What Is A Teaser Trailer?

Teaser trailers are usually shown in cinemas up to a year before the release of the film- sometimes they are produced and released before the film production has even begun, meaning that it is not possible to show many images from the final production, but instead the producers use voice overs, simple images or even just blank screens to create a sense of enigma, leaving the audience totally unaware of anything that will happen in the narrative of the film so will leave them guessing at numerous aspects of the film- actors, plot, genre etc. They usually last anywhere between 50 and 90 seconds, and unlike the full length trailers, are not always shown in chronological order, and end in a cliffhanger- this again works with the idea of showing very little from the production, to entice the audience to not only watch the full length trailer when it's released but the whole film. In terms of editing, teaser trailers use a lot of jump cuts and only stay on any one camera shot for a few seconds- this is to keep the production within the time limit. On some occasions however, teasers use variation in editing, and will either use a black out or fade out- these are used, like in the final productions, to create a sense of enigma by keeping the audience guessing at why the chosen colour of black has been used, or why the screen fades to a total black. I must use, develop and challenge the codes and conventions that I have discovered here in order to make sure that my product has the right balance of similarities and differences compared to existing ones.