Trailers...

Interesting article over on salon.com how the art of the trailer has changed over time. It's great to see the artistry of trailer-making getting more recognition, to be honest i'm bemused why there isn't a 'best trailer' category for the Academy Awards. I find myself constantly enthralled by trailers, teaser trailers, even the  'trailer for a trailer' that is becoming more common among big blockbuster movies (e.g 'Prometheus', 'Total Recall' remake). I strongly believe that watching the trailer for a much-anticipated movie is a fundamental part of the modern cinemagoing experience, and personally I revel in the slow trickle of visual information leading up to a films release. As noted in the article, with the introduction of HD streaming and Apple trailers viewers can (and do, thoroughly) scrutinise each frame of a trailer for clues and details. I love this new interactivity with movies and don't feel it is in any way spoilery or negatively affecting enjoyment of the film. The film makers have decided what to show us is in the trailer, and I like to entrust my experience of the film to the people who made it. Therefore, I feel that anything that is explicitly shown to the consumer in a trailer (or any other officially released material) cannot be considered a spoiler.


Another trailer trend that is blatantly apparent is the use of the 'Inception horn'. It's getting horribly over-used now, since the 'Inception' trailer dropped it seems to have become the standard technique for creating a sense of drama in a thriller/action/sci-fi trailer. It was a hugely effective and memorable piece, and it's been relentlessly copied. Check this piece on theshiznit from June last year for a few examples. It's still going on now so it's a trend that won't be going away any time soon. It can't be argued that it's not an effective means of generating excitement, however it's one of these things that once you notice how regularly it is used, thereafter that awareness subdues any intended affect on the viewer.