Detailed analysis of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows film poster.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

Codes and Conventions of Movie Trailers

The codes and conventions for film trailers are:

- Edits/Montage

- Music

- Voice-over

- Dialogue

- Captions

- Non-linear

- Restricted narration

- Exposition

- Production company

- Realease date

- Title

- Reviews

- Use of stars

Most of these codes/conventions are included in movie trailers, they are the basic things that you will see in a

movie trailer. If you look at most films trailers you will see these things in them.

Genre/Genre

- trailer - has a genre of it's own

- the film is already going to have a genre

Film Trailer Terminology

Definiton

Trailers consist of a series of selected shots from the film being advertised. Since the purpose of the trailer is to attract an audience to the film, these excerpts are usually drawn from the most exciting, funny, or otherwise noteworthy parts of the film but in abbreviated form and usually without producing spoilers. For this purpose the scenes are not necessarily in the order in which they appear in the film. A trailer has to achieve that in less than two and a half minutes, the maximum length allowed by theaters. Each studio or distributor is allowed to exceed this time limit once a year, if they feel it is necessary for a particular film.

Some trailers use "special shoot" footage, One of the most famous "special shoot" trailers is that used for the 1960s thriller Psycho, which featured director Alfred Hitchcock giving viewers a guided tour of the Bates Motel, eventually arriving at the infamous shower. At this point, the soft-spoken Hitchcock suddenly throws the shower curtain back to reveal Vera Miles with a blood-curdling scream.

The people who create trailers often begin their work while the movie is still being shot. Since the edited movie does not exist at this point, the trailer editors work from rushes or dailies. The trailer may be created at agencies such as;

• The Cimarron Group
• MOJO
• The Ant Farm
• Aspect Ratio
• Trailer Park

while the movie itself is being cut together at the studio.

Terminology

• Plot summary
  Most trailers have a three-act structure similar to a feature-length film. They start with a beginning (act 1) that lays out the premise of the story. The middle (act 2) drives the story further and usually ends with a dramatic climax. Act 3 usually features a strong piece of "signature music" (either a recognizable song or a powerful, sweeping orchestral piece). This last act often consists of a visual montage of powerful and emotional moments of the film and may also contain a cast run if there are noteworthy stars that could help sell the movie.
• Voice-over
  Voice-over narration is used to briefly set up the premise of the movie and provide explanation when necessary ("In a world..."). Since the trailer is a highly condensed format, voice-over is a useful tool to enhance the audience's understanding of the plot.
  
  
• Music

         Music helps set the tone and mood of the trailer. Usually the music used in the trailer is not  from the film itself (the film score may not have been composed yet). The music used in the trailer may be:

• Music from the score of other movies
• Popular or well known music, often chosen for its tone, appropriateness of a lyric or lack-there-of, or recognisability.
• "Library" music previously composed specifically to be used in advertising by an independent composer.
• Specially composed music.
• Songs, which may include knock-offs of recognizable (but expensive to license) songs.

• Cast, crew, and studio information
• A cast run is a list of the stars that appear in the movie. If the director or producer is well-known or has made other popular movies, they often warrant a mention as well. Most trailers conclude with a BILLING BLOCK, which is a list of the principal cast and crew. It is the same list that appears on posters and print publicity materials, and also usually appears on-screen at the beginning (or end) of the movie.
• Studio production logos are usually featured near the beginning of the trailer. Until the late 1970s, they were put only at the end of the trailer. Often there will be logos for both the Production Company and distributor of the film.

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  Technical elements

  • Sound mix: many movie trailers are presented in Dolby Digital or any other multichannel sound mix. Scenes including sound effects and music that are enhanced by stereophonic sound are therefore the focus point of many modern trailers.
  • Video resolution: movie trailers preceding feature films are generally presented in the same format as the feature, being in general terms 35mm film or a digital format. High bandwidth internet connections allow for trailers to be distributed at any resolution up to 1080p.

History of trailers research

'Lilo & Stitch' was brought out in 2002

Lilo & Stitch is a 2002 American animated feature produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation and released on June 21, 2002. The 42nd animated feature in the Walt Disney Animated Classics, it was written and directed by Chris Sanders and Dean DeBlois, and features the voices of Sanders,Daveigh Chase, Tia Carrere, David Ogden Stiers, Kevin McDonald, Ving Rhames, Jason Scott Lee, and Kevin Michael Richardson. Lilo & Stitch was the second of three Disney animated features produced primarily at the Walt Disney Feature Animation Florida studio located at Walt Disney World's Disney-MGM Studios in Orlando, Florida. Lilo & Stitch was nominated for the 2002 Academy Award for Best Animated Feature, which ultimately went to Hayao Miyazaki's film, Spirited Away, which was also distributed by Walt Disney Pictures.

A direct-to-video sequel, Stitch! The Movie, was released on August 26, 2003. This was followed by a television series, Lilo & Stitch: The Series, which ran from September 20, 2003 to July 29, 2006. A second direct-to-video sequel, Lilo & Stitch 2: Stitch Has a Glitch, was released on August 30, 2005. A third and final direct-to-video sequel, Leroy & Stitch, was released on June 27, 2006 as the conclusion to the TV series.

'Tangled' was brought out in 2010

Tangled is a 2010 American computer animated musical fantasy comedy film produced by Walt Disney Animation Studios. It is the 50th animated featurein the Walt Disney Animated Classics series. The film features the voices of Mandy Moore, Zachary Levi and Donna Murphy and is loosely based on the German fairy tale "Rapunzel" by the Brothers Grimm.

The film was originally titled and marketed as Rapunzel until it was changed to Tangled shortly before its release. It premiered in theatres and in 3D cinemas on November 24, 2010, after six years of production and a cost that has been estimated at $260 million which, if accurate, would make it the most expensive animated film ever made and second most expensive movie of all time.

'Toy Story' was brought out in 1995.

Toy Story is a 1995 American computer-animated film released by Walt Disney Pictures. It is Pixar's first feature film as well as the first ever feature film to be made entirely with CGI. The film was directed by John Lasseter and featuring the voices of Tom Hanks and Tim Allen. It was written by John Lasseter, Andrew Stanton, Joel Cohen and Alec Sokolow, and featured music by Randy Newman. Its executive producer was Steve Jobs. Toy Storyfollows a group of toys who pretend to be lifeless whenever humans are present, and focuses on Woody, a pullstring Cowboy doll (Hanks), and Buzz Lightyear, an astronaut action figure (Allen).

The top-grossing film on its opening weekend,Toy Story went on to earn over $191 million in the United States and Canada during its initial theatrical release and took in more than $361 million worldwide. Reviews were overwhelmingly positive, praising both the technical innovation of the animation and the wit and sophistication of the screenplay,and it is now widely considered, by many critics, to be one of the greatest and most revolutionary films in the history of animation.

In addition to DVD and Blu-ray releases, Toy Story-inspired material has run the gamut from toys, video games, theme park attractions, spin-offs, and merchandise. View-Master released a three-reel set in 3D in 1995, prior to release of 3D films. The film was so successful it prompted two sequels; Toy Story 2 (1999) and Toy Story 3 (2010). Both sequels were instant hits and garnered critical acclaim similar to the first; Toy Story 3 is, to date, the highest-grossing film in Pixar's canon. Leading up to the third film's premiere, as part of its promotion, Toy Story and Toy Story 2 were also re-released as a double feature in Disney Digital 3-D on October 2, 2009. The film was selected into the National Film Registry as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant" in 2005, its first year of eligibility.