Knowing that Arnold Schwarzenegger was a good guy in Terminator 2 wasn’t a spoiler: It was the hook.
What you know before you go
Why trailers give so much away - Joe McGovern explains that audiences often want to know more about a movie before they see it. Trailer Editor Derek Lieu breaks down ways that trailers avoid the appearance of spoilers:
What’s it actually spoiling? - Stephen Garrett compares different trailers for the same movie and what each reveals about the premise. Darren Mooney asks if avoiding spoilers makes us appreciate movies less. Alissa Wilkinson dives into the gray area of calling newsworthy true crime revelations spoilers.
“In a world…” - Ali Larkin examines when and why movie trailers transitioned away from voiceover narration:
In an intro for the 26th Annual Hollywood Reporter Key Art Awards, the main voiceover artists of the 90s poke fun at their personas:
Likes & Retweets
In Case of Emergency: Magnify
Making the audience or a character examine something more closely can reveal ideas that might otherwise go unnoticed. Stretching a moment out, directing focus at a detail, or finding a visual metaphor for an emotion are all ways to point a magnifying glass at something in your story.
These are some of the ideas from the Magnify card in the Writer Emergency Pack — A deck of useful ideas designed to help get your story back on track.
To find out how you can get your own deck, check out the Writer Emergency site! You can also get regular prompts and examples following Writer Emergency on Twitter and Instagram.
Shortly before the decline of the Voice of God trailer, the trope was parodied for the 2002 documentary Comedian.
Previously on Inneresting…
In case you missed it, in last issue’s most clicked link Francis Ford Coppola breaks down how each of his films uses a single word as a thematic touchstone.
Other Inneresting Things
Simon Reynolds rounds up a list of recommended punk films.
Marco Margaritoff highlights Abraham Lincoln’s status as the first wrestler elected President.
Rosie Spinks questions whether it’s time for a slacker revival to counter influencer culture.
And that’s what’s inneresting this week! If you’re new to us, welcome! We hope you’ll subscribe and join us again next week.