Title and Credit Conventions Trailer

The difference between Titles and Credits

Titles are usually shown at the beginning and at the end of the trailer. At the

beginning you would usually see the distribution and production company.

At the end of the trailer, you will most likely see the

title of the film. In this case, its 'Avatar'. They put

it at the end so the audience can remember what the film is called.

Credits usually pop up towards the end of the

trailer with the names of the cast. This is so that the audience is aware of who is

acting.

Also, at the very end there will be the release date

with important information such as the website and

other social media. There will also be the copyright at

the bottom.

What do they say?

ReviewsSome trailers have reviews

from newspapers saying how good the movie is. This

hype the audience and make them anticipate it

more.

CreditsAt the end of every trailer there will be the credits in

small. These are to some of the main people, for

example producers, who helped with the making of

the film.

QuotesSome trailers will have

quotes from the movie or the book. This is for the

audience to know what to expect from the movie. This

will raise questions to the audience which fits with the

narrative enigma.

Social MediaAt the end they will usually put links to

things like Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. This is done so that the

audience can get engaged with the leading up to the release date.

IntroductionSometimes there will be words that will give the audience a brief outline to the plot of the story. They won't give too

much away but just enough to keep the audience engaged.

When do they show up?

The titles will usually last 2-3 seconds each time they show up. There are more towards the end and they become more frequent as you go through

the trailer.However, during the middle, there will be a long period of time where

there are no titles. This allows the audience to focus on the content in the trailer.

The ones at the beginning are usually 5 seconds apart and the ones at the end tend to be closer to each other; around 3 seconds apart. The credits

will be at the end of the trailer and will appear quickly.

Why are they placed where they are?

The distribution and production companies are at the beginning as they are the main roles behind the film because they are the ones that fund

the film. So without the funding from them, there would be no film.

The main actors/actresses usually pop up in the middle/during the trailer. This is to inform the audience so that if they like a particular actor, they

will most probably go and watch the film.

Towards the end, you will get the rest of the cast and crew as they also have to be acknowledged for the work that they have done.

How to the titles match the genre?

Action moviesThe background tends to be black with the title in the middle. It will usually be a white, red or silvery

colour. This is so that more attention is drawn to the title and not the

background. The title will appear quickly and suddenly.

Comedy moviesThe background will usually be

white or a light pastel colour and the title will usually be bigger and occupy more space. It will appear either fast or slow depending on

the mood.

Horror moviesThey tend to have a grungy feel to

them. The background will be like a brown or a dark beige with the title being white with that glowy/blurry

effect on it. The title will appear slowly and sometimes with a fade in

effect.