There are many Conventions of film trailer just as there is genre. These conventions are what an audience expect to see when watching a film trailer as they are effective. However the occasional subverting of a convention such as the Blair Witch Project may cause a change and have a huge impact on an audience.
Production logo/ Distribution logo: Production logo’s also known as Distribution logo’s, are simply the logo that represents the production/distribution company that is producing or distributing the film and its trailer. If a member of an audience enjoys a particular production company or distributor then they may be inclined to watch a film trailer simply because of this. Title of the Film: One of the most commonly seen elements within a trailer is the title of the film, which informs the audience of the name of the film. The title of the film is needs to stand out in order to be eye-catching gaining the audiences attention, and therefore they have to be altered by using a font that is unique as it specifically needs to differ from any other films from other producers and distributors. It is often shown at the end in order for it to be more memorable with the audience as the film title becomes a logo, especially if the film has a sequel. Social Media: Links to social media sites are often seen on a trailer in more recent times due to the rise in the use of social media sites such as Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. This technical convergence allows the film industry to target possible audiences more effectively due to things such as cookies etc, if they decide to engage with the film online. Film production teams can now make use of Twitter hash0tags or create accounts on Facebook or Instagram to enable people to look further into their films which is highly effective as they are able to reach a wider audience for there specific film. Social media is effective because it gives the opportunity for audiences to share information and to share their own thoughts about an upcoming film which adds to the hype of a film. BBFC Age Rating: The BBFC provide guidance on what age groups are suitable to watch a particular film. The decision usually lies on who the producers want the target audience to be, and also reflects the contents of the film. Plot Summary: The plot summary for any trailer is a shortened version of the narrative of the entire film, this summarises the key points of action as well as engaging and intriguing the audience using narrative enigma and enigma codes, as well as narrative hooks. The plot is usually made more simple and easy to grasp the key concept of the film, whilst at the same time not revealing too much to the audience that they don’t enjoy the film. Certain genres of film will reveal more of the plot summary than others, for example, thriller trailers will often reveal very little of the summary, and will leave the audience with many questions and queries about what happens within the film, meaning that this may influence them to view the entire film and drawing in their interest. Voice Over: Within some film trailers, there is often narration that is voiced over a shot and is used for a few different reasons. One reason could be to introduce the main character to the audience, whilst another could be simply to introduce the story to the audience. Voice over/narration can also be done using text, where the words are written instead of being spoken. These are more often seen in horror trailers Music: Music plays a key role in any film trailer as it can be used for several different reasons. The most commonly used are, to set the mood within a scene, to help the audience identify character roles (whether the character is good or evil), or to build tension and suspense within a scene. Character Introductions: Most films use famous actors as a focal selling point for a film, as these may attract audiences who are familiar with other films they have been in and enjoyed. Characters have the capability of engaging audiences emotions and this will cause them to enjoy and go and see a film. This relates to the Uses and Gratification theory of Personal Identity, if an audience can relate to a characters situation and emotion this will play a large role in them wanting to go and watch the film. The trailer is a platform for the producers to establish this for the audience using the characters, if they have a theme in the story line such as divorce or infidelity audience members are likely to have experienced this themselves making them watch the film. Duration: Most trailers are between 1 and 2 minutes, however many films make more than one official trailer. There are also teaser trailers that can last for 20-30 seconds these are the types that are shown on the television, this makes the audience eager awaiting the full trailer to be released. Release Dates: Release dates are usually shown near the end in order to stick into those who want to watch its minds. Some films may just use "coming soon" in order to create even more hype around the trailer and film. Conventions of a Thriller / Horror Trailer:
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