Trailer

1. What is a Trailer?
Eleni Papaioannou

2. Introduction
According to Wikipedia, a trailer is “an advertisement or a commercial
for a feature film that will be exhibited in the future at a cinema, the
result of creative and technical work.”
The first trailer was shown in the US, November 1913 for the musical The
Pleasure Seekers.
Trailers are made up of a series of shots that promote the film specified
to the audience. The purpose of them is to attract an audience and so
the shots/clips selected are usually the most exciting, funny, or
important parts of the film in a restricted way so that nothing is spoiled
for the audience.
According to the MPAA (Motion Picture Association of America) the
maximum length of trailer must not exceed 2:30. Each studio distributor
is allowed to exceed this limit once a year.

3. The Typical Structure of a
Trailer
From research, trailer are usually split into three sections: the beginning
(laying out the story for the audience), the middle (builds upon the story
usually ending with a dramatic climax), the end (after the climax, usually
showing the inter titles such as the name of the film).
When it comes to our own trailer, this is the general structure we will be using
as it adheres to the conventions of trailers and gives us a starting point for our
planning. The major thing to consider before planning our trailer is to give the
right balance between plot line and enigmas within the trailer so that the
trailer does not ‘spoil’ too much for the audience.

4. What should I include?
I have written a short list below of the enigma codes and important parts of the
narrative that should be made clear to the audience so that they understand
enough of what the film is about.
• Water (Drowning)
• The relationship between Bea and Justin deteriorating
• Schizophrenia and Hallucinations
• Bea’s mental state deteriorating
• Death (unclear as to who it is that is killed - enigma)
When planning our trailer I will ensure that these 5 themes are hinted at in our
trailer so that the audience has enough information to understand what our film is
about.