how to make a movie trailer compelling

October 20, 2005

Within 10 seconds we set up our Main and Impact Characters. Jamie Foxx’s Drill Sgt. Siek draws us in immediately, almost as if he’s yelling directly at us that, “Today we have a very special treat.” Obviously humiliating Jake Gyllenhaal’s Pvt. Swofford, Foxx sets up for us his role as the Impact Character:

The character that forces the Main Character to face his personal problem. Every Main Character has a single Impact Character that forces him to face his personal problems.

It’s clear from the trailer that Foxx plays a pivotal role in the film and is most likely the one who challenges Gyllenhaal to deal with his personal problems.

Again, clear as day that Gyllenhaal is the Main Character. “See that kid? The one dreaming of serving his country? That jarhead…is me.”

A story has a central character that acts as the focus of the audience’s emotional attachment to the story. This Main Character is the conduit through whom the audience experiences the story subjectively.

While voice-over does not always signify a Main Character, it is clear from the rest of the trailer that we will be experiencing the war through Pvt. Swofford’s eyes.

And what war is this? What will be the Objective Story? Chris Cooper arrives on the scene to tell us and the rest of the troops to get ready for Desert Shield.

The Overall view of a story is the widest, examining the issues that affect all the characters in the story overall. The Overall view is not unlike that of a general on a hill watching a battle. From that vantage point, the general can observe the larger strategies and see how the forces involved ebb and flow.

That definition seems spot on to me. In fact, we spend the majority of the rest of the trailer experiencing all that modern warfare has to offer including surprise gas mask drills and made-to-order body bags.

But it wouldn’t be complete without that 4th throughline:

The passionate argument of a story is carried by the relationship between the story’s Main vs. Impact Characters namely, the Main and Impact Characters. The examination of their internal states and the articulation of the story’s passionate argument makes up the Main vs. Impact Throughline.

We end with Foxx and Gyllenhaal alone and in the dark. It’s apparent throughout the trailer that Gyllenhaal’s Private is not too sure he’s happy with the job he volunteered for. Foxx on the other hand has a different take:

I love this job. I thank God for every day he gives me in the Corps. Hooah.

The passionate argument is laid out for us in a silent moment between two characters…and we’re hooked. All four throughlines have been set up for us. Can’t you feel that nagging sensation in your head? The one that wants to figure out how these four storylines come together and work themselves out?

The most successful trailers are the ones that make you want to see the movie. Laying out the framework for a Grand Argument Story is one way to draw the audience in.

I know I’ll be there November 4.

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