Film trailers … and all that
The ianbek site contains postcards on a variety of topics … about people, places and events here in Kyrgyzstan; things that happen to me; my thoughts on tourism, doing business, life the universe and everything … In addition, once a week I post what I call a “weekly postcard” which summarizes what has been happening here in Kyrgyzstan during the week; I sometimes refer to it as “A week in Kyrgyzstan seen through the eyes of an ex-pat”, and sometimes as TW3 (“That was the week that was” – which was the title of satirical review back in the 1960 broadcast on BBC TV in the UK.) I also send the weekly postcard out as an email newsletter to family and friends, former colleagues, clients and anyone else who is interested.
I normally look for a theme on which to “hang” the events – and for one of them this theme was “Hollywood Blockbusters”. I had seen a list of films where Kyrgyzstan was featured, albeit incidentally. In response to this particular postcard I received some feedback from Toni in Australia where she mentioned how, at one time, she had what she called an ideal job: working as a cinema usherette. As one of the “perks” she got to see lots of films for free.
Although this would be nice, I think that it could also be pretty monotonous. There are lots of films that, although worth seeing, (once), don’t really warrant a second viewing. There are others where I wonder “what on earth am I doing watching this?” and want to get up and walk out, turn off or change channel.
Unlike Toni, who got to see films as part of her job, choosing a film to watch, (whether it involves buying a ticket for a night out at the cinema, or buying a disc and sitting at home in front of the DVD), is a typical decision that we all end up making from time to time, (unless we happen to be Amish, or something). Although availability will be one factor, (what’s being shown at the Odeon tonight?, what’s on the box tonight?, what DVD’s are available in the shop?), our choice will be directed to a large extent by the marketing hype; reviews (whether professional in newspapers or on TV, or those of friends and acquaintances who have already seen the film), posters, products … and, of course, the film trailers.
Toni must have seen many, many trailers in her time as an usherette.
Consider these two trailers:
The Shining – Alternative Trailer (1980)
To be honest, I never saw this one in the cinema … and there are several different trailers available for viewing on youtube where it is listed as an “alternative trailer”, so perhaps it was never actually used. It struck me as fascinating however. I was asking myself, “where are the iconic images from the movie?”, (and if you haven’t seen it, I’m sorry, you won’t know what these are that I am referring to); “where’s the kid cycling down the long corridors on his tricycle?”, “where is Jack Nicholson peering through a smashed door panel calling “It’s Johnny”?”.
It’s just one scene with some text superimposed over it. Although it is a recurring theme in the film, the scene is not one that automatically springs to mind when I think of the movie – it’s not an iconic scene, (at least, not to me).
On the other hand, it does convey the atmosphere conjured up in the film, and the horror that is in store for the audience.
I am not sure that it would have persuaded me to go and see the movie, but then, I am not keen on horror films.
For the record: I only went to see the film by accident. I and a couple of friends had wanted to go a cinema down the street to see a different film but it was sold out and so we found ourselves at a loss as to what to do. We had the evening ahead of us and it looked as if we were going to end up spending a night in the pub. As we made our way up the street we saw that, according to the posters outside a neighbouring cinema, “The Shining” was about to start and one of my friends said, “Let’s go and see this instead.” He’d seen some reviews in the papers and assured me that it was supposed to be very good. So my friend and I, neither of us knowing anything about the film, acquiesced and said, “O.K.”
The friend who had suggested popping in to see the film was in his element – he likes horror movies. My other friend was scared out of his wits – I think he spent most of the film clutching the armrest with his eyes closed. Oddly enough, I actually quite enjoyed the film, much to my surprise when I thought about it later.
I think, however, that if had have been a horror movie buff, then I would have been sufficiently intrigued by that trailer to give it a chance and buy a ticket. The text had enough “teasers” and the single scene, just one and a half minutes long, with its image of the sea of blood gushing forth from the lift shaft, might well have encouraged me to find out what it was all about.
Now consider the classic trailer for Forest Gump, (released in 1994).
Forest Gump Trailer (1994)
In just under four minutes we go through a constant stream of changing camera shots, some lasting just a second or two, representing over fifty scenes from the film. This trailer is enticing because it has been crafted to show what you are going to experience and, at the same time, tugging at the heart strings to elicit an emotional response. At the same time it avoids giving away the entire plot, leaving many surprises, twists and turns to be enjoyed by the filmgoer, and seems to avoid “information overload”.
The example of (alternative) trailer for The Shining is an extreme – just one camera shot … and so is that for Forest Gump with its kaleidoscope of images. Both are attractive and appealing in their own way.
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All this has made me wonder about producing a film clip for marketing a destination, like Kyrgyzstan. In a way it is like making a film trailer. What scenes will attract a potential audience to part with their hard earned cash and take a risk on buying the product. The last thing we would want is for them to be asking “what on earth are we doing here?”
Many of the destination marketing ads that I see on television these days follow the Forest Gump example. They try to cram into a short space of time as many contrasting images as possible … implying, as one example puts it, that there is “too much for a thirty second commercial”. Consider this example from Inspired by Iceland:
Inspired by Iceland Video from Inspired By Iceland on Vimeo.
A lot depends, of course on knowing your audience, (the Iceland clip, for example, seems to concentrate on a young, dynamic and vibrant audience), and what image you want to convey, (variety, luxury, history, adventure …), but if I was trying to put together 30 second clip for showing on the BBC or CNN, then what would I include?
Would I go for the Forest Gump kaleidoscope impression and show the mountains, and wide open spaces; examples of the wildlife, people relaxing on the beaches of Issyk Kul, with images of parascending and jet cycles interspersed with images of mountaineers, white water rafting, cyclists and trekkers, people on horseback; a flashing glimpse of luxury hotel, a homestay and people in a yurt; a glance at the Burana Tower, a city street, a couple of monuments, a market scene and snapshots with examples of Soviet Stalinsky architecture, modern high rise buildings and shopping centres; a manaschi and scenes of Kok Buro, Oodarysh and Kyz Kumai; an aksalkal resplendent in Kolpak sitting beside a babushka in her eleechek; people rolling out felt; musicians in traditional costume playing the Komuz and other instruments; … or would that be too much … and send too many conflicting messages.
Alternatively, would I follow the Shining example of a single shot concentrating on a particular image, a particular message … and if so, what would it be – nature and natural landscapes?; activity and adventure?; traditional lifestyle? … or what?
It seems to me that there is place for both … and, indeed, several examples of each. However, the budget is likely to be limited and it will end up with a choice. I think there is a real risk of trying to do much in one clip. After all, to quote the old saying, “You can’t please everyone” … so don’t try.
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Bishkek