A good movie trailer twist is always a welcome surprise for cinephiles. Let's have a look at some of the best movie trailers with a creative twist.
Movie Trailers With a Creative Twist
The first movie trailer to ever come out was in 1913 for a musical called, The Pleasure Seekers. Before then, there was no such thing as a trailer that could tantalise the tastebuds of cinephiles everywhere. Fast forward to today where movie trailer making is an industry all on its own.
We’ve discussed in previous blogs, what makes a good movie trailer. When it comes to creative movie trailers, there can be many more techniques added to the editing process to take a trailer from good to out-right brilliant.
Let’s take a look at some of the trailers in movie history that have hidden some big plot twists, as well as those trailers that took creativity to a whole new level.
What is the biggest twist in movie trailer history?
When it comes to plot twists in film, it is absolutely essential that the trailer of a movie, never ever even tips the audience off to how the film might end.
Movies that have left their mark on our collective memories for ever thanks to the surprise endings they’ve delivered include, Se7en, The Usual Suspects, Psycho, Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back and The Sixth Sense. All of these films were preluded by theatrical trailers that intrigued the audience member, but never gave away the plot twist.
From the trailer for Stanley Kubrick’s, The Shining, which simply showed credits and then a river of blood flowing up to the camera through elevator doors, to the trailer for Tarantino’s Pulp Fiction, which was a high-speed crash of music, quick shots, action, drama all in two minutes, the most creative movie tailer twists have ensured that the trailer has been as memorable as the film (and even sometimes more so).
Let’s take a look at some creative techniques used by movie tailer producers, to create the most memorable trailers in history.
What techniques are used in creative movie trailers?
The Choice of Shot
In a trailer, the editor’s need to decide what kind of shot/shots they want to incorporate in the trailer to create the first emotive response they desire. An editor can choose the variety of shots:
- A long shot to establish where the movie is set
- A close up shot can convey deep, intense emotion of a character and allow the audience to connect with how they are feeling straight away.
- Two shots can be a good technique used to introduce two characters and perhaps show the audience what they are doing together - driving, swimming, fighting etc. It can be a great way to establish atmosphere.
- Over the shoulder shots allow the audience to feel a part of a conversation whether it be an intimate one, an angry one or a scary one. It can draw the viewer in quickly in a very intimate way.
Editing Shots
Once the trailer editor understands what emotions they want to convey and what shots they want to use, it’s time to edit them together. Some editors choose long slow edits while others (like Tarantino in the Pulp Fiction trailer) choose short, sharp, almost panicked editing. Different methods of editing, give a different feel to the trailer i.e., calmness, sadness, action, panic, fright and more.
Music
Music plays an incredible role in any kind of movie trailer. Frankly, it’s often the thing that catches the audience’s attention and emotion first. Music enhances the drama of a trailer and should be used to boost the emotion that the trailer editor is trying to deliver.
Have any creative movie trailers ever knocked your socks off?
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FAQs
What is the biggest twist in movie trailer history?
Whilst any great movie trailer should never give away the plot twist of a film, some of the great trailers of all time have done brilliantly in eluding to what is happening and instilling a sense of suspense in the audience.
What techniques are used in movie trailers?
We unpack three essential techniques used by movie trailer editors when creating great trailers, namely: shot selection, shot editing, and music.
