Tune In: The Power of Sound in Shaping Trailer Engagement

Film trailers serve as crucial promotional tools, yet the function of music in shaping viewer engagement within trailers remains an under-explored area, particularly in the context of self-selected soundtracks. Whilst prior studies have demonstrated that music enhances mood and emotional resonance in visual media, there is a lack of research regarding the impact of different soundtrack conditions on psychological engagement and behavioral intentions. This thesis addresses this gap by examining if music fit, character identification, narrative immersion, and emotional responses are influenced by soundtrack conditions, and if these in turn predict behavioral intentions such as the intention to watch or recommend the film. Moreover, it explores the potential mediating role of nostalgia in the relationship between emotional responses and behavioral intentions, thus enhancing the comprehension of how emotion leads to action. The main research question is: To what extent do different soundtrack conditions influence audience engagement with film trailers? To explore this an experimental design was conducted in which 115 participants were randomly assigned one of the three music conditions: original soundtrack, no music, and self-selected music, while watching the trailer of Past Lives (2023). Participants then completed a questionnaire measuring music fit, character identification, narrative immersion, emotional responses, nostalgia and behavioral intentions, using validated and adapted self-report scales. The data were analyzed through t-tests, ANOVA analyses, multiple linear regression tests, and mediation PROCESS tests. Results revealed that the music condition significantly influenced character identification, narrative immersion, and emotional responses, with self-selected music outperforming the other no music condition, but not the original soundtrack. Nostalgia was found to partially mediate the relationship between emotional responses and behavioral intentions. Narrative immersion and emotional responses predicted behavioral intentions, while music fit and character identification didn't. These findings demonstrate how sound affects not only the audience engagement but downstream behavior.