CODES AND CONVENTIONS OF FILM TRAILERS

PRODUCTION COMPANIES LOGO

- Symbolises the budget of the film and who has made it (i.e. if it is Warner Bros it is likely to be a big budget film).
- Some logos may give an indication to the genre of the film, as they are sometimes changed to look like the chosen genre. (E.g. Warner Bros original logo and another type of logo used in films like Harry Potter is shown below).
- If people see the DreamWorks logo they will know that the film has a big budget and that the film will be family friendly.

FILM TITLES

- Film titles are almost always seen in film trailers typically at the beginning and at the end of it in order for the audience to remember it and ultimately increase the likelihood they are going to see the film.

- The font, colouring and backdrop can also suggest the genre of the film and the examples below show how a comedy like 'We're The Millers' differs in title style to a Horror film like 'The Conjuring'.

AGE CERTIFICATION

- Any film that is being shown in the UK is awarded an age certification by the British Board of Film Classification and this age is shown at the end of the trailer to the audience. The age certification gives the audience an idea of the type of film it is. For example, if the film is rated 'U', then it is going to be family friendly and suitable for children to see. If it is a '15' then the audience can assume that there will be some swearing, sexual references and perhaps violence throughout the film.

SOCIAL MEDIA

- As a result of changing consumer habits and the digital revolution, films are now generating a lot of their interest through social media sites. In most film trailers, there will be website URL's, twitter hashtag's and instructions to like their Facebook page etc.

- This new convention has enabled film companies to market their films for free and let their audience create hype for the film and generate interest amongst millions of other people. It has become a huge feature for films to try and generate a large audience and we can see this through the example below (it is seen at the end of the trailer for a solid 10 seconds).

MUSIC AND VOICEOVERS

- Music is also a big feature in film trailers and tend to signal the genre of the film, budget and pace of the film. The producers of the film will tend to have their own soundtrack for the film and with a big budget, they can attract artists to make a soundtrack that is relevant to the genre or even specific to the storyline. For example, an upcoming artist like 'Lorde' was asked to make a song for the recent Hunger Games film and with this opportunity she can promote herself as well as help the film be a success.

- Voiceovers are often heard in trailers and they guide the audience through the plot and characters. A good example of a voiceover is in the 'Hot Fuzz' trailer where Sergeant Angel's (Simon Pegg) re-assignment from being an expert policeman in London to the 'safest village in the country' is introduced by a deep-voiced american man.

CHARACTER INTRODUCTIONS

- This is a prominent part of a film trailer and whether the actors are Hollywood stars or not, the audience gains pleasure from relating and connecting to them. If there is a starring young female character then those who are young and female are more likely to go and watch the film.

- An actor's reputation may also help the film to generate an audience and they may have enjoyed their previous film or are general fans of their work. Simon Pegg and Nick Frost as well as director Edgar Wright have all worked together before Hot Fuzz, creating successes like 'Shaun of the Dead' and the TV series, 'Spaced'. 

TIME LENGTH

- Most films will have more than one trailer with different sections of the film edited together. There is always an official trailer that lasts between 1 minute and 2 minutes but teaser trailers are very commonly seen to create hype and leaving the audience wanting to know more. Horror, action and thriller films will use teaser trailers to build hype and sometimes don't even show the film title.

RELEASE DATE

- The release date is essential for attracting a large audience to the film on its opening night. The release date will come out a few weeks before the film is released to give the wider audience the chance to view the trailer and give enough time for people to plan to see the film and not forget about it.

- The release date is almost always seen at the end of a trailer as the people's attention is captured and to make sure the release date is the last thing the audience sees and hopefully remembers. If the release date is too far away then 'coming soon' or something similar will be used to build the excitement of the audience instead.

NAME CAPTIONS

- These are seen in every official trailer and it can be the actor's, producers or directors names that are used to capture the audiences interest. If they are fans of the actor or director then they are more likely to see the film. Even if they are not fans, directors like Quentin Tarantino and Edgar Wright have different filming styles and this will encourage different audiences to see the film.

- Captions can also be deceiving though and trailers may say something like 'endorsed by Tarantino' and the audience may misread and flock to the cinema's unaware that he did not make the film, only enjoyed it. Films can gain a large audience through the feedback of popular actors and directors even if they do not feature in their own film. 

-Furthermore, this might not even be in the trailer but on social media sites where popular people may tweet their enjoyment in watching the film or express their excitement in wanting to watch it, tweeting to their millions of followers.