Two Thoughts on Trailers
One. Am I the only one who finds a trailer at the start of a DVD to be oddly anachronistic? It may be strange, but I welcome and expect a few previews on a videocassette, but the same thing on a disc seems unfriendly and dated. Note I’m not talking about the mere presence of trailers, but instead the practice of placing them before the main menu or at the start of the feature presentation. (And, worse, ignoring the “skip” button.)
Two. Trailer content: it’s always been a delicate compromise, balancing the need to give an idea/sense of the film while still holding back enough to keep it interesting. Lately, though, it seems the balance is breaking down.Today it seems many trailers contain all of the film’s highlights, seemingly obviating the need to plunk down your eight bucks. The most spectacular recent example: The Italian Job trailer. We see the players, the conflict, the rising action, and plenty of climax. All that’s missing is the job-well-done scene and our Reader’s Digest condensed version would be complete.
Sheesh.
(Note to the guy who made the Job site: “Steal the day?” Feeling a little dry creatively, were we?)