Today's movie pushers are all about the slow build. The idea is that, by exposing the components of a movie, audiences will want to see them worked into a glorious whole. Frequently, however, the wax wings of promotion melt under the glare of the projector light. It is a risky proposition.
The idea of teaser trailers, teaser campaigns and a deluge of images isn't exactly new, but it is certainly something that has taken a hold of society. A good example is Star Wars, which has a thirty year legacy to draw upon for promotions. Separate aspects from separate properties can be combined to create something transcendentally exciting, like footage of Attack of the Clones set to some narration, further combined with the distinctive sound of Darth Vader's breathing. Multiple posters pop up, showcasing different characters - some established, some that people have been alerted of ages in advance - all, inevitably, merchandisable.
For one memorable month, Town Hall station was plastered with Yoda, Vader, and General Grievous. Despite the fact that, in a properly sequenced world, Vader would have been the grand reveal, he served as the great appeal. I dare not watch Revenge of the Sith again lest it not measure up to my greatest cinematic experiences: three times in a week, first at the midnight screening (you've probably already made up your mind, but I am not "that guy"), then on the Friday screening after which I went out to dinner with friends ("Force beard!"), then, on the Tuesday when I had to hold the hand of my friend Rola to keep her safe from all of the atrocities being committed on screen.
That's an example where the the trailer (in this case, Alec Guinness' voice over set to footage from A New Hope ... essentially a trailer composed entirely of old material) did not outshine the movie.
You can say the same sort of thing for the Harry Potter franchise - and I believe that the sequence-image tactic is incredibly effective with franchises. Now, more than a month past Order of the Phoenix cinemas are still bedecked with character cut-outs; in many cases, they don't even require any visible form of branding at all. If you see Rupert Grint brandishing a wand, you know what you're getting.
So let's look at what I would consider a failed attempt: 300. 300 is an instance of grand promotion for a film that is profoundly lacking in genuine grandeur. With multiple, warlike posters of red and brown, there was a brutal, bloody feeling of excitement for the movie. This was visceral advertising.
There were no teasers for 300, just the one trailer:
It's a great trailer, isn't it? Sadly, that trailer is the movie. All of the best parts are featured in it. A trailer is allowed to exclude things for the sake of promotion, but if you see a feature length movie and it is lacking what should be expected of it, it's hard not to be let down. With Xerxes as a "sexiopath" intent on not so subtly sodomising the Spartans, the Athenians as "boy lovers" and nary a homosexual Spartan in sight, there's something distinctly missing from this equation.
Of course, something lousy can be given new life, as we learned from our discussion of fanfiction/slash/fan-video discussion (and perhaps more on that later), and the gays had their revenge.
Brings a tear to my eye.
3 comments:
the teaser that would hope to build anticipation, to whet the appetite of the public and ensure they spend their 13 bucks on opening night, rather than wait til tight-arse Tuesday or happy-hour at the video shop (where they hire it and burn it anyway), doesn't care what the movie it serves to promote is actually like. The teaser's got it easy in many ways. All it has to do is find 30 seconds worth of entertainment in 90 to 200 minutes of footage. It has to emulate the plug that got the movie made in the first place. It seems obvious that a great idea for a movie doesn't always translate that way on screen. The plug wants to entice, to excite in the same way the screen writer or director wants to excite the people with the cash, so that they will hand over if they're titillated. In the mass-consumer age of cinema, obviously, word of mouth can eventually kill a movie, but the teaser can ensure that its a slower, more excruciating experience(for the cinema viewer) than it should be.
while on the topic of money and movies. The great thing about the first three Star Wars movies was that
they created an entire universe with a rich history, yet allowed this collection of worlds, and their combined past, to retain mystique. Lucas managed to destroy the mystery that surrounded the relationships and stories that were alluded to in episodes 4 to 6 by depicting them with surprisingly unconvincing digital effects, really really bad new characters, and wooden acting. In many ways the allusion to story, what is left out, created much of the appeal of the original films. We can see that the ability to tell more of the story of the Star Wars universe destroyed its mysterious and powerful allure. (I hated the new movies).
The 300 is a perfect example of a movie that shows all the best bits in the preview. What a disappointment.
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