Codes & Conventions of Film Trailers

Film trailers exist as a part of film promotion; they visually demonstrate the story of a film in a speedy and condensed fashion, without containing any ‘spoilers’. The selection of short shots are chosen to feature in the trailer, usually because they are the best bits of the movie, however, the shots are never shown in chronological order. The trailers are aimed at a specific target audience, and they are now seen as part of the film making process, in which they are relied on by film makers for promotion. 10 billion online videos are watched every year and trailers are ranked at number three of the most watched types of online video.

Allow us now, to dive into the brief history of trailers. Initially, trailers were created to be played at the end of a showing in the cinema. However, due to audiences walking out straight after the film had ended, they began to start showing them before the film begun. The original trailers were very simply constructed, including slow editing, with little narration and uses of big words plastered on the screen. A man named Andrew J Kuehn began to create the type of trailers that audiences are familiar with today, revolutionising this form of media. 

Film trailers have many key functions and objectives; ultimately, they exist to generate an interest in the film and the genre is always clearly indicated so that the accurate Target Audience are addressed. Trailers inform viewers what the film is about, without giving too much of the plot away, they build up excitement and anticipation by showcasing the film’s best bits and presenting the film to its best advantage. Audiences feel obliged to watch the film having been teased by the narrative enigmas. Also, trailers are commonly used to show off stars in a film as well as provide details about the production teams.

There are two main types of film trailers, the first is known as a teaser trailer which is commonly used to advertise upcoming movies. These trailers are extremely short in length, ranging from 30-40 seconds and use very little of the actual footage in the film. These trailers come out long before the film itself has been released, therefore they ‘tease’ the target audience.
The second type of trailer is called the theatrical trailer; it is typically shown in cinemas a few months before it is set to be released. A TV-spot is the theatrical trailer that has been edited to be shorter in length; they are then advertised on television.

Let us explore in-depth the conventions of horror film trailers. The trailers contain a three base structure, the first being the ‘gentle calm’ where we experience a taste of the narrative and are informed of the element of the story. The audiences learn the equilibrium of the plot, which is shown through scenes of an eerie tranquillity. This would be followed by the ‘silence’ of the trailer, where the image and sound decrease, constructing the sense of nervousness and anticipation in viewers. Suddenly viewers experience the disruption, which involves the fast paced crux of scenes which generate excitement and grip the audiences. Here we acknowledge quick cuts and edits known as ‘blackouts’ until finally we reach the climax. Then viewers experience ‘The Sting’ which is the clip used at the end that makes the audience jump with fright.

As well as showing scenes from the film, there are three other functions that trailers use to help notify the target audience of the narrative. The first being straps, these are text captions used in between footage that help the audience to keep up with the basic plot. Alongside the straps, it is conventional for trailers to use voice-overs too. This involves a narrator informing the audiences what the film is about. The voice-over tends to be the voice of a male and it is deep, dramatic and slow. Some horror trailers also include dialogue from the scenes in the film; it is carefully selected and then put together in a montage of shots, helping the viewers to understand where the plot is going. Not all of these informative functions are always used at the same time; other structures include uses of strap-lines and voice-overs or strap-lines and dialogue.

The shots used in a film trailer are never in sequential order or shown in a linear pattern, otherwise the entire plot would be revealed. Certain footage is selected to be used in the trailer and those bits are usually the best parts of the film.

Music, lighting and Mise-en-scene elements are used to compliment the genre and make it clear to audiences what genre the film belongs to. Music is used to set the tone, create excitement as well as inform the audience of the mood of the narrative through uses of sound. Lighting also reflects the mood of the scene and can inform us of the persona of characters, for instance, if profile-lighting is used on a character, it indicates to audiences that there is something sinister about them. Mise-en-scene elements include costume, hair and make-up, character positioning, body language and facial expression, lighting and colour, settings and props. All of which have their own function.

Trailers contain iconography (images and symbolic representations that are traditionally associated with a specific subject) and it is used to help the audience recognize what genre and sub-genre the film belongs to.

Another convention of trailers, especially horror film trailers, includes dead black-outs (DBO’s) they are constructed during the process of editing and used to achieve great effect. Film trailers are usually two to three minutes long in length, they are kept ‘short and sweet’ to tease audiences, a trailer that is too long would become boring and possibly reveal too much of the plot. Additional conventions include the movie title, release date, director’s name and taglines.