Last week my question about the new trend of showing the first few minutes as a preview before another movie has had a lot of comments. The majority of you did not see this as a positive development. Some of you also let me know that you were not a fan of trailers at all. Jaina from Time Well Spent even decided that she would stop watching trailers based on the discussion. Trailers are of course a necessary evil. The movie companies know that in the cinema you will not walk away when the commercials start and this is a place you have the attention of the viewer. It is the perfect place to sell the next movie you are putting out and you want to get people excited (which unfortunately is done by showing the best jokes and the best looking shots, even when those are from the climax of the movie). Still it is a shame people do not have an option to not watch them. This made me think as there are a lot of people who do enjoy them, but for those who don’t want to be spoiled it is hell to sit through them (which for me is usually staring at the floor with headphones on). What would be a way to improve this? I had the thought of placing the trailers after the movie. This way fans of trailers could remain seated to watch them, those who hate them would just leave. Of course the movie studios would never do this, but hey, a man can dream right?
Do you think playing the trailers of upcoming movies after the feature film instead of before them would be a good idea?
No, that wouldn’t be a good idea either. You already saw the movie. What’s the point of seeing trailers after a film?
You’re right, it would never work, but *promoting* a potentially popular trailer to play after a screening might keep a few bums in seats. I remember half the cinema stayed to watch the “trailer” for Matrix Revolution after Reloaded during the opening week, so I guess as long as it’s for a film people want to see, they’ll stay. Marvel films have proven people will stay in their seats for a few seconds of extra footage…. so why not trailers?
Sometimes long/boring movies makes people want to leave immediately, so it seems the ‘only’ way for people to see it is before the movie. Sometimes I enjoyed the trailers, but for some trailers I already seen and didn’t like, I would just check my phone or do something else. I never see much trailers unless it’s in the cinema, because it’s better to see the original film.
Bad idea.
Very few people stay in the theatre for the end credits. I can’t imagine the trailers after the feature would make audience members stay.
Also, by having the trailers before the feature, stragglers to the theatre are coming in during trailers and not disturbing the film.
Hi, Nostra:
I usually sit through the closing credits of a film just to get an idea of whom to give credit or discredit to.
Not a fan of previews and trailers before a film. Nearly all contain the inventory of a film’s “Money Shots”. And with a little imagination. One can pretty well piece together the offering from three to five minutes of rapidly edited scenes, quips and catch phrases.
Which speaks more to the writers than anyone else in the development and evolution and execution of a cinematic project.
Putting clips and trailers after the final credits really won’t keep people in their seats. And cuts down on time for the theater’s cleaning crew between films.
Bad idea.
Very bad idea. Not nearly enough people will stick around to watch them making them fairly useless to the studios. Plus, there are some other issues as a few others have said. I’m okay with the trailers before a film as they are now. However, I would like to see them shortened. Way too many times, an entire movie is given away in a 2 or 3 minute trailer. A minute or 90 seconds should be more than enough time to entice people to want to see your film without making them feel like they already have and therefore, skipping your movie even though it has a kick-ass trailer.
I like having trailers before the movie because it gives audiences extra time for finding seats, plus there wouldn’t be much incentive to stay after the film to see the trailers.
Probably not a good idea, from a film studio’s point of view. They’re not guaranteed eyeballs on their trailers. So that would definitely not happen.
And since I said no more film trailers, I’ve stuck to it! Not seen a single one voluntarily. I was exposed to a couple in a TV ad break, but I’m not seeking them out. It is hard though! I’m so used to judging whether I want to see a film based on a trailer I’ve sought out.
I’ve always enjoyed trailers before a movie, but as they reveal more and more my position has changed a little bit, so I can totally understand why you and others would want to avoid them. Now that they’re guaranteed to include some of the film’s most jaw-dropping shots and best lines (if not all of them!) it’s becoming a little annoying to say the least, but I still see them as an essential part of the cinema experience and it’s one that, on balance, I look forward to.
Think the trailers at the cinema have become slightly redundant now anyway. Now they are so accessible on the net, most trailers have been seen many times before they are shown at the cinema. I doubt they’d be hugely missed from the beginning of movies.