New Trailers

What actually makes a trailer work in your eyes?

Do you view them as genuine pieces of art, or just glorified commercial promos? (I know they’re technically both, but there has to be a limit to how much "art" can fit into something designed solely to sell a product, right?) Which side carries more weight for you?

😍

I see this trailer as a little beach shack on some deserted coast, maybe with a bed and a fridge. It’s not like Mel Gibson or Renée Zellweger need to wander in, though I wouldn't mind hosting Nicole Kidman, Drew Barrymore, or Mira Sorvino...

but, if they're ever gonna track down my little setup—since they clearly have no clue how wealthy and interesting I actually am—I need bait. A commercial. Even if it's a bit gross, just with a tiny hint of actual substance for the real connoisseurs and experts,
targeting women... that's why I need to leave breadcrumbs through the trailer parks, little hints or clues that there's real content hidden inside this flashy wrapper that matters for both of us.

makes sense? I hope so.

if I could actually figure out how to use that recipe myself, I'd be cooking up a feast instead of just scraps.👎
so, don't ask me, I'm as lost as you are.

Amy Gomez36 said:In your opinion, what actually makes a trailer good?

Do you view them as pieces of art or just commercial promos? (Even though they're really both—but how much "art" can there truly be when the goal is to sell something?) Which side matters more?

😍

For me, the bottom line is simple: it has to grab my attention and leave me thinking—"Okay, I NEED to see this movie."

There’s no magic formula.

Out of all the endless trailers flooding our feeds lately, I gotta pull one aside that actually hit different. It’s the second teaser for A.I.—not the one with the fingerprint on the glass, but the one with those seven words. It's just... different. No flashy, rapid-fire editing or a thousand variations of some overplayed cinematic score. Just hits you right where it counts.

Kevin Wood22 said:I view this trailer as a mobile home parked on a deserted beach—fully stocked with at least a bed and a fridge. It doesn't necessarily need Mel Gibson or Renée Zellweger wandering in, though I wouldn't turn down some company from Nicole Kidman, Drew Barrymore, or Mira Sorvino...

but, in order for them to actually track down my humble trailer (since they clearly have no clue just how wealthy and fascinating of a person I am), I need bait. I need a commercial. Even if it’s a bit greasy, just sprinkled with a tiny hint of actual substance for the true connoisseurs, the gourmets, the experts...
the target audience: women... which is why I have to leave breadcrumbs throughout this forest of trailers and trailer parks. Little hints or clues that there's real content buried beneath this flashy, superficial packaging that matters deeply to both of us. To Her and to me.

makes sense? I hope so.

then again, if I actually knew how to follow my own recipe, I'd be cooking up a feast instead of a snack...👎
so, don't ask me, I'm as lost as you are.

What on earth are you talking about???😕

Give me a little something too...😁

Timothy Morgan38 said:What the hell are you on???😕

Spare some for me too.😁

Look, in English, a "trailer" is just a preview, but a "trailer park" is that pathetic little slum where people live in those mobile homes. Amy Gomez36—who's probably a lit major or studying comparative literature or whatever—decided to leave "trailer" untranslated because it's common enough in American English. Fine. But would it actually kill anyone to just say "movie preview"?

Anyway, my little story above... the trailer... it's about Mel Gibson in Die Hard—wait, no, I think it was the second one—where Mel Gibson lives in a trailer by the beach, bringing in a woman (Renée Zellweger), doing a little thing there...

So then I take that mediocre movie, swap out the lead actress, ditch the shootout and those South African smugglers, bring in a soft romantic lead, and shoot a sweet little romance on a lonely beach... all in a trailer.

But the point remains. The message, the ad, the teaser, the whole vibe of the trailer... I covered it. Isn't that what a trailer is supposed to do? Just give you crumbs?

Get it now, buddy?😁

By the way, wasn't it fascinating when there was actually a movement here in America to introduce "prelude" as the official American term for a movie trailer?

goldberry said:random thought—there was actually an attempt once to push "prelude" as the official American word for a movie trailer.

I mean, what’s wrong with just calling it a "teaser"? It's not like there isn't a perfect way to say it; we just have this weird obsession with using foreign loanwords.
The word "trailer"... anyone else feel like it's just dragging on forever?
Usually, you see "trailer" used in finance apps or messaging too,
where it acts like a "tag" or a label to track a transaction or a message history... so everything just gets stretched out, trailing behind like a long tail.

So yeah, "trailer" works fine if you're talking about a little clip next to an ad on some website,
but personally? The term just grates on my nerves.

Kevin Wood22 said:Look, in English, a "trailer" is just a mobile home, while a "trailer park" is that miserable little slum where people live in those things. Amy Gomez36—who is a moderator and probably some literature major, maybe Comparative Lit or something similar—could have used an actual American word for trailer, but she smartly decided not to translate it. We use the word "trailer" all the time here. But honestly, would it kill you guys to just say "movie trailer"?

So, my little story from above... the trailer... Mel Gibson is in Die Hard, I think it’s the second one, where Mel Gibson lives in a trailer on the beach, picking up a woman (Renée Zellweger), doing a little flirting there.......

Then I take that mediocre movie and inject my own film into it. I swap out the lead actress, ditch the shootout and those South African smugglers, bring in a tender, romantic girl instead, and blast a soft romantic flick on a lonely beach..... in a trailer.

But the point of the message—the ad, the cover, the teaser aspect of the trailer—I've "covered" it. Isn't that what trailers are all about? Just breadcrumbs...

Get it now, my friend?😁

I know exactly what you were trying to get at...

It's just not clear to me what you're 😁

Come on, give me a hint, hehehehe

Kevin Wood22 said:I mean, what's actually wrong with just calling a movie trailer a "trailer"?

Nothing really, except that we already have our own go-to term here: a teaser.

Seriously though, has anyone else ever actually heard someone use the word teaser? 😕

If we have to go with some foreign loanword, fine, let's just use "trailer." But this local version? It sounds like something a bunch of old-timers would grunt while hiding out in the Midwest. It’s an ugly word, even if it's become part of the slang—just like how we say "sports" or "screwdriver." Honestly? Gross.

Hey, Kevin Wood22!
I’ve heard from plenty of people that they think that term sounds totally gross and just doesn't fit the way we talk here in the States, so trust me, you aren't alone on this one. 🙂
Personally, I don't really care what they call it, as long as they don't try to invent some weird, made-up American word for it.

I am just such a huge fan of trailers, trailers, trailers, trailers, trailers! 🙂

In my opinion, a teaser trailer is only successful if it manages to capture the entire vibe of the movie in about 30 seconds—just enough to hook you and make you actually want to go see it—and then, crucially, the movie itself has to actually deliver on that promise.

But nowadays, they design them so that every single one looks "great," only for you to show up at the AMC theater and walk away with nothing but disappointment and zero substance. 🙂 🙄

Let's try to come up with a uniquely American term for a movie trailer...😁

A teaser? 😁

😂 ...so... 🤔 ...movie buff? 😁

trailer 😛

Milslim, you there?
Man, you really tried to act all cool with that "trailer" comment.
Look, it’s not like the whole world is out to get you... maybe show a little grace?
People can throw around words like that as much as they want...
Just enjoy your movies and don't go thinking that's actually what a spoiler is called, okay?😎

What if we just called them Miroslav? 😛