Conventions of a Documentary Film Trailer

Explore the genre and conventions of your chosen media text. How do you plan to adhere to or develop these conventions?

  Documentary films serve as the most realistic way of bringing people closer to an issue, and are often highly engaging and heartfelt. Therefore it is up to the trailer to entice viewers, with suitable structure, lighting, sound and pace reflecting the nature of the documentary.  

  Documentaries rely heavily on the people in them to present the themes. Thus the opening shots of the trailer must propel the 'stars' of the film to the foreground, but more importantly this will lead onto the narrative. Constant editing and cut away to individuals talking are important in establishing the kinds of 'characters' the viewers will meet in the documentary, or perhaps whether the structure of the film will be interview-based or otherwise. 

  Often, in the interest of attracting attention, the trailer creates an unexplained plot point at the very beginning, setting up a mystery element that they can only understand if they watch the documentary itself. In addition to this, the pace of the trailer is usually meant to speed up the tempo as it progresses with increasingly rapid editing, building up to an exciting finale. The "Catfish" trailer starts off with the seemingly light-hearted tale of a man looking for companionship on the internet, with slow paced editing focused on the characters, establishing context, and a mise-en-scene centred on the man's home life to allude to the idea that everything is comfortable and familiar. However, as the trailer takes a darker turn, it uses less dialogue than before over scenes, leaving them unexplained, sometimes with a hand held camera, creating a feeling unease and instability; fitting since this is a documentary about the perils of the anonymous internet. "Catfish" and "West of Memphis" both use black outs to dramatically emphasise the previous scene and create tension. Yet trailers for films like "Grizzly Man" are based on found footage, and since the viewer is aware of the outcome of the film from the start, it gives the trailer time to introduce the character of Timothy Treadwell with extended shots of him the Alaskan wilderness, his adopted home. The use of wide angle shots and open frame alludes to the fact that Treadwell fled to nature to find tranquillity and calm.

  Although most trailers have the familiar structure of starting off at an even pace intended to introduce the characters and premise of the film, the convention is reversed for the trailer of the documentary short "The Real Life Ukrainian Barbie", where they start off with a confusing and bizarre flurry of TV clips overlayed with manic sound bites that build extraordinary tension, before changing the feel completely and showing a long and relatively calmer segment of a woman meditating. Thus the subversion of traditional trailer editing gives it the aforementioned mysterious element that should hopefully spark viewers' interest enough to watch it. The use of multi-media is also demonstrated in "West of Memphis" with TV footage of the trial and shots of newspaper clippings, as well as recent close-up interviews of people who were involved, all in an effort to immerse the viewer in all forms of media the case was publicly presented in at the time. As the viewer is experiencing the documentary in a realistic and relatable format they are able to identify more with the issues covered.

  In terms of mise-en-scene, the lighting is important in conveying tone, with "The Real Life Ukrainian Barbie" has themes  of space and so uses an ambient glow. "West of Memphis" is a prison documentary and thus is shot with blue and grey tones to enhance the feeling of despair. "Grizzly Man" juxtaposes green lush landscapes, creating an airy and light mood, with the fact that the viewer knows the documentary will have a grisly ending. 

  Music and sound used in the trailer often tie closely into the theme of the documentary. For example, "Searching for Sugar Man" is about a musician, and so it only makes sense to soundtrack the trailer with his music, especially as it can add a bit of context for viewers who may no be familiar with his work. The only exception is the moment when they discuss his suicide, where 'tense' music is added for a melancholy effect. However many mix music with diegetic sound to add realism, such as "West of Memphis" ending with a 'gritty' rock number - it is about a court case centred around three teenage boys - but starting off with windy sounds and sinister bells as the murder is described. 

  All trailers must include graphics and titles displaying the names of either the studio, director and producer who made the picture, trying to gain viewers with the lure of a well-known or respected name. Often text will be added to explain the premise of the story in the absence of voiceover. In addition, any film awards or positive critics reviewed are showcased, acting on the notion that a piece of media is only as good as it is judged to be, and thus any proof of prestige is valuable in attracting audiences. 

To conclude, in my own piece of work I would like to replicate the use of mixed multi-media in order to pique viewers' interest, offering more answers up towards the end, yet ultimately not put the entire plot up on a plate so that all mystery is lost. Since my film is based around an urban issue, sometimes incorporating violence, it will be suited to rapid editing, grey colour tones and music that is relevant to the characters in the documentary. Yet I do like the idea of using juxtaposition of tone and sound to subtly enhance the point that is being made, thus creating a trailer that is not a one dimensional 'urban drama' representation. In my opinion, a good trailer is one that has many levels of meaning to be explained, although they may not be obvious on the initial viewing. 

SL.