Analysis 1 - Inception

Inception isn't specifically a thriller in genre, however I think this trailer is one of the best I have seen so far this year. I'm going to analyse it shot by shot in order to pick out the aspects of the trailer I think that is makes it, in my opinion, so effective as a teaser trailer.

These two shots are a prime example of branding within this specific trailer. The shot to the left is the first thing seen in this teaser trailer. Normally at the beginning of any kind of trailer the producers logo will appear. The usual logo used to represent Warner Brothers has been edited to follow to fit in with the rest of the trailer. The shot to the left shows the altered logo, and you can see with the shot to the left how it fits in with the theme used in Inception. This is a key example of iconography used in this trailer.

These five shot are freeze-frames of the text used throughout the trailer. The use of text is extremely significant within teaser trailers as usually no dialogue is used, meaning the text used are the only clues to what the plot is. However, the text is still limited to capture the audience's attention. Another aspect of this trailer that is effective is the sound used. Again, no diegetic sound is used leaving just the soundtrack which I think is extremely successful in this teaser trailer.

These three shots are three bits of footage from different points throughout the trailer. From just watching the teaser alone, you have no idea how the objects included are related to the film which means the audience are left trying to figure out the puzzle of what the film is about. The mystery is furthered by the fact there is no narrative to explain what is going on. This is an extremely effective technique in creating a hype about the film, leaving potential audience anticipating the release of the film.

This collection of freeze frames from the trailer are all of the footage included in the film. Again, they do not run in narrative order, and the order they appear in the film has been changed in order to build up suspense throughout the trailer. 4/6 pieces of footage including characters featured the same character (played by Leo DiCaprio) which means the audience are introduced to him as one of the main characters within the film.