- Hi, my name is Jessica Fox,
and I am a creative director, helping
to create some of the teasers and trailers
you might have seen in theaters, on television, and online.
I'm wanna talk a little bit today about what a trailer is
and how a trailer gets made, and point out some
of the common trends and tropes that you might find
in some of your favorite trailers.
So sit back, grab a snack, silence your cell phones,
and enjoy the show.
[groovy music]
At its most basic, a trailer is a marketing tool used
to build interest in an upcoming film.
In two and a half minutes, you have to convey
to an audience what this film has to offer
in terms of story, spectacle, stars, and style.
You might have noticed that some of your favorite trailers
might be told in similar ways
or have similar elements to them.
There's a reason for this.
In the industry, and film in general,
it's something that's referred to as a trope.
The two and a half minutes isn't a lot of time
to convey the full expression of a film
to an audience and get them excited to see it.
So creators of trailers rely on tropes
to help convey a lot of information to an audience quickly.
One of the most recognizable tropes in trailers
is the use of narration, specifically the In A World Voice.
- [Narrator] Here, in a world where the sun burns cold.
- [Narrator] But in a world
where grownups make all the rules.
- [Narrator] Three strangers
[energetic music]
will travel to the mystical realm of Out World.
- This narration can very quickly
and concisely tell you what the plot is,
some of the main themes you're going to experience,
or some of what you might feel.
The reason why you might've noticed the trend
of this In A World Voice is because it really works.
It grabs the audience's attention in the beginning,
it helps walk you through some of the most important parts
of the story, and it allows you to understand the world
in which this movie lives.
There became a time where audiences did grow to expect it,
and there were other methods
that could convey similar information.
As the decrease in narration happened,
we saw a rise in graphics instead.
So some of this information was then conveyed in cards.
It's hard to say why any particular trend
or trope might fall out of favor.
Sometimes audiences feel that they've seen it a lot
and it's an indication that a certain film might not
have something new to offer.
Sometimes it's that the industry itself
is ready to tell a story in a different way.
And as films evolve, as television evolves,
so does the marketing for film and television.
And with tropes that have existed for a period
of time, even as perhaps we don't see them prevalent
in today's trailers, there are then trailers
that bring them back as a self-referential
or humorous device.
So there's a number of trailers that have come out
that have used an idea of the In A World,
and have used it to play on the trope
that used to exist in trailers.
- [Narrator] We live in a time of unparalleled danger.
- [Narrator] In a world within our world,
they created a world.
- There are trailers that have used this In A World feeling
to evoke certain trailers of a time period.
One in particular is the recent trailer
for "The Dead Don't Die."
That opens with some creepy narration,
setting up this quiet town.
- [Narrator] In this peaceful town,
on these quiet streets, something terrifying,
something horrifying is coming.
- It's very reminiscent of early Romero films.
- [Narrator] For the few remaining,
their only hope of survival is to find a cure.
- And that's done to deliberately create a space
for the audience to remember that, to feel that type
of genre, so that when you are in this zombie genre,
you have certain expectations.
So when the trailer takes a turn toward the comedic,
it surprises those expectations.
Now we're gonna watch the first seconds of a trailer,
and I'd like you to see if you can spot the trope
that this trailer uses.
[light jazz music]
- Give me a kiss goodnight.
- Did you see it?
This shot places you in the location
that the film takes place, and does so typically
in a very beautiful and scopey way.
It's that sweeping, aerial shot that tells you immediately
what the location is.
This can be seen in action films, thrillers,
horror films, and even comedies.
The reason it's so pervasive is that this movie has scope.
It's big, it's going to promise a lot of scenery
and a lot of beauty.
So for films, especially in more independent films,
or films that are really focused on interpersonal stories,
you might find that a lot of the action,
a lot of the story, takes place in maybe one room,
or just a few smaller locations.
Many dramas might feel like they take place
in a house or over the course of a dinner.
By having a wide establishing shot to start the trailer,
you're showing and promising the audience
that there's more than maybe what might feel
like a claustrophobic set.
Another trend you might have noticed in trailers
is the use of a preview pulse.
It's a deep sound that emanates low
and swallows you up as it brings you into the story.
[low dramatic tones]
- [Narrator] A single idea from the human mind
can build cities.
- The preview pulse many audiences are aware of
is this deep, guttural pulse, this tone,
this all-encompassing, starts at the bottom
and grows and comes back.
It's a swell, but it's a deep, percussive bass swell.
This sound has become recognized across trailers.
It's typically used in genres
that are more thrilling, more suspenseful.
It makes the audience lean in, take notice.
- [Man] It's not a weapon. [coughs]
[high-pitched tone]
[dramatic blatant tone]
- [News Anchor] We're seeing heavily armed forces
being deployed into District Nine.
[dramatic blatant tone]
- It very quickly sets the tone of the trailer,
and thus, the film.
It tells the audience
that there'll be some moments on tension.
There'll be suspense.
It tells the audience that this film
has something that you need to pay attention to.
[dramatic music]
- [Woman] Wake me up!
Wake me up!
[dramatic blatant tone]
- This sound works incredibly well
in genres of action, of suspense, thrillers,
movies where you know you're going
to be taken on a ride, there's gonna be some adrenaline.
But it would feel incredibly out of place
in a trailer for a romantic comedy.
- You complete me.
[dramatic blatant tone]
- So, just because this particular trope
works very well in a number of trailers
that you might've seen doesn't mean
that it can cross all genres like some other tropes
might be able to.
There's another trope that's become rather common
in trailers, and this is the repetition of sounds.
This could be one sound in particular
that continues to repeat throughout the duration
of a trailer.
Perhaps it's a breath, perhaps it's a hit, it's a heartbeat.
[breathing and thumping heartbeat]
- [Man] They fry you if you're wrong.
[thumping heartbeat]
[rapid thumping heartbeat and ringing]
[high-pitched wailing]
- It's something that is brought in with a visual
or with a mention in a trailer.
It's brought in for a reason, and then it persists
throughout the entirety of the trailer,
reminding you of its presence.
There's also sound design elements
in the repetition of sound design
that switch as the trailer, and build upon each other,
as the trailer progresses.
So why is this trope so effective?
Every trailer has a pulse, and repetition of sound
allows for a building on that pulse.
So you might start with a heartbeat.
[thumping heartbeat]
And as that's going on, you introduce another sound.
Maybe a car door slams, maybe a door opens,
and you hear a.
[thudding]
Maybe you layer in a hit.
Maybe there's a whoosh element.
[thudding and whooshing]
All of these sounds start layering on each other
and as they build, so does the story.
So what you started with, your little introduction,
by the end of the trailer, you have all of these sounds
and all of this information.
What you might start with and what you end up with
is the journey.
[thudding]
- I've had marital problems.
- Honey, I think it's time that we start talking
about a divorce.
- Larry, we're gonna be fine.
[thudding and coughing]
- Professional, you name it.
- Larry, we've received a number of letters
denigrating you and urging us not to grant you tenure.
- I need help.
- We're gonna be fine.
[screeching tires and shattering glass]
- [Larry] I've tried to be a serious man.
- [Man] We're gonna be fine.
- [Larry] I've tried to do right,
be a member of the community.
- [Man] We're gonna be fine.
[screeching tires and shattering glass]
- What makes this trope so effective
is when the sounds are motivated by important things
that are happening in the film itself.
If you're watching a character experience a moment
and they bang their head against a desk,
and that sound gets repeated, you're feeling
that anguish each time.
If you're watching a character really excited
and they get up and they cheer
and that cheer keeps repeating,
you're feeling the excitement, as well.
[synchronized clapping]
- [Man] I sat in a garage and invented the future.
[synchronized clapping]
- Sound design is also a great tool
to help convey emotion, when it might be difficult
to convey plot points in order to get to that emotion.
So in situations like that, it's less important
to give the whole story as it is to give the feeling
to the audience, of what it feels like to be
on this journey and to watch this film.
So instead of having to explain all the steps
a character might have taken in their journey,
you can more quickly do it by hearing
that grunt, by hearing that sound design,
hearing that labored breath.
- He's afraid.
[heavy breathing]
He knows how far I came to find him.
- Another thing to keep in mind when creating a trailer
using this repetition of sound as a device
is to make sure that the sound is within a rhythm
and a heartbeat that matches the pacing.
So for instance, as you start layering in your sounds,
they're each building on one another in a constant rhythm.
So whatever your trigger sound is,
whatever started it, will continue,
and each layer will build on top of that
so that it's its own piece of music.
So each sound element from the film
is like an instrument in an orchestra
and you're having them all play together
to create a really rich sound
and a rich experience for the audience.
[percussive clapping and drum hits]
- Red or black?
♪ Baby let me love you ♪
- In addition to making sure that the sound
has its own rhythm and every sound element
is working well together, a thing
to keep in mind is to make sure
that they're established visually, as well.
And it's important as you're building sounds
and building these layers
that each time a new one's introduced,
you give the audience a moment to understand why it's there.
The sound is information.
It's telling you something that you,
as a viewer, need to know.
A more recent trend you might have noticed
is the use of a bumper.
This is a short piece that precedes the trailer
to grab the audience's attention immediately.
Now that trailers have moved from the theater
to people's personal computers,
and now even their phones, the ability
to click away from that content is ever-present.
Since 2000, the average attention span
has gone from 10 seconds down to eight seconds.
And with this is more pressure on content creators
to make sure to engage the audience
in those first crucial seconds.
One way marketers have found to do this
is by the creation of a bumper.
This is typically a six, eight-second piece
that precedes the trailer and gets your interest immediately
so that you'll stay watching the full trailer.
These bumpers can be special shoots
that might introduce the trailer.
Perhaps a cast member or director inviting you
to watch the trailer for their film.
They might be special shoots that riff on the idea
of a trailer, or speak to it ahead of time.
- This is Meg, Amy, Beth, and Joe.
- It might be a great joke that could be in the trailer,
or might not even be in the trailer,
it might be in the film itself, that just brings you in.
- It's time to nut up or shut up.
- Often times, they're material from the trailer itself.
A little best of, if you will, of what you're about to see.
The point of these bumpers is not to give anything away
before the trailer.
The point is just to show the audience
that this is something you're gonna wanna see.
It's to get that audience's attention
in those first very crucial seconds
and make sure that they stay to watch the whole thing.
Bumpers can be used across genres.
In a drama or in an indie film, in something more focused
on storytelling, rather than trying to get the plot in
in this first six seconds, you might just show some
of your main characters and a little bit of the pedigree.
See who the director is, see who your main characters are
so you get a sense of what the cast is.
For comedies, it can be great to start a bumper
with a joke.
Something that already has you laughing,
so you're going into the trailer prepared
to laugh some more.
- [Kid] My parents have a CPR doll.
We can practice kissing on that.
- How was it?
- [Kid] Sticky.
- It's crucial that those first few seconds
get the audience's attention immediately
so they wanna stay and see what else you have to say.
A lot of research has been done recently
to show that these bumpers do, in fact, work
to help engage the audience further
and to make sure they stay to watch the full trailer.
And with so many opportunities to click away
and move on to something else,
any advantage you can have to make sure
that your audience wants to see everything you have to say
is an advantage you wanna take.
So with attention spans decreasing
and content increasing, there are new things
that we might be seeing in the industry down the road.
While people are still going to the theater
to enjoy a film, many people are also watching
that same film at home, or even on their phones.
So as content moves the way we move,
there'll be new ways to view it.
Some things that are being discussed
in the industry already is breaking movies
into smaller, more digestible pieces over a period of time.
So someone could watch a full two-hour movie
in eight to 12-minute increments on their phone.
Tropes will likely continue to exist in trailers
as they do in all storytelling
because they're a tool that will allow you
to convey a great amount of information
in a very succinct and impactful way.