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Let's travel back to 1988. Batman may be a cultural icon, but not as a serious character. Adam West would be who most people identify with him. Frank Miller's "The Dark Knight Returns", published in 1986, was a massive critical and commercial hit in the comic book industry, but relatively unknown to the general public. When a movie of Batman was announced, there was no good news to be had as far as most people were concerned. Comic book fans thought it'd be a campy disaster thanks to the casting of Michael Keaton (up to that point known for stuff like "Mr. Mom" and "Beetlejuice"), and the rest of the public thought it was silly that something like Batman could possibly have a serious side. By the end of 1988, the hype surrounding "Batman" was downright toxic. To counter this, producer Jon Peters went into damage control. Even though the movie was still filming, Peters had a 90-second trailer hurriedly put together over a weekend. It was tested, unannounced before an audience in Westwood. The response was hugely enthusiastic. The audience even demanded they play the trailer a second time. This trailer for "Batman" played before movies during the Christmas season of 1988, and changed the public's perception of it. Here is the trailer in question. Notice how unusual it is. No narration, no music, no title.
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May 10, 2012 20:51
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Everyone here is familiar with the term 'teaser', I assume. Pixar's kind of become the undisputed king of these, starting with A Bug's Life and Toy Story 2. These are good examples of teasers that are made with no footage from the film itself, to give audiences just an idea of what's coming out. Generally, these teasers are put out almost a full year before the film in question. Much like the situation with "Batman" I went over a few posts ago, "Superman" had trouble grabbing audience attention before its advertising campaign began. The production was troubled to say the least, and it ended up being the most expensive film of it's time. Because of a protracted pre-production process and numerous delays while filming, the release date went from 1976, to summer of 1977, to Christmas of 1977, to summer of 1978, before finally settling on a Christmas 1978 release. To boost interest in the film, this teaser was filmed for the Christmas of 1977, with a camera stuck into the bottom of an airplane, and the cast's names superimposed against the clouds.
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May 10, 2012 22:43
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muscles like this? posted:The last gasp of that would probably be the Episode One teaser they attached to Wing Commander. After that pretty much everything went online. In the summer of 1990, James Cameron began production on "Terminator 2: Judgement Day". To best announce the film's release for the summer of '91, he enlisted the late, great special effects master Stan Winston to direct a teaser depicting the construction of a T-800. The teaser, dubbed 'Building the perfect Arnold' is downright legendary to people who grew up in the late-80s early-90s. This wasn't the first time Cameron had done this. The Abyss had a trailer out a year before it was released as well. muscles like this? posted:Something I thought was interesting was comparing the newest Amazing Spider-Man trailer with the one just previous to it. In it they both use the same shot for the climax of the trailer (Spidey on the rooftop that's collapsing) but it becomes obvious that they hadn't quite finished FX work as the most recent one added some kind of energy/electrical field to the sky. Speaking of "The Lord of the Rings", here's the very first trailer, released exclusively online in the summer of 2000. Robert Denby fucked around with this message at 00:58 on May 11, 2012 |
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May 11, 2012 00:51
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So besides Cameron, there's another director fond of the 'special shoot' teaser; none other than Steven Spielberg, who has had to my knowledge seven films with these kinds of trailers. 1984: Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom 1989: Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade 1991: Hook 1993: Jurassic Park 1997: The Lost World 2005: War of the Worlds The first special shoot trailer he did though, was in 1978, for one of his few financial disappointments; the infamous "1941". John Milius directed this recruitment-film-spoofing teaser starring John Belushi which debuted a full year before the film did. Notice Belushi's character is introduced as Wild Wayne Kelso. In the film, he's Wild Bill Kelso. "1941" certainly wasn't a disappointment for lack of publicity. There was another special shoot trailer for the film made using the impressive miniature sets. EDIT: Fixed grammar and BBcodes. EDIT 2: Added "Temple of Doom" teaser. Robert Denby fucked around with this message at 18:17 on May 11, 2012 |
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May 11, 2012 14:27
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The earliest special shoot teaser that I know of is the James Cagney gangster classic The Public Enemy made all the way back in 1931. But the absolute weirdest special shoot trailer has to be this one for Miracle on 34th Street. Any reasonable person would ask, "Why the hell would you advertise a film this way?" In 1946, Frank Capra released the self-financed "It's a Wonderful Life". It was a huge flop, losing several million (on a then-astronomical budget of $11 million) and single-handedly ended Capra's production outlet, Liberty Films, which only made one more film ("State of the Union", which was already in production when "Wonderful Life" came out). Fox had just completed filming "Miracle on 34th Street" as the numbers for "It's a Wonderful Life" came in. Because both films were Christmas-themed, Fox thought they had a disaster on their hands, and tried to distance their film as much as possible from Capra's. None of "34th Street"'s advertising mentions the story, let alone that it takes place on Christmas. To further throw audiences off, the film was released on Memorial Day. The misdirection worked; "Miracle on 34th Street" was a box office success.
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May 11, 2012 19:20
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Late-80s-to-mid-90s the term 'special shoot' was used a lot in articles and books to talk about trailers like the ones I've posted. That's when they were more common and super-elaborate, where you got stuff like the "T2" one, which IIRC cost around $100,000. If I find it, I'll link a New York Times article from the early 90s about how much money and effort Warner Bros. put into trailers (it uses the term a few times as well). I've rarely heard it used recently, though. EDIT: Here is that article. Thumbnailed because it's huge (I was too lazy to transcribe it).  Also they don't use the term 'special shoot' once. 
Robert Denby fucked around with this message at 21:20 on May 11, 2012 |
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May 11, 2012 19:54
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Don't forget Comedian! So as you can tell, year-in-advance teasers and/or 'special shoot' teasers were a bit of a fad in Hollywood for a few years. Here are some more from the heyday: The Addams Family (1991) Toys (1992) Strange Days (1995) Godzilla (1998) The Green Mile (1999) Hannibal (2001) This teaser for GoldenEye announced the return of James Bond after a six year absence, by making a hybrid special shoot and normal trailer. One of the last big ones was the infamous World Trade Center teaser for Spider-Man.
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May 11, 2012 21:39
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^ ^ ^ ^ Here you go. Happy Noodle Boy posted:God I was SO PUMPED for this movie. Between that one and this one (new year's ball) I was sure it was going to be good! Speaking of box office disappointments from Sony, you guys might be familiar with the protracted, often disastrous post-production of "Last Action Hero". The test screening that went so badly Columbia ordered the audience comment cards destroyed, the ad space bought for a satellite launch, and the mad rush to complete the film in time for it's release date, are just a few of the mind-boggling misadventures that made it one of the most notorious flops of the 90s. Columbia spent a large sum of money producing this teaser for the summer of 1992. Notice it ends by saying that "Last Action Hero" is 'The Big Ticket of '93' before showing the June 18th release date. Guess what came out June 11th? Robert Denby fucked around with this message at 22:52 on May 11, 2012 |
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May 11, 2012 22:49
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^ ^ ^ ^ Aliens has one of the most rad trailers in existence. I had the DVD of "The Abyss" when I was 12; this trailer was an easter egg on it, and I can still remember how pumped I was that my parents were going to let me see the "Alien" movies once I turned 13.  Nobody did trailers better than Alfred Hitchcock. How unusual is it for a director to appear in his own trailer to promote the film in question? In the trailer for Psycho, there's no footage from the film, and not much indication of the story. Hitchcock gives us a tour of the Bates Motel and points out locations and props that will feature in the story for over six minutes. This trailer for The Birds has a similar approach, and is hilarious to boot. Other great Hitchcock trailers where the director makes himself present are North by Northwest, Marnie, Frenzy, and even his final film, Family Plot. There is another director who put himself in his own trailers; B-movie maestro William Castle, who did this unforgettable trailer for Mr. Sardonicus. EDIT: kiimo posted:I've never seen Point Blank[…] Robert Denby fucked around with this message at 00:15 on May 12, 2012 |
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May 12, 2012 00:08
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To keep this on topic for recent trailers on upcoming releases, let's talk about "Cosmopolis", David Cronenberg's new film starring Robert Pattinson, which is premiering at Cannes soon. I think this thing's either going to be a phenomenal piece of satire… or the next "Southland Tales". Judge for yourself. Linked videos are  .Teaser Trailer 1 Trailer 2
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May 12, 2012 02:55
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Vagabundo posted:When did the Voice Over Man stop appearing in trailers? It occurred to me that it had been a while and I think the Negotiator trailer might be one of the last ones I remember hearing that voice in it and it kind of dates the trailer so much.
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May 12, 2012 04:35
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Darling Companion looks pretty bad, basically "Marley and Me" for the over-60 crowd. For a laugh, check out the guy's lip synch when they tell him the dog is missing. "Oh, shOOT." For whatever reason this trailer played before "The Raid"... both times I went to see it.ApexAftermath posted:That Terminator: Salvation trailer 3 still gives me loving chills and angers me because of how good the movie could have been if the director wasn't a total moron. drat straight. I saw that and thought, "Wow, they're taking this series in a whole new direction: a Terminator that has humanity and doesn't want to be a Terminator!" Then I saw the movie and it blew. I'm a sucker for Nine Inch Nails, so maybe that's why the trailer blew me away at first. 
Robert Denby fucked around with this message at 04:10 on May 14, 2012 |
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May 14, 2012 04:07
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Stanley Kubrick had insane amounts of control over the marketing of his films. He picked all the poster designs, approved trailers (and by some accounts cut them himself), and had veto rights over which images and footage could be used to promote his films. With the trailer for Dr. Strangelove, he revolutionized film marketing with an eye-catching collage of rapid cuts and giant text. He took the technique even further with the trailer for A Clockwork Orange, which frequently shows up on best-of lists and has been parodied and copied dozens if not hundreds of times. Somebody already posted the excellent trailer for "The Shining." I don't know if this is true or not, but I've heard that trailer was released right around the time the MPAA made a major change in regard to the violent content they'd allow in 'green-band' trailers. Everyone knows that blood is flowing from the elevator, but I heard Kubrick and Warner somehow convinced the MPAA that it was rusted water coming out of the elevators. 
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May 14, 2012 22:18
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Seeing "The Dictator" yesterday, I was very surprised that most of the trailer is footage that doesn't appear in the film or just made up of alternate takes (for instance, the groan-worthy Kardashian joke isn't in the movie, neither is the very first shot of Cohen). Also, what is covered in the trailer is literally just the first ten minutes of the movie.
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May 16, 2012 21:27
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The Skyfall teaser is out. Personally I found it a little underwhelming, especially given that the last two so effectively built up hype.
Robert Denby fucked around with this message at 16:08 on May 21, 2012 |
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May 21, 2012 16:02
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zenintrude posted:[...]"Movie Trailers I Love for Movies I Hated"[...] Blow. A thousand times over. Then again, it was in high school when everyone was saying "This is the greatest movie ever made, ever!" And even though I know the movies are utter crap, the trailers for Twister and Pearl Harbor still send a chill down my spine.
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May 22, 2012 01:23
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"Yay Spaceships? Yay Spaceships!" is what does it for me. Anyway, here is the weirdest trailer I've ever seen for a major studio release, and to cap it all of it has Laurie Anderson as the background music.
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May 22, 2012 23:02
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I always think of "Gatsby" as being a small, subtle book, so seeing that trailer is very jarring. I'm a bit intrigued. They really seem to be duplicating that sickly-green two-color Technicolor look (which was also duplicated in "The Aviator").
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May 23, 2012 04:10
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There's some fascinating stuff behind the first ever trailer for "Star Wars". I'm sure most goons are familiar with how much of a disaster the production of "Star Wars" was, from deserts destroying sets, to the film going overbudget and way overschedule. By Christmas of 1976, Fox had considered pulling the plug on the project several times, and things weren't helped when the above trailer played to bewildered audiences. Strangely enough, Fox and Lucasfilm decided to advertize "The Empire Strikes Back", the exact same way with this teaser that debuted in the fall of 1979, attached to "Star Trek: The Motion Picture" or "The Black Hole". Now we reach the most infamous of "Star Wars" trailers for "Revenge of the Jedi". Yes, this title was used so late in the making of the film that not only did posters and action figures carry the name, but this trailer, which debuted before an August 1982 re-release of the first "Star Wars", also carries it. On that topic, have the weirdest "Star Wars" trailer, for "Empire". No footage whatsoever from the movie, instead it's all Ralph McQuarrie's concept art and a few production photos.
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Jun 5, 2012 20:50
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EDIT: Ignore; fan trailer. For another really great "Star Trek" teaser, look no further than the first one, narrated by Orson Welles and with an awesome variation on the Paramount logo by legendary effects pioneer Douglas Trumbull. Robert Denby fucked around with this message at 02:55 on Jun 6, 2012 |
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Jun 6, 2012 02:38
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LesterGroans posted:That's not even close to being real though. Vagabundo posted:I'm surprised anyone fell for such an obvious fake. In my defense, it's from movieclips, which as far as I know doesn't usually pull poo poo like this, but I should have looked further at the fine print and seen the words 'fan trailer' several times in the description. Sorry guys. Please accept this awesome meta-trailer for "Time Bandits" as my apology. Robert Denby fucked around with this message at 03:27 on Jun 6, 2012 |
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Jun 6, 2012 03:24
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The first trailer for "Wreck-It Ralph" is up (video is about mid-way down). Could be fun, though I'm not crazy about the music in the second half of the trailer. EDIT: qntm posted:You can't post all of those and not the first trailer for Episode I: qntm posted:It's difficult to remember just how long the gap was between Jedi and Phantom Menace, and how big this trailer was as a result. This trailer pushed so many huge buttons: lightsabers, blasters, blaster sound effects, double lightsabers, C-3PO, space battles, Binary Sunset. EDIT 2: It's also funny to see the trailer for this year's 3D re-release and notice what they left out. Robert Denby fucked around with this message at 18:21 on Jun 6, 2012 |
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Jun 6, 2012 17:59
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I present to you, the most underwhelming trailer ever. This trailer was shown before IMAX screenings of "The Dark Knight" in 2008, and it's the only time I've heard an audience boo a trailer. The other times I saw "Dark Knight" in IMAX the trailer got a disbelieving laugh when it was over.
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Jun 7, 2012 03:37
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uPen posted:You never saw https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AoNDp03udhg in theaters? Oh I did. That trailer played to stunned silence when I saw it; like the same kind of silence you'd get during a documentary about the Khmer Rogue. I did what another guy in this thread did the second time I saw "WALL-E"; waited outside until the trailers were over so I wouldn't have to see it again. I was with friends and they said, "C'mon, how bad could it be?" when I told them I would wait, then when I came back in one of them said, "If only I'd known, I'd have been waiting out there with you."
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Jun 7, 2012 15:19
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"The Exorcist" is easily one of the most acclaimed and famous horror movies of all time, and caused a great deal of controversy to boot. One of the trailers was even subject to controversy; I've heard it was pulled alternately because it was too startling, and because the strobe lighting caused seizures. TV spots took a less is more approach. This spot uses only one shot from the film, while this one features only a narration over the poster artwork. Of course, one of the many attractions the movie had to offer was it's controversy, so this spot was made. It takes the same tactic as the "Pink Flamingos" trailer, by not actually showing anything from the movie, just dazed and shocked audience members. John Boorman's legendarily incoherent follow-up, "Exorcist II: The Heretic", got a big promotional push as well. A cryptic teaser that gives you no information on the story, but helpfully reminds you of the first film's existence. The full trailer is very reminiscent of "The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo" teaser kiimo put in the OP. This trailer is actually quite indicative of the film; a jumbled mess of occasionally stunning images with a vague idea as to what the hell is happening. Robert Denby fucked around with this message at 21:55 on Jun 8, 2012 |
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Jun 8, 2012 21:52
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Supercar Gautier posted:If he ever was a good director, the title is revoked for making The Last Airbender. Null and void. We're not just talking about a slip-up or bad production circumstances. TLA is something more severely, jaw-droppingly catastrophic. To bring this back on track, "Airbender" had a relatively decent teaser.
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Jun 13, 2012 18:07
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Another trailer with an interesting story behind it. Even though the original "TRON" was a box office disappointment upon it's release 30 years ago, it gained an immense cult following and was a reliable catalog title for Disney. Since the late 90s, Disney had been toying with the idea of a sequel, and Jeff Bridges was always more than game. In 2008, commercial director Joseph Kosinski (most famous for this ad for "Gears of War") convinced Disney to put up a small amount of money for a proof-of-concept trailer. This trailer would be shot in 3D and feature some of the designs that Kosinski wanted in the final film, a musical sting by Daft Punk, and a brief appearance from Jeff Bridges, who volunteered to do the trailer for free. The proof-of-concept trailer was first shown publicly at Comic-Con 2008. Disney had their own panel to announce a few projects. At the very end of the panel, the lights were dimmed, and this trailer was played completely unannounced. The overwhelmingly positive response from the trailer, coupled with interest surrounding the project, made Disney greenlight "TRON: Legacy". NOTE: The trailer shown at Comic Con carried the title "TR2N", and didn't have any release information on it.
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Jun 19, 2012 04:01
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Paul Thomas Anderson is, to my knowledge, the only living director who cuts his own trailers. Anderson was very dissatisfied with the trailer for his second feature, "Boogie Nights", and took creative control over the marketing of his films. With "Magnolia" in 1999, Paul Thomas Anderson made a teaser and a rather long trailer for the film, utilizing 'special shoot' footage of the characters in their respective locations introducing themselves to the camera. "Punch-Drunk Love" has a rather ordinary trailer by companion, but it still gets the mood of the film across perfectly. "There Will Be Blood" on the other hand, changed things up by leaking its first teaser online-only, then playing a full trailer in theaters.
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Jun 21, 2012 23:14
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The standard running time for trailers is 2 minutes, 30 seconds. Believe it or not this is enforced by the MPAA. Each studio gets the opportunity for one trailer running over 150 seconds each year. Some of the best examples are James Cameron movies. The trailers for "Titanic" and "Avatar" effectively say "These are going to be the biggest movies of the year." The last movie to have a trailer like this? "The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo".
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Jun 22, 2012 20:02
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So I just saw Paul Verhoven's "Flesh + Blood" and decided to look at the trailer included with the DVD. Not only does it seem cobbled together randomly, there's almost no dialogue, nothing revealed about the plot (which admittedly is rather hosed up), and feels altogether extremely rushed and unfinished. Somehow, in spite of being nearly incoherent, it gives most of the movie away including several of the final shots of the film.
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Jul 5, 2012 22:46
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Yeah, when I saw those on Criterion's DVD I couldn't believe a studio actually put those out. What's more, there've been a few attempts to find out just what the hell that song is in the trailer and everyone's come up short.
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Jul 20, 2012 17:04
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"Life of Pi" trailer is out. I really need to find a copy of this book and read it pronto, because this looks pretty awesome.
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Jul 26, 2012 03:54
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Saw "Killer Joe" today, and this trailer played before it. Rarely have I laughed so hard at a trailer. This movie comes out in two months and there's no footage from the movie to speak of in what I just linked. Also, check out the ultra-professional way that the trailer slows down to 12 frames per second every time there's text on screen!
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Aug 2, 2012 02:41
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Steve Yun posted:I'm willing to give Bigelow the benefit of the doubt that this film might have something more to it than just revenge entertainment. I've read the movie is about a failed mission to kill bin Laden that took place before the 2011 raid. I too really liked "The Hurt Locker", and think even in some pretty narratively weak films, Bigelow can make amazing action setpieces.
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Aug 7, 2012 15:23
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Second trailer for "The Hobbit" is up. Still have some reservations about it, but, being Peter Jackson, it does look insanely well-directed.
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Sep 19, 2012 17:41
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It certainly was when it was in pre-production, but I'm not sure if that's still the case.
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Oct 13, 2012 02:38
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It looked very similar in visual style to "Enter the Void", the trailer for which should give you a good idea of how bugfuck insane it is visually.Seriously don't click on that link if you have photosensitive epilepsy.
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Oct 30, 2012 04:24
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I was 5 when "Jurassic Park" came out, and my parents wisely thought it would be too scary for me at the time. They let me see it when I was 7 and I absolutely loved it. I posted these way earlier in the thread, but it bears repeating that the "Jurassic Park" series has also been blessed with some awesome trailers.
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Nov 13, 2012 14:06
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GD_American posted:What would you guys say were the most effective/best made trailers of all time? Alien Brainstorm Cloverfield (then untitled) Dr. Strangelove The Fifth Element The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo (2011) Godzilla, the 1998 version GoldenEye Pont Blank Star Trek: The Motion Picture The Public Enemy Terminator 2: Judgement Day Unbreakable X-Men 2
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Nov 20, 2012 06:47
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Since we're talking about DC, here's a TV spot that I think qualifies as the worst, most misleading piece of marketing ever for a comic book movie. Its also really, really funny.
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Dec 12, 2012 21:55
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