comment