All trailers are different but they do all usually stick to some rules but just like films and audiences trailers have also evolved over the years.
Trailers can come in a range of different length from just a ten second teaser to a much longer two and a half minute trailer. We are going to be creating a Theatrical trailer which should last from two to two and a half minute trailer.
Trailers can come in a range of different length from just a ten second teaser to a much longer two and a half minute trailer. We are going to be creating a Theatrical trailer which should last from two to two and a half minute trailer.
The first thing shown in most trailers is the production company this is good both for the company as they can get their name out their and be associated with a good film. Its can also be good for the film as if audiences have liked previous films published by the company they may decide to watch this one. Particular production companies are known for publishing a particular genre of film or have a particular budget such as Disney.
The BBFC age certification is very important and is usually shown towards the end of the film. This is very important as is allows audiences to know what type of film it is, an example is a film rated U is going to be family friendly. This also means younger audiences won't be lead into think that they are able to watch a film in cinemas which they cannot for example if a film is rated 18 only audiences of or over that age can watch the film.
The Title of the film is probably the most important part of the trailer as the audience need to know which film its for so if they like the trailer they can watch the film. The Title is generally at the end of a trailer, this allows the audience to pick up the genre and themes of the film and the audience are more likely to remember it. The font, colours and backdrop of the title are very important as they can help to define the genre for your audience.
Here is an example using the noir film The Big Sleep. The font used is very similar to other noir fonts from other films as they all share a similar style which allows the audience to quickly define the genre as a film noir. The backdrop is two shadows likely our detective and femme fatal, which feels very mysterious linking back to the themes and conventions of noir.
The use of social media in trailers is quite a modern concept. The trailer may have the films official website, a Facebook page or twitter hash tag which it try's to promote.
Here is an example that I found on YouTube of the film Ted 2. It has a YouTube subscribe button, A Ted 2 Facebook page as well as the twitter hash tag #LegalizeTed.
Perhaps the most important narrative or story element that a trailer does is to introduce the audience to the characters. This is very useful as introducing a relatable character to the audience gets their interest which may make them decide to watch the film. If the film has any famous actors or actresses then they often get a lot of screen time in the trailer as people who have enjoyed their previous work may be interested They are also often accompanied by a caption of their name to remind people of who they are.
An example of this would the film Godzilla (2014) in which the trailer featured a lot of the actor Bryan Cranston who had just finished the very popular TV series Breaking Bad. This was almost a kind of trick as in the actual film the actor got very little screen time but this sue of a famous actor in the trailer would bring in a lot of fans.
Music is a large part of trailers and can help to show off the genre of the film, the tone and pacing and sometimes the budget as a film with a large budget may be able to use a well known famous song.
Voice overs are sometimes used in film trailers but this is less so then it used to be. A good example of a voiceover in a film is the trailer for American Beauty. Early noir films used a lot of voice overs in trailers but this trend died down towards the end of the noir film period.
Name captions as I mentioned before are very useful for getting fans of a particular actor or actress to see a film but they are also useful for big named Directors or writers such as Quentin Tarantino and Martin Scorsese.
This is a frame from the trailer of Django Unchained by Quentin Tarantino.
The release date is often in a theatrical trailer to let the audience know when the film is out and when they can watch it in cinemas.
(Sometimes this does not play properly, if so then please go to http://matthewcrowthera2media.blogspot.co.uk/p/codes-and-conventions-of-a.html and watch the video titled anylisis)
Skyfall trailer:
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