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There is zero chance that this OP could come close to rival the Movie Poster Megathread and its orgasmic epicness so I'll stick to what I know. This is a trailer thread, wherein we post trailers, TV spots, online sizzle pieces, and the ever-expanding world of EPKs, extended scenes, Comicon cuts and whatnot and then eviscerate them for being terrible or praise them for piquing our cinephile interests. First, the links. We'll start with where to view trailers. I'm not going to link youtube like a plebeian (edit: plebeian status now confirmed as well as liar status) but since everybody seems to be debuting their trailers on iTunes these days let's start with that. http://trailers.apple.com/ Of course, lately there has been a lot of withholding from iTunes as studios are cutting exclusivity deals with various websites (basically to get free ads) trying to compete, like yahoo movies. http://ca.movies.yahoo.com/trailers Here are some more... http://www.deadline.com/hollywood/ http://www.rottentomatoes.com/trailers/ http://screenrant.com/movie-trailers/ http://www.joblo.com/movie-trailers/ Process of a trailer or This Thread's E/N Portion For The Evening I work for a studio that I don't want to name but is very easy to figure out in Creative Advertising, for one of five teams doing complete campaigns for our film slate. We do posters, billboards, radio, online, trailers, TV spots and basically all of the origination of creative materials. Others then take over and repurpose the assets (art basically) for various things. Here's a short timeline before I bore you to tears. This is for trailers, not print art so I'll mostly ignore the print side. Step 1: Execs select one of five SVPs and their team to assign to a film based on experience, inter-office politics, outer-office politics, good old fashioned Industry networking, and pagan liberal media sacrifices to the Jewish Illuminati that runs Hollywood from the SKG warlock tower. Step 2: Meet with producers. Here is where you find out who is going to gently caress up all your work and make it look like poo poo down the road because of their precious film and how they know how to market it better than you even though they aren't finished with principal photography yet and production is on hiatus because of any manner of fuckups by idiots up and down the line. Step 3: Assign vendors to the film. The SVP selects their flavor of the moment vendors to compete on the film based on endless drinks and dinners and free Lakers tickets. These vendors are where the ACTUAL CREATION OF TRAILERS AND POSTERS TAKE PLACE. There usually are three AV vendors who compete on trailers, teasers and TV Spots and three print vendors who compete on one-sheets (posters), billboards and all manner of print art. Step 4: Get the script. Read the script. Get excited because every movie is going to be great when you read the script. Watermark the script, send the script to all 6 vendors. Step 5: Watch the dailies as they come in. Get depressed because every movie is going to be terrible when you watch the dailies. Hope for the best. Step 6: Get an early cut of the feature, usually just an editor's assembly that is three or more hours long. Send it to vendors with a burn-in (watermark). Step 7: Get an initial trailer from the vendors. In the end there will be hundreds and hundreds of total versions of various cuts from various vendors as we make our way through the campaign. Step 8: Get the vendors on fiber, specifically fiber-optic in the feed from their editing room to tweak the trailers as we sit on plush couches staring at a 60 inch television and critique their work while they do the heavy lifting. Drop this, move this, change this, etc. Endlessly. Three to eight times a day. Step 9: Deal with rock band poo poo heads and their shithead agents when trying to select music cues for the film. Here you'll find the world of over-inflated egos of a string of clueless morons who think you'll pay them a million dollars to use fifteen seconds of their banal dreck to sell a film who's target demographic is twelve-year-old girls. Step 10: Show trailers to Film Makers in order to get approval. These meetings happen often and you'd think I'd describe it like step 9. However, I have found film makers to be quite genial and professional once you get to this point. Maybe they're just too exhausted after just wrapping production to fight it. They're usually happy. But then again I work for a great studio so I might just be spoiled. Step 11: Debut trailer. I'm skipping a bunch of stuff but let's get on with it. This is the point we'll be talking about most. That initial trailer or teaser (depending on the length and tone) that you debut for the film. It is usually the first thing you see, before the one-sheet or anything else other than leaked footage. These are often shown at conventions. Step 12: Start putting out trailer 2, TV Spots. Now we're rolling, getting TV Spots out and moving right along. Six months or more have passed by now. You're sick of the film at this point. Step 13: Film premiers. Wow I skipped ahead of a lot but here's where you find out if you still have a job. Yay for fickle movie-going public who hate everything! Yay for terrible economy and competing home entertainment systems! Yay for Think Like A Man inexplicably catching America's attention and loving your box office up! So anyway, let's get on with it. There are trailers every once in a while that make serious waves. The best, weirdest, most effective trailer of the last year was this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YKWXEfXGWtA Done by Josh Goldstine who is awesome, this is just simply loving fantastic. Too bad the box office didn't really jive with the buzz about the teaser. There are plenty of examples of bad ones, here's one... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0wFLRbkzWxo Watch that if you're okay with seeing the monster, an annoying repetitive and meaningless rattle and getting a seizure before the trailer is over. It is no surprise that the one-sheet is a favorite in the Movie Poster Megathread. Terrible. kiimo fucked around with this message at 04:38 on Oct 3, 2015 |
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May 9, 2012 21:00
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Good OP... I worked at a trailer house for a while so reading a slightly different take on the process is interesting to me. --- I posted this trailer in the posters thread, but I figured I'd throw it out here, too: End of Watch, the glorious love child of Training Day and The Fast and the Furious.
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May 9, 2012 21:27
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I'm a bit of a trailer freak, I always get a good rush from a solid trailer, I almost enjoy them more than the actual movie. Trailers for Nolan movies have always gotten me pumped: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yQ5U8suTUw0 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xitHF0IPJSQ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g8evyE9TuYk This trailer for Heat, however, is kinda hilarious: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0xbBLJ1WGwQ
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May 9, 2012 21:28
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For CG-heavy movies, who decides which shots get prioritized for the trailers?
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May 9, 2012 21:33
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Jefferoo posted:This trailer for Heat, however, is kinda hilarious: Yes, it is.  Now I have to see Heat again. Just the first few seconds of the trailer were enough to sell me, but that's just because I know how good the film is.
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May 9, 2012 21:41
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FoneBone posted:For CG-heavy movies, who decides which shots get prioritized for the trailers? This is a bit complicated. When a trailer gets near completion (I haven't even mentioned testing but that is a huge component) the scenes that you're going to need are identified. At that point you've been going back and forth with post production to get certain shots at their highest level of VFX finishing. When you finish the trailer, you want those shots finished at film quality. This can be tricky. The director might have a shot that he's going to cut from the film instead of pay to have it finished. The producer might disagree with the director. There are lots of meetings where they sit around in a room and iron it out. Kind of a touchy situation when it costs so much money for CGI. kiimo fucked around with this message at 04:23 on May 10, 2012 |
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May 9, 2012 21:41
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Also this is the greatest possible trailer you could ever make for a GI Joe movie. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kNUBV9trDoA
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May 9, 2012 21:43
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Jefferoo posted:Also this is the greatest possible trailer you could ever make for a GI Joe movie. I cannot explain why The Rock makes any generic blockbusterish movie instantly watchable for me. I would have had no interest in watching The Rundown, Fast Five, or this if it weren't for him. Thank God he's come back from his family movie purgatory and is now making action movies. On another note, I really hope they explain why they need fence melting gloves instead of bolt cutters.
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May 9, 2012 22:18
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Knowing the whole "orange and blue" thing really has now ruined me. Good lord GI Joe
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May 9, 2012 22:23
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Here's Gangster Squad. http://trailers.apple.com/trailers/wb/gangstersquad/ kiimo fucked around with this message at 04:38 on Oct 3, 2015 |
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May 10, 2012 00:21
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kiimo posted:Here's Gangster Squad, let me know what you think. Criticisms welcome. I like almost all of that trailer except the rap music at the end. But I do admire you for not trying to be untouchables 2.0 or citizen gangster 2.0 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=si4QnL-vuB4 Hip Hop dates a trailer like no other. Also, Emma Stone and Gosling again? Is the LAPD hiring minorities only or something?
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May 10, 2012 01:12
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My boss loves Jay-Z. The attempt is to create a sense that a film is timely and not a period piece which is less likely to draw numbers (in a very general way, obviously there are exceptions). Rap might date a trailer but by the time that happens essentially the trailer's primary goal has long since passed which is to put asses in seats. edit: Also haha that trailer you linked has Scott Speedman. He plays in my basketball rec league. Small world. He dominates, by the way, crazy athletic. kiimo fucked around with this message at 04:25 on May 10, 2012 |
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May 10, 2012 01:23
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The teaser trailer for Luc Besson's film The Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc was one of the first times I remember really being blown away by a trailer, it wasn't just an advertisement, it caught my attention based on its own merits. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6YQNzsJvGQs&hd=1 Whoever it was that directed it did an amazing job, I really think it's a lovely little piece of film making packed into just over a minute's runtime. I barely remember the movie, that trailer has stuck with me ever since.
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May 10, 2012 01:24
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First of all -- That was you guys behind the Argo trailer? OUTSTANDING work. As you can tell by my avatar, really wish I got a better glimpse of Kyle Chandler (maybe he's not in it much anyway), but you get the film across clean and you nail the balance between inherently absurd concept and serious stakes (and by virtue making the film look like it does the same). If I was directing a movie and you cut a trailer that good for me? I don't care how good the source material was; I'd drop whatever I had to do that night and buy you all a round of beer. How's that for an ego massage? Too much? Maybe a little creepy? Oh well, anyway: kiimo posted:Here's Gangster Squad, let me know what you think. Criticisms welcome. Yeah, I see how the rap music can be off-putting, but of all the rap music you could've picked this was probably the way to go. It's still a little disassociated from the era, but you guys managed to give the whole thing a unique, pulpy vibe that I really dig -- and with Ruben Flesicher and Will Beall (he wrote some of the more serious and cool episodes of the TV show Castle) involved I'm sure that's exactly the kind of film it is. DivisionPost fucked around with this message at 01:59 on May 10, 2012 |
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May 10, 2012 01:48
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DivisionPost posted:First of all -- That was you guys behind the Argo trailer? OUTSTANDING work. Thanks! DivisionPost posted:Yeah, I see how the rap music can be off-putting, but of all the rap music you could've picked this was probably the way to go. It's still a little disassociated from the era, but you guys managed to give the whole thing a unique, pulpy vibe that I really dig -- and with Ruben Flesicher and Will Beall (he wrote some of the more serious and cool episodes of the TV show Castle) involved I'm sure that's exactly the kind of film it is. Personally I would have gone in a bit of a different direction but maybe that's why I'm not the boss. I think that the attempt is to show that this is NOT Public Enemies. This is NOT LA Confidential. This is NOT The Untouchables. This is unique, this is new. And yeah it is Gosling and Stone again and that plays a huge part in the trailer but you should see the numbers on how much recognition they get in the general public. kiimo fucked around with this message at 04:22 on May 10, 2012 |
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May 10, 2012 02:02
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kiimo posted:My boss and Ruben get along swimmingly. He's pumped about it. Personally I would have gone in a bit of a different direction but maybe that's why I'm not the boss. I definitely got Untouchables vibes anyway, but those are inescapable. Either way, I can definitely see how this'll put more asses in seats than at least Public Enemies (of course, I'm sure you all hope so). Now that you mention it, I've noticed how Gosling and Stone take up a lot of the major beats of the trailer; the Public Enemies trailer tried a similar thing with the relationship between Dillinger and Billie Frechette, but I can imagine women are going to feel a lot more invested in a Gosling / Stone reunion than in Johnny Depp romancing Marion Cotillard. So the young ladies come out to see that while their boyfriends come to see cops and robbers kicking the poo poo out of each other. Solid strategy; hope it works! DivisionPost fucked around with this message at 04:58 on May 10, 2012 |
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May 10, 2012 02:23
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I really like the Argo trailer. It's sold me on seeing the film. The shredded paper titles are clever. Great work, kiimo!
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May 10, 2012 02:34
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edit: better safe than sorry.
kiimo fucked around with this message at 04:17 on May 10, 2012 |
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May 10, 2012 02:42
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Out of curiosity, did you ever have any projects where you had great source material, but all the elements had low visibility in testing (assuming you can discuss stuff like this)? I'm sure that's rare to non-existent judging by where you seem to be working, but I'm interested in how you and your vendors would approach it.
DivisionPost fucked around with this message at 04:27 on May 10, 2012 |
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May 10, 2012 02:49
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kiimo posted:Here's Gangster Squad, let me know what you think. Criticisms welcome. I am way to used to having Mickey Cohen being a flamboyant asshat from the Ellroy books because I've never pictured him on the Capone level of gangster.
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May 10, 2012 03:26
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DivisionPost posted:Out of curiosity, did you ever have any projects where you had great source material, but all the elements had low visibility? I'm sure that's rare to non-existent judging by where you seem to be working, but I'm interested in how you and your vendors would approach it. Do you mean like, the film is good but there aren't any stars to anchor the trailer to or a well-known story? Because I'm picturing Martha Marcy May Marlene even though we didn't do that.
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May 10, 2012 03:31
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kiimo posted:Do you mean like, the film is good but there aren't any stars to anchor the trailer to or a well-known story? Because I'm picturing Martha Marcy May Marlene even though we didn't do that. Yeah, pretty much.
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May 10, 2012 03:40
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SneakySneaks posted:I am way to used to having Mickey Cohen being a flamboyant asshat from the Ellroy books because I've never pictured him on the Capone level of gangster. Hah, me too. I also more of a Mulholland Falls "Hat Squad" vibe off the Gangster Squad trailer than The Untouchables, but I think that's mostly just me (plus Nick Nolte). A great trailer nonetheless; strongly raises my interest, as did the one for Argo. I'd love to hear any details or anecdotes you can share on promo testing when/if you get time, kiimo.
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May 10, 2012 03:45
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DivisionPost posted:Yeah, pretty much. There are a lot of really talented vendors out there and some that specialize in smaller films. They concentrate on the story and this might get into the type of trailer where you reveal too much of the story but it might be necessary if you don't have stars or something recognizable. The nuts and bolts of a good trailer can carry it if it is done well, but of course the most talented people out there end up working on the biggest films with a studio financially backing them. People are always doing pet projects for their friends all the time though when a smaller film needs to be marketed. You don't need a famous song or a famous person to make a good trailer but if you have the budget you may as well. We have a film right now that I can't talk about that falls under this category but I'll show the trailer when we're done and you tell me what you think. ynohtna posted:I'd love to hear any details or anecdotes you can share on promo testing when/if you get time, kiimo. I was just thinking that it might not be the greatest idea to talk about testing too much as that falls under a certain kind of "shut the gently caress up, kiimo" category. I can maybe answer some questions without going into specifics.
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May 10, 2012 04:31
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I know there's a fairly large variety in the types of movie trailers shown today, but would you say that there are any general trends in terms of editing, music, and overall feel that trailers today follow?
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May 10, 2012 05:15
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I really love both Argo and Gangster Squad. Argo because it get me excited for the film, and Gangster Squad because I love the editing in it. Trailer editing is something I am considering for after I graduate, and seeing a well edited trailer pumps me the gently caress up.
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May 10, 2012 05:21
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I'm a big fan of those trailers as well. Lots of great actors in both and I'm really interested in Argo's story. Gangster Squad's trailer really got me excited to see it. I disagree with the rap music detractors. I don't need a film trailer to immerse me in its environment, I need it to get me amped up for the film and Jay Z's a drat good choice in that regard.
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May 10, 2012 05:24
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ghableska posted:I know there's a fairly large variety in the types of movie trailers shown today, but would you say that there are any general trends in terms of editing, music, and overall feel that trailers today follow? Definitely. I mean dubstep has popped up all over the place in the last year. Case in point: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nLSf9vnVsY0 In general there is a lack of voice-over these days. "In a world..." You see a lot of rap like we do in Gangster Squad coming out, even in period films. I mentioned it earlier but there are a lot of online pre-trailer viral ads popping up on the internet. Check it out, here's some fake political ads we just leaked of The Campaign https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=veYJZoPSmyc The trailer is coming out tomorrow I think on Jimmy Fallon.
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May 10, 2012 05:37
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Can't wait for the next adaptation of a Victorian novel to have a trailer with a rap song.
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May 10, 2012 05:46
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Vagabundo posted:Can't wait for the next adaptation of a Victorian novel to have a trailer with a rap song. Fact: more people would be inclined to check out The Remains of the Day if someone cut a trailer to "Otis". Looks like Stevens got his swaggah back! Truth.
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May 10, 2012 05:53
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kiimo posted:I was just thinking that it might not be the greatest idea to talk about testing too much as that falls under a certain kind of "shut the gently caress up, kiimo" category. I can maybe answer some questions without going into specifics. Oh, absolutely! I guess I'm mostly curious as to the general process, whether it changes often or a set methodology has been adopted, if the results tend to surprise/satisfy or not, and how strongly the results are taken at face value. I've been involved in user tests/focus groups for a few software and technology device projects where the process was to primarily confirm design hunches and provide "concrete" evidence (subject to incredible amounts of interpretation bias) of consumer needs, demand, and expectations. Films are obviously far more susceptible to personal tastes, odd biases (folks who love/hate particular actors), and rapidly changing trends so I'm wondering about how the movie industry differs in it's approach to quantify, extrapolate, and trust. "It's complicated, varies and success is judged in retrospect" is a valid response, of course! Edit as a more concrete question comes to mind: Given that multiple trailer versions are generally created for modern primo properties, is there a number cruncher somewhere who tracks and analyses all their views, feedback, "social engagement" data, etc, and then instructs the vendors/creative leads accordingly: "more explosions, less dubstep." ynohtna fucked around with this message at 05:59 on May 10, 2012 |
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May 10, 2012 05:54
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I previously posted this trailer in the movie poster thread, I'd said it's worthy of posting here. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XDdE5uT_xKg It might be a popcorn movie, but it's still ridiculous how much of the plot it gives away. The only thing that seems to be missing is a shot of Willem Dafoe dying. Also, here's the same trailer without any voices!
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May 10, 2012 08:46
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XXX2 had a plot?
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May 10, 2012 08:50
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Do you guys really call yourselves post production or was that just for the thread title?
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May 10, 2012 09:56
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NeuroticErotica posted:Do you guys really call yourselves post production or was that just for the thread title? No not really but you work with post production for the majority of the time. We call it the campaign or marketing in general. But when the production wraps you still haven't even locked a trailer so you're going back and forth with post to get certain shots, setting up photo shoots with the talent even after they've moved back home, getting fx shots, that sort of thing. I was just trying to think of something on the fly really. edit: This trailer is pretty bad but I love seeing Dolph Lundgren in movies again. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q6_XjQIzGRg ynohtna posted:As a more concrete question comes to mind: Given that multiple trailer versions are generally created for modern primo properties, is there a number cruncher somewhere who tracks and analyses all their views, feedback, "social engagement" data, etc, and then instructs the vendors/creative leads accordingly: "more explosions, less dubstep." We have a resident expert that goes through the pages and pages of testing results. His opinion, as it turns out, is one of the most influential in the company. He looks at the data and makes leaps of logic and I find myself constantly surprised at how much everyone just trusts him at his word. We usually test like 2 to 5 versions of trailers or TV Spots and compare them to each other, try to discover trends. Too violent, more of this actor or that actor, in this version people have a hard time following the story. In one of our films the fact that it is a true story resonated really well. Like, surprisingly well so you must make that a focus in everything because that is testing through the roof on everything. Interestingly, we don't test print art. I really think we should, but we don't. kiimo fucked around with this message at 18:40 on May 10, 2012 |
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May 10, 2012 16:02
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I have to say that the First leaked trailer for "the girl with the dragon tattoo" was one of the nicest new trailers… awesome editing All time favorite trailers(sorry on a phone so no links) 1) Shining elevator trailer 2) Starship Troopers "prey" teaser 3) Magic trailer…
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May 10, 2012 18:51
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My all time favorite teaser. I should post something classic with taste and style from the 70s to reflect my refined palette like The Conversation or something similar but why lie to myself? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uuUEqTKn5Ho I still get teary-eyed watching it. For some reason I vividly remember my freakout reaching meltdown when I saw Bill the Pony. So strange but for some reason that's when I realized that they were all-in, that they were giving the utmost attention to detail and not glossing over poo poo. It is already kind of dated but that just makes me love it more.
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May 10, 2012 19:15
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kiimo posted:In general there is a lack of voice-over these days. "In a world..." I've noticed that, would you happen to know any specific reason why they've stopped? Is it because Don Lafontaine is dead, or do they just assume people don't need help figuring out the plot anymore?
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May 10, 2012 19:20
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Let us all watch this trailer for Killer Joe which I feel is quite good: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W16OlLoB5Fw&feature=player_embedded
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May 10, 2012 19:24
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sbagliom posted:I've noticed that, would you happen to know any specific reason why they've stopped? Is it because Don Lafontaine is dead, or do they just assume people don't need help figuring out the plot anymore? I'm assuming it's because the "trailer voice over" stereotype has been parodied so heavily in popular culture in the past decade or so, to the point where audiences no longer take it seriously.
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May 10, 2012 19:25
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