The purpose of trailers

A trailer is an advertisement that is used to preview a different film that would later be shown in the cinema. The term “trailer” originally came from the fact these previews would usually show at the end of the films however this did not last for long as it was realised people actually left when the film finished so the trailers started being put at the beginning of films. Trailers shortly became part of the cinematic ‘ritual’ as the audience would expect them to show. Film trailers are now also used on DVDs before the menu to the film and are watched a lot online.

The purpose of trailers is to market a new film to the public. Generally the trailer was all about first impressions to hint the storyline to the audience however some trailers would give away more than others. Each trailer would have to be interesting and unique due to the strong competition in the film industry. Through the 4 micro elements it would entice the audience to go see the full film and through manipulation, the marketing team would decide how they would want the audience to perceive the film and therefore making it look better than it is. Over all, trailers help people decide on what they want to see.