The document discusses the main codes and conventions used in film trailers. It explains that trailers are meant to market films and raise audience expectations to encourage viewership. Key elements of trailers include displaying the film title and genre, introducing characters, using taglines and dialogue to hint at the narrative, incorporating recognizable music and sounds, and strategically editing clips to tease the plot without revealing too much. The purpose is to attract audiences and make the film seem worthwhile through these cinematic techniques.

2.  The stimulus material for question 1 of your exam may be film
trailers or an extract from a film, for example an opening
sequence.
 Film trailers are an important way for the film industry to market
their product.
 The purpose is to raise audience expectations so that they will
want to go to see the film.

3.  The main codes and conventions are:
 The name of the film. This will usually
feature prominently in the trailer.
If the film is new then the name may give a
clue to the film's genre.
For example IT.
 If it is a sequel then the audience will
already be aware of the film's genre.
For example Kingsman: The Golden Circle.

4.  The use of graphics to reinforce the name
of the film and its stars. The font style may
help to establish the film's genre. Here the
name of the film Baby Driver is bold and is
surrounded by a birds eye view of an city
landscape which connotes action in an
urban location.
 The main characters are often introduced
using technical codes, for example close-
ups, to establish them in the minds of the
audience and to help sell the film to their
fans.

5.  A tagline may give a clue to the genre and
the narrative. For example, ‘Say
Something’ for the film Get Out.
 Audio codes.
These may include a theme tune or
soundtrack which may be recognisable to
an audience.
 For example the same theme tune was
used in all of the Star Wars films.
 There may be sound effects placing the film
in a particular genre, for example gun shots,
explosions, in an action genre film.
 Atmospheric music may be used to create a
mood and suggest the film's genre.

6.  The use of voice over.
The purpose of this is to establish continuity between the
montage of clips chosen for the trailer, to establish the narrative
and to give promises of pleasure to the audience.
Genre specific lexis.
This helps the audience to know what to expect from the film
e.g: “It’s time for the Jedi to end’ = Star Wars (Sci Fi) or ‘My life
is better with you in it’ = Everything, Everything (Romance).
Naming the stars that are appearing in the film. This feature is
important as some stars tend to appear in specific genres and
often the star will be the key selling point of the film.

7.  Editing
 The trailer will be constructed and the best extracts from the
film will be selected to attract the audience. The chosen
extracts will also establish the narrative strands in the film and
may include some of the plot situations. These may be
recognisable to the audience who may be familiar with the
genre.
 These stills from the trailer for IT demonstrate that the film is
from the horror genre.

8.  The lighting is mostly low key.
In the final shot the character is surrounded by darkness.
The codes of costume and expression represent the family as
vulnerable.
 The use of the distorted reflection is also a conventional
technical code and is enigmatic for the audience.
 The iconography of the run down house and the family
screaming are genre conventions for this type of film.

9.  Enigma codes.
Trailers withhold information from the audience
to encourage them to want to watch the film to
find the answers. Sometimes rhetorical
questions will be asked by the voice over or by
words appearing on the screen. For example,
‘What are you afraid of?' appears on the trailer
for IT.
 This, combined with the narrative clues,
increases the enigma effect for the audience.
 Promise of pleasure. A way to make the
audience feel that this is a film worth watching,
whether it is the use of stars, successful
studios or based on a best selling book/series.
 Additional information. This may include the
release date for the film, certification, website
for further info or social media info.

10.  Identify visual, audio and technical codes within the trailer
for IT.
 Comment on the genre conventions and the narrative codes.
Indicate the purpose and effect of the conventions.