With the release of the FOTR trailer this weekend, a lot of people have been introduced to their first look of the production. The National Post writer, Aida Edemariam, was one of them. In a recent article, Aida is a little worried about what we saw in front of Pearl Harbor this weekend. After reading the full article, I can understand why. Its a simple case of not enough information. [Read Article]
I hope I can put Aida’s, and your, doubts to rest. During my time at the Cannes Film Festival this year, I found out that the trailer release this weekend was produced to appeal to a young male audience. The 13-30ish year olds of the world, who love action, guts and special effects. This is how this stuff works. The movie studios release many trailers targeted to specific audiences to ensure (or try to ensure) that a lot of people will see their movie. A great example is how the Phantom Menace was marketed. First we see an amazing trailer online with lots of action and then we see TV ad spots that show the emotion of the story (Anakin and His Mom, etc). Keep this in mind when you view the current FOTR trailer. For the female audience, I also found out that there will be another trailer released near the end of the summer that showcases the drama and love story aspects of the films.
Aida was perplexed about the reaction to the footage screened at Cannes and why so many reporters simply loved it. Well, its because what we saw at Cannes was a lot more then just a plain action/special effects trailer. We saw footage that showcased the whole emotion, drama, and yes, action of the film. To be quite honest, the drama is what grabs you. The realism and humanity of the story is what makes you drool. Not the CG Cave Troll. (Detailed Report on Footage)
So, Aida, I understand where you are coming from, but unfortunately you don’t have all the information yet. So hold off on a real analysis quite yet. I would suggest , if you can, have someone show you the Cannes footage. Then you’ll be visiting TORn daily just to get the fix again…
