Film Trailer Class Notes

Who makes a trailer?
- The director & producer of the film collaborate with the marketing & advertising team to create the trailer idea.
- Trailer directors use techniques from the film-making industry to construct their trailers (camera shots & angles, music, sound effects, voiceovers & editing)

What goes into making a trailer?
- Trailers consist of a selection of shots from the film.
- The excerpts are usually drawn from  the most funny, exciting & dramatic moments within the film.
- It must portray the key elements of the film without producing 'spoilers'
- Scenes are not necessarily in chronological order.
- Trailers are usually structured in 3 'acts'
   - 1; lays out the story.
   - 2; Drives the story, usually ends in a dramatic climax.
   - 3; Montage of key moments from the film that will grip the audience.

What should be included in a film trailer?
- Shots from at least 10 different parts of the movie.
- Production company.
- Director & stars.
- Endorsements.
- Film title.
- Voice overs.
- Music.
- Speed of editing & duration of shots.
- Establishing shots.
- USP.
- Release date.

Codes;
- System of signs which create meaning.
- Can be divided into 2 categories;
- Technical Codes; the ways in which the equipment is used to tell the story in a media text i.e. camera work.
- Symbolic Codes; show what is beneath the surface of what we see i.e. character actions showing how they are feeling.
- Some codes fit both categories i.e. the music within the film.

Conventions;
- Generally accepted way of doing things.
- All genres of film have certain conventions which the audience will expect to see.