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Creating a memorable movie trailer involves several important elements. With many trailers shown during commercial breaks, alongside ads, it’s essential for the trailer to grab the audience’s attention. Engaging with viewers through social media, including notable quotes from adaptations, or showcasing key scenes can help. Music also plays a vital role in making a trailer unforgettable. Most trailers include some form of music, even if it’s just background sounds. Choosing the right song is crucial for ensuring your audience remembers your movie until it’s released. It can be the deciding factor for how a trailer is received. Here are four movies that are currently out or will be released soon that I believe excel in this area for various reasons.
Engage your audience: Transformers: Age of Extinction
Since this is the fourth “Transformers” movie, something needs to be done to make it memorable. Music alone doesn’t determine the success of the trailer, as I mentioned earlier. The trailer for “Transformers: Age of Extinction” pairs a catchy song with encouraging viewers to talk about it on social media. It features a song by Imagine Dragons titled “Battle Cry.” The trailer used the song to motivate people to tweet #TransformersPremiere for a chance to see the band perform at the movie premiere in Hong Kong. Some of the lyrics say, “It’s the battle cry/Nobody can save you now/It’s do or die.” The drum beats even align with specific transformations. Making the process engaging is key, as it helps spread the word by starting conversations through a hashtag.
Feel a sense of nostalgia: How to Train Your Dragon 2
One song that is used in this trailer is “Kings and Queens” by Thirty Seconds to Mars (the only one in the television trailer). The song was released a little over a year ago but when I heard the song in the trailer, I immediately recognized it despite not hearing it for a while. Just because the song isn’t brand new or specifically written for the movie doesn’t make it bad. It can evoke that sense of nostalgia that gets you thinking about the song, therefore, most likely thinking about the trailer as well. Since some people will already know the song–it can be that force that just gets the song stuck in your head. If people are new to the song, then chances are they’ll also be thinking about the movie itself afterwards. If they’re new to the song, though, it’s probably something about a scene in the trailer that captures their attention first. That’s why it’s also essential to include a meaningful quote or action.If they like what they see in the trailer, then they can start getting to know the song in it too. Oh, and the baby dragons make it pretty cute…
Evoke a particular emotion: Maleficent
An important skill in any movie trailer is to evoke emotion from the viewers in the 30 seconds or minute-long spot that it gets. The trailer for “Maleficent” incorporates a classic song turned dim. The classic aspect of the song can make the trailer two-tiered: the emotion that could be evoked is nostalgia, right? The nostalgic part can be childhood memories from the original song from “Sleeping Beauty”–a much more playful and light-hearted version. The version by Lana Del Rey, however, has a dark tone to it. Since the 2014 movie is a backstory of the villain, it makes sense to use something that will make the audience have emotion towards the protagonist–and that is one that conveys something very mysterious and dark. The music doesn’t have to be quite as dramatic as the one featured in “Maleficent,” it all depends on the emotion that is trying to be directed towards the audience. Be it happy, sad, action-packed, etc. the song really can make all the difference.
Make you remember the trailer: Jersey Boys
With a movie like this, of course it makes complete sense to use songs by the band in the movie trailer itself. For those who may not know the Broadway show, it’s especially helpful to use songs that will give you some sort of a connection to the subject matter and make you remember the trailer. Featuring songs by the Four Seasons makes total sense because it gives the audience a taste of what the movie’s subject centers around and transports you to the scene. Not every movie will be able to have music incorporated by the band itself, however, every other element already mentioned is a crucial part in getting the trailer recognized and remembered. No matter what, the utmost priority is keeping the trailer in the viewers mind so that when it gets released, you’ll want to see it.
What other movie trailers do you think have done a good job with their music selection?
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