Key conventions and expectations

2. • A TRAILER IS CLIPS FROM THE MOVIE NORMALLY THE MOST EXCITING AND ENTICING CLIPS PUT
TOGETHER NOT ALWAYS IN ORDER. THE CLIPS ARE NOT IN ORDER SO AS NOT TO GIVE AWAY THE
NARRATIVE OF THE FILM BUT THE TRAILER LEAVES THE AUDIENCE WANTING MORE. TRAILERS ARE FOR
FILMS THAT ARE GOING TO BE RELEASED IN THE FUTURE, AT THE CINEMA. THE RELEASE DATE IS
IMPORTANT AS YOU CAN ATTRACT A LARGER AUDIENCE TO THE OPENING NIGHT. TRAILER TEND TO BE
BETWEEN 1:30 – 2 MINUTES SOME BIG MOVIES LIKE ACTION MOVIES ARE SHORTER AS NOT TO RELEASE
TOO MUCH AND MAKE THE AUDIENCE HAVE MORE SUSPENSE.
• THERE ARE GENERAL CONVENTIONS AND CODES TRAILERS STICK TO AS THEY HAVE PROVEN TO BE
SUCCESSFUL WHEN FOLLOWING THESE CODES AND CONVENTIONS. ALL TRAILERS ARE DIFFERENT AND
HAVE EVOLVED AND DEVELOPED OVER THE YEARS, AS HAVE FILMS TO SUIT THE CHANGING NEEDS OF THE
AUDIENCE.

3. FILM PRODUCTION LOGOS
• ONE OF THE CONVENTIONS IS IN EVERY TRAILER THE FILM PRODUCTION LOGO WILL APPEAR IN THE
TRAILER SOMEWHERE. BY HAVING FILM PRODUCTION LOGOS IN TRAILERS IT MAY MAKE THE AUDIENCE
WANT TO THAT FILM AS THEY MAY HAVE SEEN A FILM PREVIOUS PRODUCEDBY THEM AND ENJOYED IT. SO
BY HAVING THE FILM PRODUCTION LOGO IN THE TRAILER IT COULD ENTICE THE AUDIENCE TO SEE THE
FILM. ALSO BY HAVING THE FILM PRODUCTION LOGO ON IT THE AUDIENCEKNOW WHAT SORT OF GENRE
THE FILM WILL BE E.G. DREAMWORKS ARE KNOWN FOR MAKING FAMILY FILMS.

4. FILM TITLES
• ANOTHER CONVENTION IN A TRAILER IS A FILM TITLE WHICH IS IN EVERY TRAILER
AND TELLS YOU THE NAME OF THE FILM. THE FILM TITLE IS NORMALLY AT THE END
OF THE TRAILER AS THE IDEA IS THAT THE TRAILER GRIPS THE AUDIENCE AND
THEN THE TITLE APPEARS AT THE END TO MAKE YOU REMEMBER THE NAME OF THE
FILM. THE FONT AND COLOUR OF THE FILM TITLE IS A GOOD INDICATION OF THE
GENRE OF THE FILM. FOR EXAMPLE, THE CAPTAIN AMERICA CIVIL WAR FILM
POSTER LOOKS LIKE AN ACTION MOVIE WITH THE TWO CHARACTERS AGAINST
EACH OTHER. KUNG FU PANDA 3 LOOKS MORE COMICAL AND FAMILY FRIENDLY IT
IS BRIGHT AND COLOURFUL. WHEREAS THE OTHER SIDE OF THE DOOR TITLE IS
VERY FADED WHITE WITH BOLD FONTS ON A DARK BACKGROUND.

5. AGE CERTIFICATIONS
• ALL FILMS IN THE UK ARE AWARDED AGE CERTIFICATES WHICH PROVIDE A GUIDELINE FOR THE AUDIENCE.
THE AGE CERTIFICATION IS AWARDED BY THE BRITISH BOARD OF FILM CLASSIFICATION (BBFC) AND THE
AGE OF THE FILM IS NORMALLY SHOWN TOWARDS THE END OF THE TRAILER. THE HIGHER THE AGE
CERTIFICATE THE OLDER THE RECOMMENDED AUDIENCE IS TO VIEW THE FILM AS THE FILM COULD
CONTAIN; VIOLENCE, SEXUAL SCENES AND BAD LANGUAGE. THE AGE CERTIFICATE INDICATES TO THE
AUDIENCE WHAT THE FILM MAY CONTAIN FROM THE AGE CERTIFICATE THE AUDIENCE CAN THEN DECIDE IF
THEY WANT TO AND SEE THE FILM.

6. SOCIAL MEDIA
• A CODE THAT IS NOW ON TRAILERS IS SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS THIS IS ONE CONVENTION THAT HAS
DEVELOPED OVER THE YEARS AS SOCIAL MEDIA BECAME POPULAR. TRAILERS NOW TEND TO CONTAIN ‘#’
WITH A PHRASE RELATED TO THE MOVIE OR ASK THE AUDIENCE TO LIKE THEIR FACEBOOK PAGE. BY USING
SOCIAL MEDIA, IT GETS THE AUDIENCE INVOLVED, THEY MAY FIND OUT MORE ABOUT THE FILM AND
DECIDE TO GO AND SEE IT. ALSO IF THE FILM IS TALKED ABOUT ON SOCIAL MEDIA IT THE WORD OF MOUTH
CONCEPT WILL BECOME EFFECTIVE AND FREE ADVERTISING CAMPAIGN.

7. CHARACTERS
• TRAILERS CONSIST OF THE MAIN CHARACTERS WHO WILL FEATURE IN THEFILM. BY HAVING THE MAIN
CHARACTERS IN THE TRAILER, THE AUDIENCE CAN RELATE TO THEM. THEACTORS WHO PLAY THE
CHARACTERS CAN EMPHASISE THE GENRE SO THE AUDIENCE KNOW THE GENRE OF THE FILM E.G. JIM
CARREY WHO TENDS TO PLAYS CHARACTERS IN COMEDIES.

8. SOUND
• TRAILERS WILL EITHER CONTAIN VOICE OVERS MUSIC OR BOTH THESE AREKEY FEATURES AS THEY CAN
BE WHAT ENTICES THE VIEWERS MOST OF ALL. THE MUSIC OR VICE OVERCAN GUIDE THE AUDIENCE
THROUGH THE FILM, NARRATIVE AND CHARACTERS. THE VOICE OVER CAN BE SECTION OF DIALOGUE
FROM THE FILM OR CAN BE AN EXTERNAL VOICE WHICH IS ADDED OVER THE TOP OF THE FOOTAGE. MUSIC
AND/OR VOICE OVERS SHOW THE PACE AND GENRE OF THE FILM AND SOMETIMES AN ARTIST CREATES A
SOUND SPECIALLY FOR THE FILM. OFTEN THE BIGGER THE BUDGET THE MORE WELL KNOWN THE ARTIST IS
AND POTENTIAL VIEWERS RELATE TO THE BIGGER THE BUDGET THE MORE LIKELY THE BETTER THE FILM.

9. INTERTITLES
• INTERTITLES ARE MAIN CONVENTIONS IN A TRAILER WHETHER THEY RELATE TO THE STORY OR HAVE AN
ACTOR/ACTRESS NAME ON OR MAY EVEN BE THE RATINGS THE FILM HAS BEEN GIVEN BY CRITICS. THE
IDEA OF INTERTITLES IS THAT THEY GRAB THE AUDIENCE AND MAKE THEMWANT TO SEE MORE. IF A
CERTAIN ACTOR OR ACTRESS IS IN THE FILM THEY MAY WANT TO SEE ITJUST BECAUSE THEY ARE IN IT. ON
THE OTHER HAND, IF THE RATINGS ARE GOOD THEN THIS MAY HELP THE AUDIENCE DECIDE WHETHER THEY
WANT TO GO AND SEE THE FILM.