The trailer and synopsis of a film have a similar function.
They give us enough ideas about a film in order to generate interest and persuade audiences to see the film. However, they have to avoid giving away too much information as this might ruin the actual viewing of the film. Both of these formats will avoid giving away any twists and turns in the narrative and certainly will not give us any information about the ending of the film. They will tease us, revealing just enough about the film to make us want to see more.

Synopsis: comes from the Greek word sunopsis which means general view.
A brief summary of the major points of a written work, either as prose or as a table; an abridgment or condensation of a work.
A synopsis is a very compact piece of communication.
In a small number of words, the complexities of a whole film need to be communicated.

Below is the official synopsis for the film.
Synopsis
British actor Dev Patel (from Channel 4’s Skins) plays Jamal Malik, an eighteen-year-old orphan from the slums of Mumbai, who is just one question away from winning a staggering 20 million rupees on
India's 'Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?' Arrested on suspicion of cheating, he tells the police the incredible story of his life on the streets, and of the girl he loved and lost. But what is a kid with no interest in money doing on the show? And how is it he knows all the answers?
Danny Boyle’s award-winning SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE will open in the UK on 9th January 2009
Questions
What features of the film are being emphasised?
How would you describe the intended audience?
How is the film being sold to us here?

The trailer is also an essential part of the marketing of a film, consisting of both visual and sound elements.
Watch the trailer and at the end try to decide what the film is about, what key elements of the film are being stressed and what you think the final outcome of the film might be.
What 'narrative enigmas' are given, what questions raised by the trailer that we want answered (and can only be answered by seeing the film itself)?

The poster works with other elements of the campaign to generate awareness of the film. Depending on the budget, posters may be placed in a range of sites including bus shelters, billboards, and the sides of buses.
Their function is to generate awareness and interest in the film in a similar way to the other elements discussed in this section.
What expectations are generated via the poster? Are there themes that are suggested through the poster?

Answer the following questions in relation to the poster:
Is a sense of genre conveyed through the poster?
Look carefully at the colours used in the poster. What are the connotations? What kind of mood do they suggest?
Is this anchored by any other information on the poster?
Who do you think the target audience is for this film?
What elements are being used to reach this audience?
(Think about use of star, genre, director and any other elements you think are appropriate to this group).

Make a list of ideas that you have about
India.
What are your perceptions of India based on?
Discuss the relationship between these points in small groups.

Film time!

After watching the whole film write your own synopsis for ‘Slumdog Millionaire’.
It will appear in the UK media.
Pay close attention to the word count (look at the example on the synopsis page) and think carefully about your choice of language.

Simon Beaufoy (Writer) suggests that British audiences haven’t seen India like this before on screen. Do you think this is true?
If you have spent time in India, or have friends and family there, is the picture of India painted in Slumdog
Millionaire a more accurate one than other representations?
You could think about other films such as Ghandi, Monsoon
Wedding, or other representations of India or the sub continent that you’ve seen or heard be it on TV, music, novels or advertising to support your responses.

During the film we see very contrasting images of India. Think about the scenes suggested below as a starting point for considering the different representations in the film. You might want to consider, character, stereotypes, gender, affluence and poverty in relation to the following scenes.
• The Orphanage – Here Latika, Jamal and Salim are witness to the deliberate blinding of a young boy to increase his earning potential as a beggar.
• The train journey – The contrasting fortunes of the passengers on the train and those of Jamal and Salim.
• The home of Javed, the gangster from the slum, where Latika is forced to live.
• Tourists – We see Jamal encounter two different groups of tourists during his time as a tour guide in and around the Taj Mahal.
What perspectives of life in India does the film offer? Consider the different locations as a starting point.
Think about the function of these scenes – do they challenge or confirm the ideas that you started with?

Exploring the Narrative
There are many ways in which a story can be told. For example, the structure might work on a linear basis, working through the beginning, middle and end in that order. Once you have seen the film think about the following questions in relation to the opening scene:
What do we want to know about the characters we meet in this scene?
How does it establish the central 'narrative enigma'?
If you were to reorder the narrative in terms of chronological time would this scene come first?
What reasons can you think of for choosing this way to start the film?

When you’ve watched the whole film list what you consider to be the key narrative moments.
Narrative Moment Reason for choice