Trailers - Final Thoughts

Theatrical trailers, those found in cinemas, are generally much longer than teaser trailers/TV spots - often up to two-and-a-half minutes in length. Theatrical trailers accompany films from either the same genre or those made by the same production company/distribution company when shown in cinemas, and the trailer will receive a certificate equivalent to or lower than the film being shown. The fundamental difference between a theatrical trailer and a teaser trailer is that a theatrical trailer usually includes detailed information regarding the plot/narrative of the film - there will be more images from the film in the theatrical trailer but many of the other conventions are the same. Theatrical trailers, of this length, usually appear quite late in the film’s marketing campaign - in the last few weeks in the run-up to the film’s release.

TV spots are essentially trailers that are shown on television (though they appear online in the digital era). In terms of length and structure they are closer to teaser trailers than theatrical trailers (roughly thirty seconds). The fundamental difference between TV spots and teaser trailers is that TV spots appear much later in a film’s marketing campaign, in tandem with the theatrical trailers, close to a film’s release (often in the final week before the film comes out) and the editing is often very quick with the TV spot containing a lot of images from the film.

Teaser trailers these often reach the public a considerable time before the film’s release - often many months, sometimes over a year, before the film is due to hit cinemas. Teaser trailers are much shorter than conventional theatrical trailers, and whilst they share many conventions with trailers they are often very different in obvious ways - they may reveal little about plot, for example, withholding information from the audience in order to create anticipation and a desire to want more (teasing the audience), thus generating greater long-term interest in the film. Teaser trailers may be shown in cinemas but they are just as likely to be found online, on official and unofficial websites.

Conventions of trailers include:

• Production Company logo(s) - for example, WB or Warp Films (usually at the beginning)
• Images from the film
• Title of the film
• Release dates (for a teaser this is likely to be ‘Coming Soon’ or ‘Summer 2021’ rather than being date specific, whereas theatrical trailers often have date specific release dates such as ‘In Cinemas October 29’. The release dates on TV Spots are often even more specific, such as ‘In Cinemas Friday’)
• Indication of genre - the intended audience should be clear (through music, voiceover, mise-en-scene)
• Website and other social media such as twitter, FaceBook, Instagram etc (usually at the end)
• Voiceover man
• Editing - transitions often include flashes, quick fades and dissolves alongside more conventional cuts
• Possibly cast, crew, director credits – intermittently throughout and at the end in a billing block
• Possibly references to other films (that this is similar to) or other films that have been directed/produced by the same people
• Images of stars/names of stars
• References to awards that cast/crew/film may have won or been nominated for (remember that these may refer to other films)
• Music - make sure that it reflects the genre BUT also that it works with the images
• Tagline – a slogan for the film, often broken into two or three parts, for example ‘The Destiny of a Soldier. The Honour of a Slave. The Fate of an Empire.’ Taglines are often replicated on other marketing materials such as posters
• Quotes that reference other films - for example ‘From the Director of…’, ‘From the Producers of…’ or reviews
• Sound effects
• Eye candy (attractive shots of men and women, explosions, car chases etc) – images that are visually thrilling
• Reference to the source material the film is based on (if appropriate) – for example, ‘Based on the Bestselling Novel by...’
• A variety of camera shots/movement