Exploring Narrative

Radio Trailer

Using my knowledge from studying radio trailers, I have had a quick attempt at producing my own on Garageband to promote an upcoming fictional film for release. I started by producing the basic music score which I then built on top of with dialogue. I was careful to make sure that the tone of the music was appropriate to the genre of the film - a coming-of-age story set in an American high school, meaning the tone of the music had a cheery, pop-music sound to appeal to a teenage audience. I followed all of the appropriate conventions such as the use of lines of dialogue taken directly from the film in order to give an indication of the narrative. I also used a voice over as narrator as most radio trailers do which pulled the trailer along and gave it structure, revealing the title of the film as well as its release date. The radio trailer includes quotes from reviews by reliable sources such as Empire magazine which provide the film with a positive reputation hopefully enticing audiences to the cinema.   

 

Practice Trailer Music

Here is my very first attempt at using Garageband to produce an original piece of music using the loops provided. The programme was completely alien to me at first though after a while it soon started to become natural as I started to learn my way around the icons, learning what did what. I'm quite proud of this short piece of music that I have produced which I feel has a true urban street dance feel to it meaning it would appeal to young teen audience. It would be appropriate for use on a radio trailer promoting a film of a teen comedy genre such as the upcoming '21 and over' or perhaps films of a dance/hip-hop genre such as the popular 'Step It Up' or 'Streetdance' franchises. 

Radio Trailers

I've been listening to radio trailers on YouTube though they are not always easy to find and so below I have managed to gather a few trailers for the BBC popular family sci-fi/drama 'Doctor Who':

By listening to these I have gained an understanding of the typical styles and conventions that are used when making a radio trailer. The first observation is that they are each under one minute in length showing me that radio trailers should typically be short and to-the-point in order to grab the reader's attention like a 'shark-bite' effect. other conventions I picked up on are:

• Use of a voice over to narrate the trailer by clearly introducing the film title along with it's slogan, if appropriate, followed by any other vital information such as release time and date
• Use of direct dialogue/sound effects taken from the film - usually of an engimatic nature such as, "Don't go in there!" which intrigues the reader's interest and entices them to discover the film's mysteries.
• Some radio trailers also include quotes from critics reviews and star ratings to show that the film has recieved a positive response.

This has been a very useful learning experience and I plan to use this knowledge I have gained of radio trailer conventions during the process of making my own. 

My 'The Help' Rottontomatoes review

Adapting Kathryn Stockett's 2009 best-selling novel 'The Help' for the big screen was always going to be a risky move considering the difficult subjects that it tackles. That being said, Tate Taylor delivers a witty and charming insight into the lives of black women living in 1960s America from a refreshing perspective that manages to stay true to the novel as well as respectful of those affected by its events. Taylor builds relationships between characters that have the audience both laughing and crying and ultimately, eating out of the palm of his hand. And whilst, at times, the plot may seem a little lost and with no direction, the lovable leading ladies Viola Davis and Octavia Spencer manage to hold the plot together until the film finds itself again. 'The Help' also provides chance to view rising star Emma Stone in a completely new light away from her usual comic typecasting. Stone delivers a sensational, heart-warming performance as journalist Skeeter displaying a breath-taking amount of compassion and sincerity proving herself to be a mature young woman and sealing her future spot on the Hollywood A-list. All in all - a top watch!

- Neil Readman

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