Trailer Conventions

Trailer Conventions

1. What are film trailers? Film trailers are a short promotional clips showing highlights of the film in order to provide an overall view of the film to the audience .

2. Why are they made? They are made to provide an overview to the audience and enable them to understand the overall genre and basic outline of the story. The purpose of making trailers is to promote the film before the whole length film is released in order to make it more popular between a wider target audience.

3. How do they work? Trailers are made with various elements such as camerawork, editing, mise en scene, sound, voice over etc. The trailer consists of the best scenes used in the film so that it is appealing to the audience and makes them eager to go and watch the film in the cinemas.

4. Who are they for? Commonly, a sense of genre is hinted in the trailer to position the targeted audience. The target audience is attracted to the film trailer due to the typical elements used in the trailer. For example, a setting scene of forest and ghosts may be used to reflect the 'thriller/horror' genre in a trailer which'll attract the audience interested in that specific genre.

5. Where do we see them? Trailers are shown as a form of advertisement on TV, YouTube and cinemas. They are also shared online on platforms such as Twitter and Facebook by the production company and the fans.

6. When are they released? Generally, teaser trailers can be released up to 10-12 months before the film is scheduled to release. The purpose of the teaser trailer is to tease the audience and to create a buzz among the fans who are awaiting for the film before the film is even fully filmed and edited. This means that advertising in advance increases the chances of more people being able to view the trailer. The full trailer is usually released about 2-4 months before the releasing date of the film.