Are "tell all" movie trailers bad?

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strawman

strawman

Dave said:
Well, now we don't need to see THAT movie. I mean, fuck, EVERYTHING is in it. It has the revelation that Mary Poppins was HER nanny and that she saved her father, that she started out against it and Walt talked her into it. And I'm not marking any of that spoiler because it's already been spoiled by the trailer.
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I'm just curious - even though I know a lot about the movie due to the trailer, I still want to see it.

Is this just a case of, "Everyone knows how it ends (the movie gets made! Surprise!) so let's bask in the fun parts of the movie" or does the trailer actually ruin the experience of watching the movie?
 
Chad Sexington

Chad Sexington

Depends on the movie. For me, I don't have the patience for that particular type of film anyway, so I don't care, I won't see it. The fun of discovering that Bruce Willis is dead? Yeah, that'd be disappointing (okay, okay, so everyone I know 'figured it out', I was actually surprised by that twist).

So, I don't know. Sometimes? Depending on the film, and the audience. I also feel like trailers are formulaic. Like, if you told me "They're making a movie about the development of Mary Poppins," I probably would have made that exact trailer.
 
sixpackshaker

sixpackshaker

It is really bad for comedies. Because the people that make the trailers tend to take the 10 funniest moments of a film and make that into the trailer.

I need to go back and watch Neighbors again to see if it is funny, since I have forgotten the trailer by now.
 
Dave

Dave

Staff member
I am of two minds about this. On the one hand, I love movie trailers. In most cases, the movie will never be better than it is in that exact, perfect moment. And if you don't like the trailer, the chance you'll like the movie are almost nil. But trailers that give everything away? Unacceptable. Like the Mary Poppins one? I won't see it. I don't see the need when I already know the beginning, middle and end.
 
filmfanatic

filmfanatic

I'm not a fan of trailers that tell everything. For me, I'm more partial to trailers that are more about giving a sense of the story and the mood.
 
Covar

Covar

I think when it's "Based of a True Story" it's less of an issue than something based on a book or screenplay. For me at least.
 
GasBandit

GasBandit

Staff member
I like trailers that stand on their own, and aren't part of the actual narrative of the movie, and thus don't use movie footage in them (though are consistent with the presentation of the movie).
 
strawman

strawman

Ok, that's something that annoys me. When I see a neat scene in a trailer, but don't see it in the movie, it just bothers me. Like leving leters out of words.
 
Covar

Covar

Pixar does that all the time for their movies, and their Trailers are awesome. Your argument is invalid.
 
Dave

Dave

Staff member
stienman said:
Hey, now, I'm a rational person. Let's put this to the test.

https://www.google.com/search?q="pixar+trailers+suck" --> 7 results. Pretty low, you might be right...

https://www.google.com/search?q="pixar+trailers+don't+suck" --> 0 results.
https://www.google.com/search?q="pixar+trailers+are+awesome" --> 0 results.
https://www.google.com/search?q="pixar+trailers+are+the+best" --> 3 results.

Well then.
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https://www.google.com/search?q=""government+run+by+lizards"" --> 4 results.
https://www.google.com/search?q="moon+landing+is+fake" --> 223,000 results.
https://www.google.com/search?q=""obama+is+the+antichrist+proof"" --> 40,300 results.
 
Tress

Tress

Dave said:
Like the Mary Poppins one? I won't see it. I don't see the need when I already know the beginning, middle and end.
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And here's what I find annoying. What makes you think you already know the begging, middle, and end? You saw one trailer. In it, some parts of the story were revealed. Was any of it the big reveal? You don't know. Was that all of the twists of the story? You have no idea. You just assume so, because something in the trailer was apparently a revelation. You are making assumptions, and then complaining about them as though they are fact. Maybe you're right, maybe you're not, but you don't know that for sure.

Not to mention the fact that movies are also about acting, cinematography, design, direction, etc. Any one of those things could be endearing or fantastic, making the movie well worth the cost of admission. But no, you assume you saw a good chunk of the storyline and decided that was the only thing ever worth watching.
 
SpecialKO

SpecialKO

stienman Low sample size.

I highly dislike "tell all" trailers, even ones based on true(ish) stories. If someone knows the history already, then they'll know it without the trailer informing them. But not everyone might know the history.

Unless the revelations in the trailer are just setups for more revelations in the film. But in that case it's not actually a "tell all" trailer, it just feels like one. In which case, it's a bad trailer.

But then trailers always lie.

 
Dave

Dave

Staff member
Tress said:
And here's what I find annoying. What makes you think you already know the begging, middle, and end? You saw one trailer. In it, some parts of the story were revealed. Was any of it the big reveal? You don't know. Was that all of the twists of the story? You have no idea. You just assume so, because something in the trailer was apparently a revelation. You are making assumptions, and then complaining about them as though they are fact. Maybe you're right, maybe you're not, but you don't know that for sure.
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It's a logical inference based on decades of having movies borked by trailers. You can almost tell which trailers are movie-killers and this one screamed it at me.
 
strawman

strawman

I wonder. It used to be that you were only exposed to trailers that would have appealed to you. If you weren't watching Barney's Happy Fun Time Hour you wouldn't see the trailers aimed for kids, and if the kids weren't watching Days of Our Incestuous Relationships they wouldn't see trailers meant for unemployed adults who hate game shows.

With the internet, though, they have to craft a trailer that has universal appeal. It's clear to me, for instance, when I see a trailer aimed at kids, vs one aimed at adults. The Croods is a perfect example - the kids have a slapstick humor trailer, while the adults have one that focuses on the trial and goal this character is striving for. Based on the kids trailer I gave the croods a pass. Based on later trailers, coupled with reviews, I think I'll see it when it comes to video.
 
GasBandit

GasBandit

Staff member
One trailer that did make me chuckle back in the day was, there was an Austin Powers sequel that was coming out the same time as Phantom Menace (before everyone realized how bad it was going to suck)... and the trailer started the standard "If you see ONE movie this summer, see.... well, Star Wars (Mike Meyers shrugs "well yeah" on screen). But if you see two...!"
 
PatrThom

PatrThom

stienman said:
Are "tell-all" movie trailers bad?
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Yes. If I can take three trailers and edit them together into what is essentially a 3-minute synopsis of the movie, then you have failed at marketing the movie to me.

Excellent example (and the one I use to demonstrate this to people) is the trailer for Terminator 2: Judgement Day.
The way the movie is written and shot, you are given no clue that Arnold is technically a "good guy" until the confrontation in the mental hospital. And that is pivotal.
If you go into the movie after having seen the trailer, then one of the biggest moments in the movie has been ruined for you, and all that setup is ruined.

A movie which does a good job building the trailer is Hustle and Flow. It works hard to build interest in seeing the movie but without ruining the plot or the climax.
Watching the trailer after seeing the movie, you realize just how much they leave out.

--Patrick
 
Frank

Frank

The trailer for the new remake of Carrie is a perfect example of terrible tell all (not that the movie had much of a chance). Unless the film makers have some sort of super twist from the original story/movie, the trailer is literally a synopsis of the story, from her troubled beginnings to telekinetic rampage. It even spoils the big prom moment in bloody detail.

These kinds of trailers are a nuisance.
 
strawman

strawman

Who are they marketing to, then? They are competing for theater goer's dollars. What do they have to gain by spilling the beans all up front?
 
sixpackshaker

sixpackshaker

Frank said:
The trailer for the new remake of Carrie is a perfect example of terrible tell all (not that the movie had much of a chance). Unless the film makers have some sort of super twist from the original story/movie, the trailer is literally a synopsis of the story, from her troubled beginnings to telekinetic rampage. It even spoils the big prom moment in bloody detail.

These kinds of trailers are a nuisance.
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I think the original Carrie had the same problem.
 
strawman

strawman

I wonder if there's a certain type of movie, or a certain audience, that if you've got that type of movie or aiming for that audience you're better off telling them everything than you are teasing them.
 
Frank

Frank

Heh, all of the advertising for Quarantine had the final moment of the film plastered everywhere, from posters to trailers.

Paranormal Activity did the same thing.

Pretty normal activity for horror movies.
 
phil

phil

stienman said:
Who are they marketing to, then? They are competing for theater goer's dollars. What do they have to gain by spilling the beans all up front?
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Showing you that you're going to enjoy the whole thing? With a ticket costing as much as 12 dollars I maybe see less than 10 movies a year. I can't take a chance on an OK movie.
 
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