Coming Soon: My Complaint Letter About Movie Trailers
Published July 12, 2004
I love movie trailers. There's something about that daft booming voice, the over excited music, and the spoiling of the funniest lines in the film.
Recently, however, I have noticed a new and annoying trend. It started with trailers simply saying at the end "Coming Soon". This is annoying. Soon? When is soon? Next week? Next month? Next year? 2006? Soon is a term which needs defining - tell me when soon is.
I had just about managed to let this go. I had grown resigned to it. Even TV has started using the same technique now. As ever, I fell back on Google, doing a quick search any time I encountered a "Coming Soon" situation.
However, a visit to the cinema yesterday helped me notice a trend that is more annoying still. As I sat and waited for the main feature, I saw trailers for two films I'm keen to see - Supersize Me and The Terminal.
I was attentive. I was interested. I was even prepared for the crushing disappointment that is "Coming Soon". But no. Once these trailers reached their conclusion, and a quick list of credits had been shown, there was... nothing. No date. No season, even (Summer 2004 is a vague statement, but at least it's some kind of time indication.) No "Coming Soon". There was literally no time indication.
Now, I admit that I don't work in movie promotion. Perhaps the belief is that not telling us when the film comes out will increase our anticipation, make us seek out any information on the movie in the press, make us remember the release date when it's eventually announced.
Maybe it does do all those things. Know what it also does, though? It annoys us.
Tell us the date, for crying out loud. Or, if you don't have a specific release date, put a month. Put anything. But don't think that having a trailer for a coming attraction and then not telling us when that attraction is coming is anything less than immensely frustrating. And it surely must be a violation of some sort of trade descriptions act.
Maybe I should complain to someone. Expect my letter, you film promotion people.
When? I'm not sure exactly. It'll be coming soon.
- Coming Soon: My Complaint Letter About Movie Trailers
- Published: July 12, 2004
- Type:
- Section: Culture
- Writer: Claire
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Comments on this articleComments
I remember seeing a "coming soon" trailer for "Withnail and I" almost two years before it was actually released. However, since I haven't been to a movie theatre in years, I haven't really been bothered by this problem.
But if theatres insist on adding more crap to the front of the movie, what is my incentive to go back to the movies instead of waiting for the DVD?
The "Coming Soon" I can live with but the commercials have got to go! I have to watch them at home. I should not have to pay to watch them at the theatre.
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I got a good laugh out of this Claire. I have never noticed the "Coming Soon" phenomenon before, but suppose you just might be right. Sometimes, a film's release is postponed, which in turn creates negative advanced publicity for the film - "There must be something wrong with it!" Maybe by not releasing the date, filmmakers avoid this stigma if the film is postponed?