"The Beginning or the End?"

[joesteph]

I teach US history, and August is the 65th anniversary of the dropping of the atomic bombs to end WWII. But in many ways the bomb was a mystery to the American people, and so the story of the bomb was made into a motion picture in 1947, The Beginning or the End?

This is the trailer with an "inquiring reporter" that was made by MGM to encourage people to see the movie that, I think, reflects American life after the war. It's all actors; one of the people giving a quick response later played June Cleaver in Leave It to Beaver.

Could you make a trailer like this today?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wvmQWzGyVWs

[StrangeBacon]

I've not seen the film but i think they way the trailer was set up interviewing people as they left the film is an interesting way to present it, sure it would work with certain films but not all of them of course.

[sensei8]

I'm sure one could, but why would one want to?

[joesteph]

. . . but why would one want to?

That's what I mean, Bob. Is it something that you could only do at another time in our society, i.e., not today? Would it be seen as "corny"? I remember an old segment of Dennis the Menace shown on a TV talk show, with Jay North, as an adult, there to talk about TV in the past. He commented that there was an innocence at that time, that you couldn't do these shows again today. Watch the reruns, yes; put on a new show like it, he thought not.

What StrangeBacon said, that it might apply to some movies, is a possibility, but I don't think the length of time and actors would be good for the trailer. I think that today it has to be short and with "real folks"; if it's with actors, the word "reenactment" would have to appear, as it does with certain TV commercials.

[sensei8]

Nowadays, it's not the length of a trailer, but, it's about how many trailers are shown before the movie. Drives me wacky.

[joesteph]

Nowadays, it's not the length of a trailer, but, it's about how many trailers are shown before the movie. Drives me wacky.

What concerns me, Bob, is that trailers used to start off with:

The following preview has been approved for General Audiences

but now they say:

The following preview has been approved for Appropriate Audiences

And that's something I don't like! If I'm bringing my children to a movie, I expect the trailers to be along a softer line. If I'm going to a movie for teens and adults, then the trailer can refer to other movies that adults are expected to be interested in with no complaint by me.

I don't like a trailer "for Appropriate Audiences" that my children are present for, but would be what they'd call "a big people's movie," b/c there's some content they shouldn't be hit with. I've actually "asked" the boys if they'd like to see a certain movie (which I'd never bring them to, but the trailer just played), and they've told me "No!" That way, they feel we all decided together.

[DWx]

Sometimes on tv they do show real reactions to films as part of the advertising campaign. Usually they're just a camera on members of the audience who've just come out of the film. Not seen it for a while but definitely a couple of years ago this was used for films (over here at least). I don't really think it could be as staged as it was for this film as it probably would come across as corny. Definitely an interesting way to present a trailer though.

[sensei8]

Nowadays, it's not the length of a trailer, but, it's about how many trailers are shown before the movie. Drives me wacky.

What concerns me, Bob, is that trailers used to start off with:

The following preview has been approved for General Audiences

but now they say:

The following preview has been approved for Appropriate Audiences

And that's something I don't like! If I'm bringing my children to a movie, I expect the trailers to be along a softer line. If I'm going to a movie for teens and adults, then the trailer can refer to other movies that adults are expected to be interested in with no complaint by me.

I don't like a trailer "for Appropriate Audiences" that my children are present for, but would be what they'd call "a big people's movie," b/c there's some content they shouldn't be hit with. I've actually "asked" the boys if they'd like to see a certain movie (which I'd never bring them to, but the trailer just played), and they've told me "No!" That way, they feel we all decided together.

Having read your solid post, I concur with you wholeheartedly.