The Hangover Trailer: A close reading

Posted on March 13, 2012 by Frederick Greene

[YET ANOTHER STUDENT READING…..]

Name: The Hangover
Year: 2009
Length: 2 minutes 26 seconds

The Hangover, despite its overall box office success, actually had a better second and third weekend (bringing in over $100MM collectively) than its $44MM opening. This suggests that much of the film’s success can be attributed to word of mouth as opposed to traditional marketing. This is underlined by the studio’s second round of TV spots highlighting reviews and viewer commentary. But it also suggests that the trailer didn’t do as well as it might have done selling the film to a larger demographic, regardless of crude humor and the ‘R’ rating.

The trailer is constructed in traditional three act fashion. First, setting the stage: four friends go to Vegas for a bachelor party. Second, presenting the dilemma: the friends don’t remembering the previous night or can’t find one of their number. Third, resolution: will they be able to find their missing friend and make it back in time for the wedding?

The first act introduces us to the main characters and the premise of the story and ends after only 40 seconds with the ironic dialogue, “To a night we’ll never forget”. The music in the first act utilizes TI and Rihanna’s “So live your life” a typical club/ party song that one might expect in this type of movie. Everything from the mild pacing of the editing to the tameness of the scenes shown conveys that the film is about four friends taking a trip together.

Act two begins with a hazy POV shot of the characters waking up, having forgotten everything that happened the previous night. We quickly realize that this is a comedy, not a coming of age story. And not just any comedy– a raunchy slap-stick comedy reliant on crude, brash humor, profanity, violence and nudity. The music – like the main character’s memories – completely disappears for the transition into the second act until The Butthole Surfer’s “Pepper” begins playing over character dialogue.

The choice of music for this section of the trailer is interesting but appropriate: a mysterious song that corresponds to the mystery of the previous evening. As the characters discover clues about what took place, story information is presented in chronological order, allowing the audience to learn what’s happened as the characters do.

The first copy card appears about half way through the second act: “From the director of ROAD TRIP.” This might not have been the best way to sell the film since Road Trip was only popular with a young teenage crowd. No cast run is used, since none of the actors – apart from Bradley Cooper – had any star power. (Perhaps highlighting Bradley Cooper– known for “Wedding Crashers” and “How to lose a guy in 10 days”– to appeal to a female demographic makes more sense than aiming for a younger male audience with a story about 30 somethings on a road trip.)

As the mystery unfolds, the atmospheric music of “Pepper” cuts out and is replaced by an underlying generic rock sound track – a choice that avoids distracting from the scenes with lyrics and recognizable music. The pacing quickens only slightly from the first act, despite the complete change of tone. Act two is built on fragments of scenes and dialogue that convey humor and story info, concluding in a bombardment of shots, glimpses of the chaos and confusion of the night before.

Interlaced with this accelerating montage of images we get two more pieces of neon lettered copy: “It was the night of their lives” followed shortly by “If only they could remember”. This underscores the premise of the story and though it might not have been strictly necessary, it offers a break from the visual onslaught and gives the audience a moment to digest what’s going on.

A sudden pause in the music takes us into the third act where we really get a glimpse into their dilemma: they are missing the “bachelor” who is supposed to get married in 5 hours. This explains the sense of urgency about their need to piece together what happened the previous night, but it’s information that might have been better presented in the beginning of the trailer to establish the stakes and engage audiences.

The final act transitions from chaotic shots and images to a vital exchange of dialogue: “We’re getting married in 5 hours!” says the bachelor’s anxious fiancee followed by Cooper’s reply: “Yeah, that’s not going to happen.” Another rapid display of images capped by Stu the dentist screaming “What is going on?!” as if asking the same question on every audience member’s mind. It finally ends on a scene of Mike Tyson as himself. It’s a great closing, because it’s quirky, inexplicable and engaging.

Although the trailer eventually shows just how broad the film’s humor is and that it’s not just another teen flick, the first act might have conveyed this earlier and more clearly. I also think the film would have been better served by highlighting Bradley Cooper (mentioning his name instead of the director’s.) By selling the film as they did, the marketers limited the film’s appeal. Happily, it broadened, once word of mouth took over. Otherwise, the trailer maintains a nice balance between teasing and revealing, while capturing its chaotic humor and appealing to audience curiosity.

[GUEST BLOGGER:
Michael Malenitza is an MBA candidate (’13) at UCLA Anderson School of management pursuing a certificate in media and entertainment. He received his undergraduate degree from Chapman University with a double major in Film Production and Japanese. Shortly after completing his education at Chapman, Michael co-founded an independent film company focused on producing content from emerging talent in Asia. His most recent project is a film called Possession which won the audience award at the Newport Beach Film Festival.]

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DONNIE DARKO Theatrical Trailer: A critique

Posted on March 8, 2012 by Frederick Greene

[EDITORS NOTE: Celebrating the end of the quarter, I’m turning over the blog for a few days to some of the best student “readings” of trailers. This one concerns the official theatrical trailer for Donnie Darko, a critically acclaimed and fan-adored film (“cult,” perhaps) that didn’t succeed at the box-office as its excellence and after life suggested it deserved. Take it away Patrick.]

Donnie Darko’s box office performance (or lack thereof) is an example of how a poorly conceived trailer can sink even a great film’s prospects. Aside from a few redeeming qualities, such as an extended cast run and a good choice of music cues, the trailer falls flat. It presents a confusing plot that does not neatly fit into an easily identifiable genre, incoherent copy and a missed opportunity to capitalize on the film’s critical acclaim. As such, the trailer for Donnie Darko does not do the film justice.

Structurally, the trailer follows convention faithfully. It is divided into three acts, the first of which doesn’t present any obvious problems. It begins with Drew Barrymore as Donnie’s teacher reading a quote from a Graham Greene short story about the pain of puberty (an inside joke, given Barrymore’s own public struggles as an adolescent), and images of Jake Gyllenhaal as Donnie Darko wielding an axe and defacing school property.

The second act is the most damaging to the film’s prospects because of its disjointedness. It runs for a full 1:40. Appropriately, it utilizes a haunting music cue and begins by presenting Donnie Darko as a troubled teen who speaks candidly of his own “emotional problems.” Up to this point, the film effectively presents the protagonist as a mentally unstable young man who could turn violent.

Then, at the 1:02 mark, the presentation of story and conflict becomes confusing. A partly obscured figure asks “have you ever seen a portal.” Characters then discuss giant bunny rabbits, time travel, and seeing into the future. This shift to philosophical/hypothetical concerns conflicts with the first half of the trailer, which frames the movie as a teen horror/thriller film.

Regrettably, the copy in the second act does little to straighten out the plot or position the movie. It reads: “Visions / Time Travel / Sacrifice / The only way to unwind the future / Is to follow the path / Dark / Darkest / Darko / Donnie Darko.” Like the choice of scenes and dialogue in the second movement, this copy moves the film out of the teen thriller genre and into an unfamiliar territory.

The second act also introduces Frank, the “giant bunny rabbit,” a risky choice, since viewers of the trailer (who would not have seen the movie) might mistake this character’s amateur Halloween costume for sloppy special effects and cheap costuming. It’s also one of the weirder plot choices–perhaps too weird for mainstream advertising.

The third act of the trailer is the strongest. It’s simply an extended cast run, with names on card followed by representative shot of each actor. The strong cast, which includes stars like Drew Barrymore, Patrick Swayze and Noah Wyle (among other distinguished and recognizable character actors), lends credibility to the film and its unconventional plot.

Donnie Darko is a case in which the trailer errs by attempting to be too faithful to the film as it actually is. The plot and content of the story is so unconventional and mind-blowing that trying to explain it in less than three minutes is a lost cause. The “failure” of this marketing approach was reflected in the box office results, which were disappointing despite widespread critical acclaim for the film.

If this trailer were to be re-cut, it would make more sense to market the movie as a teen thriller about a mentally disturbed boy who just might be capable of murder. All images of the film’s “monster,” the giant bunny rabbit, should be omitted. Similarly, talk of time-travel, portals, and seeing into the future should be cut. The cast run should appear earlier in the trailer and more screen time should be given to Patrick Swayze, Noah Wyle and Drew Barrymore. Finally, it should foreground the film’s widespread critical acclaim. Such changes, I believe, would have significantly improved the film’s box office prospects.

[Guest Blogger:
Patrick Smith is currently pursuing his MBA in Marketing and Entertainment Management at the UCLA Anderson School of Management. His interest in media production began in high school, where he raised capital and produced an independent film parody of the horror genre. He later went on to produce television advertisements for political causes in Canada.]

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THE DARK KNIGHT First Trailer: A student reading & analysis

Posted on March 6, 2012 by Frederick Greene

[Editor’s Note: One of my students recently submitted this analysis of The Dark Knight theatrical trailer for his required weekly journal. I was gratified to see the application of my “how to read a trailer” worksheet, and impressed by his close attention to the short film text and interpretation of its marketing and promotional work.]

The first minute of the first theatrical trailer for The Dark Knight is narrated almost entirely by the Joker. “You,” he says, “have changed things and there’s no going back,” over scenes of Batman riding his motorcycle through the streets of Gotham, landing on a car and crushing it, watching vigilantly over the city from atop a building, and sitting alone, unmasked and contemplative. The time between cuts is leisurely, with scenes ranging between 4-7 seconds and paced to the deliberate and growing volume of booming bass drums.

The shots fade into/out of black; the music enhancing the viewer’s anxiety as The Joker makes his first appearance seconds after he’s compared himself to Batman (Christian Bale), declaring them both “freaks” in the eyes of the world. This trailer and the Joker’s portrayal were both highly anticipated, given actor Heath Ledger’s unexpected death just months before the movie’s release.

At the 30 second mark, the music decrescendos to silence as the screen once again fades to black, before fading up to reveal a full body shot of the Joker, as if responding to the audience’s anticipation. He is standing alone in the street, holding a shotgun. The contrast between the men is shown by the Joker’s menacing stance compared to Batman standing as the lone centurion of Gotham in a prior shot. Immediately after the glimpse of the Joker, a building explodes and the trailer cuts to a single playing card, “the Joker” burning in the rubble. Chaos, carnage and bright, hot colors are the Joker’s signature, whereas even in action, Batman is portrayed in clean, orderly and composed shots, featuring a cool color palette..

At the 46 second mark, The Joker’s voice over is replaced by dialogue of Commissioner Gordon (played by Gary Oldman), who describes the results of his investigation of the Joker to the district attorney: he possesses no identification and has no other alias; he wears custom-made clothes and carries nothing in his pockets but knives and lint. On screen, we are shown a row of knives on a table as we learn about a man who came from nothing and has nothing to his name but a set of weapons. This man is dangerous, not merely because of his weapons but because he has absolutely nothing to lose.

As the scene fades to black, the Joker’s voice is heard in the darkness, “Good evening, Commissioner:” a typically innocuous, even cordial comment, that now sounds twisted and creepy. At the 1 minute mark, the scene fades up to reveal a close-up of the Joker’s face, exposing his scars, clown make-up and an empty look in his eyes. This cut is followed by another close up of Joker saying his famous line, “why so serious” as more buildings explode and scenes are shown of the Joker causing havoc in the city.

Next, the trailer alternates between scenes of the Joker’s destruction and Batman’s frustrated attempts to find and stop him. Losing his legendary cool, Batman grabs a henchman by the throat and yells, “where is he??” Bruce Wayne appears at the 1:11 mark, in a the scene captioned by dialogue between Wayne and his trusted confidant and butler, Alfred (played by the brilliant Michael Caine). Wayne admits that people are dying and he doesn’t know what to do. Alfred responds that Wayne will need to become an outcast in order to save the people of Gotham. This suggestion, of course, brings the viewer back to the notion, initially proposed by the Joker, of how similar he and Batman are.

Alfred’s remarks are set over more scenes of Batman chasing and the Joker causing violence and destruction. The editing pace increases, with cross cuts between the Joker’s rampage and Batman’s pursuit, although Batman seems invigorated by his friend and bolstered by allies, including Lucius Fox (played by Morgan Freeman) and Commissioner Gordon.

These alternating scenes build to a confrontation between the two antagonists: At 1:49, the Joker shoots an 18-wheeler truck, flipping it over length-wise as the audience hears his voice-over as the shot fades-to-black: “This was all part of the plan.” Batman finally tracks him down and the two enemies face off (Batman on his motorcycle, The Joker standing defiantly), guns blazing in a deserted city street.

The trailer ends with a shot of The Joker from the rear, his head turned partially towards the audience but not into the camera: “Let’s put a smile on that face!” he growls, making clear to the audience that he revels in chaos and destruction.

In the final seconds of the trailer, words appear on screen for the first time, as The Dark Knight title fades in from black in bold letters, along with an outline of Batman’s crest. French horns fill the darkness with a familiar theme, carried over from the first Batman Begins and signaling a triumphant note of hope.

The trailer making skills that predominate in this trailer include music and sound design and, of course, editing. Presumably, this trailer was designed to appeal to young, male audiences who enjoy graphic novels (comics?) and violent action films (fighting, vehicle chases and explosions.) But since the antagonists do not possess “super powers” but are merely (albeit extraordinary) human beings, the film also appeals to those audiences interested in suspense, psychology and dramatic conflicts between order and chaos, justice and ruthlessness. Of course, the star cast, acclaimed director and top-flight special effects speak for themselves.

I think the trailer does its job well, satisfying audiences pent-up demand for a look at the New Joker, who is portrayed masterfully by Ledger, while presenting and extending the familiar and popular characteristics of the Batman legend and movie brand: justice, vengeance, solidarity and hope.

(Guest Blogger:
Michael Liu is a 2nd year MBA student studying finance at the UCLA Anderson School of Management. Prior to graduate school, he spent 7 years as a consultant and accountant for various financial services firms. He has been a life long fan of all things Batman.)

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