The Radio is the first mass communication device and was invented by Gugliemo Maconi in late 1800's. In 1923 radio began broadcasting. Due to the radio reaching the majority of people this has, and is a key method for communication with the public, and so is the perfect way to advertise.
The radio can advertise anything from products, to companies to film and is much cheaper than advertising on the TV. It is also easier to target the appropriate audience.
Film radio trailers are very similar to a picture trailer, but need to include more detail through sound, so that the atmosphere and mental image of the film are as similar as possible to the actual film. To create the same effect as a picture trailer several techniques are used:
- Music
Music sets the scene in a radio trailer often representing the film with its tone, lyrics, familiarity and how appropriate it is, for example an action could have rock music and a romance could have a romantic song etc. In many cases the music is the soundtrack to the film.
It is an important way to get the audiences attention, also to associate the music with the film and the film with the music. During a radio trailer the music will play throughout, but mainly in the background, with the voice over and sound clips from the film over the top. During the end of the trailer the music often gets louder and more dramatic to get the audience interested and wanting to know what happens.
- Voice over
The voice over is the narrator of the trailer and explains key parts of the film such as a brief on the story line, reviews, nominations or awards and the release date. The voice over has to be memorable but also needs to be able to relate to the target audience for example a deep masculine voice for action, or comedy and a less powerful voice for something like a drama or romance.
A well known Voice over is Don LaFontaine, he has a naturally deep voice which gives power, atmosphere and character to film trailers both radio and picture.
- Sound effects
Sound effects are used to give the trailer character. These effects often include paradigms of the films genre e.g. An action film will have explosions, these sound effects will come from what are in the film.
- Clips from the film
Clips of sound from the film are included to give an idea about the film; the story line, style, genre and an idea whether you may like it or not. These clips often include key parts of the films story line and give a taster of what to expect but not giving away the whole film.
Layout of Film Radio Trailers
Radio trailers all have a similar layout in the way they are set out and what is included. The voice over often begins by setting the scene and maybe a review about the film, it would then have sound clips taken from the film between the voice overs comments, there would be some sound effects and the music would be louder and finally the release date would be mentioned.
Example
This is an American Radio trailer for the 2010 film 'The Book of Eli.'
This radio trailer is very generic in the way that it has a deep male voice over, which gives the film suspense drama and action. And gives all the key points of the film with out giving away the whole story line. The trailer starts by mentioning reviews from critics and what they think of the film. By having this first it would attract more people to want to carry on listening to the trailer and find out more about this highly rated film as it is said to be 'An absolute must see, Action packed and inspirational.' The description of the film is very brief and so only gives a small explanation into what happens but because of all the positive feedback and the way it is said for example 'action packet' and 'rare' this gives us extra information about the film with out meaning to and so the small explanation would not matter too much. Denzil Washinton is mentioned to be 'at the top of his game' and so would appeal to people who like to watch this particular actor, or just like to watch actors who have a special mention in film reviews. By having the certificate in the trailer it shows clearly who can go and watch it and gives an idea what type of film it is because younger teens are not permitted to watch it. We also know from the trailer that this film is already out in the cinemas as it states clearly that it is in cinemas everywhere. The music in the background gives the feeling of suspense threat and triumph and so would give the impression this is what to expect while watching the film. Even though the music is quiet it is still loud enough to hear and take effect.
There are however quite a few differences between this trailer and conventional British film radio trailers. This trailer doesn't have any sound clips from the film its self only a background soundtrack that may or may not be from the film. It also doesn't have any sound effects that you would expect with an action film. Another difference is that trailer in Britain don't usually say the certificate of the film.
This is the picture trailer of the same film. This trailer is very similar to the radio on as it doesn't give too much away about the story line but still gives a taster on what the film is about. However a difference is that it uses a character to do the narrating voice over instead of a deep male voice.
Our Radio Trailer
We will use this information in our on trailer by using all the conventions found that needed to be in radio trailer; music, voice over, and clips from film. We will use key quotes that are said in our film to explain in brief our story line, as well as a narrator to explain in further detail, maybe including reviews or nomination etc. Unlike the book of eli radio advert we want to include clips from our film so that the audience can get a flavour of what to expect.
