Conventions of a Teaser Trailer

I have examined several teaser trailers and there are certain conventions present throughout almost every one I have watched.

- Commonly, teaser trailers are very short- between 30 seconds and 1 and a half minutes, compared to the length of an ordinary trailer being 2-4 minutes long. This is to generate hype for a film long before it's release and increase the public's anticipation for the film.

- Teaser trailers are usually released many months or even years before a film is released- as the name suggests, they are intended to 'tease' the audience because they can't see the film. The teaser trailer for The Da Vinvi Code (2006) was released before a single scene of the movie had been shot.




- Often, very little is given away in teaser trailers- either a short, sometimes comedic, scene is posted to give a flavour of the film without hinting too much at the plot, or a series of very short clips flash up on the screen set to music, so that no dialogue is heard. (The trailer for The Da Vinci Code, as mentioned above, features none of the actors who were in the film, only a voice over giving a brief synopsis of the plot).

- It is also worth noting that teaser trailers often include unique footage that does not appear in the finished film. This tends to be because teasers are released so far in advance of the acual movie, sometimes shooting hasn't even begun, as with the example above, The Da Vinci Code. Pixar, an animation company, are famed for their use of original material in trailers, used to amuse the audience and give a flavour of the film without revealing any plot elements at all.