Hey. It’s been a while. I might be a little rusty at this writing thing, so give me a break.
NOTE: For the abridged version of this entry, please scroll down.
How many people here like to see movie previews? I remember days of old when that was one of the best parts of going to the theater, and the reason you always made sure to get there on time. But where does this fascination over watching previews come from? If I were to guess, I’d have to say that a big part of it is simply for the bragging rights. Just having the knowledge of what was shown in a preview has always been a legitimate source for a conversation. Heck, I remember being filled with pure excitement over the purchase of a new Disney animated feature on VHS, cause they always had a sneak peek at their next big cartoon. Then I’d go off and tell all my friends about it who hadn’t gotten the film yet.
But times they are a-changing. Used to be that theaters were the only place you could go to get a taste of the movies coming to a theater near you, and every now and then on the telly. Nowadays, with the ridiculous reach of the internet and all kinds of cross-media advertising and promotions, I feel that trailers have lost a lot of their importance and excitement, and unfortunately have started going the other way and become damaging.
The internet has essentially placed the world at everyone’s fingertips. Information is distributed endlessly and consumed at superhuman speeds. Instead of satiating people’s hunger and making them stop, it seems to have given them an even bigger appetite that cannot be satisfied…ever. People just want to know. They want to know more and more, and fast. Which results in a decreased level of patience. Anything that takes longer than what their bandwidth allows is an eternity. Therefore, one single trailer in the theater for a movie that will come out in a year is unacceptable. Everyone will forget.
So what’s the logical answer? Release more and more trailers. With each one that follows revealing more and more of the story. You’ll basically see the whole movie before it’s even out. Or at least the best parts. And then they show it on TV over and over and over again. And then you get these ones that are like over 3 minutes long that reveal waaaaay too much of the story. There’s no mystery anymore. Doesn’t anybody like to be surprised by what they see?
I’d like to hear other people’s thoughts on this matter. It’s something I’m kind of passionate about. I honestly don’t get it. Now it’s become a bragging right to know spoilers that others don’t know about; or even having seen the movie online somehow before it’s even released in theaters. It doesn’t make any sense. Help me understand!
ABRIDGED VERSION: Trailers suck.
...i'm sorry my sister turned your parents into pigs
