This PowerPoint includes the different conventions of the film trailer

1. Trailer v Films
Conventions

2. The Trailer:
There are several conventions and codes that
trailers include; although they are all distinct
from one another, the production company
would usually follow the guidelines which make
up a trailer. Over the years the trailer has
evolved and changed with the content and the
style, the trailer would want to attract the
audience to come watch it. I will be discussing
these conventions that make up the film trailer.

3. The Trailer: Conventions
 Non- Chronological order
 Usually between 1minute 30 seconds and 3
minutes long.
 Included key scenes from the movie
 Includes titles to show the main actors, director,
distributer and production company.
 Included key dialogue or narration
 Includes music potentially from the film itself or to
reflect the genre.
 BBFC Age certificate

4. Titles
 Often the main title of the film is placed at the end
of the trailer. This is important for the audience to
know what the film is called, it is usually very bold
and catches the audiences attention.
 Throughout the trailer there may be titles that
include actors names, producers and director.
 At the beginning of the trailer usually the
production company logo is placed to let the
audience know who created the film.

5. BBFC Age Rating
 In the UK films that are released are awarded an age
certificate by the British Board of Film Classification.
This is usually placed at the end of a film trailer. The
certificates include: U, PG, 12, 12A, 15, 18 and 18R.
The noir genre is often at least rated a 15; however
this depends on the amounts of extreme content such
as bad language, violence, horror, gory nature and
sexual scenes. I believe that our film trailer would be
rated a 12A due to one scene of a man beign
strangled. Other than that there is no explicit nature in
our trailer although in the full film the rating would be
higher due to bad language and suggested sexual
scenes.

6. Release Date
 This is often a key convention for attracting
audiences to watch a film on the opening night of
the films release. It is also a good way to hype a
film and gain excitement for the films premiere.
The trailer would be released a little while before
the release of the actual film to create this buzz
and anticipation. It is again usually shown at the
end of the trailer so that the audience can be
notified when it is going to be in cinemas and is
big and bold so that it catches the audiences
attention.

7. Time length
 Usually a film trailer would be around 1 minute 30
seconds and 2 minutes 30 seconds. Compared to
the film which would be around 1 hour and 2 and
a half hours. For the advertisement purposes
there will be several film trailers released for the
film. This usually depends on the production
companies budget and whether the film is
independent or mainstream. Snippets of the
trailer that are around 10 seconds are released to
build excitement for the film also.

8. Characters
 In trailers character introductions are usually
important for the audience to understand the narrative
and genre of a film. The character introductions can
be key in attracting audiences through the storyline
being relatable just like the characters in them. The
presentation of characters is important also in
attracting the right target audience for the film.
 As well as this if a character is played by a famous
actor this can also attract audiences due to them
being recognisable and liked by many people, the
strong reputation of the actor makes a character also
loveable because of the popularity of the actor.

9. Music and narration
 Music is definitely one of the key features of a trailer.
This is because it sets the pace of the film and
represent the genre and potential personalities of
characters and narrative of the piece. The films
soundtrack is often key as the music in a film is often
talked about after being watched by audiences. This
is one of the main things that audiences remember
and like about films. Therefore in the trailer of the film
the potential music that would be used in the film
would be in the trailer. Especially if the film has its
own theme tune, for example. Harry Potter.
 Narration is important for the audience to follow the
plot and characters in a trailer. It is often places over
the top of footage and music. There can also be
points of just dialogue from the movie itself.