Whats the formula for movie trailers?

[yoda313]

Is there a hard and fast rule for action movie trailers??? I just watched the mi3 trailer on divx.com and was wondering that.

Movies like Star Wars and stuff always manage to put a ton of scenes into a 1 1/2 or 2minute trailer but not make it look dull. Whats the secret to good trialers??? I also find it interesting how sometimes they'll put the important finale scene in a trailer but since you don't know the story line you don't know you're seeing a glimpse of the end of the movie.

So is there a school for trailer making???

[Conquest10]

There is a formula. It applies to demo tapes (or reels) but I'm sure it also could apply to movie trailers. If a movement on screen lasts more than 2 seconds, that is too long.

[BJ_M]

show T and A first , show action ... cut scene less than 3 seconds usually ..

you got 10-15 seconds of any trailer to 'hook' someone ... after that it is just filler ....

[guns1inger]

There is also the trend to putting teasers out before you have any real footage filmed. MiB2 was a good example - use footage from the original film and/or trailer, throw in a new logo, and call it a teaser (or worse, advertise this new 'preview' as a reason to buy the DVD of the first film, as they did here).

Bond films are the other extreme. You basically get all the action set pieces, although not always in order, as well as the girls. In most cases you don't need to watch the actual films.

[lordsmurf]

Put all your best clips from the movie into the trailer, and then disappoint all the moviegoers when they realize they already saw all the good parts. Seems to be the formula lately.

[adam]

You guys forgot the most important part, have a voice-over by some guy with a really deep, dramatic, and fake voice.

[MackemX]

You guys forgot the most important part, have a voice-over by some guy with a really deep, dramatic, and fake voice.

https://forum.videohelp.com/viewtopic.php?t=296130

I didn't and it's just irritating at times

[yoda313]

Bond films are the other extreme. You basically get all the action set pieces

Although they too do the super-teaser trailer. For Die Another Day you saw this icy landscape and it pulled away to show a ppk that fired flame out with the date of the movie release.

I think for World Is Not Enough they did a short trailer with some footage but did the countdown time and ended at .007 seconds