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Film & Television vocabulary · Distribution, Festivals and Awards

Trailer

Meaning in film & television, with examples

/ˈtreɪlə/nounCore term

In film & television, trailer means: A short promotional video made of selected moments from a film or series, shown before release to attract an audience.

In Turkish: fragman

How it is used

Studios release, drop or unveil a trailer; audiences watch it online or in cinemas before other films. A teaser or teaser trailer is shorter and shows less; the official or full trailer comes later. Trailer views are an early sign of interest.

Example sentences

  1. The first trailer got ten million views in two days.

  2. The trailer gives away too much of the plot.

Common collocations

  • official trailer
  • teaser trailer
  • release a trailer
  • cut a trailer
  • trailer drop
  • releaseTo make a film or series available to the public in cinemas, on TV or on streaming platforms. As a noun, a release is a film being shown or the act of showing it.
  • premiereThe first public showing of a film, play or TV series, often a special event with the cast and crew.
  • distributorA company that buys the rights to show a film in a country or region and handles its release, marketing and delivery to cinemas or platforms.
  • box officeThe money a film earns from cinema ticket sales, or its commercial success measured that way. Originally the place in a theatre where tickets are sold.

More terms: Distribution, Festivals and Awards

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