Trailers as Multi-modal Texts

What does Multi-modal mean?

If a text is multi-modal, it means that it incorporates more than one form of communication whether its written text, spoken language, music or moving image. These forms of communication, or modes, create messages, and for a film audience a trailer is a multi-modal text full of messages about a certain film.

Example of a Multi-modal Text: Being Charlie (2016)

TITLE OF FILM: Being Charlie (2016)
FEATURES OF MULTIMODAL TEXT	DESCRIPTION OF FEATURE IN TRAILER	ANALYSIS OF IMPACT ON AUDIENCE
Written text on screen	"Castle Rock Entertainment" "Charlie is Reckless" "Charlie is Defiant" "Charlie is adrift" "From the director of Stand by Me" "Being Charlie"	Castle Rock Entertainment is a subsidiary company of Warner Bros. which could be why a possibly risky independent film was  produced by this subsidiary company rather than a major production company. The different descriptions of Charlies well being allow the audience to feel different levels of sympathy for the character, leaving the audience to want to know him more to know how he got into his "reckless" position.
Spoken language	"if they say you only have a year to live, do it sober, it will seem like an eternity." "six months of sobriety, anything you wanna say? // do i smell like weed?" "if you refuse to accept the disease that brought you here you will continue to be a repeat offender// dont you mean repeat customer?" "you had plenty of choices charlie" "i know what your thinking, who's this kid with the silver spoon in his mouth and why does he keep cooking heroin in it? what a waste of a perfectly good utensil."	With the first piece of spoken language in this trailer being about being sober, it makes it clear to the audience that this film has a thematical focus on drugs and possibly the abuse of them. The second quote ive chosen from the trailer highlights this theme of drug abuse and brings humour to with the contrast of sobriety and talking about drugs. Within the trailer there is clear conflict between father and son in  this trailer, which may draw an audience in to see if Charlie's behaviour is related to the relationship he holds with his family. The repeated humour applied to a serious subject such as drug abuse may draw the audience in to see Charlie's journey through humour to disguise his troubles.
Moving images	The moving images within this film give a visual to the drug focus as well as a verbal one. Through the trailer we see parts of Charlies personality through his actions such as the following:	through visualising Charlie's rebellion against religion and his parents, the filmmakers want to draw the audience in to interest of Charlie's life and begin to question why charlie is the way he is. Through the lack of "major"shot types and camera distances show how this is clearly not a high concept film but indie.
Sound effects	Smashing of glass	The only sound effects featured within the trailer are those which heighten the diegetic sounds within the trailer such as the smashing of the church window.
Music	Don't Follow me Down- The Boxmasters	This slow tempo song towards the end of the trailer emphasises the sympathy the filmmakers wants the audience to feel for Charlie.