RESEARCH: Why is the Film Trailer Made?

There are several elements to a marketing campaign for a film, from the trailer itself to posters in the street or on public transport, to online and viral marketing. The marketing campaign is designed to raise audience awareness and interest in a film in advance of, and during, its cinema release. This is important because, without such marketing campaign, the film is much less likely to reach audiences in the first place. The trailer is such a successful means of marketing because audiences actually get an actual glimpse of the finished film before it reaches cinemas and if they are watching the trailer in a cinema with Dolby Surround Sound, and the massive screen this is the best way to watch a trailer as it showcases what the film will sound like as well as what it looks like.

Trailers help to fill cinemas as they are often part of a marketing campaign. Marketing campaigns may use a film’s genre to gain our interest, playing on elements that are familiar to an audience. But at the same time, a marketing campaign must also show us how a new film is different to others in the same genre: this is known as the USP (unique selling point) of the film.