Preliminary Research

 Here is the preliminary research for my movie trailer project.

Film	Genre/Genre Conventions	How did this scene introduce characters, settings and create intrigue?	What did you like/dislike about the intro?
Extraction 2 (2023)	Action Fight, explosion, loud bangs, violence, weapons	This opening scene focused primarily on who was presumably the hero or main character of this movie. The instant gunshots, blood and the war setting really made it obvious it was an action movie. It followed the main character and his journey with his injury, and made me curious if he was going to live (he has plot armour, of course he's gonna live). Overall it was attention grabbing and very violent and gore-y.	I didn't like it all that much. The graphic injury may be appealing to some audiences but for me, it was just off putting. It grabbed my attention at first, but I quickly lost interest. The man was being transported to multiple places, having stuff done ion him to
Pamali: Dusun Pocong (2023)	Horror Ghosts, dark settings, blood, screams, running/chase scene	This opening scene included a man digging a hole to put a tied up corpse in, however after he whistled, suddenly he was completely surrounded by corpses. This created a sense of mystery and will definitely grab the audience's attention and keep them curious. There was no dialogue in the film, so we relied on the visuals to give us context. However, just by the mise-en-scene alone we can tell this is a horror movie.	I liked the no dialogue part actually, because it kept the scene mysterious. Since the man was alone, and doing strange things, it made me ask many questions like “is this man doing something that could get him in trouble?” and “why are there so many corpses around him?”. I think this is a good effect to have in a horror film
Uglies (2024)	Sci Fi Robots, tech, space, AI, machinery, mad scientists	This opening scene included a narration about the world’s past events, which heavily helped give us context on what the plot is really about. Primarily, It told us about how the world in this movie works like.	I didn’t really like this opening scene. I can understand subverting from genre conventions to spice up a movie, but I couldn’t even tell it was sci-fi at first. I don’t think the plot is really amazing either based on what the scene showed us, and I wasn’t really interested in watching more, which is (in my opinion) what an opening scene shouldn’t do.
500 days of Summer (2009)	Romance Couples, roses, love letters, miscommunication,	It included the backstories and gave us context on the characters. For example, it showed us the two characters first met each other at (presumably) work, and it told us that the girl’s parents are divorced. It included a montage of the two characters' younger selves, with wholesome emotional music over it. It shows the audience a bit of the characters' lives, and shows us what they like. There was a narration, and it told us this story isn’t a love story, despite the themes around the movie being presumably about romance.	The montage of the baby videos and the emotional piano music over it was a nice touch, as it immersed me in the characters.
Johnny English (2003)	Comedy  Jokes, family or close group of friends,	This opening scene included the main character constantly getting humbled again and again, from all the agents in England dying under his protection, to him getting caught dreaming about kissing a woman (???). It's laughable how this man never wins. With all these mishaps being painted in a comedic light and happening at calculated comedic times, we can tell its a comedy film. It also introduced us to the setting, and the main character. We can tell from this opening scene that its not only a comedy movie, but also a action movie.	While this was a comedy and old film, I felt as if it wasn’t that funny, and that may be because of outdated humour.

Don’t Worry Darling (2022)

Thriller Suspense, tension, surprise.

In the opening scene, we see a neat and almost perfect town. The main character wakes up and gets ready for the day. She makes breakfast and seems very happy with her life, especially with her husband, who is also part of this perfect world. The setting looks ideal, with clean streets, bright houses, and friendly neighbours. However, everything looks so perfect that it starts to feel a little strange.The scene creates intrigue by showing everything in a very idealised way, which makes you start questioning if something isn’t right. The people around the main characters seem a bit too happy, almost like they’re acting. The perfect town and perfect routine feel a little too good to be true, and this makes you wonder what’s really going on behind the scenes.

I liked how the opening made everything seem perfect at first, which built up a sense of mystery. It made me curious about why everything seemed so flawless but also a little off. The setting and the mood created an unsettling feeling, which made me want to know more. What I didn’t like was that the scene felt a bit slow at times. Not much happens in the beginning, so it felt like it took a while to build up the tension or excitement. It was good for setting the mood, but it could have been a little quicker.

Personal Reflection:

By looking into different thriller movie trailers, I was able to identify key elements and conventions of the genre that will help me create a more authentic opening. This research also showed me areas where I can play around with the genre and add my own twist. It gave me a clearer understanding of what works and what doesn’t in thriller films, which will guide me as I develop my ideas further. Overall, the preliminary research has been a valuable starting point, giving me the foundation I need to move forward with more detailed planning.