Trailer Analysis

Before creating our own film trailer, I decided that it might be a good idea to start looking at the reasons behind trailers, what makes them successful and other trailers from films with  a similar genre to ours.

So, what actually is a trailer?
A trailer is an advertisement for a feature film that is most likely going to be exhibited in a cinema. It consists of purposely selected sections of the film that are put into a sequence which will entice people to go and see the film. They are multi-modal as they are made up of images, sound, text and video.

And the reason they are made?
Well, they are made so that the selected targeted audience will be interested in the film and want to go and see it or even buy it, paying their good money.

Who are they for?
Film trailers are for anyone, mainly for their target audience but they do not exclude anyone.

Lastly where do we see them?
Well the thing about trailers is that they are purposely showcased in certain places at certain times of the day. For example, a trailer for a horror film with a target audience between 15-24 is mostly likely to be shown on TV, quite late into the evening on a channel like E4 because that's typically the channel that their selected target audience would be watching. Moreover a trailer for a children's film displayed at the cinema would be displayed in a viewing that was for children, E.G Finding Nemo, rather than advertising it in a film showing that has a BBFC of 18. However there is also the internet which is a huge source for advertising trailers such as feature websites and Youtube.

The best ingredients to make an effective trailer?!
Trailers should show an awareness of who their target audience is, they should use iconography, enigma codes, sound/music, themes and symbols which are appropriate to the film, genre and audience, they should also include the production logo, the name of the film and a USP.