Trailer Conventions

A trailer is a montage of clips in a non chronological order in which we see a fragmented plot that shows often the most exciting/gripping clips from the film in order to attract the audience. They are informative in the sense we are made aware of the release date, the producers and main cast members. There is often a voice over used alongside a soundtrack and dialogue to add to the attraction of the film. A trailer must be under two minutes and thirty seconds.

The main purpose of a trailer is to entice the audience into seeing the film. There are many methods company's use to do so.

Conventions of a trailer

-highlights showing the best bits of the film; often funny, action packed etc.
-a climactic ending leaving the audience wondering
-voice overs used to tell the story
-soundtrack to create a certain atmosphere
-stars to attract audience
-conversations between characters
-special effects
-credits on screen- producers/famous actors may be used to entice the audience
-titles
-social networking sites advertised to inform audience more about the film (creates synergy)
-fast paced editing in order to excite the audience
-certificate specifying the minimum age required to watch the film

Vladimir Propp’s key characters will often appear in trailers these characters comprise of a hero, a villain, a helper, a prize etc.

 An example of a voice-over being used effectively is in the 500 days of summer trailer at the start of the trailer. Voice-overs are a script that appears over the trailer often by a specialist actor who has a voice in which attracts audiences, for example an action trailer may use a booming voice to adhere to the theme. Voice-overs often help piece together the story line and create a sense of continuity to give the audience a more fuller insight into the storyline.

 

Every single trailer will adhere to these conventions take for example the Skyfall trailer as it is an action movie it contains a range of shots from close ups to extreme ariel shots these excite the audience and keep them interested.