Deconstruction: Positioning of Production Companies in Trailers

In this task, I decided to investigate the position of production company sequences in horror and Slasher horror trailers. This was because our group had placed our production companies in the middle of the trailer on the storyboard and thus, it was imperative that I research whether this was feasible or not.

 

Saw:

 

In this example, the production company sequence is played after some footage of the trailer has already been shown.

 



The Saw Trailer initially begins in a dark room with a man using his camera flash to look for an intruder. The music builds as the suspense builds, however, there is no sign of the production company sequences at this point.

 

As the music continues to build suspense, a masked figure then abruptly appears, making the audience jump, allowing the trailer to transition into the production company sequence.

 

The first of the production companies is then shown, Lions Gate Films in this first example.

 

The second production company to immediately be played is Twisted Pictures, a company which commonly deals in the horror genre.

 

The trailer then transitions into more clips from the film and continues until the titles are displayed at the end.

 Saw Trailer

 

Scream 4:

 
The production company sequence is played in the beginning of this trailer, as explored below.
 

The trailer begins with the introduction of the production company, Dimension films. Parallel to this, the sound of a telephone ringing plays (diegetic sound), allowing the sequence to immediately transition into the film footage and remainder of the trailer.

 

The footage from the film then continues after the production company sequence has faded out.

 

The trailer then continues to play right through until the title is displayed at the end of the trailer.

Scream 4 Trailer

 

Hostel III:

 
This is another example in which the production company sequences are the first clips played in the trailer.
 

The trailer begins on the Sony Pictures Production company.

 

The Stage 6 Production Company title then immediately follows. Non-Diegetic sound is used in coincidence with the sequences; soft piano rifts feature which then fade into more fast and upbeat tones as the trailer itself begins.

 

This screenshot then shows the first scene of the trailer shown after the production sequences, which feature establishing shots of Las Vegas, the main location of the filming.

Hostel III Trailer 

 

The Hallow:

This final examples shows another trailer whereby the production companies are shown partway through the trailer.

The trailer begins of footage from the film whereby we see a dark and misty forest, a common convention of horror films.

 

The trailer later continues into the production company title, IFC Midnight. As the screenshot shows, the sequence is played after 5 seconds of the trailer has already been shown.

 

Once the production sequence has finished, the trailer then continues with the film footage.

The Hallow Trailer



Evaluation:

In conclusion, although the majority of trailers, particularly horror, show the production companies at the beginning, there are still some trailers which display the sequences in other points of the trailer. For this reason, it is plausible for our group to show the production companies partway through the trailer.