Film Trailer: Narrative Image

What is known as the 'Narrative Image' of a film was coined by John Ellis in his book 'Visible Fiction'. The Narrative Image is "decidedly less than the whole film - it is the promise" of the film and the "film is the performance and realisation of that promise".


Narrative or Audience Pleasures are suggested by the trailers and need to offer something new, which is known as the Unique Selling Point. Even franchises promise something new, for example the Batman franchise offers something new with each film whether it's the inclusion of new antagonists or even new primary actors like the transition from George Clooney to Ben Affleck as the actor for Batman.