Trailers (This isn't about caravans.)
Posted:
This week’s blog is on the subject of movie trailers, why? No reason.
A film can live or die in the one and half minutes you spend watching its trailer on Youtube, consequently trailer making has become a huge business. There are production companies whose sole work is the creation of successful trailers.
Trailers serve to give a flavour of a coming film, in many ways they’re like that mouth-watering scent of baked bread that ‘Subway’ pumps out onto the street as you walk past. (Like many Subs, sometimes the actual films they promote are overly cheesy and leave you with a strange sense of regret)
If you watch most trailers, they all seem to follow a basic three act structure. It’s as if an insane scientist has used his shrinking ray on the full film and condensed the best bits into a minute and a half (because he’s a busy man and just doesn’t have the time to watch full length films)
The formula is generally - SET UP - PLOT GETTING MORE DRAMATIC - FAST PACED MONTAGE/ STRONG PIECE OF MUSIC and then sometimes, if you’re lucky, you get a little post credits sting, usually in the form of a pithy line from a character.
Another common trait in many trailers is the existence of a ‘money shot’. This was popularised by the ‘Independence Day’ trailer of 1996 which can be summarised as – People looking concerned, heh, Aliens, heh, OH MY GOSH THE WHITE HOUSE HAS JUST FULL ON BLOWN UP!
The method of showing the most visually impressive shot of the entire film in the earliest trailer has now become the norm. Indeed sometimes whilst watching Hollywood’s latest big budget fart, it’s easy to spot certain sequences and shots which are just in the film for the sake of the trailer. I saw ‘Transformers: Revenge of the Ireallydon’tcare’ the other day and a pyramid exploded for no reason. There was no giant bomb or space laser, everyone was just standing around chatting in front of it and then it blew up. Afterwards Shia LaBeouf shrugged at the camera and continued looking self-loathing.
The popularity of the money shot has led to the worrying trend of trailers showing so much choice footage that they end up giving away the whole of the film. See the trailer for ‘Dreamhouse’, which does the brilliant job of ruining the entire film for you along with convincing you that it’s rubbish.
The greatest trailers are those that give just enough away and leave you hungry for more.
The ‘Alien’ trailer was just an egg slowly cracking, which sounds like a slow motion Delia Smith programme but was alive with foreboding. The tagline – “In space, no one can hear you scream” is also both ace and scientifically accurate.
A trailer doesn’t have to be so minimalist and egg based however, the trailer for ‘Star Wars Episode 1: The Phantom Menace’ (one of the first trailers to debut online) was a well crafted thing of beauty and sent people’s expectations to lightspeed. Unfortunately the film was bobbins.
There are risks to trailer watching, a brilliant promo can lure you into a cruel trap a la The Phantom Menace but in a general sense a great trailer signals a great film - The trailer for ‘Psycho’ is a classic and features a killer gag at the end (I’m sorry, I am so, so, sorry). ‘Psycho’, the full film, didn’t turn out too bad did it?
Speaking of not too bad – The trailer for Pulp, our first feature film, was released this week.
Oh what? Shameless self promotion? Well you are reading a corporate blog. I jest, I am honestly writing this for the fun of it. Fun and blackmail.
The Pulp trailer then! Take a look, hopefully enjoy and don’t forget to note how it lovingly sticks to the tried and trusted three act structure. No money shots either, we’re no conjurers of cheap tricks.*
WARNING: Some of the language featured in the trailer is a little strong. (It made me blush)
To watch the trailer, click this handy link.
What do you think? Have a comment and let us know, also let us know your favourite trailers. We have a lunch hour to spend on Youtube...
*Gandalf, ‘The Lord of The Rings’