The trailer is a important weapon within a marketing campaign for a film. Posters and other ancillary products are important in capturing the initial interest of the audience and drawing them into the cinema, but they cannot convey the excitement and atmosphere of a film in the same way a trailer does. The combination of moving image and sound is an exciting experience, and the thrill and buzz that is created is different to what could ever be experience through a still image on a poster.
A trailer aims to give the audience information about the film, such as what the story is about, who the stars are and what genre or type of film it will be. Genre is important in film marketing because our decision about what to see will partly depend upon whether we enjoyed other similar films. When we view a trailer we are automatically decoding what we see and hear to establish the film’s genre. We call these recognisable sounds and images conventions of the genre. Occasionally a film will be a mix of more than one genre, and then it may take more time for us to decide what it is. This adds to the excitement.
Another indication as to the genre of a film is the stars. As a cinema-going audience the audience is use to associating certain stars in certain genres. A trailer will always ensure that we are made aware of whom the stars are, as this will encourage the audience to see the film and help them recognise the genre.
How does the trailer show that a film is worth going to see?
Whilst the marketing campaign uses genre to gain our interest, it must also show us how this new film is different to others in the same genre: this is known as the USP (unique selling point) of the film. The USP is what separates one film title from another released at a similar time or within the same genre. The USP could be many things. The USP is important for marketing the film as it sets each release apart from its rivals, and so is often strongly emphasised in the marketing campaign.
