The Art of the Movie Trailer

Article by Terry Plucknett

Posted - 9/26/10

As this weekend begins, there is a fight for box office supremacy between the two big releases of the weekend, both appealing to very different audiences.  Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps is the film for the adults, while Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga’Hoole is this weekend’s choice for the kids.  However, in thinking about these two movies, my attention was drawn to the two respective trailers which led me to think about the art of promoting a film through the trailer, and the rules that need to be followed to be most effective.

Rule #1: Have a hook.

The trailer is all about giving the viewer a reason to see the movie.  You have to have a hook to get them in the seats.  Whether it be a twisting plot, a star-studded cast, or some amazing CGI, show off your strongest point.  Show why we have to see the film.

A great example of this is Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps.  It has several hooks.  First, the cast.  Michael Douglas, Shia LaBeouf, Carey Mulligan, Josh Brolin, Frank Langella.  All have their moment in the trailer.  Also, it reminds everyone of the first film that was very successful.  It revisits the famous quote from Wall Street, shows Michael Douglas return to the iconic greased back hairdo of Gordon Gekko that won him an Oscar.  Then it shows the new twist with the familiar character.  It makes you want to see it.

Rule #2: Leave some mystery.

There is a difference between setting the stage for a movie and making a two minute synopsis of the film.  If you want people to see your movie, don’t give away every plot point in your trailer.  If you give everything away, they have pretty much already seen the film.

My favorite example of this is National Treasure, which (outside of one cave screen shot) only uses clips from the first half hour of the movie for its trailer.  The last hour of the movie is completely fresh as nothing was given away in the trailer.

A recent trailer that uses this is Skyline.  It introduces the topic, shows some of its amazing CGI, and leaves you wondering about the best.

District 9 had a similar effect last year.

There are many examples of abusing this rule.  One good example is X-Men Origins: Wolverine which shows all the main parts of the movie from start to finish.  Every major plot point is scripted out in the trailers.  There may be one twist at the very end that is not revealed, but it even gives you a clip from one of the final battle sequences.  Why do you need to tell me in the trailer that his brother betrays him and he fights him at the end of the film?  You don’t.

Rule #3: Use good music.

It is amazing how much music can set the stage for any occasion.  A movie trailer is no exception.  The right music playing through a trailer can either make your movie look even better than it already might be or ruin the perception of a film no matter how good the movie might be.

The best example for this is Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga’Hoole.  You watch this trailer without the music, and it looks like a little kids animated film about owls.  You add the epic song “Kings and Queens” by 30 Seconds to Mars, and now it looks like an epic adventure I have to see.  I have no idea what it is about.  I just know I have to witness the “epic epicness.”

Rule #4: Use footage that will be in the movie.

Nothing can be more disappointing and upsetting when watching a movie than when you are waiting for that great moment you saw in the trailer that you loved and it never comes.  Or they use a different cut of a pivotal line in the trailer in the movie.  You expect to hear the line delivered one way, and it is delivered completely different.  It really distracts from what is actually happening in the movie.  Why in the world would a moment be good enough for your trailer, but not your movie?  How can you make a true snapshot of your film if you don’t even use footage from the film to create it?

One example of this that really bugged me was Pineapple Express (sorry, I couldn't find the clip).  The best line of the trailer is when James Franco asks Seth Rogan, “Do you want to go see The Phantom?”  Seth responds, “Of the Opera?”  It’s a great line.  I love that line.  I was excited to hear that line pop up in the movie.  Turns out it was left on the cutting room floor.  Not cool man, not cool. . .

Rule #5: Don’t over-expose.

Nothing can kill buzz for a film faster than to play the trailer to the point that you are sick of it.  A film needs exposure, but when I can quote the trailer by the time the movie comes out, I am not really that excited about it anymore.

The ultimate example of this has to be Vantage Point.  Every movie I went to for a year leading up to this film’s release, I saw this trailer.  I could quote this trailer from start to finish.  The film looked interesting on first viewing the trailer.  After the 30^th viewing, I couldn’t wait for the film to be released and forgotten.