Unspecified city (Sheffield), modern day, night. A man can be seen/heard murdering someone while either 'The Wanderer' by Dion or 'Singin' in the Rain' by Dick Cheney plays in the background, possible being sung by the assumed murdered. The film focuses on the perspective of the murderer, never learning who it is or the motives, but gathering connotations of the type of person they are via mise en scene, subtly introduced throughout. The murderers motif is the song, which is whistled, played on a phone etc before and during the act. Features action tropes such as chases to build suspense.
Strengths
The perspective of the killer is unique in that the protagonist is the antagonist at the same time.
It's also unique in that the killer isn't identified, making them seem almost otherworldly - not as much a character as a device, the intended effect. This is to make the killings more impactful, as the victims have personality (shown through actions such as conversations with friends, actions etc.) while the killer doesn't.
Weaknesses
Could be cliche as it is similar thematically with lots of other thrillers.
Balancing action scenes with suspense will be difficult, as too much action will make the film too close to the action genre, while not enough will make it boring - resulting in the need to carefully balance the action scenes in terms of length, suspense an payoff.
This could also be used as an action film - focusing on the witness chasing the killer (both when being caught and looking out for suspects in town).
Idea Two - Mockumentary - Bird Watching
Yorkshire countryside, modern day, early morning. Father and son go on their traditional bird watching weekend. Both people admit throughout that they hate it to the camera, which becomes obvious throughout the trailer, but neither person says anything as they want the other to enjoy themselves. Enthusiasm is very fake, both characters grimace to the camera when looking away etc.
Strengths
Relatable situation as most people will experience something similar to this, although the context might be different, increasing the likelihood of the audience being engaged and interested in the trailer, and making them laugh.
Weaknesses
Lack of music which is typical in a mockumentary creates a reliance on the script - meaning the dialogue has to be funny and engaging or the trailer won't be effective.
Dependant on factors out of my control - weather, birds etc.
