The opposition of two different things in a narrative, giving this narrative an edge, making it more interesting. Examples of such oppositions are love and hate, good and evil and right and wrong amongst others.
Such oppositions can be found in the analysed trailers.
Psycho: In this trailer we can find the opposition between the normality and boredom of a motel conflicting with the strange events that seem to be taking place within its walls. The audience does not expect strange things to be happening in a motel, which gives the narrative that all important edge.
Shutter Island: Someone escaping from a top security asylum built on a remote island is enough of a contradiction. However, this isn't the only one presented in the trailer. Another one is the 2 sides of Leonardo Di Caprio's character. At first we see him in a suit investigating the island. But we see him later on wearing what appears to be the kind of clothing patients wear. We can also see the conflict between the Marshalls trying to find out the truth, and the secretive attitude the asylum staff have adopted. The edge creating elements of this narrative and trailer are what happens to the escaped patient, what happens to the Marshall, and will the Marshalls uncover the island's secrets.
Snakes on a Plane: The innocence of the unsuspecting plane passengers versus the brutality of the snakes is the main opposition of the film. The calm of Samuel L. Jackson's character opposed to the panic of all the other passengers also gives the trailer and narrative an interesting edge.
Levi Strauss' Binary Opposition theory is also relevant to the production of a teaser trailer as it makes the trailer far more interesting and worth the watch.
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