2. Film Trailer
Film trailers are the key element of
movie promotion and the marketing
campaign. Teaching Trailers Secondary
state that other forms of promotion
such as poster “cannot convey the
excitement and atmosphere of a film in
the same way a trailer does.” In other
words, posters will not have as much of
an effect on the audience‟s emotions
as trailers do, through using multiple
images and sounds.
The Dark Knight
Rises

3. Film Trailer
The whole point of a trailer is to give the audience an idea of what the film
will contain, and what genre it will be. Teaching Trailers Secondary stated
that “when we view a trailer we are automatically „decoding‟ what we see
and hear to establish the film‟s genre.” For example when we watch an
animated trailer with lots of vibrant/bright colours, we will think of a child‟s
film, and when there is fast beat we will feel suspense and possibly think
of a thriller. However there are occasions where the producer will try to
throw the audience into at first believing the film is of one genre, and then
make them think of a another. This will make the audience more involved
in the experience and keep them interested for a longer duration.
Furthermore we also link certain actors with a specific genres, for
example Jim Carrey will always be seen in comedies. The producers will
use this to attract more consumers as if there is a big name star in their
film, they will publicise that and try to show that actor in the trailer as
much as possible. People will then think of the movie to be good purely
because a certain actor is in it. The same can be done for a director, if
somewhere in the trailer the director is shown, this will have an influence
on the sales of the movie.
Alex Cross –
crime/thriller/psycholo
gical

4. Film Trailer - Conventions
Most film trailers follow certain guidelines, in which they include similar elements. These elements can be the
following:
• Voiceovers to tell the story and give information
• Showcasing the stars of the film
• Key features can be shown through titles on screen
• One-line conversations
• Music is a huge role
• Build to a climax at the end
By using all/most of these elements, the producers will be able to create the best possible atmosphere and effect
on the audience. I will try to use as many as possible, along with structural conventions for
example, opening, build-up, climax and ending.

5. Film Poster
By looking at the article „analysing page layout and design‟ written by
Media Magazine, they have stated that “Understanding how meaning is
made in visual language is essential to producing effective image-based
work, and the combination of, and relationship between, elements of
design shouldn‟t be underestimated.” I understand this as saying that
images are more than just pictures, but have a language that we
understand in a very different way. Also, a poster is not restricted to one
meaning. Simply by altering the size and positioning of the elements, it can
tell a completely different story altogether. They also state the other
important elements of a poster; “a hard edge or soft, ranges and tones of
colour, whether they are complementary or in conflict. We should identify
textures giving the page an illusion of tactility, and perspective, creating
depth through an impression of foreground and background.”

6. Film Poster
In another article by Media Magazine they say how the individual words
included will effect how the audience interpret a magazine. Tom Brownlee
states “voiceovers delivered by a Scot, a Geordie, a Londoner or someone
from the West Country are all likely to be „read‟ slightly differently by the
audience.” He then goes on to explain that this can be used in
posters, even though sound isn't a feature, “there are thus degrees of
formality: bloke, man, guy, gentleman or
ma, mam, mum, mummy, mother, mater.” All of what he says means that
different national backgrounds represent different “age, gender, socio-
economic status, region or nationality, sub-culture or even personality
type.” They will also use these methods to target specific audiences within
those groups.

7. Film Posters
I will have to show the:
 Title
 Positive quotes (feedback)
 Possibly a reference to a previous
film
 Stars of the film
 Certificate
 Connotation of colour
 Establish the setting a genre
 Credits

8. Magazine Cover
The magazine cover will need to similar in a
way to the poster, however they both have a
different purpose. In „Magazine Production‟ by
Jason Whittaker, he says that‟s “rather than a
montage, this nearly always consists of an A4
size image that covers most, if not all, of the
front cover.” This means that a magazine
covers shouldn't contain more that one image
that can be the whole of the magazine.
Furthermore, Morrish (2003) states “a
competent cover picture will be clear but not
crowded, and ideally work with three bright
colours to attract the reader attention.” For
example in the January 2008 issue of
Empire, They are showing the Batman
villain, The Joker. They have used vibrant
green, red a white colours.

9. Magazine Cover
Cover lines “are extremely important in making readers pick up a title, and
so need to be short”. If cover lines were too long, then readers wont be
able to convey the meaning of the magazine, and therefore will not want to
pick up the magazine, consequently not purchasing it. It also helps to have
page numbers next to some coverlines, purely for convenience to the
readers. The title of the magazine is what the readers recognise. It is not
only seen as the logo, but also the brand image. Also said in „Magazine
Production‟, “bright bold colours and clear typography that can be read
from a distance are essential.” The title is the first element that the reader
will notice and enables them to see the magazine from a distance. Overall
colour, image and typography are the key principles in a magazine cover.
magazine production, Jason
Whittaker

10. Proposal
For my film trailer I will try to use as many o the
conventions as possible such as a build op to
climax, and music. I also want to let the audience
know of the genre straight away, however not the
theme/plot until the middle/end. For the poster, I want
to make sure that it show feedback from critics and
the main character, included with the theme. The
magazine will include the three colour scheme for the
typography, and I want to link the colours to the image
so its not too much on the readers‟ eyes. Furthermore
I want the cover to look professional or it wont be
attractive.