History of Action Trailers

Our group has researched the history of action trailers and has noted and covered many areas of it ensuring we grasp the full knowledge of the genre. Ever since the 1970's, the genre of action has been a very successful and thriving attribute to the film industry. One of the very first action trailers was the film Dirty Harry released in 1971, this theatrical trailer was very different from trailers you see today as it uses a vast amount of clips from the film, giving alot of the plot away in a matter of seconds. 5 clips were used and last around 30-45 seconds, almost all the dialogue within the trailer is diegetic, but there is a little amount of narration (non-diegetic) sound in during the beginning and end of the trailer. In comparison the the trailers we see in this day and age, this one isnt as in your face or full of action and special effects. The director seems to strain the popularity of clint eastwood as he is repeatedly depicted. The trailer seems to give too much away and slightly ruins the story and may ruin the film for fans who wish to see the film in theatres.

In the 1983 film "Scarface" this trend seems to drag on as it introduces the character Antonio Montana, as we see him speaking to the police, and them focusing on him. There is then a cut to a voiceover and the titles showing the name of the film and the leading role in both the graphic and the non-diegetic sound.
This method is quite similar to the film Dirty Harry, as this again relies on the popularity of the actor, and also the fans love for the actor. With this however, the similarities come toward an end, as there are long scenes, but these are cut to quick sequences of action and explosions. Also the narrator gives less of the plot line away in the trailer, telling significant parts of the story but not exposing too much of the plotline, but rather helping tell part of the story to create excitement for the audience. Within the last section of the trailer we are shown the name of the film and the leading actor (Al Pacino), and this way of selling the actor was a convention for movie makers back then.
Edging toward the end of the 1980's trailers became more contemporary, with such films as Die Hard (1989). This trailer begins with the non-diegetic sound of a narrator telling a tale of Christmas, with non-diegetic festic themed music playing faintly in the background. The scene cuts as a juxtaposition is revealed, as there is a new scene with action introduced rather than the tranquility portrayed previously, as the action progresses we can see gunfire and other violent occurences. The trailer uses certain sequences from the film, using alot of fast cuts, which are almost seperated by the sound of gunfire, this creating a new convention to the action genre; a match on action with the diegetic sound within a trailer. The narrator does not announce the actors name to try and sell the film, as they use the action and quality of film to get the audiences attention, showing them what this film has to offer.
This brings us to the more recent contemporary trailers, with this in mind we specifically focused on Transporter 3 (2008). The trailer begins quietly, with the diegetic sound of the characters talking in a slow pace, describing their jobs, with some soft non-diegetic music playing over the conversation. The music then stops as the protagonist begins to speak, and the action from there on begins to build up gradually. The action depicted includes alot of quick explosions and fighting sequences, these being the main conventions of action movies in a contemporary sense.
The trailer again then slows down, as more of the story is described, this is followe with an array of clips of fast cars, fighting, guns, explosions and sexual imagery, with this there is minimal voiceover, except for the tagline and the film name with a brief mention of the leading actors name. This shows some stark contrast of what we have seen in the more historical film trailers such as Dirty Harry, with the slow scenes and voiceovers, with a mixture of the Die Hard genre; Guns, explosions and a large amount of action. As we can see, some of the techniques from the more historical films (Dirty Harry 1971, Die Hard 1989) have been reused, mixed concepts and conventions from an array of older action films, this being; slightly revealing plot line, minimal voice over and alot of action with slow parts compressed within. Thus overall this created an improved convention for trailers, reusing older concepts and conventions together creating a fast, less revealing trailer, which builds upon antisipation and excitement for the viewing public.