Trailers

What makes a film trailer capture its audience? A few days ago when browsing through youtube, I came across a trailer for a film called Buried, directed by Rodrigo Cortés. Viewing the trailer for the first time, I remembered the importance of first impressions as discussed in lecture as we viewed a short introduction to the film Amélie, directed by Jean-Pierre Jeunet. I had never watched Amélie before, so there were many thoughts running through my mind about this character; like who this character was, what were their interests, and what kind of person they were. Similar questions arose when viewing the trailer of Buried for the first time.


Does this film seem interesting to me? Am I willing to go a theater and pay to watch a film like this? The design of the trailer is very important because it gives a first impression of the film to the viewer. It can determine whether or not people will show up for the film on opening day. The most successful trailers will engage the audience, showing them little snippets of the film to make them wonder and want more.

The reason in choosing this specific trailer was because it seemed very different from the typical trailers that I would normally see. I found the design very fascinating because it used no footage from the actual film itself, it only displayed still images captured from the film. If you have not seen the trailer already, you may think that it will be very slow paced due to the still images, but it is not. The way that the trailer is designed, the images are moving, turning, flipping, appearing and disappearing. The progression is controlled by a set of lines that travel throughout the screen. The lines move in all different directions, changing to colors, increasing with speed, and are cued with sound effects. These are the aspects of creating an environment of intensity and suspense. Also, as the trailer progresses, little bits of information and clues are being revealed through the dialogue, creating mystery and suspense within the narrative.

These are the characteristics of trailer that really made curious and interested into finding out more about this film. I would say that the designers were successful in capturing and engaging the viewer. This was a definitely a good first impression for me. I think I will be seeing this film sometime in the future.



Credits: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GWVoUBgVcf8&feature=player_embedded

First Encounter

When I think back to first encounter with design, the first object that came to mind were my old pair of roller skates. The first time I saw a pair of roller skates I was a bit confused because I had never seen anything like it before. I thought it was very strange as to why there were wheels connected to boots. I tilted my head in question and was a bit skeptical, but at the same time I was curious as to how it worked.

Looking at the pair of roller skates for the first time, I noticed the bright red shiny material on the exterior of the boot and felt how smooth it was. I spun the large wheels and I felt its rubbery rough texture. I rolled the skates back and forth and felt how fast and smooth it rolled. I noticed how little pieces of dirt collected on the wheels as I rolled them over little bits of sand and rock on the ground. These were some of the characteristics that really fascinated me and later motivated me to try the roller skates.

The roller skates provided a new experience that was an alternative to walking. Putting on skates for the first time made me feel uneasy and a bit scared too because it was something I was totally not used to. But with skates on my feet, I soon learned that could move smoothly with sharp turns and swerves on concrete, which proved to be more efficient than walking. Like wings to help you fly into the air, skates help you glide freely along the pavement without a care. The more I skated the more I grew to love it. And even now, I would rather trade my pair of shoes for a pair of roller skates anytime.

First Impressions

Though some may say, “It doesn’t matter what you look on the outside, it’s what’s on the inside that counts.” Though it is true, what is on the inside matters, but what appears on the outside also matters.

During class, we viewed a trailer of a film called objectified. As quoted from the film, “When you see an object, you make so many assumptions about that object in seconds. What it does, How well it’s going to do it, How much you think it’s going to cost.”

I agree with the statement from this film because I think it is very true. I also think that these assumptions do not only apply to objects, but they can apply to people too. No matter how hard we try to resist from judging other people based on their appearance, it will always be in the back of our minds to judge them somehow. I think it is in human nature because our minds are wandering to figure out, who is this person, when we don’t know them yet, so we make automatic assumptions.

That is why first impressions are so important. It can determine our futures, whether or not we get that job, or make that new friend, or meet our true soul mate. The same can be applied to the design. The design of an object can determine whether or not the consumer will buy the product. The consumer will automatically make assumptions about that product before they buy it. Is it attractive? Useful? Interesting? These are things to consider. Not only are first impressions are important for people, they are also important for design.



Credits:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S9E2D2PaIcI&feature=player_embedded