This document outlines common conventions used in film trailers. It discusses including exciting scenes to engage audiences, a brief narrative introduction, genre-appropriate music, character introductions, cliffhangers to encourage viewership, release dates, production company branding, film titles, known actors/directors, awards, genre signifiers, intertitles, narrative exposition, and legal disclaimers. The goal of these conventions is to effectively promote films and attract target audiences without revealing too much of the plot.

1. Film Trailer Conventions Interesting/excited/dramatic
scenes- To get the audience excited
and make the movie seem jam
packed with entertainment.
Narration- Give a brief introduction
to the movie with a basic story line
without giving away too much or
showing the ending.
Music related to genre- The
appropriate music will make the
trailer look more professional and
eye catching.
Introduction to characters-
Brief overview of
protagonist and antagonist
so the audience can relate
or understand to the story a
bit more
Cliff hanger- Leaving the target
audience with a cliff hanger will
encourage them to see the film to
find out what happens.
Release date- A release
is important so the
audience knows when to
watch the film.
Production company/studio
name- This is there to mainly to
promote the studio, if it is a well-known
studio it will make the
movie seem more established.
Film title- Put in trailer so they
know the name of the film.
Actors/directors- name if they are
well known so it will attract fans of
that actor/ director.
Awards- Awards are important because
they show how good/successful the film
is.
Genre signifiers- genre
signifiers help make
user the audience know
what genre of film they
are watching
Inter titles- Printed text that are in-between
shots.
Narrative exposition- this shows bits of the story
that introduces important information to the
audience; for example, information about the
setting, events, main plot, characters and maybe
even a back story
Disclaimers- A disclaimer is generally
any statement intended to specify or
delimit the scope of rights and
obligations that may be exercised and
enforced by parties in a legally
recognized relationship. (from
Wikipedia)