This past week, there hasn't been a more unifying moment for movie lovers than the debut of the official trailer for "Scott Pilgrim Vs. the World". It featured plenty to buzz about, including a different side of Michael Cera ("Youth in Revolt" wasn't that different, people). However, it wasn't the talent that sold this for me, but the trailer itself. Similar in the stylized violence Guy Ritchie mode, Edgar Wright managed to draw us in with onomatopoeias floating around like a modern version of the Adam West "Batman".
It was a solid trailer that had an amazing cast, featuring Aubrey Plaza, Anna Kendrick, Jason Schwartzman, and Chris Pine. To say the least, this has officially topped the original "Kick-Ass" trailer as my favorite movie trailer of 2010.
I began to wonder: what made a good movie trailer? Was it necessarily one with bright lights and beautiful people? No.
I haven't taken much time to dissect what a perfect trailer is. I just consider it a rare art form. In my eyes, trailers are equivalent to the thesis portion of an essay. All you have to do is convince me to invest $11 (or however much they make them now). Just like in an essay, you have to be able to give us a general outline and why we should read on without giving too much away.
I find the idea that making a trailer dark and mysterious is dull and usually a let down. As a rabid movie goer who actually makes time to get there early for this stuff, I want to find something new. I want to find people I've never heard of in movies that actually look cool. Hiding their faces behind effects and dramatic scores does little to impress me (it does let me use my cliche clicker though). I would never have given a lot of movies a chance if I hadn't been early to a theater.
For example, "Kick-Ass" is a recent testament to this theory. During my show for "Youth in Revolt", I saw the original trailer. I was in love with it because it took the boring old "Spider-Man" basis of a superhero and threw it into reality with dark humor and a dead mental patient. What was to follow was definitely bright colors, but the narrative seemed very fresh to me and soon, I invested in the source material. I regret nothing.
Before that moment, I had no interest in seeing "Kick-Ass", even by description alone. The product sold itself and got me hyped in ways "Avatar" and it's "new technology" never could. I think more than anything, I want to feel the humanity of the characters, which is the essential draw for me to a movie. I want escapism, but not to a world where people talk poorly.
Then there are trailers for movies with a built in audience. No doubt I am only seeing "Inception" because of Christopher Nolan and Ellen Page. The initial trailer does little for me despite some innovating techniques. It makes me wonder what I am watching, but that's more because I liked Nolan's "The Dark Knight". I also saw "Cop Out" under similar circumstances. Overall, I would have seen them, even if I hadn't seen trailers for them because of my interest in their work. I just appreciate trailers for their ability to make us long for more in under three minutes.
What are some of my favorite trailers of the last five years (2005-2010)? Pretty much the ones I've mentioned, but let's also note "Pineapple Express". It was not only a very solid trailer that proved James Franco could still be funny after falling into bad action movies like "Fly Boys", but it helped launch an underground sensation named Maya Arulpragasam (aka M.I.A.) into mainstream audience's attention. I was proud that this trailer was a viral sensation and even though the sampling of "Paper Planes" got out of hand, I had been a long time fan who was excited to hear her on the radio.
Then there was my personal favorite trailer of summer 2008: "Tropic Thunder". The genius was in it's ability to not only get the message across, but so flawlessly with way too many hilarious quotes (not even half the funny parts, oddly enough) that kept you begging for more. It was also essentially great for Robert Downey Jr. moments, including one of my favorite lines in a movie in the past ten years: "I'm a dude playing a dude disguised as another dude". To say the least, it had me laughing and wanting more. The movie took it one step further in amazing trailers by doing spot on parodies in their opening credits.
And I just really like this one for no real reason. The music just really works. And this one gave me enough suspense without taking away from the film. And this one is just great because the opening 30 seconds throw you so off that you thought it was a documentary (also, half the footage was not even in the movie)
It is hard to really name all of the trailers I loved, but in an average movie going experience, they are 1 out of 6. This is not to say that 1 out of those 6 movies will be favorable by me (though usually it estimates that way), but the trailer alone draws me into the work. I still get the occasional shock that makes me proud to have gotten there early. Sadly, most of the time, I end up getting crap like this.
But that's my weird thing with movies. I love a lot of them, but there is also a lot of nonsense. You just have to wade through it all in hopes of finding one worthwhile. This is not to say that all great trailers lead to great movies. Sometimes all of the funny moments are used in the trailer. It is still a hasty game and you have to play by your standards.
But for me, even if a movie is terrible, a good trailer goes a long way. It convinces you for a brief time that you are about to witness something abstract and new. The ability to do this in under three minutes is more of an achievement than a full length. So for those that have luck in creating great trailers, I'll buy you a drink sometime.
So I post this question to you:
What are your opinions on trailers and would you see a movie you wouldn't have considered based on it?
Also, do you have any favorites from the past five years (the time I feel that trailers have become more than pre-movie features and at times used as a viral campaign) that totally blow your mind.
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