The History of the Movie Trailer

[@DuhAverageJoe]

The movie trailer has come a long way since its inception! What were once the typical, straight-to-the-point advertisements has now become works of art as cinematic as the films they promote.

[@JNLJProductions]

Thanks to Inception, its like a must for EVERY action movie to have multiple BWAAS in the trailer

[@ValpasKankaristo]

BWAA

[@rclark777]

IN A WORLD *BWAAAAA* A HERO WILL RISE *BWAAAA* OPENING FRIDAY *BWAAA* RATED PG-13 *BWAAA*

[@SamLovesMovies25]

One thing I don't really like in trailers nowadays is that they, in my opinion, tend to spoil too much. For example, trailers for comedies have half the jokes in the trailer, horror trailers have half the scares in them, etc. I don't want to know everything in the movie before I even get to see the actual movie. That's why I usually just watch the very first trailer for a film and avoid all subsequent ones, because I've found they usually get worse in that regard as more trailers for the film come out.

[@FilmmakerIQ]

+Sakura4anime25 Maybe the problem is those movies need more jokes and scares in them ;)

[@miguelrealp]

Haha, Watch 60s trailers, Some of them literally tell you the hole plot Sakura4anime25 Filmmaker IQ Despite that, good movies managed to captivate and transport people to their universes. Maybe, the problem are not the trailers, but the lack of passion and creativity in some movies

[@irixperson]

+Sakura4anime25 Try watching the trailer for "Dr. No" - it basically shows the whole movie plot.

[@mamoladk]

I agree; trailers show way too much of the movie. Trailers should ideally not show the bad guy/monster of the movie. I usually avoid trailers and teasers for movies (or tv shows/tv show episodes for that matter) that I know I will be watching. Movies like the next Terminator movie, the next Jurassic Park/World, the next James Bond etc. or movies with certain actors/actresses in them or something about the plot or the title that catches my attention. I also have not watched the trailer for the coming Doctor Who Special, Twice Upon A Time as I want to see the new Doctor in action in the actual episode. I want to see the new dinosaur when the next Jurassic movie opens, not five months in advance. There is a reason why Christmas presents are wrapped. In a way, trailers are spoilers.

[@JA-yz8eq]

Of course they use the strongest jokes in trailer they're selling a comedy. As action movies have the biggest shots in their trailers. Essentialy once you've bought a ticket to see the film after viewing it's marketing the studio does not give a single fuck.

[@RCAvhstape]

Somehow I had never seen that Strangelove trailer, thanks for that. It's fantastic.

[@JA-yz8eq]

My grandad recorded the sound for Dr Strangelove and The Italian Job

[@rambacu]

It's quite refreshing to watch someone speak fluently, without too much editing, which can easily push away your audience; also great topic, this was the only suggestion when I typed those exact words.

[@arjaegonz]

It's amazing how one of the first forms of trailers are still used today in other media such as TV series, most especially anime shows which still use the ''On the next episode of...'' which strikingly resembles the old movie trailer format.

[@katesas232]

I love the way storyteller is doing his work. Thanks, i was reading a lot about the trailers, but this video is the best for showing the history of that art. XXXX

[@montage2726]

Thank you for posting. Always enjoy seeing and learning from Filmmaker IQ videos. Appreciate you shedding light on the Voiceover part of movie trailers. Only a few men, with exceptional voices, have had careers in film and television doing Voice-overs and voice work. Lafontaine is fortunate to have a voice like that. What a cool way to make a living?!?!? Here are some other noted VO talents. • Percy Rodriguez (Jaws, The Exorcist trailers) • John Facenda (NFL films) • Mike Road (Race Bannon) • Paul Frees (War of the Worlds) • James Earl Jones(Darth Vader) • Orson Welles (Citizen Kane) • Mel Blanc (Bugs Bunny)

[@FilmmakerIQ]

Following the link to the article write up at the site - we have a cool news report that interviews several of these "Million Dollar" voices ;) filmmakeriq.com/2014/03/the-history-of-the-movie-trailer/

[@montage2726]

Filmmaker IQ Thanks for that link. Watched that report and the other trailers. Keep up the hard work! :)

[@ugcheleuce]

Having seen mostly US-style trailers for most of my life, it was a bit of a culture shock when I moved to the Netherlands, where movie trailers typically have no voice-over. All sounds and dialogue in the trailers are from the actual film. As with US-style trailers, the scenes in the trailer are not necessarily in chronological order, the sounds and voice sounds may not be from the actual scenes depicted, and the trailer may give an impression about the movie that is different from what the movie is actually about. But the lack of a narrator is a striking difference.

[@TheRantMaster53]

I'm so disappointed that you didn't mention the Clockwork Orange trailer, probably the best trailer ever! Any, great video. I always look forward to new installments.

[@FilmmakerIQ]

This one? kzbin.info/www/bejne/nZ7QZp2bmq1ro7s Kubrick up to his old tricks ;) - well you got 2 Kubrick trailers in this one - we may have reached our Kubrick Quota here... :P

[@BrianBerneker]

Love the Kubrick trailer!

[@adrianlackey5107]

Not bad. I got some information I didn't have before. Note: Not one single frame in Psycho made its way to the trailer. Even the woman screaming in the shower wasn't Janet Leigh. It was Vera Miles. A fact attributed to the fact Hitchcock cut the trailer before he even filmed the shower scene. The clip expunges a few subjects: Like the TV spot(s), pre-production teasers (In fact it could have explained the difference between trailer and teaser), and how Roger Corman revolutionized the trailer in the 1950's with his time at American International. Specific titles supered over action came as a result of Universal's reissue of Frankenstein and Dracula double feature in 1938. Hearing record scratch in a trailer for a comedy is a sure sign the movie is terrible and should be avoided.

[@MrAhmadAtaya]

i liked your videos before i watch them, thank you for your work

[@MrNosferatuG]

so happy i found your channel! thanks a lot for all these videos :D!

[@GamersGrind]

John does such an awesome job on these I feel like I am taking a cool fun night course in film making and appreciation. Keep these up!

[@Pauldjreadman]

Nice to see you back, I have been telling people about the history of pop corn as I work in a sweet shop :)

[@ditarf85]

Informative and entertaining, as always. Thank you John!

[@bleachedout]

These videos are all so interesting. Cannot wait for the next one :)

[@Gorkab]

Great subject for a great video, thanks a lot John ! :)

[@lanexxx32]

I would love to see a video about the history of frame rate.

[@FilmmakerIQ]

You'll get your wish - frame rate will be next on the list.

[@thedude7614]

Probably isn't much in the way of frame rates

[@FilmmakerIQ]

You'd be surprised.

[@mosesgarcia9443]

I loved this one. Great work.

[@MeindertdeHaan]

Your videos are the best!

[@retrolectrovideo]

So good! I collect your best presentations...

[@tomripsin8321]

Your videos are always informative & enjoyable. Have you done one about the history of screen titles & credits yet? They too have gone from a basic cookie-cutter formula to quite creative approaches done by studios specializing in just on screen text.

[@suavemaurice]

I love your videos. I suggest them to lots of actors and filmmakers a like. I was wondering if maybe you'd consider doing a series on genre. Maybe a breakdown of Suspense and how it is created in film. How the same shots if edited, shot, scored, or acted differently could be a drama or a comedy? This is just a thought. I'm working on understanding how to make things more suspenseful. I'm a huge Lost fan and have been amazed at how Suspense and Horror are two genres that can accomplish great things, but with small budgets by shooting around things they can't show.

[@lillygarfield4531]

I just found your videos. Love them!

[@GDF2]

John, excellent work as always! I don't know if you remember me, but we've exchanged emails before regarding history and film. I sent you one of my research papers from graduate school concerning censorship and the Hays Code. Just wanted to let you know I've posted this on LinkedIn in the history groups I follow and to say I really enjoy the videos you produce and the website. If you guys ever need a historian keep me in mind!

[@merasanam]

7:48 the old house and the motel are actually in Hollywood and is part of the Hollywood studios tour.

[@lynnturman8157]

There's a definite niche for somebody to take the classics from the studio era & create new modern trailers. The original trailers to a lot of those great movies are painful to watch, many of them. The other thing that's interesting is that many times the original trailer uses a different take of a scene than was used in the final cut of the film. Examples: It's a Wonderful Life, It Happened One Night, The Hustler.

[@dbwindhorst1]

But when did voiceover narration become common in trailers? I've long tried to figure this out, but it's made difficult by so many surviving examples not being for original releases, but later rereleases. For instance, on the rare occasion when an original 1930s Universal horror trailer does turn up, it's lacked narration; by the late 40s (and certainly by the early 50s), a new trailer for rerelease of that same film *may* have acquired narration. The "Casablanca" trailer included here is narrated -- but is it for the original 1942 release, or the 1949 (or other) rerelease? btw, my vote for greatest trailer v.o. artist goes to Percy Rodriguez, heard here over "Jaws."

[@FilmmakerIQ]

I think it was pretty early on just at least by 1930 - as soon as sound was introduced you could have an announcer talking about the movie just like a radio announcer.

[@dbwindhorst1]

@@FilmmakerIQ Thanks kindly for the reply! I just wonder when voiceover became common, much less de rigueur, considering how often, how late, it's absent. This is kind of fun: The trailer for MGM's "Mark of the Vampire" (1935) features Lugosi's narration, sometimes onscreen and in character: kzbin.info/www/bejne/m6rZgJeBopWYetE

[@petop3]

I feel an urge to go to the Cinema and support a film!

[@SuperWhiteLightning8]

Great video! You do a lot of videos on the history of film, which I like, but I'm curious as to how you see the future of film. For example, what do you think of the the over abundance of indie films making it harder to stand out? Also video games and the internet keeping people from seeing movies.

[@FilmmakerIQ]

The future is such a big question to answer in a KZbin comment - but yes - there is a huge over abundance of films. Indies are making the mistake that people are interested in them just because of their indie-status. Unfortunately the media landscape is so competitive right now, just being indie doesn't mean anything. Now more than ever is about establishing an audience, and technology has made it extremely easy to interact with that audience. But we're not that far removed from the pioneering generations of filmmaking. The medium has always been one of overabundence and competition from other mass entertainment mediums - there have always been people who can strike out and make it work - but everybody's story will be drastically different. And as I always say in closing - you got to make something GREAT. There is always a market for GREAT content.

[@JJ-uu7vi]

This is so great thanks

[@EverClever]

Filmmaker IQ posts a video? This Monday, just got a little better.

[@DDBurnett1]

I just realized that the Jaws overture sounds like The Rite of Spring.

[@andrewau1993]

Hello I am a film student in hk. I think that you should make a video about fillm poster also. I guess there is great knowledge within. Hk films has long neglected the importance of advertising. Thanks.

[@FilmmakerIQ]

A. Andrew The National Screen Service was probably more involved in Posters than trailers - their system of poster distribution is what many collectors use to figure out what release the poster was made. This is an interesting subject - we may visit that sometime in the future :)

[@RCAvhstape]

When I was little I had a Star Wars movie poster, a copy of the ones they posted in theaters. I used to love to show that off to my friends, it remains one of my favorite movie posters of all time.

[@alexanderdelacruz9249]

Au Andrew true.

[@Lia-uf1ir]

11:59 Oh, that's where the line is from! Haven't seen Jaws yet.

[@peytone5387]

Thank you for pronouncing Kubrick's name correctly.

[@FilmmakerIQ]

+Peyton Ennis first time in the history of this channel has anyone commented that I pronounced something correctly!

[@tiberiius]

I feel you skipped over the modern era pretty quickly. I thought you'd get into how the editor of a trailer or score plays such a heavy role now to replace don lafontaine. Showing specifically how the editing style has changed.

[@FilmmakerIQ]

Going into the 70s and on, the field and diversity of styles quite literally explodes. There really isn't one "editing" style or even ten - there's hundreds - it's fast commercial art and they're always trying something new. But that also illustrates a problem with modern history - it's not written yet. But we waited to highlight a few things like Don LaFontaine because he was so iconic to our modern trailer sensibilities.

[@bnjmv]

trailers are their own genre, my friends and i make mock trailers instead of short films because trailers are more fun to edit

[@PaulKretz]

7:06 *I wonder...* how the hell they could record such clear voice? There's no wires, no boom pole, no wireless lav mic... Obviously that feels like a studio voice-over, but damn, it's so perfectly synced! Is it? In one long take! Tell me if you know, please.

[@FilmmakerIQ]

Great question, never thought about it before. It might very well be ADR where he did record his voice in a studio to match.

[@PaulKretz]

@@FilmmakerIQ What is ADR? 😐

[@FilmmakerIQ]

ADR is Automatic Dialogue Replacement - its where an actor records their lines in a studio while watching and mimicking themselves on a screen.

[@PaulKretz]

@@FilmmakerIQ Thank you! I didn't know the abbreviation before! Just can't get why it is called automatic. Looks to be exactly the opposite - manual 😃 In this particular scene I don't imagine any other way, rather than ADR. Sounds too clean to be on site live recording.

[@FilmmakerIQ]

Yeah it's weird why it's called automatic... The automatic part actually refers to the looping of the footage. When you do ADR you run it in a loop over and over and over again - that part is the automatic part

[@tiberiius]

Your video was a good general look at trailer history. Do you think you will try to break down the evolution further in another video?

[@tynis]

But where do the word "trailer" actually came from?

[@bringyourownheart]

+Quốc Duy Ngô A trailer or preview is an advertisement or a commercial for a feature film that will be exhibited in the future at a cinema. The term "trailer" comes from their having originally been shown at the end of a feature film screening. That practice did not last long, because patrons tended to leave the theater after the films ended, but the name has stuck. Trailers are now shown before the film (or the A-movie in a double feature) begins. - Wikipedia

[@playerpage]

Because, until the advent of Digital Theaters, the movie ads were always included on the tail-ends (they were literally "trailers") of the film reels sent along from the studios. Whether they were shown first or last, it didn't matter. The theater showing them would find them in their shipment "trailing" with the rest of the movie. (First-hand film worker experience talking.)

[@cholaempayar2037]

this guy is awesome

[@mfshanghai]

THANKS JOHN!

[@MiguelT2006]

You forgot to talk about the revolutionary trailer for 'Citizen Kane', created by Orson Welles himself.

[@petitio_principii]

I wonder if there are channels on YT who do edits of new trailers for older movies, hopefully not just revamping it for current styles, but trying to create good trailers just for the sake of it. Not in a comedic style like "honest trailers", but also not being like those "dishonest trailers" that promise a different movie than the one you'll get, much less those that spoil the entire movie rather than just honest "ticket bait" moments.

[@robfriedrich2822]

I saw a trailer, where the main character spoke with the audience, seems, it was shot while the usual film making.

[@robfriedrich2822]

These kind of trailers I like the most. More impressive, because not so distant as the usual advertising.

[@lmiddleman]

Seen Strangelove maybe a dozen times, but it took seeing the trailer to realize "Jack D. Ripper" or "Jack Dripper" is the perfect name for the dude who goes nuts after _la petite mort_.

[@NelsonStJames]

Becoming more common nowadays that the trailers are better than the films they are trying to pitch.

[@fuckenps3]

Easier to wow and keep audiences interested for just a couple of minutes, especially when following proven formulas. Also with the wealth of 90 mins+ of footage it's easy to find at-least something to interest audiences AKA 'the best bits'.

[@kingemocut]

hey john, can i ask about 2 things? 1) could you explain why blockbusters are called that? 2) have you watched Metal Gear Solid Philanthropy?

[@FilmmakerIQ]

The term blockbuster originated in the 1940s and was probably named after the blockbusting bombs used in World War II - the idea was that a show could "devastate" the competition by it's sheer popularity: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blockbuster_(entertainment) Haven't seen Metal Gear Solid Philanthropy...

[@kingemocut]

Filmmaker IQ ah, thanks john! :D I'd recommend hat if you have some time, that you do watch it, it's an awesome movie, that you can kinda see the rough edges at the start, but it ends up looking like a (fairly) high budget movie, leaving you wanting more. i'd reccomend you'd also get the Subtitle track, as the movie does have some russian in it, and it helps to know what it is they're saying, despite only being there to add more authentisity. Even the creator of the Original IP praised the movie ( twitter.com/Kojima_Hideo/status/10005698896 ) www.mgs-philanthropy.net/main/?page_id=166&lang=en

[@GamersGrind]

Filmmaker IQ The real question is have you ever been stumped by a film question like this and what was it ;)

[@kingemocut]

Gamers Grind well played.

[@jeffmissinne3866]

I have to disagree with the claim that National Screen Service produced the trailers for all the studios. Every studio, even Monogram and PRC, had a trailer department more-or-less connected with the ad department that designed posters, etc. There were definite individual "house styles" to trailers from each company. NSS, however, did handle "print service" (physical distribution) of trailers, along with posters and stills for all companies, and also produced date strips, "snipes," etc.

[@scotgat]

It's too bad you couldn't devote more time to the history of movie trailers. I've always been interested in them. One thing to consider is that, like movies, there are good trailers and bad trailers. But they won't necessarily tell you whether or not a movie is good or terrible. One example is the trailer to the 1960 "The Innocents" with Deborah Kerr. This is an example of an awful trailer for a very good movie. Another example is the trailer for the Bette Davis movie, "Mr. Skeffington". The trailer for this movie is down right misleading in relation to actual plot of the movie. For classic Hollywood, I believe one of the better constructed and compelling trailer (from this period) is the trailer for the 1937 "A Star Is Born". It truly makes you want to see the movie. Thank you for your efforts!

[@MeetAlexChannel]

Good video!

[@Impheatus]

What happened to HD version?

[@philipcooper8297]

It is shame no one does the Hitchcock trailer style anymore.

[@DareToWonder]

i really want to make mine a trailer thats just a key scene from the movie. nothimg more nothing less. old school dawg

[@HILMOluiigi]

i have always asked myself: where does the term "trailer" come from?

[@RMoribayashi]

A good trailer for a bad movie can pull in enough for the first weekend to hopefully break even. A bad trailer can totally destroy a good movie, especially by bringing in the wrong audience and having them expect a totally different film.

[@miguelrealp]

+RMoribayashi scream, Shawshank redemption

[@btafan11]

Flight

[@laurencestemarie]

Arthur Lipsett style was the ''inspiration'' rip-off of the DR Strange love trailer,. funny story behind that worth looking for.

[@FilmmakerIQ]

Thanks for that tip... though I wouldn't say "rip off" - Lipsett was offered the job after all but it didn't work out.

[@DreamWevr]

How do you create a movie trailer voice over

[@itsdigitalmagic]

nice video, any plans on making something about diffrent video transitions?

[@thewhitewolf58]

How did blanka turn from this into something that makes me think about a vampires castle (I was born in 1995 and 70s movies are the oldest I've seen)

[@Leverquin]

omg that dr stranglove trailer :O

[@trmaline9272]

I thought it was brief just and interesting.

[@rodgerollins]

Are trailers protected by copyright laws?

[@FilmmakerIQ]

Generally yes, but in practice the studios are happy to have trailers shown anywhere

[@elijahfordsidioticvarietys8770]

No trailer has ever actually done a serious “in a world...”.

[@gojiplusone]

The original Alien has the best trailer ever IMO...

[@roxonogueira]

Well you could finish by saying that trailers today are just a mix of action driven motion blurred footage divided by annoying fades to black.

[@arnavvlogsgaming9356]

dude what are the answers cause ceebs During what year did film trailers first appear? 1913 Who is credited with the idea of the first film trailer? What was the footage of? How did Col. William Selig extend the idea of a film trailer? How did the early trailers encourage the public to go back to the theatre?¬ Why is a film trailer called a trailer? List the common features of early film trailers. Which organization did the movie studios outsource all their trailers and poster productions to and for how many decades did they do this? Who started the organization and in what year? How did Alfred Hitchcock redefine the movie trailer in the 1960’s? What were the key features in Kubrik’s bomb trailer? Refer to symbolic, written, audio and technical codes? How does the Jaws film trailer differ from early trailers? How was the distribution of Jaws different from previous methods? Who is the ‘voice of god’ and how many trailers has he voiced? Today the role of the movie trailer is more important than in previous years - why?

[@FilmmakerIQ]

Dude do your own homework...

[@arnavvlogsgaming9356]

Filmmaker IQ woooooow I give you a like and that’s how you treat me

[@FilmmakerIQ]

Yup!

[@PaulKretz]

9:13 - Put_in on the left? O_o

[@Rob_-dv6ei]

I find it annoying that most trailers for older movies are 4 minutes long and literally give everything away.

[@johnk.lindgren5940]

kiitos

[@HakendaNatan]

good

[@CharlesTheClumsy]

I hate self advertisement, but I just want to say I made a modern trailer of Batman from 1966.

[@FilmmakerIQ]

It's only self promotion if you put a link to that trailer in your comment ;) But because we're talking about trailers - there's nothing wrong with that :)

[@FilmmakerIQ]

I think you need more BRAAHHMMM!!! :P

[@JasperHayward]

240p?

[@FilmmakerIQ]

It's a KZbin glitch... It was playing in HD before... looking into it.

[@FilmmakerIQ]

Filmmaker IQ Actually this may be a Google Chrome issue, or a cookie thing. Opening the video using Firefox shows a lot more resolution options.

[@JasperHayward]

Okay sweet. Yea thought it must have been something like that. Thanks for the help :)

[@thewhitewolf58]

I hear the old castle blanca is a crime movie yet these days castle Blanca brings up monsters how that come to be

[@FilmmakerIQ]

+matt carnes Castle Blanca or Casablanca?

[@dakat5131]

14:17 - I see what you did there

[@phatnarwhalstudios]

I like how you talk like 1 screen theaters no longer exist. I actually don't like going to a huge multiplex.

[@jhelgeson2116]

it seems sometime the trailer exposes the Crux and watching the film is anti- climatic ! but a trailer probably does its best job if it over plays the movie!

[@jennytdtw]

Inception is the best movie ever!!!

[@hamursh]

You know, your voice is kind of like if Penn Jillette was much nicer.

[@Valor06]

Too bad the bulk of trailers these days give away the entire plot in 40 seconds or less.....

[@mamoladk]

Like putting the "I am your father!"-scene in the trailer for that movie it appears in! :-O

[@tripjet999]

There is no Year "zero." It would be Year one.

[@FilmmakerIQ]

There is no Year Zero in the Gregorian Calendar - but I'm not using a Gregorian Calendar in the turn of phrase. This term is closer to Zero Hour or "Ground Zero" - to reference a zero starting point - it wouldn't make sense in any other system to start with 1. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/0_(year)

[@stafonvoncamron]

Dr, Stange trailer was annoying had to skip past it.

[@charlesmurphy2482]

Asian als toy barn?

[@elijahfordsidioticvarietys8770]

Man that Jaws trailler is tottaly racist against sharks.

[@elijahfordsidioticvarietys8770]

If I were a shark I’d be very offended.

[@CyPorter]

Good video!