Film Trailers: 'Black Mass' Conventions

Black Mass 2015
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5XL_4_7cdn0


The trailer is 1.40 minutes long and so it is a full theatrical trailer. However, it is slightly shorter than your average theatrical trailer. This is likely due to the trailer being the second official trailer instead of the first. The title appears near the end at 1.27m. This is very common of trailers, as the title appears at either the beginning or at the end of the trailer. It would be ineffective to place the title in the middle of the trailer because that is when on screen text addressing the audience or credits appear. At 0.49 the credits addressing the release period is shown on screen. The release date isn't specified and it is only shown that the film will be theatrically released during the year 2015. This is then followed by a credit to the A list celebrity actor: Johnny Depp at 0.55m. Johnny Depp is also credited at the end of the trailer at 0.35 along with several other actors. Some being, Benedict Cumberbatch and Kevin Bacon. These being famous actors, highlight the level of popularity of Depp and his high quality of acting. Depp being credited twice shows how his name alone could sell the film.


Johnny Depp being credited twice is much like in 'Big Eyes' where Tim Burton is also credited twice. It highlights how both individuals have the capability to sell the film simply by their names due to their popularity and speciality.


When watching this trailer for the first time, I muted it. This was to see the effect sound had on judging what genre the trailer was. Without non-diegetic music and dialogue, this proves an interesting task as sound has such a fundamental effect on moving picture. However, I wasn't far wrong when judging the genre of 'Black Mass'. I thought the trailer was of drama and crime genre. This is due to the cool toned lighting used throughout which gave the shots a dramatic edge to them. The inclusion of the central protagonist participating in gun violence at 0.51 is suggestive of the crime genre. The on screen text also suggests that the central protagonist participants in more violence and crime than what is shown within the trailer. After turning the sound back on and researching on IMDb what genre it is considered to be, my judgement was correct.