Trailer Analysis 2

Another trailer I have analysed for the codes and conventions of the thriller genre.

Trailer Analysis 1

As part of the initial research, I have used the annotation function on YouTube to label any specific codes and conventions of thriller film trailers.

Choice of Genre

From researching different genres, I have decided that the main genre is going to be a thriller, but I want to mainly focus on the sub genre of psychological thrillers. 

I specifically moved away from doing a comedy trailer because I think that it is very difficult to get the structure of the trailer right. Also the writing and scripting of humor for the film would prove difficult because the comedic points would need to be timed so that the full effect is emphasized in the trailer. Also along with the timing, it would require high level of acting skill to make the comedy aspect seem very convincing. Because of different tastes amongst people, I believe the biggest challenge would be to ensure that it appeals to a wide range of a target market and some people may not see the comedic aspect which others do.

Are Film Trailers Becoming Outdated?

Film trailers are commonly used to show key moments of the film without giving away any of the vital content of the film, so that viewers are enticed to go and see the film. However today trailers are becoming more and more susceptible to spoilers and scrutiny from viewers which leads to various leaks onto a large number of different mediums.

Also the merchandise which becomes available for promotion of the upcoming film becomes a large contributer towards spoilers and revealing too much information about the film. For example when Star Wars 'The Phantom Menace' was being released, the official soundtrack was released before the film was released theatrically which revealed some vital points within the plot of the film.


Also when toys are produced and brought out prior to the theatrical release of the actual film. This also gives out information about characters to feature in the film and these may want to be kept as secretive as possible by production and distribution companies, for example new villains in various superhero movies such as the spiderman film series and also other franchises, are revealed ahead of release. The audience can take individual frames or shots of the new characters and leak these to large numbers of different sites.

So I do think that trailers are becoming more and more outdated as time goes on because simply I believe that the purpose of trailers are being conveyed throughout other mediums in the media industry which provide the same function as to what trailers are made to do for an upcoming film.

Structure of Film Trailers

The majority of film trailers usually follow a similar structure. The most common is known as a "Three-Act Structure", which is also the most common structure used in the actual feature film.
The structure starts with a beginning (act 1), and this is used to set out the premise of the plot line. The middle (act 2) progresses the story further and usually ends with a dramatic climax. Act 3 usually features a powerful and significant soundtrack. Act 3 commonly consists of a montage of clips from the film, these clips are usually the more emotional and powerful clips of the film. Also within one of these acts there is sometimes a cast run of different names if there are any actors which are significant enough to promote the film.

Conventions of Film Trailers

Conventions of Film Trailers on Prezi

History of Film Trailers

Film trailers from adamw247
This slide-share is just some research I have done into film trailers, from how they started and also how they have developed throughout the years.