- The Warner Brothers ident is shown at the very beginning of the trailer. This is conventional of any trailer or teaser trailer as the institution wants to associate themselves with the film and show that they own it. However the ident isn't the original, basic Warner Bros symbol, it has been edited to link with the films narrative. It has been made to look ancient and golden which represents the fantasy genre that the film is based around.
- The fade from black shot immediately shows an extreme long shot of the main protagonist. This automatically lets the audience in on the narrative and if the film is part of a franchise (as this one is) then the audience instantly know what film it is and this will excite them and make them want to watch further. The stock characters are always used in trailers to appeal to the audience and get them anticipating about what will happen or when the film will be released.
- The star system is used effectively in this trailer. Martin Freeman appears in the very first shot, he is a well known actor and has been in a lot of successful films. Therefore the producers want to associate him with this film as much as they can, because people think that if a highly successful actor is in it, then surely it will be entertaining and therefore they are drawn to watch the trailer.
- This trailer uses montage editing, this is conventional of trailers as the shots are shown in a non linear order as opposed to using continuity editing, where shots are shown in a linear order.
- Voice overs are a well known convention of many trailers. This trailer includes a voice over done by the main character to give his side of the story or his opinions on things that happen in the film. Often voice overs are done by one of the main characters, usually a main protagonist, to allow the audience an insight into their viewpoint or to allow an explanation of the narrative in greater detail.
- There is diegetic sound of the dragon roaring/breathing fire and of people screaming, this emphasises this part of the films narrative and is designed to provoke a scared or shocked reaction within the audience.
- The dramatic music then fades into a non diegetic soundtrack with a slow/mythical style to it. This represents the fantasy aspect of the film and this style of music is associated with the films franchise.
- The film's release date is conventionally included in the trailer as it is important that the audience know when it comes out so they can go and watch it.
- At certain points in the trailer slow, eerie music cuts in, it gives the feeling like the audience are waiting for something to happen but they don't know what. This is iconic of trailers, especially adventure/action films, as they are designed so the audience are on the edge of their seats waiting for something to happen.
- The diegetic sound of the swords and armour moving, and again later when the swords are clashing, is iconic of the adventure genre. Weapons are codes of the adventure genre and the audience stereotypically associate them with this genre of film, therefore they have more of an insight into the narrative of the film and for the specific target audience of people who enjoy watching adventure films, then this will appeal to them.
- Often trailers will include the quote "from the director of....." followed by a successful/enjoyed film from the same director. This appeals to people as they link this new film with one they liked from the same director and want to watch it. In this case the film is linking to the 'Middle Earth Saga' (the other films in the franchise) so this will appeal to the audience who liked the first films in the franchise and want to watch the latest one.
- The music increases in volume as the fighting starts to build tension within the audience.
- The 'eye' flashes up briefly in one of the shots. It is an icon that is stereotypically representative of the Lord of The Rings franchise. Trailers conventionally use shots/icons that are linked directly to their film (or film franchise) in order to appeal to a pre-existing audience or attract a new one.
- Close up shots are used on a number of stock characters, this emphasises their importance in the plot and gives slightly more hints into who the protagonists and antagonists are due to the angle of the shots and the context in which they are taken. (e.g. a high angle shot can be used to make somebody look weak as the camera is above them and it looks as if we as an audience are stood over them in a dominant way).
- Using the same font throughout the trailer is a conventional aspect to every trailer. Sometimes the same style font is used on other promotional campaigns for the film for example it's poster, so that they all link together. This trailer used olden, ancient style font in a golden colour, which is stereotypical of the fantasy or adventure genre.
- The main title appears in the same font as the others but slightly larger. The main title is conventionally written in a larger font than the rest of the titles to indicate it's importance. As the title appeared the sound of a sword cuts in, again representing the narrative and increasing the tension within the audience.
- After the main title there appears a list of brief credits showing who the main institutions involved in the film are. Many trailers have this feature.
- A pan shot is used to show location. Pan edits are sometimes used in trailers to show a vast location or to follow something significant.
- Opening shot isn't an establishing shot which differs from many trailers.
Overall this teaser trailer includes many key conventions included in trailers. The shots used are conventional apart from it not beginning with an establishing shot to show the location, which is a common convention of teaser and theatrical trailers. The sound was fairly conventional, in the way that it increased in the more dramatic parts and slowed in the more emotional parts, also the sound was specific to the fantasy/adventure genre. It included many titles that are conventionally included in trailers such as the release date of the film or the conventional "from the director of..." title, used in a large amount of trailers for films targeting a tent-pole audience.
