What Makes A Movie Trailer Good?

I have written four posts now critiquing what I believe to be examples of good and bad movie trailers. In this post, I will give the criteria needed to produce a great movie trailer.

Execution

This refers to the editing, storytelling, and flow of the trailer. It is here that I ask questions such as: Was it well put together and did it move at a good pace? Did it tell a good story without giving away the entire plot? Was I confused at any point? Was it too long or too short? Was the soundtrack relevant and exciting? Could I read all the subtitles if it was a foreign film? These are the technical factors that I look at when reviewing a trailer. The new Harry Potter trailer is a great example of a well-executed trailer.

Emotions

This refers to the feelings or emotions I get from a trailer. If it is an inspiring trailer such as “Conviction,” I ask myself: Was I emotionally moved by what I saw? If it is a horror trailer such as “Insidious,” I ask: Did I get Goosebumps or a chill? If it is a comedic trailer like “The Hangover 2,” I ask myself: Did I laugh at any point? If it is an action movie of any sort like “Die Hard,” did it make me say, “that looks gloriously awesome!”? These are all questions I keep in mind when watching a trailer and many times, I watch it two or three times to really get the feel of it.

Overall

I am not saying that a trailer must have all of these factors to be a great trailer and I am also not saying that if it is a great trailer, it is going to be a great movie. A trailer might have great execution but no emotion or visa versa, how it is put together is completely up to the editors. Sometimes all a trailer might have is some amazing special effects and partial nudity, it really doesn’t matter. What matters the most is whether it makes an audience want to see the movie or not. What I have stated previous is just a rubric to think about when reviewing a trailer and chances are, if it doesn’t have any of the things I mentioned previously, it isn’t a very good trailer.

When you are sitting in the theater watching preview after preview, a good trailer is the one that makes you say “Oh! That movie looks good!” If a trailer has done that, then it has done its job.