FILM TRAILER THEORY.A2 Media

WHY DO WE USE TRAILERS?

Trailers are basically to gain interest in a film. So by showing trailers in places like the internet or on the TV can reach a wider audience.

When trailers are shown in a cinema, it is mainly due to the fact that the film trailer genre will match the film about to be shown. For example, Wreck-it-ralph is a children’s film, so therefore trailers will be Monsters Inc. rather than Mama which is categorized as a thriller/horror.

WHAT NEEDS TO BE IN A TRAILER?

Trailers need to include clips of the actual film so it can be easily identified. For example, using the Simpsons characters in a movie which in no way features them or even falls into the same category as the Simpsons would is not a successful trailer.

The date it is due to be released, for example, although a trailer may be released a few months earlier than it is released in the theatre, it cannot be released to far ahead or people will lose interest and forget about it.

The trailer should show the cast and the genre of the film clearly, as these are two of the main influences on whether you will go and watch a film or not.

One of the most simple and basic things to include in a trailer is the actual film title, it needs to be added or the audience will not know what they are going to watch.

HOW HAVE FILM TRAILERS CHANGED OVER THE YEARS?

A major change in film trailers is the way in which they are viewed and received. For example, they are now shown on TV, DVD’s and films. Rather than just at the movie theatre.

They are also viewed on websites, such as myvue.co.uk. Many films also have their own Facebook and Twitter pages where they link and show wide audience previews, clips and trailers.

Also, there is more than just one trailer shown now. Often there is two, maybe three. The titanic(1997) had two trailers, mainly showing the same clips, but one was 7 seconds longer than the other.

CHANGES WITHIN VIEWING TRAILERS.

When films first began showing, trailers would be shown at the end of the film. However, obviously at the end of the film people leave so therefore no one would see the trailers and be excited for new films.

This meant that they needed to change it so the trailers had more attention, so therefore they were changed to be just before the film started. This is also reflected in DVD’s, the film trailers are more often that now featured just before the actual title scene begins.