Trailer title and credit convention research

By: Annamaria Noto

What is the difference between titles and credits? (what do they say/what are they about?)

Titles Credits

- give the audience an idea about the plot of film. (This can we shown through the choice of font, colour and size of the titles). - aids the viewers understanding of the narrative. (This is closely linked with when the titles appear during the trailer).

-Credit those involved in the whole process of the film. (E.g. the names of the director, the cast, those involved in production).-Usually occur at the end of the trailer. -Sometimes are at the start – called ‘opening credits’. -Can have ratings/ quotes from critics or other directors. or newspapers - that help with the marketing of the film.

‘A Farewell To Arms’ (1932)

‘Inception’ (2010)

What do they say/What are they about?• Can have ratings from critics/ other

directors/newspapers - that help with the marketing of the film.

• Can have quotes from a book the film was inspired by or quotes from widely known critics/ other directors/newspapers.

• Can have nominations/ awards the film won.• Can have the release date of the film• Can include information about social networking

sites so that the audience have the opportunity to interact with the institution.

• In some trailers – the film is associated with other successful films which have the some of the same people involved. (E.g. ‘The Book Thief is associated with the same studios as ‘Life of Pi’).

Who?(who and what are they about and why is this?)

Titles:• Actors: titles display the names of the most well-known actors involved in the film.

Allows for acknowledging the actor+ the film will appeal to wider audience as people/fans may want to see a certain actor.

• Production/Distribution companies: titles display the name of who funded the film which acknowledges their contribution to the film.

• Key people: titles display the names of the people well-known in the film-making of the film e.g. a well-known director/ cinematographer/ screen-writer etc.

• Words related to storyline: titles can display words that link to the main plot of the film – can make it memorable to the audience to remember the key points/themes etc.

Who?(who and what are they about and why is this?) continued…

Credits:• Names: Displays the names of those involved in the whole process of the film e.g.

editors• Awards: Displays the awards the film has won.This can interest the audience,

making them want to watch it as they know it is good or a “must see” • Quotes: Displays positive comments on the film, by well-know critics/ ect. This can

make the audience interested in seeing the film.

Why? (what is their purpose and why are they there?)

Titles:• To inform the audience on the main plot so that they are aware of what the is

happening/ what the film is about.• To mention a few well-known actors/ the director so as to give the audience an idea

of what to expect (e.g. a particular director has their own style – like: Tarantino – postmodernism).

Credits:• To acknowledge and thank those involved in all stages of the film production. (e.g.

in production/filming/ post- production e.g. editors).

When? (when in the sequence? How close together/ how far apart/ how long do they last ect)

Titles: Credits:

• Usually last about 3 seconds.• Tend to be around 5 seconds apart. • Tend to stop at the middle of the

trailer.• Towards the end of the trailer (usually

the last 10 seconds) there are more titles (which are about 3 seconds apart).

• How fast the titles change depends on the pace of the editing.

• Usually appear towards the end of the trailer (sometimes at the middle).

• Last enough time to allow someone to read them.

• Tend to be spread apart as they can contain a lot of information.

Where is the title placed in the sequence? Why?

• Titles are usually placed in the centre of the screen.

• The production and distribution companies names appear at the start as they funded the film and under financial terms contributed most.

• The names of the main actors appear mainly in the middle and towards the end of the trailer but can appear throughout. The main actors can attract the audience to watch the film and are paid more than the rest of the cast.

How they fit in with the narrative structures and narrative enigmas?

• Titles aid the audiences understanding of the main plot, ideas and themes within the narrative.

• Titles fit in with the narrative especially to intensify suspense and tension as they make the narrative seem mysterious which intrigues the audience, leaving them with questions.

How do they fit in with the psychological horror genre?

• Tend to have a black background (as black is associated with darkness and evil/ something scary)

• Titles tend to be in capital letters and large font size (which makes it seem intimidating and memorable for the audience).

• Explores the realistic or unnatural which creates fear in the audience through leaving many enigma codes.

How? (How are they done? style/font/colours/animation etc)

• Typically the horror genre uses the colours of black, white or red for the titles’ colours. (screen shots of one with each colour)

• The titles tend to be in bold, clear font, and sometimes the titles are in capital letters to maintain the audiences attention as it is dramatic and intriguing.