CONVENTIONS OF FILM TRAILERS

WHAT ARE CONVENTIONS?

Conventions are the generally accepted ways of doing something. There are general conventions in any medium, such as the use of the interviewee quotes in a print article, but conventions are also genre specific.

Codes and conventions are used together in any study of genre - it is not enough to discuss a technical code used such as camera work, without saying how it is conventionally used in a genre.

FILM PRODUCTION LOGOS:

Film production logos are often shown at the beginning of trailers however they can sometimes be shown at the end. This informs the audience/viewers who distributed or produced the film/trailer they are about to watch. For viewers who love films from particular distributors or production companies can decide to watch the trailer solely based on that reason alone. I can testify to this as movies by a certain distributor, actor o director appeal to me and I am drawn to watch movies from these groups.

FILM TITLES:

It is fundamental that film titles are made clear for each trailer so it has become a typical convention overtime. It is often shown at the end of the trailer to propel a adhesive effect meaning it will be more memorable for the audience. It is responsible for informing the audience of the product they are viewing presently. Film titles are altered in ways that are eye-catching, by using unique fonts and designs that differ from other distributed trailers/movies.

SOCIAL MEDIA: 

Online promotions of film production evolved. The use of social media to promote. A recent rise in the use of social media such as Twitter, YouTube and Instagram has further helped the film industries who use such platforms as a way of informing people of upcoming movies. Film productions can now make use of Twitter hash-tags or create accounts on Facebook or Instagram to enable people to look further into their films which is essentially more effective as it then reaches a global scale meaning a wider audience for that particular film. Social media is effective because it gives the opportunity for fans and audiences to share information and to share their thoughts about the film and it also gives people to chance to interact directly with the actors in the movie.

BBFC:

BBFC aims to provide guidance on the suitability of what age bracket can watch a particular film. The decision on what age is suitable to watch a particular movie usually lies within the intended target audience. The ratings will usually reflect the contents of the film.

CHARACTER INTRODUCTIONS:

For some movies, the local selling point may be the actors that are playing a character. Famous and widely known actors may attract audiences who are familiar with their work. 

Characters have the capability of engaging audiences emotions emotionally. This way the audience are more likely a enjoy the film.

DURATION:

Some trailers often have more than one trailer made however there is always an official trailer which often lasts between 1min 30 secs and 2 mins. There are also teasers which can sometimes last for 20 seconds or 30 seconds. The little of the film may not be shown either. This makes the audience eager awaiting the full trailer to be releases.

RELEASE DATES:

Similarly to film titles, release dates are usually shown at the end. This is a way for attracting the audiences attention. The release date is revealed some time prior to when the movie is released in the cinemas. This is done to ensure as many people have seen it before it is released to the general public.