Film Terminology

This is a list of some of the less commonly used terminology that I will comprise over time, during my research. More updates coming soon.

Feature Length: A film longer than 40 minutes.

Trailer: A short piece of film that usually advertises a feature length film.The name trailer comes from the tradition that these we shown at the end of other films.

Print Serial: An old way of advertising that featured various printed advertisements in a small magazine like booklet.

Cliffhanger: The practice of ending a scene, or film before a particular event has been resolved.

Auteur: A director of a film that influences a film so much, that they are considered it's author.

Censorship: The practice of removing or hiding sensitive content.

Blockbuster: A film that is released to wide audience, across many theatres at once. The purpose of these is to capitalise on the effect of the advertisement, while it's still fresh, to get customers coming to cinemas all at once.

"Voice of God": A powerful style of narration, coined by Don LaFontaine.

The History of the Movie Trailer

The Trailer...?

A trailer, or more specifically a movie/film trailer, is a type of advertisement that has developed over time to suit the needs of films, in their specific genres. They act as a the middle man between the cinema and the consumer, giving the consumer an idea of what the film might be like, and whether they should go watch it or not. This also gives the producer of the film an opportunity to reflect the film in they way they want. A traditional trailer uses clips from the film itself, editing them together in a genre specific way, usually without giving away important parts of the plot, which would render seeing the full film pointless. A voice over is often used to narrate parts of the trailer, to further allure the audience. The name trailer, comes from the convention that the advertisement "trails" behind a film shown previously at the theatre. This is because trailers were shown in between films at theatres in 1913, when the trailer was first invented.

Journal Update 3

A new school year has dawned, and posibilities are endless. You'll be happy to know I'm working trailer. I'll keep you up to date on the research I'm doing. Tell your friends!