Analysing Narrative Texts

Now that we have started our filming we will soon be editing our trailer. From our research we found out that narrative text was a vital part of a trailer which is why we will be including it in our own trailer. The way that we represent our narrative text can be very important as it can change the whole representation of the film. Not only by the words we have chosen to use but the way that it is shown on the screen and where it is in the trailer in relation to the scenes. I will look at trailers from different genres to see how narrative text is represented in each and how that mirrors the whole genre and feel of the film so I know what to include in my narrative texts and what not to include so that I am not using something that will distract from the image I am trying to create.

Narrative texts are used for many different reasons in trailers and it varies in different trailers depending on what kind of film they are for. Narrative texts can be used to create suspense, break up scenes, help to make the plot more understandable, show actors/actresses in the film, to show the time that the film is released and also promote the film possibly by showing other films that have been created by the institution.

In children's films narrative texts are not used as frequently as in other films. This is mainly because some children watching the film may not be able to read. When narrative text is used it is sometimes accompanied with a voiceover or another technique used is to use logos or symbols for the words which children will recognise. Here are examples of where this technique is used.

Children will recognise the titles of these other films which they will be able to know what they are even if they cant read. Narrative text in children's films is also sometimes made to look more interesting to attract the audience and show a fun representation of the film. Here is some narrative text from a children's film where this technique is used.

In seasonal films narrative text can be shown to represent the time of year. Also because seasonal films usually have a happy ideology, bright colours are used within the text. An example of this technique is in the film Love Actually. Red and white is used for the text because they are the colours associated with Christmas. There is also a Christmas tree in the background which represents the time of year more.

Other kinds of films also use narrative text to represent the genre and ideologies of the film. The film Fame uses narrative text in this way. The gold colour is representative of the ideology of the film and the dim spotlight could symbolise a spotlight on a stage.

I will now look at horror films to look at how narrative text differs depending on the genre of the film. Horror film trailers tend to include a lot more narrative text than other films because they often include loud dramatic music or silence is used to build tension. Here is an example of narrative text from Sorority Row.

These narrative texts show how the texts sometimes relate to each other and how they can follow on from one another. This is a technique I may use when creating the narrative text to go in my trailer to engage the audience. The narrative text is this film also gets bigger on the screen which makes it look like the text is coming towards you. From the film trailers that I have looked at I have found that most narrative text is white text on a black screen. These colours are used to show the darkness of the film.

Narrative text is also extensively used in trailers to advertise actors and actresses names. In the narrative text below from the film Jennifer's Body the main characters name has been advertised in big lettering on the screen and in capital letters. The actors and actresses names are normally only advertised if they are well known.

By comparing these narrative texts from films from different genres it has allowed me to realise what narrative texts are found in horror trailers and which are not. I may use some techniques that I have found in my own trailer. The text I will use will probably be white text against a black screen. I will not include bright colours in my narrative text because it will distract from the genre and ideology of the trailer. I donot know whether I will advertise the actors names in my trailer because they are not well known at all.