A trailer is a short piece of film that introduces a feature film and helps to create anticipation for the main attraction. It is usually a combination of action and drama. Some trailers are even comedy, or a mix of genres. They also contain a cast run, which is the list of actors and actresses who will appear in the movie.
Trailers were conceived in 1913 when Nils Granlund, the advertising manager for Loew’s theaters, spliced rehearsal footage of a Broadway play into a promotional montage that trailed movies shown at his theaters. The National Screen Service (NSS) was created in 1919 to develop and distribute theatrical trailers. The NSS had a virtual monopoly on the industry until the 1960s, when auteur filmmakers such as Alfred Hitchcock and Stanley Kubrick began cutting their own trailers to promote their films.
Since then, the industry has changed dramatically. In addition to the traditional theatrical release, a variety of other marketing strategies have been developed, including DVDs and Blu-rays. In recent years, the Internet has become the newest sandbox for editors who have cut their own versions of trailers and made them into viral videos. YouTube has been a particularly effective tool for studios, allowing them to reach audiences for free and to release “red-band” trailers that can’t be broadcast on television. It has also allowed for a whole new generation of creative editing, such as turning Mary Poppins into a horror movie and The Shining into a feel-good romance.
In the modern world, trailers are created at specialized agencies such as The Cimarron Group, MOJO, The Ant Farm, Flyer Entertainment, and Buddha Jones. They may use footage from the actual film, or they may use a composite of dailies or rushes that are cut together by the film editor. Sometimes the finished trailer includes dialogue or music that doesn’t appear in the final film. This could be due to a scheduling conflict, or it might occur because the film editor and the trailer editor use different takes of some shots.
There are a number of phrases and words that are unique to the world of trailers. One is the use of music to match visuals. A good trailer editor can match a song to visuals that make sense. For example, a line of dialogue that says, “human beings are a disease” would work well with a shot of trees.
Another trailer-specific term is a tagline, which is a brief description of the story and the film. It usually appears above the title on the trailer’s video screen and in print ads. It is also sometimes used in film credits, as well as on websites.
A trailer’s sidewalls are often constructed of a composite plate material, which is a layering of pre-painted galvanized steel sheets that are laminated on both sides to a high-density polyethylene core. This construction allows for more interior space compared to a traditional sheet and post sidewall, and it eliminates the need for plywood lining.