A trailer (also known as a movie trailer, film preview, and coming attraction video) is a short promotional film that highlights clips from a feature film. It is a key element of a film’s marketing campaign and is intended to increase interest in the film and boost ticket sales. The trailer is usually shown before the main feature and serves as a preview for the film to help audience members decide whether or not it is something they would like to see.
Often a trailer will begin in a tranquil scene and gradually build tension. This evokes the feeling of riding a rollercoaster and builds suspense as the viewer anticipates the payoff. A well-known example of this is Jaws (1975), where the music and narrator’s foreboding warnings create dramatic stakes. As the trailer reaches its climax, a montage of tense visuals culminates in a shocking siren sound. This leaves the viewer both excited and frightened, the perfect mix of emotions to sell audiences on the movie.
The earliest movie trailers, dating back to 1913, were actually short films used to advertise Broadway plays. Broadway producer Nils Granlund is credited with inventing the concept for these trailers, which were shown in theaters between features and during intermissions. His short teaser films included action footage from the play with a cliffhanger ending, such as “will she escape the lion’s pit?” This method of film promotion was extremely successful and revolutionized how film trailers are created today.
Movie trailers must communicate a film’s genre, protagonists, setting, and central conflict to attract potential viewers. A trailer can also include a voiceover, either dialogue from the film or a narration, to further explain what is happening on screen and what the characters are trying to accomplish. This information is necessary in a trailer because it allows the audience to judge whether or not they will be interested in the film and may prompt them to stay at the theater to catch the entire feature.
Many modern movie trailers use a combination of cinematography and special effects to deliver an immersive experience that will make the viewer feel like they are on a journey through the film’s world. They must also be short and concise, as they only have two and a half minutes to tell their story. This is an impossible feat, but movie editors still manage to craft impactful trailers that lure audiences in and convert them into eager patrons lining up at the box office on opening night.
An effective movie trailer must be more captivating than the film itself, so it is important to create a strong visual identity with its title and logo. It is also crucial to maintain a consistent tone throughout the trailer, establishing a style and mood that will be associated with the film. Lastly, a trailer must establish its narrative structure, and often uses text or voiceover to compare the new film to other popular, similar movies of the same genre.