Codes and Conventions of 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

My group's trailer will be that of a horror film, so we will be generally using the codes and conventions of that genre. Our aim will be to raise the audience's intrigue and make them curious as to the terrible fate that falls upon our characters.