A film’s teaser and trailer have become the most important factor leading up to the all-important opening weekend. A well-cut trailer plays a major role in hooking the audience (especially on social media) to a film. Apart from Rajinikanth’s star power, Kabali’s 66-second teaser too helped Kabali amass its gargantuan opening.
Director Pa. Ranjith and editor K.L. Praveen were able to generate a lot of curiosity using Rajinikanth’s charismaand the punchline, ‘Kabali Da!’. National award-winning editor KL Praveen, who cut the Kabali teaser, says, “A lot of care is taken in making thea teaser or trailer. We have to be extremely careful as a lot of money is riding on it. The good thing about it is that we get instant feedback from online fans and this helps us correct mistakes we might have made in the film.”
Today, fans and trade pundits are able to separate a hit from a flop just by watching the teaser/trailer of a particular film. After the Kabali trailer translated into the biggest-ever opening for a Tamil film, producers are now paying extra attention to trailer cuts. The latest to benefit from the trailer cut is Vikram’s Anand Shankar-directed Iru Mugan . Vikram’s transgender look especially, has generated a lot of buzz. A few years back, old-school directors would have hidden Vikram’s second avatar, but director Anand Shankar and editor Bhuvan Srinivasan were clear on how the film should look.
Editor Bhuvan Srinivasan explains, “I think the idea of starting the trailer where we ended the teaser worked out big time. It’s something new, because we did not want it to fall into the regular pattern starting with the hero introduction, a few bits from the songs, a villain shouting, and then an action scene to end it. We had to prepare the audiences on what to expect from Love, Vikram’s transgender character in the film. They shouldn’t come in expecting an Anniyan or Bane ( The Dark Knight Rises ). We are very happy as the viewers are now eagerly looking forward to meeting Love on the big screen.” Producer Shibu Thameens adds, “The trailer of the film was hugely appreciated. It helped me market the film aggressively and all the theatrical rights have been sold out.”
The old-school approach to cutting a trailer to highlight the commercial aspects is now working against a film. Take, for instance, the trailer of Hrithik Roshan’s new release Mohenjo Daro. Its lukewarm response online translated to a below average opening during release. Similarly, the trailer of a yet-to-be-released Tamil film, featuring a top actor, has been getting a lot of negative reviews, forcing the producer to postpone its release.
A veteran producer adds, “In the 1980s, trailers were screened only in theatres and were an added attraction for the film being screened. Most films didn’t even have a trailer as the makers wanted to keep the film’s overall look a secret. Today, trailers have become indispensable; they’re watched on smartphones. However, the trailer is a double-edged sword.”
Another teaser that has done well is of Selvaraghavan’s Nenjam Marappathillai starring SJ Suryah. Says Selvaraghavan, “I feel the purpose of a teaser is to convey the gist of the film in under 90 seconds. It is one of the most difficult tasks and I got help from my young team.”
Veteran director Priyadarshan, for whom a lot is riding on the Mohanlal Onam release, Oppam , sought the help of Premam director and editor Alphonse Puthren, to do a trailer cut for the film. The trailer went viral and an impressed Mohanlal now wants to do a film with Alphonse.
Antony Ruben, a master teaser and trailer specialist, and the man behind the teasers and trailers of Ajith’s Vedalam and Vijay’s Theri ,says, “A teaser or trailer should have ideally the best elements of the film. When I do a cut, I go through the essence of the film, and then try to create a script for the teaser or trailer. A well-cut trailer should get the viewer excited.” Ruben is currently cutting the trailer of Sivakarthikeyan’s Remo .
The way teaser and trailer-cutting is evolving, it looks like companies specialising in it will soon set up shop in Chennai. It is also likely to open the doors for a lot of fan-based versions, who make their own memes and teasers, which are sometimes as good as the original.
