The Hook

As far as movie trailers go, there are a few key roles that they need to fill. First is to get your attention, then to outline the plot, and finally to give you a taste of what you can expect from the film. It's a fairly straightforward formula and hollywood has had plenty of time to perfect the art. Even most bad movies can at least manage a decent trailer, disguising the major flaws until the viewer has paid to see the real thing.

When a truly great movie come along however, and has a well-made trailer to accompany it, everything works together and even the most cynical audience member can see the effect. For example;





The trailer for Children of Men quickly hooks the viewer with it's premise. Humanity is on the brink of extinction due to a worldwide plague of infertility. Society is falling apart and everyone is losing hope of survival. However, one girl is miraculously pregnant for reasons unknown. The Human Project, a collection of the greatest minds on the planet, holds the best chances of finding a cure for the rest of mankind. The trailer finishes off with a collection of clips detailing the main characters' journey to the human project and giving the viewer an idea of the tension and drama that takes place. This is a fantastic example of a trailer that succeeds in its job of hooking the viewer and making them want to see the whole movie.