THE ART OF THE MOVIE TRAILER

Going to movies is usually a fun experience focused on the main feature.  But I always had a special liking for the trailers. Who has the money or time to watch all the many available movies, but one could always get a taste and maybe even a vicarious feeling from watching the trailers.  It seemed like one could see the best parts without being bogged down by the boring intervals.

Now consumers have access to trailers not only at the theatre, but on television and now on the inter-net.  Going to a movie is always a bit of a risk.  Some encouraged me to see the movie, while others were "educational." (meaning a lesser priority if not total avoidance).

Yes the trailers are part of the future selection process.  While we are sorting through dozens of entertainment options, movies are very big business requiring lots of sophisticated promotion.

Movie trailers can even promote books as I learned unexpectedly:  http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2012/05/3-french-novels-inspired-by-3-french.html    I was lured to read three books by movie trailers and then went on to enjoy three very good movies.

Trailers are usually shown a few months in advance.  Sometimes great care is taken of which feature to pair it with.  Trailers now fairly common on promotional and aggregate websites  They show on Facebook and other social media.   Great care is given to which current movie to tie in with.  Teasers (less than one minute) are used to stir up interest, often when the movie itself is still being worked on.

You know from experience that the movie might not live up to the excitement.  Action and sex teasing are common.  It is an art and a skill to design the right trailer for a particular film.  

Sequence is out of order.  Sometimes you are assured the couple do get together before the end, but often you can't be sure.  Usually with good trailers there is a bit of a cliff hanger--sometimes deleted scenes add to the action--I have watched movies anticipating something noticed in the trailer to be disappointed--but at least I got to see other interesting things.  A common complaint is the trailer is misleading--like most promotions

An old trick is to list actors, directors, writers and producers with their previous successes hoping your memory makes you more interested in the current offering.

The Hamilton Film Festival has a Trailers and Teasers nite for free usually involving at least twenty movies and supported by some expert comment.  I don't have the money or time (often overlapping schedules) to see them all, but later many are checked out at the library or even Netflix. The films include world debuts, North American debuts and Canadian debuts as well as some that have been shown at other festivals. 

Golden Trailer Awards exists to encourage excellence, They have dozens of awards including for voice over, music, different budgets, spots, different types of movies including foreign. Trailers are promoting an industry worth a few hundred billion dollars a year, but selling enough tickets for a profit can be a real struggle.  Recognizing excellence in this task makes a lot of sense.

To learn more visit:  http://www.goldentrailer.com/ 

The two posters are from recent Golden Trailer awarded films.