Film Trailer basics

What is a film trailer?

A film trailer is an advertisement for a film trying to sell either cinema tickets for its release or to get people to buy the DVD after its been released. It will showcase the key themes of the movie without giving too much away.

Who is the film trailer for?

The film trailer will be geared towards the intended audience of the film. However, children’s films need to catch the adults eye too and 15/18 rated movies will have both green and red band trailers so that they can advertise their film more publicly with the green band whilst more fully with the red band (which can only be found in specified places).

Typical things you can expect to see in a film trailer:

·      Opens with the companies who made the film

·      Voice-overs used to tell the story/give information

·      The main characters will be introduced – and the stars of the film will be showcased in their roles

·      You will not witness the entirety of a conversation between different characters, it is likely to just be one-liners

·      The Music will be used to create an atmosphere

·      The trailer will be made up of some of the more interesting scenes and more dramatic camera angles interspersed with credit information

·      The trailer will likely be building towards a climax

·      The trailer should give an idea of what the film will be like – you should be able to tell what genre the film will be

·      The trailer cannot give away spoilers about things that happen in the film

·      The name of the film will come at the end, along with the release date and suggested links to where people can get more information