Research: Trailers

Research

Features Of Trailers

Since the purpose of the trailer is to attract an audience to the film, clips are usually drawn from the most exciting, funny, or otherwise noteworthy parts of the film but in abbreviated form and usually without producing spoilers. For this purpose the scenes are not necessarily in the order in which they appear in the film. A trailer has to achieve that in less than 2 minutes and 30 seconds, the maximum length allowed by the MPAA. Each studio or distributor is allowed to exceed this time limit once a year, if they feel it is necessary for a particular film. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trailer_(promotion))

How to make a great trailer:

The key ambition in trailer-making is to impart an intriguing story that gets film audiences emotionally involved, most trailers have a three-act structure similar to a feature-length film. 

They start with a beginning (act 1) that lays out the premise of the story. 

The middle (act 2) drives the story further and usually ends with a dramatic climax. 

Act 3 usually features a strong piece of "signature music" (either a recognizable song or a powerful, sweeping orchestral piece). This last act often consists of a visual montage of powerful and emotional moments of the film and may also contain a cast run if there are noteworthy stars that could help sell the movie.

Key parts:

Music - helps set the tone and mood of the trailer. Usually the music used in the trailer is not from the film itself (the film score may not have been composed yet). Popular or well-known music, often chosen for its tone, appropriateness of a lyric or lack thereof, or recognisability. Popular music may be selected for its tone (i.e. hard rock for an action film, lighter pop for a romantic comedy), or to establish context (e.g. the trailer for a film set in the 1940s might use big band swing). Alternatively there may be specially composed music which features in films such as Star wars, Forrest Gump, Titanic, Ghost and The Matrix.

Cast run - (a list of the stars that appear in the movie). If the director or producer is well-known or has made other popular movies, they often warrant a mention as well. Most trailers conclude with a billing block, which is a list of the principal cast and crew. It is the same list that appears on posters and print publicity materials, and also usually appears on-screen at the beginning (or end) of the movie. Studio production logos are usually featured near the beginning of the trailer. Often there will be logos for both the Production Company and distributor of the film.

Editing - a fast montage (especially if it includes explosions, car chases, girls, shoot outs) is always good and raises suspense and adds more action, also dramatic pauses in action trailers are a must have as well as dramatic pulses in the music.