2. Voiceovers are used to tell the story and
give credit information
The trailer is interspersed with actor or
director credits on screen
Key points are sometimes conveyed
through titles (words on screens)
Conversations between characters
often consist of one liners
Dramatic camera angles may be chosen
to show events or characters
Action tends to build to a climax where
it ends
Music plays an important role in
creating atmosphere
The films title may not appear until the
end
Montage is used to highlight the most
dramatic aspects of the film
Some Conventions of Trailers
3. A trailer will often be structured around the most appealing aspects of a film,
disregarding the conventional narrative order. For example, you might see a funny
moment taken from the ending of a comedy near the beginning of the trailer for that
film, or a selection of clips chosen to attract the widest possible audience, such as a
romantic clip in the trailer for an action film. Some trailers will aim to provide a basic
narrative structure to guide us through the film’s storyline.
4. Try to spot and describe the different structural conventions exemplified in the trailer. Use the
headings Opening, Build-up, Problems & Events
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZlIp5COqqGM
5. Do the same for the following trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vatOw6FquzU
6. VOICEOVER FUNCTIONS
Helps us make sense of the narrative by giving us background
information, such as where the action is set
Informs us about the characters
Showcases the stars appearing in the film
Gives us information about important production personnel
such as the director and producer and their previous work
Helps to build a sense of anticipation about the film’s release
Summarises the story in around 5-8 lines. It does not give away
the ending, but helps us anticipate what is to come
How is voiceover used in this trailer? Does it
deliver any of the functions?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ZVEIgPeDCE
7. Film trailers are a form of advertising that is structured to encourage as many people as
possible to see the film at the cinema. This section gives you a chance to collect together
everything you have learned about trailers and to use this information to construct a
detailed analysis.
Distribution companies often cut more than one trailer for a film. A teaser trailer is the
shortest at around 10 seconds, while a trailer for a TV spot will be 30 seconds and a full
theatrical trailer a whole 2 minutes.
In order to analyse how trailers work to encourage people to see a film, you need to
‘read’ them very closely. You will need to watch them more than once whilst looking at
and listening to as many details as possible.
Features to look out for include:
1. Genre
2. Narrative
3. Unique Selling Point
4. Target audience
5. Music
6. Pace
7. Dialogue
8. Soundtrack
9. Special effects
10. Credits and intertitles
11. Shot types/camera angles
Close Reading
8. Investigates how narrative is constructed in your chosen trailer. Think about the
extent to which it challenges or conforms to narrative conventions.
Consider how gender, ethnicity, age, place, events or issues are represented in your
chosen trailer. Think about the extent to which the representation challenges or
reinforces conventional points of view.
Look at out how trailer conventions are used to generate interest in a new film, and
what features are used to achieve this.
Create a prezi which does the following;
Do this for 2 film trailers in your chosen genre (horror or thriller) and provide key
frame analysis.
You have 2 lessons to complete this task.
Try and add a voice over to your prezi to really WOW the examiner
Ensure you provide a video diary insert or a detailed paragraph that outlines how
this additional research will impact upon your idea. Create 5 golden rules that you
must abide by when producing your trailer.
THE TASK
