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.
As well as using genre to gain our interest, marketing campaigns 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.
The USP is what separates one film title from another released at a similar time or within the same genre. The USP could be many things, for example:
A trailer will often be structured around the most appealing aspects of a film, disregarding the conventional narrative order. For example, you might see a funny moment taken from the ending of a comedy near the beginning of the trailer for that film, or a selection of clips chosen to attract the widest possible audience, such as a romantic clip in the trailer for an action film. Some trailers will aim to provide a basic narrative structure to guide us through the film’s storyline.
Firstly, watch the trailer through twice before you answer these questions.
