The Prestige - Comparison between Theatrical and Teaser Trailer

Theatrical trailer – 2:35 minutes http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xPyVBO2rRyg

• The Audience is able to understand the relationship between the main characters – the film is shown to be a battle between magicians.
• Informs the audience of the reasoning behind the film title ‘The Prestige’.
• It introduces the trailer with a dangerous magic trick, immediately focusing the attention of the audience.
• Text/anchorage – ‘A Friendship that became a Rivalry’ ‘A Rivalry that became a Battle’. Highlights the general plot of the film, allowing the audience to know what to expect. Whilst clearly demonstrating the developing plot of the film and the changing relationship between the magicians.
• Mentioning the directors previous success’s ‘Batman’ and ‘Momento’ suggests that this upcoming film will follow a similar style and genre – the audience may therefore expect this film to contain action and occasions of violence.
• Non-diagetic sound develops as the plot and the battle thickens.
• The end of the trailer has a fast paced style, specifically showing the last half of the film, appealing to the audience. There is a sudden increase of non-diagetic sound as the action increases, followed by sudden silence.
• ‘Secrets are my life’ – showing the changed relationship between the magicians. Also the distress shown by the wife illustrates the changes nature of the magician.
• Trailer shows the transformation of a light-hearted competition into a violent battle. 

Teaser trailer – 1:01 minutes

• Informs the reader of the changing relationship between the magicians, however doesn’t explain why – hence intriguing the audience.
• Still much of the narrative shown – can suggest that this is because it is a ‘new’ film – the target audience has no expectations of the film as it isn’t a sequel or known narrative. The teaser trailer demonstrates the main outline of the plot.
• Similar text to the theatrical trailer, but doesn’t show the meaning behind the title ‘The Prestige’ and the importance of a magicians trick.
• There are fast paced transitions between shots, specifically showing the audience the main characters and their role in the film.
• ‘He can do what magicians pretend to do’ – said between the pause of loud non-diagetic sounds, emphasised in the silence. Teases the audience – they want to know the reason between the rivalry and how the magicians rival each other.