The trailer, a short film that is used to market a movie in advance of its release, has become an essential aspect of cinematic production and distribution. While it is often seen as a form of advertising, the trailer also functions to aestheticize anticipation and extend the cinematic experience beyond the theater into exterior mediums and cultural spheres.
Although it can be easy to laugh at the seemingly simplistic and tackiness of early trailers, today’s cutting edge editing techniques are truly artful and skillful. Often based on audience research and trend-setting, the trailer constantly makes adjustments in order to capture the attention of the current film-going public.
As the film industry shifted in the ’70s, with major directors like George Lucas, Francis Ford Coppola, and Martin Scorsese entering the spotlight, trailers began to take on a more formal style, focusing on narrative structure. These were often abridged versions of the film itself, featuring its set-up, confrontation, and climax. This type of “mini-movie” trailer became the standard for film trailers in the ’70s and ’80s.
The ’80s saw the rise of big blockbuster films, and as these movies began to dominate the box office, studios focused more on marketing and creating multiple versions of trailers to appeal to specific audiences. This is when the formula of a three-act structure emerged, with the first act setting up the premise of the story, the second driving the action forward, and the third ending with a dramatic climax accompanied by a powerful piece of “signature music.”
While many trailers have an overall predictable structure, there are always some unique elements that occur. For example, some use genre as a selling point, drawing in viewers of a particular genre with spectacle and showing that the film will have all of the fight scenes and explosions they desire. Others rely on the persuasive power of star power, placing emphasis on the biggest names involved in the film. Still, others stray from the formula and use eccentric style and creative editing to sell the film.
The Internet has opened new possibilities for filmmakers, allowing them to reach larger and more diverse audiences for free on YouTube and other online platforms. This has become the sandbox where editors can play, releasing red-band trailers or even footage-less promotions before the actual film’s trailer is released. These recuts, ranging from the hysterical to the serious, give the viewer an opportunity to experience the film through the lens of another trailer—a form of cinematic performance that challenges our perceptions of the film-advertising relationship and blurs boundaries between the commercialized art of filmmaking and the artistic expression it represents.