I should have figured. Is the selection for such focus groups really bad, or really good and shows the contrasts between an average Joe and an enthusiast who'd voice their opinions? Well, yes....
It turns out we only have ourselves to blame. Or, more specifically: focus groups.
I should have figured. Is the selection for such focus groups really bad, or really good and shows the contrasts between an average Joe and an enthusiast who'd voice their opinions?
In editing these trailers, "big" moments often elicit the strongest audience responses and also serve to remind viewers the film being marketed is unlike anything they’ve seen before
Well, yes. It's called a "climax" for a reason. But if you show your biggest moment you don't have much more to rely on for the actual theatrical run. I guess that just shows the incentives at play; "butts in seats", whether they like the movie or not is irrelevant.
Until it isn't and word of mouth overcomes the 100m ad push. Very short sighted.
What I relate it to is McDonald’s. The reason McDonald’s is a tremendous success is that you don’t have any surprises. You know exactly what it is going to taste like. Everybody knows the menu."
Comparing a directors vision to a fast food chain really proves the point some have about how the Movie industry sees itself these days.
Fast food is tolerable because it's cheap ; you can't want to "be like McDonald's" and then still charge $20+ for a ticket and $20 more for some popcorn drink combo.
"People don't like it but almost everyone that says they don't like it go[es] to see the movie," Blum told Insider in 2020. "The trailer really isn't for those people that are so tuned in, it's people who are kind of thinking they may or may not go. One of the ways to get them to go is to show them a lot of the movie in a trailer. And I thought we should have shown more of the movie in The Invisible Man trailer."
I'm ambivalent about this mentality of "well we got that audience already", but it's probably the fairest take in the piece. Horror is a particularly sticky genre, though. Not many others can get away with a nigh built-in audience, especially if they are a new IP. Would a romcom get the same appeal if you reveal all the best jokes in the trailer? I guess if they see it (and the audience) as fast food it doesn't matter.
But when the industry is complaining about declining visits, it seems self-fulfilling. Like everything else, movies got more expensive and arguably declined in quality. If you lose that prestige and at least aren't gonna be a cheap social experience, the results are obvious.
This was a frustrating read, but frank. So I appreciate that there was no sugarcoating around why they do it. Fairly concise as well.
IMO the latter. The reality is that the media landscape is very competitive now. A movie needs to compete with TikToks and youtube videos and the newest video game and so forth and so on. If...
Is the selection for such focus groups really bad, or really good and shows the contrasts between an average Joe and an enthusiast who'd voice their opinions?
IMO the latter. The reality is that the media landscape is very competitive now. A movie needs to compete with TikToks and youtube videos and the newest video game and so forth and so on. If you're not "in" to cinema, then a vague trailer just isn't going to outcompete the rest for attention. You need a strong hook, and often that requires revealing some of the plot.
For what it's worth, I also don't think it's the case that spoilers harms the experience all that much for people. Personally, I've watched several movies in the last year because someone spoiled something that caught my attention.
In some way's, it's similar to in media res on a meta level.
If you knew that Vader is Luke Skywalker's father, does that really make the Star Wars movies an unenjoyable experience to watch? I wouldn't say so.
I think the Long Legs trailers are a really good example of this. I don't think the movie was actually that good in the end (though had lots of excellent pieces throughout that I just don't think...
I think the Long Legs trailers are a really good example of this. I don't think the movie was actually that good in the end (though had lots of excellent pieces throughout that I just don't think got brought together very well), however I think the subtle trailers leading up to it made it a film I really looked forward to seeing. Explicitly because I wasn't sure what I was in for. That said, my draw to horror started relatively recently in my life (about 4 years ago) after getting bored of a lot of other stories in general. I realized horror is a bigger genre than I'd previously understood and I love that it's a genre that can will consistently surprise me. So I don't really fit the "spoil the movie in the trailer because I don't know if I want to watch it" mold being discussed in the piece. I love a trailer that barely gives anything away because I'm seeking that surprise and mystery. 🤷
As a result I just avoid trailers for films knowing I personally will probably enjoy it more of I don't watch the trailer and just check a few reviews on rotten tomatoes to get a sense of the film.
I wonder if there is a selection bias that is difficult to overcome when assembling focus groups for this kind of thing. Just doing a quick cursory search, focus groups in the US pay $20-30/hr for...
I wonder if there is a selection bias that is difficult to overcome when assembling focus groups for this kind of thing.
Just doing a quick cursory search, focus groups in the US pay $20-30/hr for a few hours, usually during business hours. Personally, I wouldn't take time off work for that, and I doubt any of my peers would either. So middle-class working professionals like myself are probably under-represented.
On the one hand: The bulk of the money made for movies is not from from people who are going to care if you spoil the film. These copy paste trailers are a product of success. Making "people mc...
On the one hand:
The bulk of the money made for movies is not from from people who are going to care if you spoil the film. These copy paste trailers are a product of success. Making "people mc punch face 35"? Here's a very reliable and CHEAP way to get a trailer made that will get enough people to watch (remember it's not all just theater goers but streaming viewership and all the other down stream stuff).
On the other:
People notice novelty. Trailers are SO predictable in their structure, pacing, tone, sound effects, etc that it can all quickly become background noise. It doesn't stick out, so you don't remember, so you don't pay attention when it does come out, and there's no "hype/buildup".
I'd be curious to see the breakdowns in the industry of what they think actually turns a profit, but I do believe there's movies and shows that have probably had higher than expected success from a good trailer/marketing campaign.
It's interesting to read this straight after seeing the new trailer for Project Hail Mary. That trailer contains quite a few spoilers, so it's got people talking about it. One of the theories is...
It's interesting to read this straight after seeing the new trailer for Project Hail Mary. That trailer contains quite a few spoilers, so it's got people talking about it. One of the theories is that the spoilers are there deliberately to show people what kind of movie it is and so they know what to expect and don't feel cheated (in this case, it's a family-friendly movie, not a thriller). This article pretty much supports that theory, but with the added context that focus groups specifically say that they want to see more of a movie. That surprised me as someone who likes a good twist, but it's not surprising when thinking about how most focus groups are chosen.
These focus groups are chosen with the angle of maximizing bums on seats. They supposedly represent the mass market, but that of course does not represent healthy chunks of the population, especially the movie buffs.
Which is precisely why I posted it, that trailer gave away the twist, and after learning why a few years ago, it helps me steer clear of trailers more and more.
It's interesting to read this straight after seeing the new trailer for Project Hail Mary
Which is precisely why I posted it, that trailer gave away the twist, and after learning why a few years ago, it helps me steer clear of trailers more and more.
I should have figured. Is the selection for such focus groups really bad, or really good and shows the contrasts between an average Joe and an enthusiast who'd voice their opinions?
Well, yes. It's called a "climax" for a reason. But if you show your biggest moment you don't have much more to rely on for the actual theatrical run. I guess that just shows the incentives at play; "butts in seats", whether they like the movie or not is irrelevant.
Until it isn't and word of mouth overcomes the 100m ad push. Very short sighted.
Comparing a directors vision to a fast food chain really proves the point some have about how the Movie industry sees itself these days.
Fast food is tolerable because it's cheap ; you can't want to "be like McDonald's" and then still charge $20+ for a ticket and $20 more for some popcorn drink combo.
"People don't like it but almost everyone that says they don't like it go[es] to see the movie," Blum told Insider in 2020. "The trailer really isn't for those people that are so tuned in, it's people who are kind of thinking they may or may not go. One of the ways to get them to go is to show them a lot of the movie in a trailer. And I thought we should have shown more of the movie in The Invisible Man trailer."
I'm ambivalent about this mentality of "well we got that audience already", but it's probably the fairest take in the piece. Horror is a particularly sticky genre, though. Not many others can get away with a nigh built-in audience, especially if they are a new IP. Would a romcom get the same appeal if you reveal all the best jokes in the trailer? I guess if they see it (and the audience) as fast food it doesn't matter.
But when the industry is complaining about declining visits, it seems self-fulfilling. Like everything else, movies got more expensive and arguably declined in quality. If you lose that prestige and at least aren't gonna be a cheap social experience, the results are obvious.
This was a frustrating read, but frank. So I appreciate that there was no sugarcoating around why they do it. Fairly concise as well.
IMO the latter. The reality is that the media landscape is very competitive now. A movie needs to compete with TikToks and youtube videos and the newest video game and so forth and so on. If you're not "in" to cinema, then a vague trailer just isn't going to outcompete the rest for attention. You need a strong hook, and often that requires revealing some of the plot.
For what it's worth, I also don't think it's the case that spoilers harms the experience all that much for people. Personally, I've watched several movies in the last year because someone spoiled something that caught my attention.
In some way's, it's similar to in media res on a meta level.
If you knew that Vader is Luke Skywalker's father, does that really make the Star Wars movies an unenjoyable experience to watch? I wouldn't say so.
I'm surprised too because vague trailers can be very enticing
I think the Long Legs trailers are a really good example of this. I don't think the movie was actually that good in the end (though had lots of excellent pieces throughout that I just don't think got brought together very well), however I think the subtle trailers leading up to it made it a film I really looked forward to seeing. Explicitly because I wasn't sure what I was in for. That said, my draw to horror started relatively recently in my life (about 4 years ago) after getting bored of a lot of other stories in general. I realized horror is a bigger genre than I'd previously understood and I love that it's a genre that can will consistently surprise me. So I don't really fit the "spoil the movie in the trailer because I don't know if I want to watch it" mold being discussed in the piece. I love a trailer that barely gives anything away because I'm seeking that surprise and mystery. 🤷
As a result I just avoid trailers for films knowing I personally will probably enjoy it more of I don't watch the trailer and just check a few reviews on rotten tomatoes to get a sense of the film.
I wonder if there is a selection bias that is difficult to overcome when assembling focus groups for this kind of thing.
Just doing a quick cursory search, focus groups in the US pay $20-30/hr for a few hours, usually during business hours. Personally, I wouldn't take time off work for that, and I doubt any of my peers would either. So middle-class working professionals like myself are probably under-represented.
On the one hand:
The bulk of the money made for movies is not from from people who are going to care if you spoil the film. These copy paste trailers are a product of success. Making "people mc punch face 35"? Here's a very reliable and CHEAP way to get a trailer made that will get enough people to watch (remember it's not all just theater goers but streaming viewership and all the other down stream stuff).
On the other:
People notice novelty. Trailers are SO predictable in their structure, pacing, tone, sound effects, etc that it can all quickly become background noise. It doesn't stick out, so you don't remember, so you don't pay attention when it does come out, and there's no "hype/buildup".
I'd be curious to see the breakdowns in the industry of what they think actually turns a profit, but I do believe there's movies and shows that have probably had higher than expected success from a good trailer/marketing campaign.
It's interesting to read this straight after seeing the new trailer for Project Hail Mary. That trailer contains quite a few spoilers, so it's got people talking about it. One of the theories is that the spoilers are there deliberately to show people what kind of movie it is and so they know what to expect and don't feel cheated (in this case, it's a family-friendly movie, not a thriller). This article pretty much supports that theory, but with the added context that focus groups specifically say that they want to see more of a movie. That surprised me as someone who likes a good twist, but it's not surprising when thinking about how most focus groups are chosen.
These focus groups are chosen with the angle of maximizing bums on seats. They supposedly represent the mass market, but that of course does not represent healthy chunks of the population, especially the movie buffs.
Which is precisely why I posted it, that trailer gave away the twist, and after learning why a few years ago, it helps me steer clear of trailers more and more.