Film Planning - Typical Trailer Conventions

All action/thriller/horror films have similar trailers, with many conventions that are typically seen in many trailers:

• Low-key lighting is used to make everything seem more dramatic and dark - especially if the film is a horror/psychological thriller because the audience want to be scared/thrilled by the film.
• Fast-paced music and clips are used to emphasise the action happening and make the trailer more intense. They grab the audience's attention and make them interested in the film.
• Intertitles give the audience more information and an idea of the story without wasting trailer time on useless clips. They can also show names of famous actors/directors who worked on the film, usually coupled with a voiceover reading out what they say so that the audience's attention isn't broken by having to read (normally read by an American man with a deep voice). The intertitles can also show reviews from critics.
• The film production logo is the first thing that's shown in a trailer, even if just for a second, which can benefit the film trailer by making the audience want to know what the film is because they've seen films by that company before. They can also give the audience an idea of what the budget of the film is and what to expect (e.g. if they see a Disney logo, they will expect a family film).
• The film title is extremely important because the audience need to know what the film the trailer is advertising. The font and background are important in letting the viewer know what genre the film is - and it needs to tell them this even if they haven't seen the trailer or film before.
• A lot of trailers now include a hashtag that people can use to talk about the film on social media and the company can track to see what the reception to the trailer is like. This also results in free advertisement because the audience are promoting the film to their friends. Trailers also tend to have a website that the audience can visit so that they can find out more - which is important if the trailer doesn't have a definite release date and just says 'coming soon'.
• The film certificate lets the audience know immediately if they can see the film in cinemas and also gives an indication of what the film contains (e.g. if a horror film had a certificate of 12A then people might not see it because they know it wouldn't be that scary, but this could work in attracting a younger audience because the would be unable to see other films of the genre, which are usually rated 15 or 18).
• Most trailers include character introductions that give the audience an idea of who's in the film and what they're like. This could make people want to watch the film for 'personal identity' reasons because they relate and share characteristics with them, and could also make people want to find out what happens to these people and what they will do.