Codes and conventions of a radio trailer

Codes and conventions of a radio trailer

Music

The music in a radio trailer is there to set a pace and atmosphere for the listener and to set the mood. For example, in our radio trailer for our thriller film we're using eerie music to set an 'eerie mood'. From previous research into other radio trailers we have found that the voice over often takes over the music in the trailer and makes the music more or less 'background noise' with the voice over being the key feature.

Voiceover

Sound effects

Length

A radio trailer should usually last around 20-30 seconds. This is a reasonable length as you have enough time to include all the information you need without it being too long for the listener to start getting bored, leaving them engaged.

A voiceover is one of the main parts of a radio trailer as it guides the listener through whats happening. It is also there to keep the listener interested and make sure they're still following. It's there to set the mood and make it more intense.

Sounds effects can be used to keep the listener interested and to create a certain effect/atmosphere. For example, in the our film, we have a scream and a car screech that would sound good in a trailer. These are key points to the film and will give the listener an idea. Sound effects also indicate to the listener what they should expect from the documentary