WHEN ARE TRAILERS SHOWN?

Trailers are made as the film is being edited. The timing of the trailer is important: trailers must be available early enough before the film's release to whet the appetite of potential audiences, but not so far in advance that the film's attractiveness is forgotten about.

I watched three trailers that are current at the moment and discussed both what kind of 'buzz' they generate. I also explored the reasons why they were released in early summer. 

SNATCHED

This trailer promotes a film that is perfect for the summer market as it tells the story of a mother -daughter adventure in Ecuador, a land of breathtakingly beautiful waterfalls and mountains but also stuffed with dangerous individuals who attempt to rob, ensnare and kidnap them. 

Equally important is the humour, as the daughter never planned to holiday with her mother and is only proving a point to the boyfriend who dumped her that she is not afraid of taking risks and having wild fun without him. Younger audiences will recognise the scenario of gap-year long-haul risky adventures and long to share the exhilaration and excitement, such as the lure of handsome strangers and selfies in the jungle, while older audiences will see the funny side of misunderstanding the nature of the 'welcome / whalecum' drink and be in a position to laugh at themselves 'dressed like a beekeeper' pool-side to protect themselves from the sun. 

When the tantalizing lure of 'getting lost' leads to prison and robbery,  the mood darkens temporarily but the 'girls' show their mettle, defying the villains and becoming closer in the process.

This film promises to be a feel-good, wildly funny 'buddy' movie with a twist: mother-daughter bonding and female empowerment in the most unlikely of situations.

WONDER WOMAN

 


The trailer for Wonder Woman is action-packed and dazzles the audience with huge set-piece combat sequences, magnificent sets and a powerful female superhero at its centre.

It will appeal to traditional superhero audiences who know and love the franchise but also to female audiences as a model of empowerment, being the first female-led superhero film that is also directed by a woman, Patty Jenkins. Wonder Woman faces a journey from ancient historical times to modern-day London in the company of the handsome Chris Pine, offering a love interest, as well as humour when a stout Londoner tells her that her Amazonian sword and shield don't go with her modern outfit. 
Apart from the exuberant combat and conflict scenes, which are epic, the film promises spectacular visual richness, in the form of VFX creating scenes of ancient splendour as Diana (Wonder Woman) sets out on her mission: "My sacred duty is to defend the world...in the name of all that is good". Armed with electric lassoos, she is more than a match for the foe as she leaps on horseback, jumps and twirls in the air (wirework) and shows her prowess on both horseback and motorbike in fast-paced chase sequences.

This trailer launches a typical summer blockbuster: an action adventure superhero film that will pull in mainstream family audiences who are looking for thrill, spectacle and a strong female role model.

THE BEGUILED

The trailer for The Beguiled clearly signals its theme, gothic thriller: in a small, claustrophobic school community of young women in rural Mississippi find a wounded soldier in their grounds during the Civil War and take him in to nurse him back to health. 

However, as Nicole Kidman says: 'The enemy is not what we believe' as one by one the girls succumb to the charms of Colin Farrell in the fevered moments of dressing his wounds, bathing his naked body and comforting him in his pains. Rivalries and jealousies emerge and the plot hints at simmering rage and violent outcomes with close-ups of guns, locked doors and women uniting in prayer.

This trailer would probably entice a female audience but it isn't a film for me as it comes across as slow-moving and claustrophobic, with women isolated in a repressive community. The sinister, thriller elements are subservient to the romantic ones and it is clear that a sticky ending awaits the girls as if they cannot all have the soldier, no one single girl will. It is released in summer to meet the need for easy escapism and entertainment with a dark touch.