I love movie trailers. There’s something great about sitting in the movie theatre when the lights go down and you know that the previews are about to start. In a lot of cases, trailers turn out to be better than the actual films that they’re advertising (see: every Michael Bay movie).
However, I’m not alone in noticing a startling trend in movie trailers that show too much of the plot. Some previews feel like an abbreviated version of the entire film. This seems especially prevalent in romantic-comedies. Some of the worst offenders that come to mind are Letters to Juliet, Leap Year, and What’s Your Number? Maybe the studio execs know that their film is completely formulaic and figure they have nothing to lose? And while that may be true, I always find it annoying, even if it’s a film I have no interest in ever watching. (What does it say about me that I’ve seen two out of the three films I just mentioned, though?)
Indie movies can also fall victim to this, though. A lot of big-budget action vehicles can get away with fast editing, rock music, and a few big explosions to make for an adrenaline-pumping trailer. But when a movie revolves around relationships and smaller drama, it can be difficult to make an exciting trailer without giving away major plot points. Some indie trailers really succeed, while others give away key plot points that don’t happen until well into the film.
So, I’ve decided to conduct an experiment. I’m going to watch four movie trailers for upcoming indie films that I know very little about. I’m not going to look at plot descriptions beforehand. After watching the trailer, I’ll record my thoughts about what I think the movie is about, and the overall effectiveness of the trailer. Let’s begin.
Starring: Kristin Scott Thomas, Ethan Hawke
Director: Pawel Pawlikowski
This trailer does a nice job of building tension. At first, you’re not sure about the relationship between Hawke and Thomas’ characters, but as it progresses, something sinister begins to bubble to the surface. The music really adds to the suspense. However, I think they gave too much away later on by revealing that Hawke’s daughter disappears and that Thomas’ character seems to have something to do with it. They could have hinted more subtly at the sinister goings-on, perhaps by showing rapidly edited snippets. Overall, though, the trailer sells it as interesting-looking thriller, and I am intrigued.
Starring: Paul Dano, Zoe Kazan, Chris Messina
Director: Jonathan Dayton, Valerie Faris
I really like this trailer. It makes the basic premise of the film (a writer who somehow writes one of his own fictional characters into existence) very clear, but doesn’t go too far into plot details. I was afraid that they’d start showing some of the inevitable breakdown of this relationship between the writer and Ruby, but instead they subtly just hinted at it with a couple shots. It also doesn’t seem to give away all of its jokes in one trailer. It’s a simple trailer, but it made me want to know more about the characters.
Starring: Bradley Cooper, Zoe Saldana, Jeremy Irons, Dennis Quaid
Director: Brian Klugman and Lee Sternthal
This trailer felt very choppy and strange to me. I found it difficult to decipher. Bradley Cooper’s character seems to have stumbled across a manuscript that he steals and claims as his own, and that seems to be one written by Jeremy Irons. But how does Dennis Quaid play into it? Is the wartime storyline Cooper’s original novel, is it the storyline from the novel he steals, or is it memory from Irons’ past? It seems like the trailer gave away quite a bit from the movie, but it’s hard to say, since it’s so difficult to follow. (The official plot description doesn’t offer many hints, either.) However, the trailer does have some nice imagery, and visually, it makes the movie seem appealing.
Starring: Juno Temple, Kay Panabaker, Leslie Mann, Kate Bosworth
Director: James Elgin
This gives off the feel of a typical kind of “indie” movie trailer, but it’s done very well. You’ve got the impressionistic imagery, the rousing indie rock song, and the minimalistic fonts. But it all comes together well and gives a nice feeling of teenage revelry. It doesn’t give too much away, but it gives us a good sense of who the main character is. The trailer sets the stage for the teenage roadtrip storyline, without getting too much into the details of what happened. I’m definitely now interested in watching this movie.
Beyond the Multiplex 
I want to watch all of these movies now..great more indie movies to add to my big list of indie movies I want to see! lol anywho so your post is awesome your voice is awesome and your scanability is awesome…basically I have nothing to critique on this post or your blog. My only comment, indie films are indie films because their trailers aren’t so revealing as a big box office film. Most people want to know most of the plot of a storyline so they can decide whether they want to see the movie or not, that’s why box office films do so well, where as with indie films,because they don’t tell people much in their trailers, people can’t be bothered. It’s a sad but true fact. It’s kind of like when people read the ending of a novel to decide whether they want to actually read the novel or not.
Honestly, you’re an amazing writer. I was impressed after your seminar today. I might not be interested in indie films, but your writing is like a piece of art. One day I hope I write as well as you.