Comparisons of Teaser Trailers

It was evident to me, even before analysing teaser trailers from different genres, that they would be different, even if they follow and use the same conventions and principles of film making. However, even though I have watched numerous trailer and films throughout my life, it is intriguing to see, side by side, how film-makers portray films from different genres to the audience, in order to give a good, lasting impression.

The three films I chose to analyse were good choices because, excluding Insidious, which is the first of a set of films, Dumb and Dumber To, and Star Wars VII are follow ups to films that have had commercial success in the past. Therefore, they already had an audience, and although there are other audiences they could appeal to, they already had a platform to which to build. This, I believe, altered the way they portrayed the films in the teaser trailers, as they did not need to go over the top and reveal too much.

Fantasy Teaser Trailer - STAR WARS VII - THE FORCE AWAKENS

This teaser trailer is different to the previous teaser trailers analysed, as it contains very few of the conventions of a teaser trailer. This is not because of its genre, but because of what film it is. Star Wars is not just a film series, it is a market. People all around the world know what Star Wars is, who produces it, who starred in it etc. Therefore, it is understandable when production company logos, website links, cast and crew credits, quotes etc. are not included in this trailer, as it may not be deemed necessary, due to the hype around it. All that is needed in this trailer is images from the film, music, and an enticing voice over in order to get the audience excited and wanting to see more.

Comedy Teaser Trailer - DUMB AND DUMBER TO

This trailer contains all the typical conventions that are used to make up a teaser trailer. It contains the production company logos at the beginning of the trailer, and has the name of the film and the release date at the end of the trailer. It also contains numerous shots from the film, shot styles, such as fast cuts etc. and contains a voice over too.

Despite the many similarities in terms of conventions between horror and comedy teaser trailers, the difference in style is evident in the way the trailer plays out, and how it has a telling effect on the audience. In the horror teaser trailer I analysed, the shots included were used to build up to a greater purpose. However, in this trailer, the montage is filled with shots designed to attract the audience and humour them, rather than build up to a specific storyline.

Horror Teaser Trailer - INSIDIOUS

The trailer opens with a production company logo, and is followed by a quote "From the makers of Paranormal Activity and Saw", with effects used on this quote that is related to the genre, and is also accompanied by music that reflects the genre of the film. It is immediately followed by two quick flashing shots of a young boy, with lighting used in both to illuminate him in white, with darkness all around him.

Despite horror teaser trailers being very structurally different to any other genre, the conventions used are the same. This shows that, despite the vast array of genres, and style of film-making, there is still a mutually accepted way of producing films in the industry.