The majority of modern film trailers follow similar codes and conventions along with the same structure of these said conventions. This method has been extremely successful for all different types of films for many different genres.
Plot
The main part of a film trailer is to sell the audience on the story/plot. As they only have around 2 minutes to tell a story, it is essential that they convey the story as best as possible, without spoiling any surprises or plot twists. If the plot is portrait well and is interesting or unique, it is really likely that the audience will go and watch the film.
An example of a good plot portrait in the trailer is the trailer to 'Baby Driver' the 2017 thriller by Edgar Wright. The film trailer does a really good job at conveying what the film is about. I actually tested this trailer with some friends. I sent four people the trailer and all four proceeded to watch the film after, saying it intrigued them and they were glad they watched the film as they highly enjoyed it. In another post I will go in-depth into what is so good about the trailer, analyzing it scene by scene.
Soundtrack
The music played in the film trailer is crucial in portraying what mood the film is in.
Voice-over
Not many films use voice overs, off the top of my head I can only think of a few, one being the 2006 film 'Stranger Than Fiction' by Marc Forster, which then still isn't really a 'voice over'. Saying this you could argue voice-overs are for film trailers primarily. Voice-overs are a really easy way to tell the audience what is happening in the film in case it is difficult to know why otherwise. A really good example of a film trailer which has a voice-over is for the film 'Zombieland'. The film has an original quirky way of making a comedy out of a zombie film. Surprisingly another film which is a comedy set in a zombie apocalypse called 'Shaun of the Dead' has voice-overs as well.
Credits/Cast
By adding what actors/actresses are in the film, this could potentially attract people to watching the film. For example the film 'The Revenant', the trailer for this film has Leonardo DiCaprio in nearly every scene. It could be argued that without the names Leonardo DiCaprio and Tom Hardy in the film trailer the film would have got as many people watching the film. By watching the trailer I could make the assumption that if there were no leading actors which were well known, that it would have been more of an art house kind of film then a blockbuster.
Title
In all trailers the title appears. This is usually at the end where the "coming soon" appears promptly after.
Title Cards
Title cards are used in film trailers in many different ways. They can be used to say taglines such as "When there is no escape". They use this in this case to build tension and possibly give the audience some narrative in whats going on.
Trailer Length
A typical trailer length for modern films is around 2 minutes and 30 seconds. Saying this there are many trailers which are shorter and there sometimes are trailers which may last less than one minute.
Film Production Companies
During a trailer, mainly at the beginning some Film Production Companies appear. This isn't particularly important to whether someone watches the film however it is a convention as all film trailers have them. It could be argued that it is advertisement because if the film is really well received then some people will lookup what other films are produced by those companies and have a sense of "trust" with the companies judgment in films.
Red-Band/Green-Band
The first thing all film trailers start with typically is a disclaimer. This is to show what kind of audience is suitable to watch the trailer. If the screen is green it means that it is appropriate for a select audience. If your under 17 parental/guardian supervision is required.
The main part of a film trailer is to sell the audience on the story/plot. As they only have around 2 minutes to tell a story, it is essential that they convey the story as best as possible, without spoiling any surprises or plot twists. If the plot is portrait well and is interesting or unique, it is really likely that the audience will go and watch the film.
An example of a good plot portrait in the trailer is the trailer to 'Baby Driver' the 2017 thriller by Edgar Wright. The film trailer does a really good job at conveying what the film is about. I actually tested this trailer with some friends. I sent four people the trailer and all four proceeded to watch the film after, saying it intrigued them and they were glad they watched the film as they highly enjoyed it. In another post I will go in-depth into what is so good about the trailer, analyzing it scene by scene.
Soundtrack
The music played in the film trailer is crucial in portraying what mood the film is in.
Voice-over
Not many films use voice overs, off the top of my head I can only think of a few, one being the 2006 film 'Stranger Than Fiction' by Marc Forster, which then still isn't really a 'voice over'. Saying this you could argue voice-overs are for film trailers primarily. Voice-overs are a really easy way to tell the audience what is happening in the film in case it is difficult to know why otherwise. A really good example of a film trailer which has a voice-over is for the film 'Zombieland'. The film has an original quirky way of making a comedy out of a zombie film. Surprisingly another film which is a comedy set in a zombie apocalypse called 'Shaun of the Dead' has voice-overs as well.
Credits/Cast
By adding what actors/actresses are in the film, this could potentially attract people to watching the film. For example the film 'The Revenant', the trailer for this film has Leonardo DiCaprio in nearly every scene. It could be argued that without the names Leonardo DiCaprio and Tom Hardy in the film trailer the film would have got as many people watching the film. By watching the trailer I could make the assumption that if there were no leading actors which were well known, that it would have been more of an art house kind of film then a blockbuster.
Title
In all trailers the title appears. This is usually at the end where the "coming soon" appears promptly after.
Title Cards
Title cards are used in film trailers in many different ways. They can be used to say taglines such as "When there is no escape". They use this in this case to build tension and possibly give the audience some narrative in whats going on.
Trailer Length
A typical trailer length for modern films is around 2 minutes and 30 seconds. Saying this there are many trailers which are shorter and there sometimes are trailers which may last less than one minute.
Film Production Companies
During a trailer, mainly at the beginning some Film Production Companies appear. This isn't particularly important to whether someone watches the film however it is a convention as all film trailers have them. It could be argued that it is advertisement because if the film is really well received then some people will lookup what other films are produced by those companies and have a sense of "trust" with the companies judgment in films.
Red-Band/Green-Band
The first thing all film trailers start with typically is a disclaimer. This is to show what kind of audience is suitable to watch the trailer. If the screen is green it means that it is appropriate for a select audience. If your under 17 parental/guardian supervision is required.
