Preliminary Task - Finished Trailer

Timeline

Mood Board

Mood Board

Shot List

Wide/Establishing Shots:

• Savannah drinking water outside

Long Shots:

• Savannah telling her Mum that she is pregnant
• Savannah walking through the corridor alone

Mid Shots:

• Savannah walking across, with her bump showing each time
• In conversation with her friend

Shot Reverse Shot:

• Savannah and her friend talking

Audience Research

As well as this, a survey was carried out to ask 30 people from ranging ages to enquire about what films they would compare Juno to. Most people compared the film to the likes of Knocked Up, Angus Thongs & Perfect Snogging and Thank You For Smoking. This may be due to the niche qualities that these films hold, like Juno, along with its comedic theme and coming-of-age ideas. Most people also recognise Juno for its colourful production and its humour.

Editing transitions in the Juno trailer

Within all movie trailers, editing is used to create a specific atmosphere to the film, with the intention of attracting its target audience whilst doing so. Through the editing transitions, as we have found in the Juno trailer and in others, the trailer is given the purpose of telling the story briefly, whilst leaving some ambiguities for the audience as well. 

 
In this clip, the cut is used as the car goes from house to house over an unknown period of time. This is effective in telling the story through the trailer, as it shows the audience the difficulty that Juno would be facing in this context, and it allows a deeper undertsanding into what is being conveyed through this film.
 

The use of shot-reverse-shot in this part of the trailer suits the conventional themes of the coming-of-age genre. The fact that Juno is alone in the shots, in comparison to her parents, shows the distance that exists in identity, for she is a teenager and they are adults, and within this film, Juno struggles with her identity and what she really wants in life.

 
The use of cut-away in this clip again presents a convention of the coming-of-age film, with the theme of the main character having to come to terms with adulthood. The pregnancy test represents the adulthood, and establishes to the audience that this is what will drive the narrative. But, the dialogue that exists between the man at the store and Juno tells the audience that such a situation will be presented light-heartedly, rather than seriously.

 
The dissolve transition is used in this clip, and it is effective, because it shows the audience that there is a difference between them, and a sense of difference is again created.

 
This clip appears at towards the end of the trailer, and shows the pace of the editing to speed up. This is effective in telling the story, as it presents that Juno feels overwhelmed by her pregnancy and the pressures of being a teenager in a high school setting. In some sense, this presents a relatable element for its target audience, whilst exaggerating a struggle for identity through the use of Juno's pregnancy. The fast paced editing at this point makes the audience understand why Juno should be overwhelmed, and creates a personal connection when watching the trailer.

Overall, the use of editing transitions are extremely important within the trailers of a film, as it contributes towards telling the story and presents the conventional coming-of-age elements that the niche target audience looks for. When editing our own trailer, it would make sense to incorporate these techniques so that we too can present a sense of narrative, along with it emphasising the conventions anticipated by our target audience.  

Shots in the Juno trailer

The use of camera shots and positioning in the Juno trailer is effective in the way that it shows various stages in the narrative, and reflects the conventional elements of the coming-of-age genre. These various shots show the strain and pressure that Juno is put under as a pregnant teenager, for she feels that she must now become independent and strong for herself and for her child. This suits the coming-of-age genre in that Juno must learn to become responsible and find a sense of indentity within herself. This is why she is often in shots alone, as it shows the struggle that she must undertake alone. The other characters in her age group, such as Paulie, are also shown alone in shots, to show the conventional identity struggle that most teenagers face. This is effective for the trailer, as it creates a relatable aspect for the film's niche audience.

As well as this, other shots of Juno and her friends show the childlike aspect that still remains in Juno, as a teenager, and it again brings a relatable aspect for young people, and how she struggles to be responsible, as she is only young but is pregnant. The trailer shows Juno in high angles most of the time, to show her vulnerability in such an age.

The shots of some adults, such as Juno's parents, shows that they are mature characters, and the shot reverse shot when they are in conversation with Juno creates the effect that the parents are people that Juno should aspire towards at this point. Other characters, such as Rollo, who is also an adult, provide humour to the plot, such as at the start of the trailer, which contributes towards the light-hearted atmosphere intended to be conveyed in the trailer. 

Genre Research

The film Juno is a part of the Coming-Of-Age film genre, which is a niche genre that mainly appeals to teenagers and the youth. Although the themes of Juno present a sense of originality for audiences, there is a conventional sense to the film, with aspects of the overall production being highlighted in other films of that genre. 

Production practices do generally appear to be similar in Juno and those of similar products. After looking at the various trailers of these similar products, we were able to conclude that the cast members that are in these films are often similar, with comedies and coming-of-age films having comedic cast members, such as Steve Carrell, Michael Cera and Seth Rogan, along with many others. The nature of these characters, both within these films and as general people, a light-hearted atmosphere is brought to these films, which suits the genre and what is intended to be presented to the audience. In Juno, for instance, the awkward character played by Michael Cera is a conventional personality trait that he holds in other films as well, and so audiences are reassured of a light-hearted atmosphere within the narrative. Moreover, these coming-of-age films are usually colourful and quirky, which again suits the target audience of teenagers and young people. 

In terms of the wider perspective, coming-of-age films are often presented by similar studios and companies. Juno, for instance, is produced by Fox Searchlight, along with Mandate Pictures and Mr Mudd. This shows that a lot of vertical integration would have been involved in the creation of these films, also implying that production budgets would generally be low, and would require extra support from conglomerates, as shown by the involvement of Fox Searchlight. This is the same with other films that we looked at, with Apatow Production studios being a common company in production, along with the involvement of bigger companies, particularly Universal Studios. 

Similar Products to Juno

The film "Juno" is presented to the audience as a quirky coming-of-age film, therefore meaning that it would appeal to a niche audience of teenagers. There are also similar products to this film, which hold the same characteristics as those present in this trailer.