The Differences Between a Film Trailer and a Film Opening

The Differences between a Film Trailer and Film Opening

There is a significant difference between a film trailer and a film opening. The main difference being a film opening sets and scene and give the audience an idea of the genre of the film. The film opening may also try and build up some sort of storyline or narrative. A film trailer is normally around 2-3 minutes and are previews to a film. They are normally composed of a montage of clips that give a small idea of the story, genre and showcasing the best/funniest moments of the film therefore enticing people to see it.

Film trailers are designed to make people want to watch the films. They consist of funny or memorable moments of the movie in a 2 – 3 minute montage. They will include actors, give an idea of the genre and release date. The title will also appear but this is normally at the end (unlike film openings where they are normally displayed within the first 45 seconds). These details are the most important for audience members in deciding whether they want to watch the film or not.  There secondary function is to raise awareness for the film especially independent films since they may not be as well-known or as popular as more mainstream films.

Film openings help set the scene and normally give a clear idea of the genre. They can be up to around 5 minutes. During this time they normally say the main actors and main people who worked on the film (e.g. director, producer). These jobs will normally be shown over a scene with music playing over the top. The title of the film will also be shown on screen normally within/around the first 45 seconds. These titles can sometimes be “integrated” which means they become part of the scene, but this is normally in mainstream films since these tend to have a higher budget and more staff to work on titles. Film openings will also display institutional names or logos at the very beginning, the majority of the time these are shown before the movie begins.