What makes a good trailer?

B

benb_21

What things does a trailer need to have to make it watchable?

I think it needs a 1 min intro. Then a 10 second sequence of shots that cause suspense-hinting at a plot twist. Then a 30 second montage of action. Right at the end-striaght after the title is shown-there is a
funny one liner. (just an idea)

What are your favourite trailers?
 
Personally I like teasers, they are short and sweet and to the point.

I think a trailer should show actual movie clips. A trailer should give you some idea what the movie is about, the genre, and what the story is about but definitely leave a question.... That question can only be answered if they go SEE the movie.

I'm working on a teaser right now and it's mostly all action, but that's the movie... all action. Some of the scenes that are in the teaser may or may not be IN the actual movie.

My favorite trailers as of late, have actually been games believe it or not. Perhaps it's because I'm doing a 3D animation movie, but that's what I've seen as of late...

The "War of the Worlds" teaser/trailer is pretty cool... and it leaves a BIG QUESTION...even though we already know the story.


Here's the one I like:
http://www.dawnofwargame.com/downloads/video2.swf
 
one of my favourite trailers of recent was for Closer. It was a simple scene. It didn't involve flashy effects, raising violins, voice over - it tried to reveal a simple charm. It wasn't being something the movie wasn't. Many people left Spiderman 2 unhappy, saying that all the best bits were in the trailer. a scene itself can be enough. perhaps even the opening minute - just something to hook, something a little bit different.
it doesn't need to appeal to the norm of flashes and twists.
i have not seen the WOTW trailer, Coot - I will give it a go later.what you say about the trailer being like the film is, I believe, the key to making a good trailer. to reflect the film.
eg - after sunset -
a 90minute long conversation.
a trailer for this should not have been all flashes and twists
it should have been a simple scene - a couple of lines shared.
its all about target audience. a.s - no action, no need to have twists and all that jazz.
its all about reflecting the film. at the end of the day, even though Spiderman 2 was a hit, you don't want people to leave the cinema feeling duped or disappointed (with the flick).
if you've got some great lines, just put them out and let the audience work out the rest.
 
So many trailers these days are more interesting than the actual movies. Weird. I do think that trailers over use fancy FX and hyper-speed cutting. Faster cutting for a teaser s ok but for a trailer, I want to see a brief segment from the movie that sucks me in. The trailer for
Ancanar does a fantastic job in my opinion (http://www.ancanar.com). I can see cutting it down a bit perhaps but I enjoyed the layout.
 
Shaw, Yes, I would agree with you on Anacar. It's very beautiful and the imagery is so awesome. I want to see that movie, not because I know the background, but because of the trailer. It's good work and you know the rest of the movie will be like it or better.

Perhaps my thoughts on trailers are based on my current project.. It's stuck in my head and I can't get it out! The first 20 to 25 min are all non-stop action... I mean there might be a few seconds or 30 to grab your drink off the table, but that's about it... I guess you could say it's like the opening scene from StarWars III but just 25 min of it. At lease that's what I'm shoot'n for.
 
In my opinion a trailer should be no longer than 1:30 to 2 minutes. It should gie a good idea as to the concept of the film, and it should give three or four "moments" that reflect it's genre (i.e. if it's a comedy, it should have a few laughs; a drama, it should have a few dramatic lines or moments; suspense, some scares; etc.).

And that's it. Anymore than that, and I think it's overkill.

Poke
 
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