Week 4 tv trailers form and conventions
- 1. TV Trailers: Purpose, form and style Cartoon © Benrik Pitch
- 2. Key questions What is the purpose of a television trailer? What information might they contain? What do we actually expect to see/hear in them? Where do we expect to see them? How are they typically constructed?
- 3. 1. What is a television trailer and what is their purpose? It’s an advert for a programme or series It should persuade the audience to tune in It’s job is to provide the audience with a ‘flavour’ of what is to come It acts as a ‘promise’ to deliver more of the same – like a ‘contract’ with the audience It raises questions and encourages the audience to want to know the answers It sets up audience expectations It should appeal to the appropriate audience
- 4. 2. What information might a trailer contain? It should identify the genre, style and content of the show It should introduce the characters, setting and theme It should identify what is familiar about the show It should identify the show’s USP It should identify the scheduling – day, date, time It should promote the brand and the channel It should be clear who the target audience is
- 5. 3. What do we actually expect to see/hear in them? A variety of clips, often featuring moments of conflict, drama and comedy Genre conventions Music, sound effects and dialogue Voice over On screen text Programme/series ident Channel ident
- 6. 4. Where do we expect to see them? Trailers are scheduled to reach the widest possible audience They will run between other programmes watched by the target audience They will only be screened on channels owned by the same broadcaster They are repeated regularly throughout a day/week The advertising campaign may feature several different trailers during the build-up to the first episode
- 7. How are trailers typically constructed? Quite short – from 30 secs to 1 minute 30 secs Range of shot types for variety Clips are often broken up by cutaways to titles Choppy, fast paced editing style (montage) Pace and rhythm important Feature the colours associated with the brand or channel Typical 3 part structure – beginning, middle and end Usually an open narrative Similarities to adverts and music videos
- 8. A typical reality trailer narrative structure Part 1: Establish and introduce the situation, characters, overall theme. Sets up the main conflict, and what needs to be done to achieve resolution. Anticipation of what is to come, predictions, reactions. Will often include information about the ‘prize’, and how much there is to lose. Part 2: Clips of the situations faced along the way, both failures and successes. Usually will start with one, then lead into the other. Talking heads Included to show emotional responses to the situation. May include outside commentary. Part 3: Finishes with lots of unanswered questions, and reactions, followed by the scheduling information which may be repeated in different ways – both visual and verbal
- 9. Questions Time the overall sequence Count the number of frame changes How long do shots last? What kinds of transitions are used? What kind of branding is present? Describe the narrative structure How many long, mid or close-ups are used? Describe the overall style of the trailer Describe its overall appeal and effect