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Movie Trailer – More Than Just a Tease
The movie trailer is the best way for a motion picture company to advertise their upcoming movie
and get it across to the largest possible audience. The trailer consists of a series of carefully
selected scenes from the movie whose main idea is to make the viewing audience more aware of the
fact that the movie is coming out soon. It is also designed to arouse the interest by provided
short clips from the film that while not in order will peak their curiosity. The average trailer
lasts two and a half minutes, which is considered enough to arouse interest without giving the
story away.
The Draw
Oddly enough if you sit and watch enough movie trailers you will find that not all of the scenes that appear in the
movie trailer end up in the final cut of the movie. Trailers are a weave of carefully chosen
scenes that are designed to enthrall the audience and make them want to see the movie.
With this in mind the editors that create the trailers work hard to select the catchiest or
funniest parts of a comedy or some of the most stunning visual effects in a thriller, this way they
are sure to grab your attention and make you want more.
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A perfect example of a trailer that consisted entirely of footage that never appeared in the movie was the
trailer for the Alfred Hitchcock suspense thriller Psycho. In the trailer we see Alfred Hitchcock taking us on a
guided tour of the infamous Bates Motel with the tour ending in the bathroom with the shower curtain drawn. As the
trailer ends Mr. Hitchcock throws back the shower curtain to a blood curdling scream and the picture fades to
black.
Advance Notice
Often work on the trailer is completed while the movie is still in production, this is because the movie trailer
editor has access to the unedited film and can pick out the scenes he wants to use. In some cases like the Lord of
the Rings movies, these trailers can come out as much as 1 or 2 years before the movie is due to be released and
shown in theaters and on television as often as possible. This is to whip up public interest in the upcoming movie
to the point where they will be beating the doors down when it is finally released.
The Who, the What and the Why
The movie trailer is the most important form of advertising that any motion picture company can use. It contains
the name of the distributor and the production company who actually made the film as well as the stars of the
movie. The trailers have become such a vital tool in the movie industry that there are now companies whose only
function is to produce movie trailers and awards are given for the best movie trailers each year. The most
prestigious award is the Golden Trailer Award given by the Hollywood Reporter, the better the movie trailer is, the
more likely a movie is going to do well in the theaters.
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