Trailer Review: Inglorious Bastards (2009)

The trailer I decided to take a look at was the Inglorious Bastards trailer. I had this one in mind because of two reasons. I recently watched the movie with my friends and we discussed how satisfying it is to watch. The other reason is because of how effective it is.  I remember when the movie first began its marketing, I did not think I would watch it. This trailer convinced me of the potential of the movie (that and because I saw the director Quentin Tarantino).

The trailer begins with a serious tone that immediately grabs the viewer's attention. This is important because first impressions can dictate how one sees something like a movie. By attracting the audience's attention, it creates a more focused audience. The serious tone continues throughout the opening of the trailer alongside graphic designs that reveal the gore in the movie. This, along with the low bass of the sound effect accompanying the graphic, help communicate the story of the film to the audience in a prompt, focused manner.

Following this opening hook, begins the main section of the trailer, which immerses the audience by introducing character, setting, time, and splices of action. This further increases the appeal of the movie. These quick cuts indicate the face pace and action genre of the movie. The graphics also continue, which are accompanied by sound bridges and sound effects that lead into the next cut. This creates more suspense, leaving the audience hungry for more content. I find that sound and music has a great impact on how the final product of film turns out because it emphasizes the point the director wants to get across.

The sound of the trailer is mainly the dialogue of the commanding Lieutenant Aldo Raine. As his speech continues, layers of other clips are put on top of his dialogue. This allows the audience to delve into the minds of these characters. The sound effects also indicate that there will be instances of beating in the movie. Around the 30 seconds mark in the trailer, music is added in to increase the appeal of the trailer dramatically. The music does not necessarily match the presumes tone of the film, but instead it is more upbeat, rock/techno music. This, alongside the ridiculousness of Aldo Raine's dialogue, make the trailer have a comical aspect, appealing to a wider audience.

The trailer is very broad and unspecific. From a perspective of someone who has watched the movie multiple times, I know that the movie is not only about a faction whose goal is to kill Nazis. There are parallel actions told from two different characters with separate, unrelated stories. The trailer only includes one specific instance of one specific story to reveal characterization of only one main character, probably because they believe he, Aldo Raine, is the more compelling and interesting character. By using the more action packed side of the film as the bulk of the trailer shows how they can be manipulated to meet the need of the marketing campaign.