Trailers were originally shown at the end of films which is where they got their name from – they trailed after the film. That didn’t work because everyone got up and walked out the cinema before they were shown, so they were moved to being shown before the film.
Pre-trailer screens include MPAA rating card – Motion Picture Association of America, Production company screen and Distribution company screen.
Trailers are said to have a 3 Act structure –
- Act 1 lays out the context of the story.
- Act 2 establishes the problem and ends with a dramatic climax.
- Act 3 often features visual montage of key moments of the film and may have cast name screens if there are stars that sell the movie.
- Trailers use Long shots at the start to establish character and setting
- Fades to black that suggest shifts in time
- Transitions/cuts with by booming SFX build tension
- Transition screens place significanttext on screen, images and shots before/after should echo the text
- Short shots and quick cuts of some of the most exciting moments from the film, the ‘events’ that lead to resolution but not necessarily in chronological order
- Resolution should be left out, viewers left guessing.
- Music should build to a crescendo
- Sudden moments of quiet and silence will have impact on mood and pace.
- The voiceover and text on screen will most likely feature the film’s USP, its unique selling point.
- The USP is anything that would make people want to see your film over any other films currently released. This could be at the beginning or end of your trailer.
Award screens may be put before the trailer or after the title
Voiceovers
Typical voiceovers /text or V.O/Text mix include:
- ' This Season'… (creates a sense of anticipation)
- 'From the people who brought you…' (refers to established audience)
- 'Based on the unbelievable true story…'
- 'Based on the bestselling book…‘
- ‘Academy award winner....’
The voiceover can also establish the narrative. Words chosen can suggest key themes and summarise the plot in a grand way to suggest the plot is timeless and universal. Some clichéd examples are single words of human emotion such as
‘Love’ ‘Friendship’
Some actions.......
.....can never be undone.....
They will find hope where they least expect it.....
One man's destiny…
She will face her biggest challenge.....
It will change their lives forever!
Experience a new kind of fear....
In a world where....
Fonts and transitions are chosen carefully to match genre/narrative. They must be consistent throughout.
q Trailers end with the title again and then a final credit page showing the names of the crew. The font used for this page is most commonly ‘Steel Tong’.
Trailers also include a final screen with official website details. And commonly today, facebook and twitter links.
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