What is a trailer? What is a teaser trailer?

A trailer is an advert for a film that will be released into cinemas in the future. A trailer should show small snippets of the storyline of the film, without giving too much of the plot away. This gives the audience enigma codes and leaves them with questions they aren't given answers to, enticing them into paying money to see the film.

Sound

The sound in modern film trailers are normally made up of dialogue from characters and suitable music which fits with the genre of the film. Using voiceovers from a narrator was popular in the 90’s and 00’s, but is rarely used now. In some cases music used in film trailers contrasts with the images on the screen, which can well. For example in the trailer for Suicide Squad, while guns were being shot and bombs were exploding Queens “Bohemian Rhapsody” was played in the background.

Conventions of a Film TrailerTitle

The title in a film trailer tells the audience the name of the film. It often also includes the names of the main actors/actresses starring in the movie, the release date, and age rating. Most modern film trailer titles are very creative and clearly show the genre of the film. For example, the film trailer title for Suicide Squad includes the name of the film and the main stars. It is decorated with bright colours but also has an eerie element to it, just like the film.

Cinematography

A variety of camera shots and angles are used in film trailers to engage and excite the audience. Common camera shots in trailers are close ups of characters to show emotions and/or actions, and long shots to set the location of the film or show the audience what is happening. Cinematography is a very important part of a film trailer as unique camera angles and shots are essential to interest the audience and keep their attention long enough to make them want to watch the full film.

Conventions of a Film TrailerEditing

Consists of short clips/snippets of different parts of the film edited together using different types of cuts and editing techniques which are important to portray the genre and set the mood for the film. For example, common editing techniques used for action film trailers are frequent jump cuts and . This creates tension for the audience and engages them, making them want to see what happens in the rest of the film.

Analysis of Film Trailers

Suicide Squad (2016) – Warner BrosClick for trailer

The trailer for Suicide Squad includes:• Soundtrack (Queen - Bohemian Rhapsody) (Non-

diegetic sound)• Title• Dialogue and sound effects (can opening, gun

shots) (diegetic sound) • Introduction to characters• List of top actors/actresses • Release date • Social Media streams

I really enjoyed this trailer and I thought it was effective in portraying the action/comedy genre. I especially liked the soundtrack (non-diegetic sound) throughout the trailer. Queen’s Bohemian Rhapsody was used in this trailer, which was distorted (sped up and slowed down) to match the on screen visuals. This element of the trailer was essential in helping to portray the genre and show that the film has a comedic non serious side as well as the action and fighting scenes. This could be. classed as contrapuntal sound as it isn’t the type of music we would associate with the images on screen but in this instance it works and gives the trailer a really good overall effect. Throughout the trailer there was also a consistent use of dialogue between characters. This assisted in introducing the audience to all the different characters who star in the film. A specific example of this is when a soldier is reading the villains files and says “he shoots people (referring to Deadshot), he’s a crocodile and he eats people (Killer Croc) and she, she’s just crazy (Harley Quinn). Alongside the visuals this gives the potential audience a brief insight into the characters and their capabilities without giving too much away, which entices them to watch the full feature film when it is released into cinemas

About mid-way through the trailer text appears, one word at a time making the phrase “Worst Heroes Ever”. This is a good aspect of the trailer as it provides the audience with a break from the constant images on screen of action between the characters and leaves them with questions such as why are they bad? What did they do? This is another clever way of enticing the audience to the cinema to find out more. Throughout the trailer the lighting is quite dark, which sets the mood for the genre of the film which is also quite dark. The costumes of the characters are also very effective. Most of the characters costumes are very memorable, especially Harley Quinn with the two toned hair, short shorts, and a t-shirt with the slogan “Daddy’s Lil Monster”. It is important that characters have memorable costume as this allowed the audience to recognise them straight away on billboards, posters and on other types of advertising. It also causes a chain effect, where people will create make up looks for the character and Halloween costumes are released so fans can dress up like their favourite character. All of this creates buzz for a film, which when released will rack up more profit in the box office.Lastly, the cuts and jumps are matched up with beat changes and scores in the soundtrack. This improves the fluidity of the trailer makes it flow well all the way until the end where the music slows down and the song fades out alongside the title. When the trailer nears the end the cuts become more frequent and fast paced, which increases tension and excitement among audience members. Overall I think this was a really good film trailer and the film was equally as good, it was very effective in portraying the genre and characters and was very fun to watch.

10 Cloverfield Lane (2016) – Paramount PicturesClick for trailer

The trailer for 10 Cloverfield Lane includes:• Title• Soundtrack (upbeat but becomes distorted)• Little dialogue (Somethings Coming) • Sound effects (glass smashing, door

slamming)• Montage• Fast cuts• Date of release• Title• List of actors/actresses

The trailer for 10 Cloverfield Lane was a very good trailer for the horror/thriller genre. It begins with an upbeat soundtrack (Tiffany – I Think we’re Alone Now). This misleads the audience into thinking it is a different genre than it is. Alongside this upbeat soundtrack is a montage of 3 people living together and carrying out everyday tasks such as cooking and eating dinner, also playing video games and completing puzzles. This helps to trick the audience into thinking the film is a different genre. The use of a montage is also effective as it suggests that time is passing. There comes a point in the trailer where the house the characters are living in starts shaking and. After this, the visuals become darker than they were before and the same upbeat happy song is distorted into a creepy, more sinister rendition of the song. This is where the trailer transitions into a horror trailer.

One of the characters (it is not shown which) speaks and says “somethings coming” in the last few seconds of the film. This is an enigma code for the audience and leaves them with various questions which are unanswered by the trailer, such as “what's coming?” and “what's going on?”. Alongside the dialogue the whole trailer leaves the audience with a lot of questions as it hardly gives any of the story away. This can be a risky strategy for production companies as if the audience are confused and have absolutely no idea what's going on, they may be put off and discouraged to watch the film. But in my opinion the trailer gave away just the right amount of information and left a lot for the viewers to think about, which will encourage them to watch the film to find out more.Throughout this trailer there is a very limited use of sound effects (diegetic sound). The sound effects used are placed at the end of the trailer. After the glass smashes, the soundtrack abruptly stops and an eerie ringing sound ensues. This is an important part of the trailer as this is when it gets to its climax and the woman tries to escape from the house. After this is when there is a small amount of dialogue between two characters, paired with some shouting (sound effects).I believe it is very effective to have little sound effects and dialogue as it lets the images on screen speak for themselves, and allows subjective judgement from the audience on what is going on. Before the women is able to escape from the house a hand is placed over her mouth and then the trailer ends. This is good use of a cliff-hanger as it leaves the audience wanting more. The title and cast list are presented very simply, blue writing on a black background. As the title is appearing the first word which comes up is ”Cloverfield”, this is the name of the first film in the series and makes sure the viewers are aware it is the sequel to Cloverfield. This trailer includes very clever editing techniques, one of the main ones being the speeding up of cuts towards the end. This increase tension and builds excitement and buzz for the film, it could also introduce a thriller/suspense element to the film.

The Secret Life of Pets (Teaser) (2016) – Illumination EntertainmentClick for

trailer

The trailer for The Secret Life of Pets includes:• Two montages (people saying bye to heir pets

and Chloe trying to resist the chicken)• Soundtrack (upbeat)• Title• Names of actors in time with beat• Release date• Dialogue at the beginning

This trailer is a stereotypical trailer for a childrens/family film, we can see this through the use of bright colours and simple likeable characters. The storyline is easy to understand and it doesn’t leave the audience asking any type of questions. This is effective for a trailer aimed at children and families as if it is confusing it is unlikely they will pay to see it. The use of bright colours will engage their young target audience and further helps to portray the genre of the film.The trailer begins with dialogue between two of the pets, Gidget and Max. As Gidget’s owner leaves for work she goes over to the window to speak to the dog who lives opposite her. He tells her he is ‘waiting for Katie to get home’ (his owner), while his eyes are transfixed on the front door which she just left from. This is typically what dogs are known to do when their owners are away so may be seen as comical to children. This is the only dialogue between two pets in the trailer, most of the dialogue is from owners saying goodbye to their pet when they leave the house, all one after another. This helps the audience grasp the characters as it shows lots of different animals including birds, fishes and cats. This is an important aspect of the trailer as this is when the audience first learn the characters names and a small bit about their personalities.

A montage is used when the owners are saying goodbye to their pets, which links back to the title and storyline of the film which is what pets do when their owner is away. Another use of a montage is when Chloe the cat is shown trying to resist the chicken in the fridge. The cuts in the montage get faster as she struggles to stop herself from eating the chicken and shows her opening and closing the fridge, in a different position every time. This presents her in a humorous was and tells the audience that she is one of the main characters in the movie.The soundtrack used in this trailer begins when Gidget and Max’s conversation ends, and is an upbeat simple piece of music, typical to childrens films and very simple to the music used in Despicable Me as both films were produced by the same company. The title for the film which appears around 40 seconds before the end of the trailer is written in big font with a bright background which makes it stand out (could make it more memorable to children), there is a small animation of the dog in the hole in the P, which adds a bit of interest to the title.Right before the end a new soundtrack starts, when Leonard the Poodle’s owner leaves for work and he puts heavy metal music on a speaker and begins to headband. This is another aspect which is comical for children as Poodles are normally seen as a posh, well behaved dogs and it is dancing to music which completely contrasts to his whole image. During this second soundtrack the names of important cast members appear on the screen along to the beat of the song, this helps the trailer to flow well and gives an overall well rounded finish for the trailer.Overall, I think this trailer is very good for a childrens/family film and would be effective in creating interest and engaging the target audience, although the film doesn’t appeal to me personally it was a very successful film and made a lot of profit in the box office.

Hunger Games – Mockingjay Part 2 (2015) – Lionsgate Films

Click for trailer The trailer for Mockingjay Part 2 includes:

• Slow suspenseful soundtrack which is paused in certain parts of the trailer

• Dialogue: “This war will come to an end” “We all have one enemy” “Welcome to the 76th Hunger Games”

• Fast frequent cuts• Title, with flames sound effect• Social media streams and release date

accompanied with whistle associated to the film series

• Narration at beginning from KatnissThis film trailer is different to the other trailers I have studied for this task. It is an action/suspense thriller aimed at a very wide audience as the film series is watched and loved by a variety of different age groups. The trailer begins with short snippets of visuals shown for a few seconds each, accompanied by a slow suspenseful soundtrack, which is an instrumental so has no lyrics. I think using an instrumental as the soundtrack in a film trailer is effective as it makes it easier for the audience to focus on the visuals on screen and to understand the storyline in more detail as they aren’t distracted by song lyrics. The snippets of visual is also an effective part of this trailer as it teases the audience and gives them an idea of what is going to happen without giving too much away. Making clips in a trailer too long can also bore the audience and make them not want to go and see the film. Lastly, the short snippets with fast cuts increase the tension and excitement for the film.

Along with the soundtrack and snippets of visuals at the beginning of the trailer, the main character (Katniss) narrates. This is a nice touch to the trailer as it allows the audience to feel like they are being personally addressed, and can make them feel like they are part of the film. This entices the audience into watching the film when it is released into cinemas.Unlike some other trailers I have analysed there is a strong use of dialogue throughout the whole trailer, every piece of dialogue relates to the story and the genre of the movie, for example “This war will come to an end”, “We all have one enemy”& “Welcome to the 76th Hunger Games”. This assists in giving hints on the storyline and helps the audience to understand the on screen visuals. However, as this film is part of a series, characters and parts of the story do not need to be introduced or explained in so much detail as viewers already know the characters and have a sufficient understanding of the storyline.The title of the film is presented in a very detailed way with well thought out graphics and sound effects. The title is written in capital letters with an almost gold font. Beneath the writing appears a symbol of a mockingjay, which is in the title and is associated with the film series. The background of the title is animated with flames and the sound of fire, which then fizzles out. This is a very creative way of showing the title of the film and is appealing to the audience, it could be used foreshadow what may happen in the film. After the title, the release date for the film is shown with social media streams below, e.g.. Twitter and Instagram. These appear in the same font as the title but on a plain black background. In the background the Hunger Games whistle is played, which is instantly associated with the film series. This creates excitement among the audience.It is important to promote social media streams for the release of films as it allows potential viewers to keep up to date with news about the film, and be the first to know when teasers or hints are released about the film.In conclusion I think this was a very good trailer, as it set the vibe for the film without giving too much of the storyline away. After seeing this trailer I would go and see it in a cinema.