So, here are the best short promotions that knocked my socks off this year. (heh, music videos basically?!?!). Regardless of the final product, these bad boys got under my skin.
5. Terminator Trailer (#3)
Painful to note this, but I was “nervous” about Terminator4 – until i saw this deceptively awesome concoction:
It poses so many interesting questions. It was the first promotional material to “PROVE” that there were a lot of things in this movie you weren’t expecting (giant robots! bikenators! skynet is manufacturing humans now?!? water squid terminators! and … maybe a change in how john conner’s story will play out? Maybe the future is not written and we could all die before the time travel happens?!?!). Plus it ends with the charming Google Maps Terminator.
Of course I love that it uses NIN’s weird “The day the whole world went away” song to great effect. Buildings crash as this guybot-thing realizes the horrific truth about his being. Which segues nicely into retro terminators shooting crap with big guns and tattered flesh left around their ankles like booties. At this point the trailer has you, and is just piling it on.
Who did they hire to cut this trailer!?!?!?
Of course it turns out this clip was way better than the movie (just as 300’s nin music trailer was better than that final movie. same ad agency?).
4. Left 4 dead 2 tv spot (2)
Reintroduced me to Clutch’s music (electric worry), and now we’re in love and having babies.
Note that no shots are fired. They just yell “bang! bang! bang!” and tap into Crazy-Energy, with tons of unexpected imagery piled on (jet bombing runs, clowns, thrown cars, gas tanks tossed off concert stage to zombie audience – things you don’t expect from a zombie invasion).
I was kinda of let down by the scattered nature of the full game intro movie that all this footage is taken from. But this grabs the weirder highlights, streamlines it all, and slams you with better energy. Though… it kinda seems similar to my #2 pick below… (same agency? Or does valve do all their own trailers? did Valve rip off the #2 pick?)
3. Daybreakers trailer (warning: spectacle spoilers?)
Maybe it’s just my deep love for Placebo’s music (Running Up That Hill), but this trailer patted me in the crotch bits. Maybe it just struck me as acceptably hip to contrast zany vampire army violence with an old sorta alternative music hit. Sadly, it’s probably ruining every single spectacle shot in the movie. but i was both moved and thrilled.
2. Borderlands Comic-Con Trailer (2)
(alt link) – Hippest trailer ever. !!! I could probably just watch this in a loop for days. Introduced me to DJ Champion’s cool single “No Heaven“, which in turn introduced me to the great band “Beast.” It’d be my number one pick, if not for childhood geek conditioning behind my #1…
1. Tron Legacy teaser
what can you say?
this pushed all my tron love buttons.
I can barely speak of it, it is so exciting and stylish and awesome.
In fact, i know I’m going to hate the movie, because there’s no way it can live up to the perfect cinema that this trailer has promised. …
Uh. Well. Suffice to say, this trailer makes it clear that your childhood is not over, and has in fact been playing its heart out on hidden servers for the past 25+ years. Add on the fact that this movie will be in 3D and I can’t help but … sigh and smile.
…
honorable mention: Fringe tv promo featuring Trent Reznor
He voluntary re-recorded the lyrics to his lil’ song, substituting lines from the show. And he did it for free, just to be supportive. How cool is that! (maybe I’m drinking in the PR kool-aid here… He probably did it to make some friends in Tha Biz). Apologies for being a grotesque NIN fan.
Anywho. Despite the show kind of proving to be a retarded mess this season, this is still a pretty great stylish promo.
…
I dunno. maybe i should also mention…
Tokyo?
and maybe Franklyn?
i dunno. i guessss i shouldid.
they were certainly effective at getting me excited.
I didn’t really like Tokyo (booorrrrring). Trailer basically has all the best visuals. much more hip and energetic than the movie’s stories turn out to be.
But I did buy Franklyn, sight unseen, just because I was so eager to see the damn thing. Thanks to this trailer, and positive reviews on Amazon. (Although I still haven’t put in the bluray, my roommates have watched it and offered high praise). Nice and confusing stylish trailer. delicious. despite ryan phillippe’s weird cock throat voice.
…
Guilty Pleasure Award:
Give ’em Hell, Malone
If they could just cut out “the meaning of love” I would be so triple scoop psyched to see this. Whyyy?! WHYYYY!!!!??? Why can’t they cut it out!?!?!? oh, because it’s probably drenched all over the movie like chocolate sauce. I guess. ugh. Still, despite that cheezy indie “forced poetry” bullshit, this is still a pretty enticing promo. Despite hating that core idea with all my … heart? with all my balls? Despite thinking it’s pretentious weak shit, i will still be watching this movie. thanks to this trailer being pretty good.
annd. that is all. It is more fun to think about which trailer rocked hardest, than which movie. Like picking your favorite candy bar, rather than your favorite restaurant.
more people should list trailers.!
(though it is also kind of weirdly sick to dwell on which sleazy marketing tactics best inserted itself their products into your day. hmm. ohhh, i’m so confused about my love of entertainment)