In this post, I've taken trailers from three popular thriller movies and compared them with the typical conventions of the thriller genre as a whole, paying attention to both technical codes and narrative events.
One of the conventions commonly used in thriller movies is mind games between the protagonist and antagonist, and this is clearly shown in the trailer for Speed. The antagonist is creating elaborate and inescapable traps that will endanger citizens if he doesn't get his way, which forces the protagonist to jump through mental hoops in order to prevent anyone from being harmed. Another common narrative technique used in thriller movies is car chases, and this trailer includes that in an unconventional method. The protagonist is not being chased by anyone but instead needs to constantly travel at 50mph to avoid the bomb from blowing up the bus and, subsequently, the people on it. This constant fast pace creates excitement and tension for the audience and will encourage the viewer to see the whole movie in order to see what happens next.
Some of the themes used in this trailer that are quite prevalent in thriller films include the use of a modern, urban environment, crime, greed, and manipulation.
At the time of casting, Keanu Reeves was a relatively unknown actor. He was most famous for starring in indie and comedy movies, so the idea of him playing the main role in an action movie was fairly controversial. The two other main characters in the trailer, Sandra Bullock and Dennis Hopper, were already established as actors in action movies. Using an unknown actor in the main role and well-known actors to play secondary roles is helpful in encouraging viewers to see the movie - both people who are fans of Bullock and Hopper, and those who are interested to see how Reeves would do in an action movie role. This obviously worked out quite well, since Speed was the movie that elevated Reeves to stardom.
At the time of casting, Keanu Reeves was a relatively unknown actor. He was most famous for starring in indie and comedy movies, so the idea of him playing the main role in an action movie was fairly controversial. The two other main characters in the trailer, Sandra Bullock and Dennis Hopper, were already established as actors in action movies. Using an unknown actor in the main role and well-known actors to play secondary roles is helpful in encouraging viewers to see the movie - both people who are fans of Bullock and Hopper, and those who are interested to see how Reeves would do in an action movie role. This obviously worked out quite well, since Speed was the movie that elevated Reeves to stardom.
In terms of technical codes, the editing is very choppy to give the footage a fast-paced, action-packed feel. Using cool colours in this trailer helps to further emphasise the urban setting, as well as the use of shadows when the interior of a building is being filmed.
SE7EN (DAVID FINCHER, 1995)
The colours used in this trailer tend to be muted and bland, with mostly greys and beiges being used. The only time where a distinct colour is used, such as the scene with the red cross above a bed, is to draw the audience's eye to something significant. The text in the trailer is also in red, which is a colour that tends to signify things like danger, lust, fire, blood, and intensity.
Three different stereotypes of certain characters are shown in this trailer. The first is the jaded, experienced detective (played by Morgan Freeman) who's in the process of retiring due to becoming tired of the constant exposure to the crime in his city. Brad Pitt plays the second stereotype, which is the detective that has less experience in the field and is slightly more naive as a result. The older detective tends to initially react to him with frustration and dry wit, but usually ends up taking the younger detective under his wing towards the end of the movie. The third stereotype, which is only hinted at in this trailer, is the holy man who uses his faith as an excuse for sadistic violence and murder. A red cross is shown above a bed which presumably belongs to the antagonist. The colour red, when associated with religious symbolism, tends to suggest a theme of corruption and/or satanism.
Narration is preferred over on-screen text to explain the story of the movie. It could be argued that the use of narration means that more footage of the film can be shown, instead of having to cut to a graphic in order to highlight specific plot points. Text is only shown on screen to repeat the names of the seven deadly sins, which is also coloured red.
Brad Pitt and Morgan Freeman are both very famous and iconic actors, so casting them in the movie and featuring them in the trailer gives the audience another incentive to go see it.
Narration is preferred over on-screen text to explain the story of the movie. It could be argued that the use of narration means that more footage of the film can be shown, instead of having to cut to a graphic in order to highlight specific plot points. Text is only shown on screen to repeat the names of the seven deadly sins, which is also coloured red.
Brad Pitt and Morgan Freeman are both very famous and iconic actors, so casting them in the movie and featuring them in the trailer gives the audience another incentive to go see it.
CLOVERFIELD (MATT REEVES, 2008)
The entire trailer is shot from what looks like a handheld camera, which means that all the footage we receive is from the point of view of a character in the movie. This helps to give the film a raw and almost real feeling, which helps the audience to engage fully with the characters instead of watching them from a reserved and unbiased perspective. This is a technique that, when used correctly, can be incredibly effective at creating tension, which is fundamental to a thriller movie.
Yet another common theme of thriller movies is mystery, and this trailer uses it in spades. There is barely any indication of what the antagonist is or even looks like, except that it's powerful enough to tear the head off of the Statue of Liberty. Keeping that piece of information a secret is a great incentive for people to go see the movie. The footage is also distorted and pixelated in some places, which both creates a faster pace and carries on with the theme of mystery.
There are a lot of context clues in this trailer that point to the film being set in New York. The opening slate, for example, says that the footage was retrieved from an area that was "formerly known as Central Park". More subtle examples include the shot of the Chrysler Building, the yellow taxis seen in the background, and a subway station being used as a place of temporary refuge. This further emphasises the urban setting, which is common in most thriller films.
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