Multi-Media Assignment:
III. Movie Trailer Project
College Board Curricular Requirements
CR1: The course provides instruction in the Constitutional underpinnings of US Government
CR2: The course provides instruction in political beliefs and political behaviors
CR3: The course provides instruction in political parties, interest groups, and mass media
CR4: The course provides instruction in the institutions of national government
CR5: The course provides instruction in public policy
CR6: The course provides instruction in civil liberties and civil rights
CR7: The course provides students with practice in analyzing and interpreting data and other information relevant to US government & politics
CR8: The course includes supplemental readings, including primary source materials (such as The Federalist Papers) and contemporary news analysis that strengthen student understanding of the curriculum
CR9: The course requires students to answer analytical and interpretive free-response questions on a frequent basis
Your assignment is to research one of these topics and discover its “true meaning.” You must interview Mr. Davey first to get the main points to include in your trailer. Then, you will create a 90 second-2minute trailer for the class previewing our ‘exciting coverage’ of this unit. Trailers or previews are advertisements for movies. The term "trailer" comes from their having originally been shown at the end of a film.
That practice did not last long, because patrons tended to leave the theater after the films ended, but the name has stuck. Trailers are now shown before the film begins. Besides in front of theatrical releases, movie trailers have now become extremely popular on the Internet.
Film trailers have structural arcs just as full-length feature films and are technically non-fiction, they usually abide by the same rules as fiction films. They tell a story. When you’re creating your trailer you should try to incorporate the following elements:
1: Establish what your documentary is about. Introduce your theme. (Your group may select a topic based on one of our main units which are based on CR1-6: Unit 1: Foundations of American Government, Unit II: Political Beliefs, Parties, Interest Groups & the Media, Unit III: Institutions of National Government: The Congress and the Executive Branch, Unit IV: Public Policy, Unit V: Court System, Civil Liberties & Civil Rights)
2: Introduce the conflict. Why is your story (our unit) going to be interesting?
3: You need to provide your audience with a sense of your documentary’s cinematography (movement, lighting, composition) and listen to your music to see if the artistry of the film is something they would be interested in watching.
4. Establish a rhythm. If you don’t have an innate sense of it, then your trailer will not sing. A trailer, cut well, will have a flowing motion to it, a sense that everything plays off everything else, and will propel the viewer through the experience of the film. Trailers build up excitement and anticipation, and a keen sense of rhythm heightens those sensations.
5: You should change your trailers music 3 times. Trailers lend themselves to a three-act structure. Act One: Introduce the films’ (unit’s) characters and environment. Act Two: Complicate their world with obstacles to overcome. Act Three: Intensify the conflicts and ratchet up the tension/excitement/humor. (Montages invariably end up in Act 3.)
6: At the end of your trailer you will want to include your film or documentary’s title (Even if you’ve already used it at the beginning)
7. There are numerous fonts you can use to achieve this look but one of the most common is called “Steel Tong”.
8. The voiceover and text on screen will most likely feature the film’s USP, its unique selling point. If lots of the chosen moments of the film feature character dialogue then these phrases may appear on screen to read instead. Here is a selection of commonly used techniques: 'This Season'… (creates a sense of anticipation) ‘From the people who brought you…' (refers to established audience) 'Based on the unbelievable true story…'
9. Aside from these persuasive features however, the language on screen and in the voiceover can also establish the narrative. Words chosen can suggest key themes and summarize the plot in a grand way to suggest the plot is timeless and universal. Some clichéd examples are:
They will find hope where they least expect it . (or) One man's destiny… … (or) Experience a new kind of fear
She will face her biggest challenge … (or) It will change their lives forever! …
Additional Notes:
Teacher will give 5 seconds of grace time on either end (so :85 to 2:05)
There should be 5 seconds of black at the start and end of your trailer (this does not count in the time).
It must be submitted as a .mov file on the second day of school.
It should contain no inappropriate material and be appropriate to show to class.