If you enjoy movie trailers as much as I do (they,
Submitted by jim on Mon, 06/26/2000 - 09:53
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If you enjoy movie trailers as much as I do (they, along with The Simpsons, remain the only thing about TV I miss (we yanked our cable a couple years ago)), you should check out this article. I certainly agree about the spoiler problem. I recently saw a trailer for The Talented Mr. Ripley, and it sure feels like I saw the whole movie in minature.
Trailers often do give away the best parts of movie. This bothers me less when it's the best lines than when they give away actual plot points. Studios should stick to the simple rule that no scenes from the second half of the movie should be in the trailer - that would prevent most major plot points from being revealed. It might also have the side effect of more creative trailers, and saving at least some of the best lines from premature spoilerage.
I like the "no second half" rule. There should be a law.
Good article...I've often become uninterested in a movie because I felt the trailer told me just about everything (ex. Double Jeopardy). I find I really enjoy the trailers that contain no actual footage from the movie; Dirty Rotten Scoundrels and Face-Off come to mind. While these movies would never make a top 10 list of mine, the trailers stuck in my mind as intriguing, and enjoyable in their own right. The problem with using footage from the movie is that the temptation is to use the best parts. I'm not saying I don't like any ads that are made this way; it's just that there are fewer surprises when you decide to actually watch the movie.
Having said all that, I am still addicted to the trailers - especially in the theatre. I often get so interested in the trailers I forget what I actually went there to see!