Trailers are short previews of films used to advertise upcoming releases. They are designed to give the target audience an idea of what the film is like and help them decide if they want to see it. Trailers showcase the best or most exciting clips and aim to generate interest in the film's unique selling point. They are distributed through cinema screenings, television broadcasts, and online platforms like YouTube to reach the intended demographic. Teaser trailers are released early to build hype leading up to the film's full trailer and eventual release.

1. Marketing Battleship
Emily Bainbridge

2. What is a film trailer?
A film trailer is an advertisement for a feature film due to be released
either in the cinema or on DVD, which shows a short preview of the film.
Why are they made?
Trailers are made for the target audience so they can get an idea of what
the film will be like. This helps them in the decision on whether or not to
see a film as it gives a real insight into what the film is like.
Who are they made for?
Different people like different types of films, therefore a target audience
needs to be established for a film. They then aim the marketing at this
audience – however, people outside of the target audience can still enjoy
the film. Age, gender, social class etc. often have input into who the film is
suited to. Some films have a wide audience, where others have niche
audience therefore appealing to less people.

3. How do they work?
They work by showing the best clips of a film – often the best parts. For
example: a comedy genre film would likely show one of the funniest parts to
get the audience engaged. They are used to gain interest into the film and
gives the film a unique selling point that differentiates it from others.
Where do we see them?
Film trailers are shown in cinemas before the start of a film, on television and
are often seen widely on the on the internet through websites such as
YouTube. Trailers on the internet are usually edited so they are suitable for all
audiences, where when they are shown in cinemas it is often another film of
the same rating shown. On television the trailer is shown at an appropriate
time of the day.
When are they released?
A film trailer is released months before the film comes out, when the film is
still being edited to final cuts, to gage interest levels. This is so a ‘hype’ can be
made about the film. Teaser trailers, which are clips (around 30 seconds or
less), are released at different periods of time up to the release of the film.

4. Three of the posters released for
the film Battleship.

5. Battleship marketing strategies
Battleship used marketing strategies including: trailers, posters
and social media based marketing.
On all the posters, the fonts stay the same and the colour palette
for all the posters for the film Battleship stays consistent
throughout, with blue as the focusing colour but also black, grey
and white frequently used. The main image used for all of them
also has similarities as they show the main characters from both
the good and bad sides. These factors all make them identifiable
with each other when it comes to how the audience will relate
to them.

6. How does the marketing package signify the genre of the film
and from the promotional material how it is apparent what the
film is about?
The marketing package signifies the genre of the film by using
the marketing and advertising in such a way that the platforms
they are shown on and use of colours can help signify the films
genre. Also the soundtrack which goes with the trailer (and film)
will give the audience an indication of the type of film. The
promotional material helps let the audience know what the film
is about, and therefore genre – for example, the Battleship’s
posters show a character with the action going on behind which
builds up suspense, without giving any suggestion of the story of
the film.