Narrative enigmas in trailers

Action trailers

What are the narrative conventions? PLOT- At the beginning everything is stabilize, nothing bad happen. People are living their lives, without biggest

problems. The montage of various moments from their life, showing their emotions (mostly happiness, when they enjoy the life) and introduce to their lives.

- Something bad happen and action become develop (at this point, the fast pace in used to create tension) - Usually ends with enigma, what will happen next?

The scorch trails Trailer become at the moment when they are freed from maze. People explain them what happen, but later they put them in another experiment. When main characters become aware what’s happening they try to save their lives .

PROPS In action movies the mostly used prop is gun, knife etc. (sharp tool), which is used in the action

CHARACTERS Usually characters in action movies/trailers are someone with military or police experience. For example ex soldier or agent CSI. Sometimes in action movies connected with sci-fi the main characters are those with power and intelligence to know how outsmart people who want to control them

Taken 3 Main character: ex Agent

The Scorch Trials Main character: brave boy

SETTING Mostly action scenes are happen in open space for example city. However every scene doesn’t happen outside.

What is the narrative structure?

First thing which we mostly see in trailers is introduction to character, so ,for example, we can see normal life of someone. But suddenly, unexpectedly problem occurs . For example as in the movie “Taken3” at the beginning we can see how happy they are and they have normal life, but then the wife of main character is killed.

The last scene which we can see in trailer is mostly fight, action scene in which main character take place. These scene finish with enigma, to engage people and make them think ‘what will happen next?’

What unrestricted narrative is there?

Unrestricted narrative we know more, see and hear more, than any character

Some of Action trailers use unrestricted narrative, because through this they want to give hint to the audience about character’s life, background – so through this they will be aware what’s going on and why

‘The maze runner’ use titles to give some hints

What restricted narrative is there?

Restricted narrative we don’t know, see or hear more than the main character.

Usually action trailers use restricted narrative, because they doesn’t want to show to much. In this way they engage audience to come and explore it.

Taken 3 there is not any hints, tips which will help audience to understand what’s going on. So this has restricted narrative

What are the enigmas the audience is left with?

Who killed his wife and why? What he did?

Why they think he did it? Who called for police?

Who are they?

What is her role? What she needs to do?

Where he calls? What he want to do?

How they create these enigmas?

Usually enigmas are made with fast pace as the scene goes faster and shorter, so audience doesn’t know what is going on.

Fade out black of scene leaves mystery so audience start to think what will happen next etc.

Through montage because audience do not know what happen first and what after, so they need to think about it and put it together.

How does it connect the expectations/conventions of genre?

The expectation of action trailers is to have fast pace, because this create a tension and suspense which is really important for action movies/trailers to be successful.

The second expectation is fight scene in which they have gun or any sharp tool. Also in most action trailers they have car race and special effect using CGI, for example explosion