coming soon to a theater near you
welcome to watchmojo.com and today we’re
counting down our picks for the top 10
movie trailer cliches
it was his idea for this list we’re
taking a look at the most common tropes
that keep popping up in advertisements
for feature films basically we’re
talking things that are overused in
movie trailers in an effort to get us to
watch the flicks number 10 the opening
aerial skyline shot Who am I you sure
you want to know tell us if any of these
clips look familiar
the aerial skyline shot is an overused
yet always effective method of engaging
the audience in a movie setting
in most cases the setting will be a city
that will play a key role in the
narrative sometimes the city will need
saving from a lone hero as in spider-man
or maybe the city will connect a series
of diverse characters like in crash any
real cities you walk you know either way
the trailer establishes the location as
a commanding presence that makes us all
feel puny and tries to set the scale
I’ve been alone for a long time not
because I want to be but because until I
solve this problem I have to be number 9
where’d the happy music go
nobody wants to see a movie with no
conflict
so whenever a trailer opens with happy
music and joyful people living perfect
lives expect all hell to break loose
within seconds
the trailers soothing sentiment is
abruptly substituted by intense music as
the characters attempt to survive zombie
apocalypses ship sinking and even the
end of the world even if we can see the
extreme change of pace coming this
cliche still creates a genuine sense of
panic that captures the movie at its
most exciting swim fan number eight the
record scratch the world must turn to
two living legends like our last entry
this cliche sets us up for one thing
then delivers the complete opposite
primarily used to advertise comedies the
trailer presents itself as really badass
or mystical there’s a new player intent
a rabbit a plain white rapper then in a
fake-out the music comes to a screeching
halt and our unexpected protagonist
emerges when we lift in the hands of one
man
yeah yes I gave it nice you like this
also applies to trailers that start off
with a character going through a typical
day then undergoes a random twist such
as Rob Schneider becoming a carrot only
problem is he’s about to become a carrot
I’m a carrot it’s like a setup to a joke
although we can usually predict the
punchline
I like a teacher to become a master of
disguise really I’m going to be a master
of disguise I’m going to be a master
disguise
sumo number seven
flickering Jonesy be you be careful be
careful of what a good trailer shows the
audience just enough to get us into the
theater while also being restrained so
as not to give the best parts away
horror trailers typically find just the
right balance unveiling the build-up but
cutting away before revealing the payoff
it’s as if the film is so frightening
that the trailer felt the necessity to
cover our eyes for us
I want to see this chosen if we want to
see the monster that everybody’s
screaming about we’ll have to go and see
the whole movie with that we’re
officially sold number six the jump
scare jump scares and flickering go
hand-in-hand habitually trailers
reserved their greatest jump scare until
the very end the music goes silent with
a character all alone in the dark or are
they tension builds as they turn on a
flashlight look under a bed or walk down
a menacing hallway no matter what
there’s always someone or something
waiting to leap out even if we know the
scare is just around the corner we can’t
help but jump out of our seats
guaranteeing horror junkies will buy a
ticket number five the fade to black
I’m gonna show you something beautiful
if you want your trailer to seem as
dramatic as possible make sure virtually
every transition fades to black
I have it in the vein of many other
cliches on this list the fade to black
is another method of continually raising
the stakes with each blink the trailer
becomes more epic and thrilling Bruce
then just when it looks like the trailer
can’t possibly top itself fade – the
trump card be it Ultron or Han and
Chewie Chewie we’re home
finish matters off by transitioning to
the release date and will eagerly mark
our calendars number for critics and
accolades come on let’s go in I want to
see what’s on the other side some movies
we’ll find an audience no matter how low
they’re rotten tomatos rating is smaller
movies though require strong critical
reception to get the word out you should
be here get out of here now if a picture
achieves accolades from Sundance kin or
other prestigious film festivals the
trailer will be sure to make note of its
early buzz if such a claim carries on
throughout awards season the TV ads will
highlight any Golden Globe and Oscar
nominations – winner of the American
Film Institute Award for movie
year of course some flip this cliche
upside down such as the humorous trailer
for jackass number two a sad commentary
on our degenerating culture
a disgusting repulsive grotesque
spectacle number three
inception horns
it’s difficult to pinpoint exactly where
most of these trailer cliches originated
except for this one
while intense music is common in summer
movie trailers inception took its core
to another level of Awesomeness with
booming horns that totally blew us away
every time you hear that sound it feels
like the Earth’s shaking
now almost all action movie trailers
recycle the inception horns
it’s as if they’re trying to implant–
an idea in our heads that the film being
advertised is going to be the next
inception
number two from the people who brought
you on the sea some will bleed where
anticipated sequels and adaptations have
built-in audiences the trailers for
completely original movies need to find
a new selling point this is where the
talent behind the scenes comes in if
people know that Christopher Nolan James
Cameron or the geniuses at Pixar are
involved we’ll check out the flick on
name recognition alone of course this
doesn’t always work to a film’s
advantage the director of scary movie
did anybody honestly want to see little
man after learning it was from the guys
who brought us white chicks we didn’t
think so and the guys who brought you
white chicks I know just what to fix you
for you to have a good night’s sleep ooh
creamy you’re drinking breast milk
before we preview our top pick here are
a few honorable mentions
do I get to say thank you this time I
got into bikini that does absolutely
nothing for me okay look it’s the ice
why is it so big so it doesn’t melt it’s
actually really interesting how they do
it is this one company out in Boston
dead oh that went south so oh this is
some classy she’s naked
I’m sorry I want to apologize I’m not
even confident on which end that came
out of number one the deep voice
narrator somewhere in the Far East a
deadly crime ring is about to trigger an
international crisis while some trailers
speak for themselves with their
mind-blowing imagery others require an
outside voice to make things sound even
more explosive from the sewers of Gotham
a new villain emerges
not just any actor can do voiceovers for
movie trailers however they require a
thunderous throat to sell lines like in
a world where laughter was king for
years the go-to man for trailer
narration was the late Don LaFontaine in
a land of timeless beauty William
Wallace was a man of peace recorded in
over 5,000 trailers la Fontaine’s
god-like voice eventually became a
pop-culture icon destined for parody New
York cop John McClane has come to say
his wife instead he’s going to have to
save her whether it’s la Fontaine’s
all-encompassing voice or another
narrators this cliche never gets old
what do you mean no in the world oh okay
in the land that no one to land either
in the Tyne I don’t think so do you
agree with our list what’s your favorite
movie trailer cliche
for more entertaining top 10s published
every day be sure to subscribe to
watchmojo.com so girl no to girl
no no no more than ever stop renegade
cop I hate you a robot renegade cop
welcome to watchmojo.com and today we’re
counting down our picks for the top 10
movie trailer cliches
it was his idea for this list we’re
taking a look at the most common tropes
that keep popping up in advertisements
for feature films basically we’re
talking things that are overused in
movie trailers in an effort to get us to
watch the flicks number 10 the opening
aerial skyline shot Who am I you sure
you want to know tell us if any of these
clips look familiar
the aerial skyline shot is an overused
yet always effective method of engaging
the audience in a movie setting
in most cases the setting will be a city
that will play a key role in the
narrative sometimes the city will need
saving from a lone hero as in spider-man
or maybe the city will connect a series
of diverse characters like in crash any
real cities you walk you know either way
the trailer establishes the location as
a commanding presence that makes us all
feel puny and tries to set the scale
I’ve been alone for a long time not
because I want to be but because until I
solve this problem I have to be number 9
where’d the happy music go
nobody wants to see a movie with no
conflict
so whenever a trailer opens with happy
music and joyful people living perfect
lives expect all hell to break loose
within seconds
the trailers soothing sentiment is
abruptly substituted by intense music as
the characters attempt to survive zombie
apocalypses ship sinking and even the
end of the world even if we can see the
extreme change of pace coming this
cliche still creates a genuine sense of
panic that captures the movie at its
most exciting swim fan number eight the
record scratch the world must turn to
two living legends like our last entry
this cliche sets us up for one thing
then delivers the complete opposite
primarily used to advertise comedies the
trailer presents itself as really badass
or mystical there’s a new player intent
a rabbit a plain white rapper then in a
fake-out the music comes to a screeching
halt and our unexpected protagonist
emerges when we lift in the hands of one
man
yeah yes I gave it nice you like this
also applies to trailers that start off
with a character going through a typical
day then undergoes a random twist such
as Rob Schneider becoming a carrot only
problem is he’s about to become a carrot
I’m a carrot it’s like a setup to a joke
although we can usually predict the
punchline
I like a teacher to become a master of
disguise really I’m going to be a master
of disguise I’m going to be a master
disguise
sumo number seven
flickering Jonesy be you be careful be
careful of what a good trailer shows the
audience just enough to get us into the
theater while also being restrained so
as not to give the best parts away
horror trailers typically find just the
right balance unveiling the build-up but
cutting away before revealing the payoff
it’s as if the film is so frightening
that the trailer felt the necessity to
cover our eyes for us
I want to see this chosen if we want to
see the monster that everybody’s
screaming about we’ll have to go and see
the whole movie with that we’re
officially sold number six the jump
scare jump scares and flickering go
hand-in-hand habitually trailers
reserved their greatest jump scare until
the very end the music goes silent with
a character all alone in the dark or are
they tension builds as they turn on a
flashlight look under a bed or walk down
a menacing hallway no matter what
there’s always someone or something
waiting to leap out even if we know the
scare is just around the corner we can’t
help but jump out of our seats
guaranteeing horror junkies will buy a
ticket number five the fade to black
I’m gonna show you something beautiful
if you want your trailer to seem as
dramatic as possible make sure virtually
every transition fades to black
I have it in the vein of many other
cliches on this list the fade to black
is another method of continually raising
the stakes with each blink the trailer
becomes more epic and thrilling Bruce
then just when it looks like the trailer
can’t possibly top itself fade – the
trump card be it Ultron or Han and
Chewie Chewie we’re home
finish matters off by transitioning to
the release date and will eagerly mark
our calendars number for critics and
accolades come on let’s go in I want to
see what’s on the other side some movies
we’ll find an audience no matter how low
they’re rotten tomatos rating is smaller
movies though require strong critical
reception to get the word out you should
be here get out of here now if a picture
achieves accolades from Sundance kin or
other prestigious film festivals the
trailer will be sure to make note of its
early buzz if such a claim carries on
throughout awards season the TV ads will
highlight any Golden Globe and Oscar
nominations – winner of the American
Film Institute Award for movie
year of course some flip this cliche
upside down such as the humorous trailer
for jackass number two a sad commentary
on our degenerating culture
a disgusting repulsive grotesque
spectacle number three
inception horns
it’s difficult to pinpoint exactly where
most of these trailer cliches originated
except for this one
while intense music is common in summer
movie trailers inception took its core
to another level of Awesomeness with
booming horns that totally blew us away
every time you hear that sound it feels
like the Earth’s shaking
now almost all action movie trailers
recycle the inception horns
it’s as if they’re trying to implant–
an idea in our heads that the film being
advertised is going to be the next
inception
number two from the people who brought
you on the sea some will bleed where
anticipated sequels and adaptations have
built-in audiences the trailers for
completely original movies need to find
a new selling point this is where the
talent behind the scenes comes in if
people know that Christopher Nolan James
Cameron or the geniuses at Pixar are
involved we’ll check out the flick on
name recognition alone of course this
doesn’t always work to a film’s
advantage the director of scary movie
did anybody honestly want to see little
man after learning it was from the guys
who brought us white chicks we didn’t
think so and the guys who brought you
white chicks I know just what to fix you
for you to have a good night’s sleep ooh
creamy you’re drinking breast milk
before we preview our top pick here are
a few honorable mentions
do I get to say thank you this time I
got into bikini that does absolutely
nothing for me okay look it’s the ice
why is it so big so it doesn’t melt it’s
actually really interesting how they do
it is this one company out in Boston
dead oh that went south so oh this is
some classy she’s naked
I’m sorry I want to apologize I’m not
even confident on which end that came
out of number one the deep voice
narrator somewhere in the Far East a
deadly crime ring is about to trigger an
international crisis while some trailers
speak for themselves with their
mind-blowing imagery others require an
outside voice to make things sound even
more explosive from the sewers of Gotham
a new villain emerges
not just any actor can do voiceovers for
movie trailers however they require a
thunderous throat to sell lines like in
a world where laughter was king for
years the go-to man for trailer
narration was the late Don LaFontaine in
a land of timeless beauty William
Wallace was a man of peace recorded in
over 5,000 trailers la Fontaine’s
god-like voice eventually became a
pop-culture icon destined for parody New
York cop John McClane has come to say
his wife instead he’s going to have to
save her whether it’s la Fontaine’s
all-encompassing voice or another
narrators this cliche never gets old
what do you mean no in the world oh okay
in the land that no one to land either
in the Tyne I don’t think so do you
agree with our list what’s your favorite
movie trailer cliche
for more entertaining top 10s published
every day be sure to subscribe to
watchmojo.com so girl no to girl
no no no more than ever stop renegade
cop I hate you a robot renegade cop
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