1. Features of a trailer

2. Why is it important for a trailer to show us the
genre and how is this established?
When an audience go to the cinema and see a collection of trailers
feeds them information about the film, who the main stars are, the
narrative, and what type of genre it is. The genre is what the
audience “decode” from watching it themselves, this involves
seeing celebrities that are commonly known for their continuously
appearance in a specific genre eg: jack black in comical films, this is
backed up with the bright lighting, the friendly atmosphere and
bright visual colours, these are all examples of conventions that are
thought about depending on what genre the film is. Genre is an
important key in film marketing as it targets certain audiences, for
example: if a person prefers horror films then they will
automatically be interested in a trailer about horror. However
sometimes a genre isn’t clear from the beginning of the trailer as a
film will be a hybrid of one of more different genres combined
together this makes the audience want to see what happens if the
film has a certain twist.

3. How does the trailer show that a film is worth
going to see?
Films need to stand out and be unique from one another, especially if
they are realised at the same time and are targeting the same
audience and consist of the same genre then the marketing
campaign have to compete with their rivals for the target
audience, this is why a unique selling point is majorly advertised in
the marketing campaign. A thing that is commonly used to make
each trailer different is a unique selling point, this could a unique
twist, a character playing a role they are not famous for, and the
use of special effects or the narrative varies. Common conventions
also help indicate to the audience why a film is worth going to
see, if the actors are well known, if there is a lot of action, lots of
blood and drama and if the sub genre appeals to the audience.

4. What types of trailers are there?
A distribution company have the power to decide how many trailers are
released of a certain film depending on if the film itself it’s a big production
with a substantial budget for marketing. To gain the interest of the
audience, a “teaser” trailer is made and is realised online or played at the
cinema in the early stages of the promotional campaign. A teaser trailer is
shorter than the actual trailer; this is suggested in the name “teaser” and is
done to leave the audience wanting more. The distribution company tries to
reach the target audience in many ways, after a “teaser” trailer is viewed
people begin to tell their friends and family, thus creating a word of mouth
campaign as news of the trailer is spread via mouth, phone, social
networking and other media platforms. This is a very popular approach used
by the distribution company as it a immensely cheap as they themselves are
not wasting time and money as the audience are the ones spreading the
information not knowing subconsciously what they are doing. Once a buzz is
created due to the effect of the teaser trailer, an full length clip of the trailer
is released in cinemas three to four weeks before the film is due to be
released. Trailers are also shown on TV and are known as “TV
Spots”, however air time is very expensive therefore not a lot is shown, but
enough to engage the audience.

5. How are trailers chosen to preview before
certain films:
Trailers that preview the main film are shown in cinemas; however
certain trailers are shown to a certain audience. The exhibitor
(cinema manager) uses their marketing knowledge to target a
certain audience and select trailers which are aimed at the same
target audience of that of the main film. For example: if the
audience come to watch a comedy film, then the exhibitor shows
other comedy trailers, making the audience want to come back
again, this process is repeated continuously until a regular audience
is established. Classifications are also taken in consideration when
showing trailers, some film have certain age restrictions, therefore a
trailer for a 15 certificate film will not be played before a PG film is
shown as language and scenes maybe inappropriate for the younger
audience. However the cinema manager is aware that adults
accompany the younger audience, therefore films that have a
certain age restriction are edited to make them suitable or the
younger audience as it is indirectly appealing to the adults, making
them want to come back alone to see the film.

6. Location:
As times have now evolved, there are different ways in which
trailers can be viewed, the internet is a new found tool in film
marketing. Different forms of media platforms allow trailers to be
viewed, web 2.0 and websites such as apple movie trailers and
official websites for film titles show trailers, however this trailers
are cut and edited to make them suitable for a general audience
this is done because age restrictions can be very difficult to enforce
online in comparison to the cinema. The same film can have
different trailers with different names and edited in many different
ways as different audiences can view it, media platforms such as
social networking allow users to engage and create interest in the
trailer as comments can be shared, the more good reviews, the
more people will want to see it, therefore creating more money.

7. What are the features of a trailer?
Trailers are viewed everywhere, however they are not “mini films”,
trailers have a genre of their own and have stereotypical
conventions that follow. Trailers consist of a selection f various
shots from the film, since the purpose of the trailer is to attract an
audience; these chosen shots are usually drawn from the most
exciting parts of the film and are designed to capture the attention
of the audience for a limited amount of minutes. They create a
certain mood and enigma, creating interest and anticipation of
what the film is about. In a trailer important facts are given, some
information about the plot, characters within in the film and the
subgenre. Trailers follow a certain structure, the information and
scenes are often fast moving with a lot of footage which requires
our attention, creating roller coaster effect as tension builds up and
then drops and the trailer finishes.

8. Conventions:
• “best bits” are highlighted
• Showcases the stars
• Visual images are not shown for long
• Conversations between characters=one liners
• Dramatic camera angels
• Action interrupted by credits
• Voiceovers to tell the story and give more information
• Title may not appear until the end
• Trailer builds up to the climax where it ends