Research into Trailers

As the selling of the film is arguably the most important part, the creation of the trailer is equally as important as the primary selling mechanism and advertisement.

As such, through out the years trailers have gone through their various stages and eras; and here is a basic summary of the main trends:

1940s:
The 1940s introduced the use of title cards into trailers, and since then they were used almost constantly to show ever spec of detail possible. Everything from names, to titles, and release dates were loaded onto trailers and have been used ever since, although in a much more subtle manner.

1960s:

During the 60s when Stanley Kubrik, Woody Allen, and Alfred Hitchcock were becoming the powerhouses in filmmaking, they redefined trailers as works of art. A trailer became a way to introduce the concept behind the trailer without giving away too much plot and still drumming up interest. This is was the main drive before film had the potential to become a work of art.

1980s:
Here is where most modern trailers gained their purchase a during the 80's fast cutting became a popular trailer technique alongside the discovery, and consequent 30 year trend of using Don LaFontaine to voice over every trailer. This is where the cliché of hearing the deep 'god voice' of LaFontaine speak such catchphrases as "In a world where..." and "In a time when..." as the best way to introduce their film. This is also where the incredibly irritating trope of speaking the entire plot of the film became popular to thoroughly milk the voice of Don LaFontaine.

2010: As the reign of Don LaFontaine lasted 30 years, it took that long before another trend emerged into trailers. This trend was a particularly apparent one after the trailer of blockbuster "Inception" was released. It featured a particularly memorable noise that was dubbed online as "The BWAAAAAHHH". Basically a loud, deep droning sound, thats used to introduce tension into any sort of shot that requires it. It transitioned from thriller, drama films, to basically any film with a trailor and sound, becoming an online joke thats lasted 5 years.

Also, as a final example I would like to show a cliché that has spawned within a particular company. Specifically Marvel, the comic book based film sompany. During their adds from 2007 onwards, its become token for them to begin the trailer with the villains voice delivering the exposition for the entire trailer intercut with shots of the protagonist looking tense or fighting. Its become a clear cut template they use and this, along with the inception BWAAAHH has become a popular joke among the fans online.

Romantic Comedy Trailers

As films can be distinguished by the way they are shot and edited, so can the trailers as well.

Some of the most well known aspects of a rom com trailer are fairly easy to suss out. Some aspects of a Rom Com trailer are as follows:

- Light pop/indie music: Its common practise to use happy, upbeat music, generally whatevers currently popular is first choice, or any music that lyrics can be related to the film itself. This helps for portraying the general feelings for the film and helps being our the happy, fluffy feelings to persuade the viewer to go see it.

-Introduction to the characters/couple: Although this is elementary for any type of production, rom coms have always had a specific way to introduce their main couple. It generally begins with the introduction to the main character we follow, but it almost always follows on to see them acting cute and quirky, they meet their destined partner, they act all cute and flirty, the main obstacle of the film is revealed, they break up/argue, and show potential to get back together before the end of the trailer. 

Of course not every rom com trailer does this, but this is the general template thats used in cliché parodys. 

-Title card framing device: Along with the short cuts, and upbeat music, another cliché is that in between certain cuts a title card is used instead of a voice over to deliver exposition. This is especially common while introducing characters. For example it's cliché for a title card to say "She was a {insert job title}" and "He was a {opposite job to female lead}" then "They never thought they would meet until one day {plot device that pushes them together}". 

-Montages: As many montages as you can fit, well not as many as you can fit, but rom coms are renowned for using several montage cuts to show the passage of time; this is especially common in films that have the couple get together in the beginning, cue montage of cute couple-y things, then they break up, another montage to show how sad they are, and they get together by the end, or similar.

To show these clichés in a more practical manor, I will embed a couple of examples from youtube where fans have edited a preexisting show into a romantic comedy trailer despite their original genres. The first one is called 'A Sudden Burst of Sunlight' and is a cut together version of BBC's crime, drama show Sherlock into a cute rom com trailer. This illustrates all the main clichés listed as the best way to swap a genre in a trailor is to use the main clichés associated with them.

The second example is from the american horror show 'Supernatural', this again uses the main clichés associated with rom com trailers to flip the genre as effectively as possible.

Overall, with these clichés in mind, I can use them to ensure the genre of my film gets across; but I also understand that this doesn't mean I should abuse them or rely entirely on them, variation is better to be remember and distinguished by, just as long as the point and purpose of my film is clear. Also, as far as history goes, I dont want my ad to be associated with a certain time period, although I was wanting it to be modern, I don't want it to follow the modern norms in trailer making, I want it to represent my style as a director and a creator.