Trailers. A New Medium?

[sylekage]

We've all seen them. Trailers for games and movies that take your breath away, and you wonder to yourself, "how could anybody pack so much awesome into three minutes?" Trailers that make you want to hunt down a certain song in them to the ends of the earth. Trailers that leave your jaw dropped the entire time.

These trailers can make even the most awful sounding game look so bad ass, that you absolutely have to try it. The trailers can be anything from cinematic to game play, truth telling, to secret hiding. Though some trailers can be the most amazing thing you've ever seen, the game/movie could be absolutely terrible, yet they reel you in all the same.

So my question, fellow Escapist, is, are trailers becoming a medium in their own right? Telling a story in 2-3 minute pieces that can give you a wide emotional range? And what are some of your favorite trailers that sold a movie or game right then and there?

Personal favorites of mine right now are Halo: Reach Deliver Hope, the Dead Island trailer, and Deus Ex: Human Revolution. All trailers that are just made of pure awesome.

 

[realslimshadowen]

I had a terrible, terrible concept a few years back that is basically your idea. In the future, shortening attention spans means that people will go to the movies and pay to see trailers. Just trailers. People sometimes reminisce about completed storylines and quiet, nuanced acting, but they acknowledge that "longies" will never work again.

 

[IBlackKiteI]

I've seen short videos that I find much greater than many full length films, but game trailers don't come close to having the same effect on me.

 

[AvsJoe]

Well, I haven't seen many game trailers, but the guys who make movie trailers have it down to a science. Hell, they even have their own genre of music. Here's an example of "trailer music", in this case a cover of a classical tune by a group who only makes music for trailers:

 

[Who Dares Wins]

Trailers usually lie. A lot. Hype you and get your hopes up and then when the final product sucks you can kill yourself. So trailers suck. If there is no final product I guess they're okay then.

 

[sylekage]

Well, I haven't seen many game trailers, but the guys who make movie trailers have it down to a science. Hell, they even have their own genre of music. Here's an example of "trailer music", in this case a cover of a classical tune by a group who only makes music for trailers:

Oh yeah, I have a lot of that music. From Globus to Immediate, to Immediate music. Like I said I saw a trailer that made me hunt down that music and got hooked immediately

 

[AvsJoe]

Well, I haven't seen many game trailers, but the guys who make movie trailers have it down to a science. Hell, they even have their own genre of music. Here's an example of "trailer music", in this case a cover of a classical tune by a group who only makes music for trailers:

Oh yeah, I have a lot of that music. From Globus to Immediate, to Immediate music. Like I said I saw a trailer that made me hunt down that music and got hooked immediately

Same. I have a ton of trailer music. My ex-flatmate has several Immediate Music songs on his computer and I was hooked after hearing the first one I clicked. It was this one, actually: Imperativa with choir.

 

[gbemery]

Trailers tease and lie. It isn't any different then a commercial. Its kind of like when ads play on fear to get you to buy a product. If you don't buy this horrible things could happen. Its similar to trailers but they play on different emotions not just fear. They build you up and make you want to know what will happen. Are they a medium like commercials, i would say yes but they aren't a new medium in that sense. Are they a new medium to tell stories etc. No, because trailers do not tell a full story only parts of it. If they were to tell a full story then they would be short films. So are they a medium such as movies, music etc no I do not believe so.

 

[Eclectic Dreck]

It isn't a new medium in the slightest. Trailers are, of course, classified as "film", a type of media that has been around for over 100 years now. While their primary purpose is to create interest in one property or another, they could, on occasion, rise to the level of short film by simply telling a narrative arc within their limited run time.

 

[BonsaiK]

So my question, fellow Escapist, is, are trailers becoming a medium in their own right?

No. They always were what they currently are.