Codes And Conventions of Film Trailers

The codes and conventions of trailers are about pulling in the audience to inform them on what a film is about. They will consist of selected short clips that will give away parts of what the film is about, this is meant to entice as the audience will want to see more. The shorter the clips, the more the film is desired to be seen and the audience will want to see more of what is happening. Unexpected twists in the movie will not be shown as you don't want to give too much away and what the audience to keep guessing. The limit for trailers are normally 2:30 minutes that was issued by the MPAA, sometimes trailers may run over this but this is very rare. On most trailers, music will play in the background to set the tone and ensure that it matches with the plot of the story.

Several points that trailers should achieve are:

Generate interest in the film

Show off the stars of the film

Show the film to its best advantage

Create excitement

Tell people what the film is about, e.g. the genre

Not give too much of the plot away

Tease the audience by setting up narrative enigmas

Showcase some of the best bits of the film

Give details about the production team.

Since my group will be doing a thriller/horror film, I will focus on the codes and conventions of that genre's trailer. Generally they will set up a premise or situation which leave the audience intrigued and wanting to know more. You want the audience to be asking questions about the characters like what happened to them and invoke the audiences worst fears to make it an interesting plot. There are several different fears that would captivate the audience in a film like fear of death, nightmares, vulnerability, alienation, revulsions, terror of the unknown and loss of identity.