Film Trailers: What are they?

Trailers are a very important part of a films marketing campaign as they are used to attract a large percentage of the films target audience. Trailers are produced while the film is going through its editing stage. This way it is clear what footage can be used within the trailer. The trailer has its own budget and isn't something that's created with money left over as it carries much importance with the films marketing and advertisement. Essentially, trailers are like adverts for films. They are screened in the cinema, on television and on social media. Trailers are not simply 'shorter versions' of the film, as they are often in non-chronological order. However, there are exceptions to this rule. For example: 'The Shallows' trailer https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EgdxIlSuB70 is shown in chronological order.
Trailers inform potential audiences about a film but primarily target their target audience. Although, a films trailer and the film itself don't necessarily have to have the same target audience. Trailers are meant to encourage people to see the film at the cinema and so trailers often inform audiences of their theatrical release. For example, 'Saw II''s trailer showed that the movies theatrical release will be on
October 28th. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lq2AzZB6DUE
Trailers and film posters often compliment each other as this is used to create a link between them in the media while marketing. For example, the first 'Taken' movies trailer and film posters compliment each other. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uPJVJBm9TPA. As you can see in the examples from 'Taken's marketing campaign, the inclusion of the daughter, father, and the antagonists are shown in a row.