Structure

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.

Watch the trailer for Big Eyes in the clip viewer.

Try to spot and describe the different structural conventions exemplified in the trailer. Use the headings below.

• Opening
• Build-up
• Problem
• Events

You can use this downloadable diagram to collect your notes.

Download worksheet: