- The trailer begins with the conventional green screen that appears before every trailer stating that the film has been approved for its audience. This screen lets the audience know that the trailer is official and that it's content will follow the guidelines of appropriate content of the age certificate the film has been given. This particular screen is used in almost every trailer to show that the content is authentic and to assure the targeted audience that it is safe to watch.
- The trailer includes a non diegetic soundtrack of fast/upbeat music. This is used to represent the party/clubbing lifestyle, which therefore hints at the narrative. A lot of the time rom-com films use soundtracks life this to present the stock characters as young and wanting to go out and have fun, which is often what the film's plot is based around.
- The stock characters are shown so that the audience know the basic narrative of the film and so that they can discover quickly who the protagonists and antagonists are. For example in this film it is clear that the main male character is the antagonist because the audience find out quickly that he has been cheating on the 3 main female charters (the protagonists).
- The star system is used successfully in this trailer to make it appealing to the audience. Actresses and celebrities like Cameron Diaz and Nicki Minaj are shown in the beginning shots to immediately catch the target audiences attention and entice them. Using very current and well known celebrities to promote films is a conventional of film trailers of every genre, because the audience see these successful people and associate them with the film, they anticipate that the film will be entertaining and they are more likely to watch it.
- The ident, of the film institution that made the film, appears near the start of the trailer, this is conventional of almost any trailer as the company wants to show that they own the film so that they can get good representation and become well known/stay at the top in the film industry.
- There are lots of medium shots/long shots used of the stock characters to show their costume/style so the audience can make conclusions about their personality or what role they play in the film's plot.
- The trailer includes an establishing shot of the city to show the films location. Location is a very important aspect of a film and it hints a lot about what the narrative may be, so trailers conventionally use establishing shots to show the audience the location.
- The non diegetic soundtrack throughout the trailer varies from different upbeat/chart songs. This again links to the rom-com genre, using chart music appeals to the target audience as if they know or like the song used then they will be drawn to the trailer and potentially associate the film with that song and therefore be more likely to want to watch it. Also many of these songs are played frequently on the radio etc so a large proportion of people would recognise them and become interested in the film.
- Sound effect of "uh oh" sound cuts in when character finds out that her boyfriend has a wife. Sound effects are often used in trailers to emphasise the most dramatic or scary parts. In this instance it was used to emphasise how dramatic the shot/scene was.
- Different titles narrating the plot appear throughout the trailer. This is conventional and often used instead of a voiceover, it emphasises the narrative to the audience and allows them to make a link between the stock characters. The titles conventionally appear on a plain screen, with a simple font or a font specific to the genre. These titles use a simple white background screen throughout and a pink font. Pink has connotations of femininity and the film is all about girls working together and being successful so it links to the narrative successfully. Pink is often a colour used in and representative of the romance genre because these films are usually about love and have fairly soppy narratives so they target a more female audience and pink is stereotypically thought of as a female colour.
- Shot reverse shot edit is used to show the relationship between the two characters. This edit is commonly used in trailers as it allows the audience to make a connection between two or more character and they can therefore understand the narrative more.
- The music gets more exciting and "sexier" when the attractive character appears. This represents to the audience that this character is going to be the stereotypically attractive character in the film and this may have something to do with the narrative.
- A title saying the word "Revenge" cuts onto the screen. This immediately tells the audience what a huge part of the film will include. The revenge narrative is conventional of the rom-com drama, usually one of the main characters has been treated unfairly by a different main character (antagonist) and wants to find a way to get back at them for what they have done. Often the female is the one seeking revenge because the male has done something bad to her.
- The main film title appears at the end so it sticks in the audiences mind. This is conventional of trailers of any genre as the producers want the audience to remember the film's name so that they can talk about it/promote it through word of mouth or so they will remember that they want to watch it.
- "Coming Soon" appears at the end of the trailer. This is another common convention of film trailers. They will usually either say this or give a specific release date.
- The name of the website and the twitter hashtag appears at the end of the trailer. This is to attempt to further promote the film and get people to talk about it and create a buzz around it.
- Music cuts out when characters are laughing/talking to emphasise a funny or awkward moment then cuts back in after. This is a common technique used in many comedy trailers.
Here is an example of the conventional green screen used in almost every trailer to prove that it is appropriate for the recommended audience:
Screen shot of the establishing shot used in this trailer. It clearly shows the city location due to all the tall buildings and how they are in such close proximity to each other:
