Movie trailers and the recent trend of spoiling the movies
Trailers are undoubtedly the most effective form of marketing for films as the medium has evolved to where trailers are found everywhere. Prior to television and Internet, the only place to watch movies was at the theatre. As such, movie trailers were integral in the marketing process because the access was limited. In an age where nothing seems sacred and knowledge is widely accessible, is the movie trailer as relevant as it used to be? I would argue that trailers are vital in creating excitement and anticipation for the film, but anything more than that is a detriment to the film. A movie trailer that reveals too much ruins the movie because the audience knows what to expect and is not surprised.
Movies that rely on a sense of nail biting suspense and on the edge of your seat action lose the intensity because the thrill is undermined by the trailers. For example, I found that the Deadpool trailer revealed too much almost giving away all the best jokes and the plot of the movie. Deadpool was an excellent movie, but I prefer movie trailers that are exciting and keep the spirit of the main film, making us want to watch the full movie. Trailers should help generate interest and maintain the essence of the film, but anything beyond that ruins the fun of storytelling. When you read a book, or someone reads or tells you a story, you don’t skip to the end to figure it out before just to know; you go on the journey with the characters sympathize and ultimately caring about what is happening.
Once the plot is revealed and the character’s fate is shown before the book is finished, the interest in finishing the book is gone. When a trailer reveals the plot, and seemingly the most important features of the plot, why finish or go see the movie if you already know what is going to happen? The process seems redundant and a waste of time because we already know everything so watching to the end seems unnecessary. As viewers we become detached from the film as the expectations are what we have seen in the trailer and once those are met the rest of the movie is irrelevant as watching the movie becomes a formality. For Avatar, Funny People, Sum of All Fears, The Island, Terminator Salvation and Cast Away, the entire plot is revealed, and in some cases, the big twist that film is centered around is spoiled in the trailer. The glaringly annoying example is the Carrie trailer that features a narrator that tells the audience everything they can see for themselves and the rest of the film.
Film trailers should reveal very little and I would argue for trailers to be abolished, instead revealing short teasers or posters. The most effective movie trailers were: The Dark Knight, Godzilla (2014), The Watchmen, Inception, Pulp Fiction, X-Men Days of Future Past, Man of Steel and Alien. These trailers are effective because they give enough details but not enough to reveal everything. The price of movies have increased making the film going experience valuable and trailers should make seeing the movie a treat, sweet, satisfying yet we yearn for more. The value of the trailers lies in what they don’t reveal and what they do show, how effective is it in the presentation. The Alien trailer is an excellent example because the trailer packs in enough darkness, dread, and terror to keep audiences terrified but wanting to see the film.