The theatrical trailer, a time tested, fan approved, system for creating a new wave of rabid anticipation across the social media. So much so that in all honesty, they're all pretty much the same. And after having watched more trailers than I care to count, I think I've cracked the basic formula down to its key components. So here it is, my formula for the 'perfect' blockbuster trailer:
1 Scenery setting narration + a series of slow sweeping shots to accommodate the narration + a slower, but ever increasing in pace musical score + 1 'let the fighting begin' quote + a series of quick cut, high intensity, explosions, screaming, yelling, and crying + boisterous, fierce musical score + 1 optional hard break for another quote to remind people how bad ass or epic this all is + more quick cuts and action filling + a long cut of post-action destruction + a return to the opening music + a final quote demonstrating sadness, epicness, or witty humor.
Anything beyond that is pretty much just fluff. And while that may seem a lot, much of it runs simultaneously and I might argue even it still covers a good 90% of modern blockbuster commercials.
