by Anthony MacGregor

Created on: January 28, 2009

The simplest answer: Yes. As an audience member and filmmaker, I find this incredibly annoying - to the point that I often close my eyes, block my ears and hum The Smurfs theme song to myself whenever a trailer for a movie I want to watch comes up. Now, before I continue, it must be made clear that there are two types of previews, the "trailer: and the "teaser" trailer.

Trailers are what we see most often, and they are essentially the film reduced to a couple minutes, with an epic, redundant voice-over that gives you a play-by-play of the scenes you are watching. They include some (but hopefully not all) of the best shots in the film, as well as some of the lines that will inevitable become the best quotes from the film. They are intended to excite the audience, generate interest and make you want to go watch the movie.

Teaser trailers are a little better. They tend to not span the entire movie, but rather focus on one scene or too, in the hopes that that will be enough to make you want to go. They are supposed to give you more of a "feel" for the film than a full understanding.

Often the lines between one trailer or the other are blurry, but the both serve the same purpose - to bring in an audience to the theatres. And I do believe they show too much- but they are done this way intentionally. Yes, that's right, they spill the beans on purpose.

At a film festival not too long ago I approached an important looking producer fellow and asked why movie trailers revealed so much of the plot - some are so bad the entire movie is completely predictable, from start to end. His response? "Because people want to know what they are paying for." He left me a lot to think about and so I thanked him humbly and disappeared into the mist of cocktail-induced business card exchanges.

From the business side of things (and Hollywood is of course, a business first, tabloid fodder second, artistic outlet third), it somewhat makes sense - most people like to test drive a car before buying it, mess around with the camera-on-umbilical cord before taking their kid's photos, walk around in a pair of sneakers before running a marathon. But what about the suspense, the excitement, the drama and just plain element of surprise that comes from not knowing what to expect?

From an artistic point of view, the least I know about a film, the better. Sure some of the basics would help - what genre it is, and perhaps a quick two-line synopsis. But overall I enjoy ordering something new from a restaurant I love - maybe I'll love what I order, maybe it won't be that great, maybe I'll never return to that restaurant before - but its the excitement that counts. Sitting in a darkened theatre, after the Smurfs has been playing in my head for the third time in a row and the actual movie starts, is nothing short of magical. It's a blind emotional roller coaster ride and your on your way up to the top of the first drop.

So yes, movie previews are indeed to revealing - and it seems most people like it that way (at least that's what Hollywood thinks). But personally, I'd rather play any theme song in my head five times over than spoil some of the magic that makes the ritual of watching a movie such a wonderful experience.

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