FILM TRAILER CONVENTIONS

The main purpose of a film trailer is to inform the audience (potential customers) about the film, to make them excited; interested and so to persuade them to go and see the film. There are many ways in which a film trailer can be created this depends however on the type of film they are trying to promote. Films with different genres will each be portrayed and ‘sold’ to the viewers in their unique ways to entice their potential audience. For example…  The film trailers main purpose is to leave the viewer with an exiting feeling, a feeling of anticipation giving them an impatient urge to go see the film. It needs to ‘tease’ the audience, a film trailer has the effectiveness of being on a personal level with the viewer with the use of non-diegetic sound (voice over man) aimed at the viewer encouraging them to come and watch. This can only be done on film trailers unlike still image advertising (film posters) which will be discussed later. Sound plays a very important role in trailers because even without visuals, a sense of the genre and preconceptions of what the film will be about will have been formulated in the viewer’s mind For example in the film The Dark Knight the audience are almost immediately thrown into a calamity of explosions and car chases with big names such as heath ledger featuring as a main character in the film. This film in particular is a great example in how film trailers play a huge part in what the general public go to see at the cinemas this trailer immediately aims its film at the already infamous ‘batman’ fans and comic enthusiasts which plays on the audiences familiarity with the batman franchise, secondly with its action packed trailer aiming at an audience who are interested in that particular genre. Finally with its star-studded character line-up widening its fan base. By reaching such a large audience they are working their way up on the hierarchy of importance within media world changing opinions of millions of viewers. Generating huge success for future batman films.

      The way a film is promoted to the public plays a huge part in whether the film will be successful or not. Although trailers are the main form of film promotion it is important that they are advertised correctly for example If it’s a romantic ‘girly chick flick’ film trailer then It should be shown during the day in between breaks of day time TV and in the evening in between breaks of ‘coronation street’ times with are seen stereotypically as viewed mostly by the female gender ‘housewives etc’. There are of course other ways in which to promote a certain film, posters for example however these aren’t seen as being as effective.      A film poster must speak to the audience in a way a film trailer cant it’s a still image which means it must capture its audience at first glance it must give an idea of the films genre and story line through one image. Furthermore these must be placed carefully in order to capture an audience by placing these posters on the side of buses, billboards, and bus stops etc. finally other companies such as Orange the phone company have been getting together with cinemas as a way of promoting films that are shown by offering ‘2 for 1’, ‘Orange Wednesdays’ playing a small part in the distribution of films today.

        Every trailer should have its target audience e.g. Teenagers. Without any specific target audience the trailer isn’t going to encourage anyone to go and watch the film the trailer is advertising; primarily because there is no audience. Once the target audience is identified the trailer can then be created to appeal to that audience.

As a teenager what I’m looking for in a film trailer is something that immediately catches my attention right from the word go! It has to have the ability to make me laugh, smile and immediately want to go see the film at the cinema. You have to remember that with the use of a film trailer you are wanting the audience to go out and pay to watch the full movie, with that in mind the film trailer must be appealing enough without showing the entire ‘best-bits’ of the film leaving surprises in store for the audience a film trailer is meant for the audience to want to go see more not less! For example recently I saw a trailer on TV for the new Inbetweeners movie; The Intbetweeners is an already existing TV series, which I am a big fan of! None the less the film trailer played a brilliant role in catching the attention of me ‘a teenage viewer’ with the Inbetweeners being a very teenage orientated film genre its comedic and all about the lives of a group of teenagers in identical scenarios; going abroad for the very first time for example - something which many teenagers can relate too, the trailer gave me a taste of what was to come in the full film however I was surprised when I saw more into the storyline I didn’t feel as though the trailer ruined what was to come in the full movie, this along with its already existing fan-base and catchy one liners ‘PLAYAAAAS’ is a brilliant example of why it did so well, selling millions of cinema tickets and expanding its fan base. It played on the audiences existing knowledge to fulfil their expectations without giving away all the storyline.

Trailers use a number of conventions the use of music maybe movie soundtracks, in which with the film itself a soundtrack is brought out simultaneously giving it more of an appealing technique. This use of horizontal integration with a soundtrack being brought out together with the movie creates more publicity for the movie whilst simultaneously they are helping to promote each other.

 With the use of a well-known actor or actress staring in the film would make it appeal to me more just like in the film ‘Valentine’s Day’ the whole of the cast members were made up of a-list celebrity actors/actresses which is one of the main reasons why it was so popular.

        There are some bad qualities when it comes to looking into a film trailer however, although they are there to encourage a potential audience just as a film trailer plays a huge part in the viewers expectations of the movie it can however leave them disappointed, I speak from a first hand experience when I say, I have been enticed by a films trailer advertisement with it being full of exciting fast paced scenes, comedy full one-liners and its underlying love story my expectations are at there fullest as I go to see the film at the local cinema only to find no surprises all the ‘good bits’ had been shown in the trailer there was nothing left in the film worth watching, a film needs to live up to its trailer expectations  and that certainly didn’t!