Somewhere along the line, it was decided that an effective trailer needs to give away at least seventy-five percent of the movie it's advertising - up to and including any plot twists that take place before the sixty-minute mark. I don't mind spoilers all that much, so I've made my peace with this tendency; given how voraciously I consume trailers, I don't really have much choice. But it's still nice to see a teaser trailer like this one for I Am Legend that manages be riveting while giving almost nothing away. If you know a thing or two about Richard Matheson and/or the horror genre, you'll know what's sharing New York City with Will Smith; if not, you'll want to know, which is how a good trailer ought to make you feel.
« Immigration and Inequality | Main | The Case Against the Case Against Hillary » The Art of the Trailer18 Jun 2007 01:22 pm Comments (16)
I used to agree with this as well, attributing it to the effect opening weekend gross has on movies. However, the ability to watch teasers to older movies in DVD special features changed my mind. The teaser included with "The Graduate" DVD is even more egregious in giving away all the major plot lines and twists. It seemed especially bad for a film that tries to keep you guessing how the protagonist will choose his actions. Now I feel its one of those nostalgia based "milk used to taste better before you kids had to drink it pasteurized" type situations. 
I agree with Harish Jairam. Speaking of Hitchcock, I remember seeing a terrible trailer for "Vertigo" that gave away the big twist in the second half of the movie. Incredible.
....for some reason, Mr. Show's "Coupon: The Movie" comes to mind: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LLnoLmCqT30 "And you'll never believe the surprise ending...where this happens."
Here's the "Psycho" trailer. See if you don't think it's better than the modern ones: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EzAnE4zuYuA
Which is the better version of I Am Legend, The Last Man on Earth (with Vincent Price) or The Omega Man (with Charlton Heston)?
The "I Am Legend" trailer is terrific. Lots of fast cuts, but it gets the viewer into the action. If you want to see some of the pics and videos about the evac scene featured heavily in the trailer, as well as some text about making the scene (no story points revealed), go to: http://www.dmoma.org/lobby/film/I_Am_Legend/index.html
Here's the "Psycho" trailer. See if you don't think it's better than the modern ones: n = 1.
What are you talking about, trailers used to be MUCH worse. It was quite normal for trailers pre-1980s to show you the end of the film; and if a movie had some sort of "twist" or "surprise" in it; the trailer for it almost always "spoiled" it. Hitchcock took over trailers to his films BECAUSE of this. And the only reason that Hitchcock was allowed to do this by the studios was because simply having his name on the movie guaranteed ticket sales. If this wasn't the case then I guarantee you that the studio would have put out a trailer for Psycho that started with the words, "A man who dresses up like his dead mother and murders women..." And these are the good trailers. About half of the trailers to old movies mislead the audience into believing that the film is going to be about something other than it's really about. Seriously, watch more trailers on the DVDs to those old films. Trailers have improved GREATLY.
I would nominate the trailer for Full Metal Jacket. It really made you want to see the film, without giving anything away. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cB9GsorQlcU I always thought the trailer for The Shining was also: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I1ktsEv8NnQ
Warning: if you don't want to know what's in New York with Will Smith, don't click Logan's link above. It's revealed on the first page.
I'm looking forward to this movie. I read "I Am Legend" as a kid when it was reissued in conjunction with "The Omega Man". I didn't see that movie, but loved the book. I'm hoping this movie won't do to that book what was done to "I Robot", but seeing that the director's past experience is "Constantine" and music vidoes, I wonder if that hope is in vain.
Which is the better version of I Am Legend, The Last Man on Earth (with Vincent Price) or The Omega Man (with Charlton Heston)?
As far as The Omega Man, it's pure 70s action-horror cheese. You'll either think it's hoot or bang your head against the wall due to the rampant macho inanities.
No, folks, "Psycho" isn't the only good trailer for an old movie. Here's "The Thin Man": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nSNJ-8ouQEM Here's "The Greatest Show on Earth": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_upVqL9Xo-k And here's "Double Indemnity": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S3wjJcuGsVE Finally, here's "Singing in the Rain": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7xU-eo45JzY I say these are all much better than modern trailers.
Worst trailer of last year: Away From Her. Consisting of shots of people mostly staring at each other or into space, saying or doing almost nothing. Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz........
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About 20 years ago, Siskel and Ebert did a show on movie trailers. Basically, the ones from 50 years ago were a lot better-- they were ABOUT the movie rather than just being quick cuts of dialogue and scenes from the movie. (For instance, Hitchcock narrated a chilling trailer for "Psycho" where he took you on a short tour of the set of the movie and he intoned in a dramatic and scary voice that all sorts of horrible things happened there.) You can see some of these trailers in DVD's of old movies; they are worth your time.
Apparently, the movie audience is no longer smart enough to be persuaded to see a movie with a clever trailer.
The worst modern trailers, of course, are the ones for comedies that give away all the best jokes in the film.
Posted by Dilan Esper | June 18, 2007 1:51 PM