Film Trailers

Trailers

Trailers are one of the most important ways to market and advertise films in the media. They enable a film to be advertised to a wide audience in a short space of time. Often a lot of money is put into making trailers to ensure the quality of the trailer is of a high standard to lure the audience in.

Types of Trailer

There are three different types of trailer:

• Theatrical trailers - These are trailers shown in the cinema before the screening of a film. They are often the longest type of trailer and can be around 2 -3 minutes long. They are extended versions of the teaser trailer where more of the film can be seen with a bit more of the plot given away.
• Teaser Trailer - This is the shortest version of a trailer and will often be shown on TV and the internet. This gives audiences a small segment of the film not giving much away. These are used quite far ahead of the release date of the film. These leave audiences with a sense of mystery about the film as not much is given away, hence the name 'teaser'.
• DVD Trailer - This is released leading up to the release of the film on DVD. They are less important as the film will have most likely already been released in the cinema. The sole purpose of these trailers is to advertise the DVD to a wide audience.

Codes and Conventions

The codes and conventions of film trailers are what makes them unique. The majority of trailers will all have the same or similar codes and conventions and will use them to appeal to the audience. However some films will stray away from using the normal codes and conventions for their trailer but this is only if they are well known and already have a very strong fan base. Often sequels of already critically acclaimed films stay away from the norms in a trailer because of the fan base already built.

Example:

The shining trailer is an example of not conforming to the norms and codes and conventions of film trailers. This film trailer uses a static camera filming the same scene with rolling credits of the makers and stars of the film. There is no movement until the blood flows through and submerges the room. The only sound is non-diegetic music which is repeated throughout. All of the components to this film trailer make it more enjoyable for the audience. The initial shock of the trailer will be unexpected by the audience making them want to continue watching it. Also none of the film plot if given away so the trailer presents a strong sense of mystery and enigma. This teases the audience as they will only know about the film by watching it. I think this is a good way to use simple effects and still create a very strong impact. Although it is so simple it would still be hard for the director to make this so effective.