A trailer is a short promotional film that previews a full-length feature movie. It’s an important part of the film marketing campaign, and is used to generate excitement and interest in the movie among audiences. A well-crafted trailer uses psychological techniques to convert potential ticket buyers into eager patrons lining up at the box office on opening night.
The earliest film trailers were created in 1913, when Nils Granlund, an advertising manager for Marcus Loew theaters, spliced together rehearsal footage to create movie trailers that could be shown before showings. This experiment spawned an industry that is now operated by both movie studios and independent companies that specialize in creating film trailers.
Today’s trailers are highly sophisticated, utilizing cutting-edge editing techniques and jaw-dropping visual effects to sell the story of a movie before it hits theaters. They’re also increasingly global in reach, targeting specific audiences with localized content and cultural resonance. New technologies offer exciting opportunities to expand and enhance the trailer experience, while data and analytics inform targeted marketing campaigns.
Trailers are a powerful form of storytelling, and each one tells the story of a movie through a series of images, music, and brief dialogue. Often they’re anchored by a dramatic or iconic scene that leaves an impression and invokes curiosity. A good trailer can evoke emotional responses from its audience, and can make people feel as though they’ve experienced the film themselves.
A key challenge for film marketers is to balance the desire to give away too much of the story and to create an intriguing sense of mystery. A trailer should not spoil the movie’s plot, but should pique the viewer’s interest and build up to the point where they’re ready to buy tickets.
Choosing a tagline is an important step in creating a compelling movie trailer. A tagline is a catchphrase that captures the essence of the movie and entices viewers to see it. It should be memorable and convey a sense of drama, humor or suspense. Using language techniques such as rhyme, alliteration or wordplay can help make the tagline more memorable. It’s also a good idea to run the tagline by friends or focus groups to see how it resonates with audiences.
An effective trailer should quickly establish its genre, such as a comedy, action, or science fiction, so that the audience can easily determine whether it will appeal to them. It should also establish the setting and time period in which the story takes place. Providing this context can help the audience relate to the characters and become invested in the story.
The trailer should also clearly introduce the central characters, and convey a sense of their personalities and the conflict they are facing. Ideally, the trailer will use the bandwagon effect to generate hype through implications of mass appeal – celebrity or franchise names, critic quotes or positive reviews, or even a mention of a similar popular movie title.