A trailer is a vehicle that hauls a heavy load such as a car or truck. A trailer is pulled by a tractor or other traction engine. The load is secured in the trailer by hooking it to a hitch. A trailer may be equipped with lights, a brake system, and a winch to assist in towing. There are many different types of trailers, and they serve a variety of purposes. There are trailers for vehicles, boats, livestock, and other oversized loads. There are also trailers for construction projects such as oil rig modules and ship sections.
Film trailers were first conceived in 1913 when Nils Granlund, an advertising manager at Marcus Loew theaters, spliced together rehearsal footage for The Pleasure Seekers into a mini promotional montage that trailed films in his theaters. In 1919, Herman Robbins created the National Screen Service to handle the work of cutting and distributing movie trailers. The NSS held a virtual monopoly on the market until the 1960s, when auteur filmmakers such as Alfred Hitchcock and Stanley Kubrick began to cut their own trailers for their films.
Today, the trailer is one of the most important tools for promoting a film. A trailer can generate buzz and build excitement for a movie, as well as inform the audience about the plot of the film and its stars. Trailers are used to advertise movies through television and the internet, as well as in theaters and cinemas. They are often a major source of revenue for the film industry.
Trailers are typically released before the film itself, and the movie’s director usually has a significant role in their creation. Several companies, such as the Cimarron Group and MOJO, specialize in the creation of film trailers. Some of the larger studios employ in-house trailer editors. The editor of a trailer may use footage from the film itself, or they may create their own scenes based on rushes or dailies. Occasionally, the trailer will contain footage that is not in the film itself, whether due to artistic choices or because the edited film has a different take on a scene than the trailer.
A movie’s critical reception and public response to its trailer can have a big impact on its eventual box office performance. A bad trailer can doom a film to a disastrous opening weekend, while a good trailer can propel it to blockbuster status. For this reason, the creation of a film’s trailer is usually a collaborative effort between the director and the marketing department.
A film’s trailer can be promoted using teasers, countdowns, and social media campaigns. Some of these methods are more effective than others, but the key is to be creative and keep it fresh. For example, a movie can promote its trailer by using the “Swipe Up” feature on Instagram to drive users to the video. In addition, the trailer can be re-released with different cuts or quotes to maintain interest.