The document discusses various conventions used in thriller movie trailers. It explains that teaser and theatrical trailers are typically shorter, around 1-3 minutes, while video/DVD trailers are longer at around 2 minutes. Trailers usually include the production company logo, BBFC age rating, release date, film title, social media credits, focus on main characters, and follow a narrative structure of establishing equilibrium and creating disequilibrium or tension. They also employ a tense musical score, mysterious voices if using voiceover, and faster pacing and editing to build climax.
4. Timing
The different types of trailers are:
• Teaser trailers – Shorter than 1 and
a half minutes and are generally fast
pace and full of tension.
• Video/DVD trailers – Shown for
roughly 2 minutes before the
starting of a DVD and are usually the
same genre as the film about to
play.
• Theatrical trailers – Usually last a
maximum of 3 minutes to shown
key parts of the film but not reveal
too much.
5. Company Logos
• The production
companies name/logo is
usually shown toward
the beginning of the
trailer. It allows the
audience to identify who
made the film.
‘Revenants’
‘Side Effects – 2013’
6. BBFC Age Rating
• The BBFC rating may be shown
in trailers for the audience to
be aware of which age groups
are able to watch the contents
of the film.
• As trailers are shown on a wide
variety of platforms, certain
trailers will be shown before
watershed to prevent young
children from seeing
inappropriate scenes.
‘Vendetta’
7. Release Date
• The release date ensures the date in which the
film will be out or how far it will be until it is out.
For example – “Coming Soon.”
• It usually shown toward the end of the trailer to
ensure the audience have seen it and are more
likely to remember the date of its release.
‘Shadow People – 2013’
8. Titles
• Thriller trailers often use titles
as substitutes for voiceovers.
• The title of the film is usually
shown at the very beginning
or toward the end of the film,
allowing the audience to
remember the name of the
film to create buzz about it.
• They are usually placed on
plain backgrounds to avoid
any distracting of the key
words.
‘Side Effects -2013’
‘Shadow People -2013’
9. Social Media
• The social media credits are
conventions of recent films and are
usually shown at the end of the
trailer and last about 3-5 seconds for
audience to read and remember.
• Their purpose is for the audience to
search more information about the
film of social networking sites and to
share things about the film, as a way
of promoting the film.
• Critics are also a way of endorsing the
film, making it more intriguing for the
audience.
‘Frozen Ground – 2013’
‘Getaway’
‘Vendetta’
10. Characters
• Many trailers focus on their main
character(s) as a way of promoting the
film. It is a unique selling point and
below the line advertising which
attracts fan bases of the actor/actress.
‘Side Effects -2013’
‘Would You Rather – 2013’
11. Narrative Structure
• Most of the theatrical trailers have an order in
which the events of the film are shown. There is
the ‘Equilibrium’ and then the ‘Disequilibrium.’
• This same structure applies to the thriller genre.
The equilibrium is shown to establish the
beginning of the film where the tension is not yet
built.
• The new equilibrium is never shown because it
creates enigma and pushes the audience to
watch the film.
12. FROZEN GROUND:
Equilibrium: The detective is about his daily
life.
Disequilibrium: The FBI suspect the
baker and find weapons in his home.
Enigma: Who killed her?
ALL GOOD THINGS:
Equilibrium: They are normal, happy couple. Disequilibrium: The wife begins to question
her husbands behaviour and she is found
dead.
Enigma: Is he her killer?
13. Audio
• The score music within a thriller is usually tense and
deep. It establishes what genre the film is and hints to
the audience what will occur. The non diegetic music
correspond with the pace of the editing, so at the most
climatic point of the trailer, the score music will
become more tense.
• Also, in a thriller, if there is any use of voiceovers, the
voices are always deep and have a mysterious tone to
it.
• The volume control of both the score music and sound
effects will increase at the pivotal parts of the trailer to
create tension.
14. Pace/Editing
• The editing pace is generally a normal pace at begin and picks
up a much faster pace after the dilemma has been revealed.
• This also applies to pace of editing in a thriller trailer.
‘Shutter Island – 2009’
15. Inspiration
• From the official and student trailers I have
watched, the titles/credits are inspirational as
they mirror what genre the film is through their
font and colour.
• The audio synchronises with the pace of the
editing, which has inspired me as the meaning of
the editing and music signifies tension building.
• Lastly, the use of social media has inspired me as
it is below the line advertising and is a cheaper,
more effective way of advertising a film.
