Trailer - What Makes it Effective?

What Makes an Effective Film Trailer?

A film trailer is probably the most crucial aspect in making a good film and securing a profit at the box office. It is quite tough in doing so because you have to make an engaging snippet of your film in a two-three minute time slot. It has to sell the product to the audience, but at the same time can't give too much of the film away. This is really tricky to do, but is key as it draws the audience in and leaves them asking questions which they want answered. It has to be extremely eye catching and make the audience want to spend their money.The term 'trailer' comes from there having originally been shown at the end of a feature film screening. That did not last very long because audience members tended to leave the theater after the film ended,but the name has stuck even though trailers are know shown at the beginning of a film.

They are now shown in a variety of places and not just the theatre. They are placed on DVDs and Blue-rays, they are also posted on YouTube, a website full of videos. This allows people to talk and share the video. They are also able to view it whenever they would like to. This benefits the films distribution budget as sharing on social media is free and quick way to target a mass audience. 

Trailers are supposed to show a condensed version of the film itself to achieve maximum appeal for the audience. Since film making has become so competitive, a polished trailer is very successful in achieving a profit at the box office.