2. Cast and Crew
Normally in a trailer, its either shown at the beginning or throughout or it is
shown at the end of a trailer, the cast and crew information is shown.
This could be the main characters of the film are mentioned in the
trailers as well as the production companies and the company which
has distributed the film. Also sometimes the editor of the film or the
director of the film or people who were involved with the production
and distribution of film names are shown throughout the trailer. This
usually attracts the audience so if they like the cast or the crew they
want to watch the film.
3. Narrative
The narrative/plot on every trailer is very short as it summarises briefly to the
viewers what the film will be about. The narrative on the trailer tries not
reveal too much of the plot and leave the audiences questioning
themselves on what the film could be about. Therefore the trailer only
reveals certain information to the audience, like a cliffhanger which
leaves them wondering what the film is about.
4. Pace
A lot of horror trailers are fast paced. They show many clips which are in the
film so people can grasp the narrative of the film. On the other hand
some trailers start of slowly and then become faster. This helps to bring
the tension throughout the trailer. By having the trailer to start of slower
then builds up the pace so it becomes faster creates more of an
atmosphere.
5. Voice overs
Not all voice overs may match the visual in the trailer however sometimes
the voice over may match the visual in the trailer as the voiceover was
taken out of the movie. The purpose of the voice overs in the trailer is to
allow the audience to get an insight into the film and allow them to
understand the trailer and get the genre.
6. Soundtracks
Soundtracks are used to help create an atmosphere and allow the genre
to be clear to the audience. E.g. depending on the genre will be
depend on the soundtrack, so if it is a horror the soundtrack will be more
upbeat and fast and sharp to create tension and an atmosphere.
Whereas a comedy or romance the soundtrack will be less tense and
the pace will be slower to create less tension. So the soundtrack shows
the genre and helps set an atmosphere for the genre in the trailer.
7. Target Audience
For a horror movie the target audience will be people in a higher age
group for example 15-18+ year olds. This is because some content that
may feature in horror trailers may not be suited for a younger audience
for example scenes of violence and blood. Depending on the type of
film and genre it is and also the features it includes then the target
audience can be for anyone from kid’s right up to adults. Normally
trailers do include the target audience by using something called age
certificates, this means if a movie is rated an 18 and over then it would
have a red circle with the age displayed within it.
8. Production and Distribution
Production being included in film trailers would include the production logo
for example ‘The dark knight’ was created by Warner Bros meaning their
logo would be shown in the trailer presumably at the beginning. Warner
Bros are known for being good distributors because they had to sell their
movies to cinemas so that the public could actually see them so big
companies like Warner Bros do earn a lot for distributing.
9. Quotes
Quotes are used in trailers to inform the audience about the movie itself.
For example big businesses or most commonly newspapers will give their
view of the film and they are usually good comments. Film producers
use these quotes because these good comments about their movies
are linked with persuading the audience to come and watch the movie.
10. Company Logo
The production companies logo shows the audience what genre the film
could be under. This is because if it is a very well known company such
as Warner brothers it would give the audience an example of what type
of genre the film is about. For example sometimes the logo is changed
to give it that effect. When the audience see the production company's
logo it gives them a indication of how successful the film would be. This s
because if it is a very well known company who have made successful
films before then the audience would have high expectations.
11. Props
Props are important in trailers and this is because when using certain props
to fit a specific genre it gives it more of an dramatic effect. For example
when doing a horror film it would be useful to use props such as knifes,
murder weapons and objects that will give an negative effect to the
audience.
12. Dialogue
When attracting the audience to your genre it is important the dialogue is
specified to that genre. This is because not only would it show the
audience what genre the film is but also make the audience more
interested. This is because you would need to select specific words and
sentences to make the dialogue aim at the audience. For example if
the genre was a comedy the dialogue would need to include humour
or if the genre is horror the dialogue would be more serious.
