By Kathleen Scott and Sarah Soliman

Promotional materials are an essential, yet often overlooked, aspect of the film industry. In continuing our dedication to emerging areas of research in film, we wanted this issue of Frames to explore the importance of extra-textual materials. Promotional materials for films are becoming an increasingly important part of the film experience. More than simply marketing a film and setting up audience expectations; they become a part of the viewing experience itself, making the enjoyment of a film last for months in advance. By devoting this issue of Frames to scholarship examining promotional materials, we seek to advance the importance of these issues and stimulate debate within the discipline of film studies and related fields.

We are grateful for the hard work of our guest editor, Keith M. Johnston, whose extensive knowledge of this area of study shaped this issue of Frames. It was a pleasure to work with Dr. Johnston and we thank him for all the time and effort he put into Frames. We would also like to thank all of our contributors for their compelling articles on the topic, and hope you enjoy reading them as much as we did.

A big thank you is also due to Mike Arrowsmith, Computer Officer at the University of St Andrews, for his continued assistance with all technical aspects of Frames, and to Dr. Tom Rice (University of St Andrews) for his guidance through the process of completing this issue. We would also like to thank our many other collaborators who made this issue possible. Editorial team members Pasquale Cicchetti, Heath Iverson, Diana Popa and Giles Taylor provided invaluable support and assistance, as have all of our fellow PhD students at the University of St Andrews.

Our time as Editors-In-Chief is finished as this academic year comes to an end. We’re proud to leave with this interesting and engaging issue of Frames as our final contribution to the journal. We wish the best of luck to next year’s editors and look forward to seeing where they will take Frames next.