Is there any benefit of doing a "mock" trailer for a future feature film?

A

asingfield

Active member
Hi guys, one of my shorts film just got accepted into cannes short film corner. We are going to go for sure, I heard its a great place to learn marketing and a great networking opportunity. I don't think our short film is going to sell but we thought since we are in cannes we might as well try and shop around our feature film ideas around. We are currently work on the script and we were thinking of doing a mock trailer, since we won't be shooting the actual film till the end of year. So, making a mock trailer, like the ones I see of crowd funding websites, worth it? Would it be better to have a mock trailer, than to have a one line pitch and a script to show possible producers? Or is a a waste of time because the cast will likely be different and we haven't even written the script so whole characters and plot lines could be different. So as a result, the mock trailer could be seen as false advertisement. Love to know everyone thoughs. (Plus any tips on cannes would be great too :)
 
If you read a few of the case studies from the Gurerilla Filmmakers Guide book you will see that many writers/directors shot a gripping scene from their script and with a sales agent able to shop the script around and negotiate the right to direct it.

Shooting an entire trailer may be overkill and unnecessary.
 
A lot of it depends on the scope of your film. If there are limited characters and locations, then you could potentially do a "trailer" of the entire concept. However I would lean on the side of this being unnecessary and overkill, not to mention it would almost inevitably be of lesser quality than if you picked a scene to focus on. I would recommend picking a single scene, maybe 2-3 minutes, and work on making that as good as you possibly can. The idea here is to show what the end product would look like.
 
you could also do a short condensed version of your feature like the guys from saw did.

the fake trailer for hobo with a shotgun got that made

either could work im sure

a trailer you gotta get more locations for

personally I would feel goofy doing a trailer for a fake movie unless it was for a trailer contest like the sxsw one

why make a pretend movie when you could make a real (short) movie i say
 
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Saw was exactly the case study in that book I mad reference too, lol

When executives started feeling the suspense and terror build up with that contraption about to rip open someone's jaw, they wanted to immediately read the script.

I agree nycineaste that an entire trailer is too much work with too many locations (potentially) that will need good sound mixing and other post work,, keep it simple keep it addictive and whoever watches it wanting to see more. Don't tell the whole story. Build some suspense.
 
I once heard a Distributor talking to a Producer who had shot a trailer for his upcoming film

D:"So is any of this footage going to be in the final product?
P:"No it's just a taster of what we want to achieve"
D:"Why shoot something your not going to use, how much did it cost?"
P:"Errmm."
D:"Your wasting my time and your money, its not a good start is it?"

It always stuck with me, shooting a scene from the film might be a better idea.

Jp.x
 
jpbankesmercer said:
I once heard a Distributor talking to a Producer who had shot a trailer for his upcoming film

D:"So is any of this footage going to be in the final product?
P:"No it's just a taster of what we want to achieve"
D:"Why shoot something your not going to use, how much did it cost?"
P:"Errmm."
D:"Your wasting my time and your money, its not a good start is it?"

It always stuck with me, shooting a scene from the film might be a better idea.

Jp.x
Click to expand...

Sounds like a typical tryant in the industry trying to play big and throw his weight around and belittle you to weaken you into a crappy deal. This is why you hire and work with a sales agent especially if you don't know how to wheel and deal.

Here's how my conversation would have went:

D: "So is any of this footage going to be in the final product?
P: "No it's just a taster of the story and look and feel we want to achieve for the film."
D: "Why shoot something your not going to use, how much did it cost?"
P: "We are using this to shop the script/film around with, and so far response has been quite overwhelming!"
D: "How much did it cost?"
P: "It was shot by a local production company free who is interested to work with deferred once we reach a deal. Here is a copy of the trailer along with the script and resumes to the full cast and crew. Please get back to us (or our sales agent) with your interest sometime next week."
D: "Errrr, emmmm....."
 
asingfield said:
Hi guys, one of my shorts film just got accepted into cannes short film corner. We are going to go for sure, I heard its a great place to learn marketing and a great networking opportunity. I don't think our short film is going to sell but we thought since we are in cannes we might as well try and shop around our feature film ideas around. We are currently work on the script and we were thinking of doing a mock trailer, since we won't be shooting the actual film till the end of year. So, making a mock trailer, like the ones I see of crowd funding websites, worth it? Would it be better to have a mock trailer, than to have a one line pitch and a script to show possible producers? Or is a a waste of time because the cast will likely be different and we haven't even written the script so whole characters and plot lines could be different. So as a result, the mock trailer could be seen as false advertisement. Love to know everyone thoughs. (Plus any tips on cannes would be great too :)
Click to expand...

Seems to me you might just want to dance with the flow. Do your Short film thing, enjoy those accolades and see where it can take you, what ears you find and so forth. Could be that no one wants to even interview you or your 'mock' film. But to me at least, your short film being there tells others that you should be there. If that is the case, then you don't need anything other than yourself. Because I believe that is what you'll be selling: Yourself!

As to the discourse of Mr. D and Mr. P, One would think it would be very early to be talking to a Distributor without a product to sell. But if not then surely you would HAVE to have a scene from the movie itself.

Once again though, I think it's you they'll be buying into unless you have already shot the film, or are selling the idea/script.

Cheers, and congratulations!
 
it's generally a good idea - is the short answer. Unless you can get a film made with a few phone calls and a sketch on a paper, if you want to direct it and you dont have the contacts or they called you with a script because your reel is red hot -

time to film a trailer/teaser.

EXCELSIOR!!!!
 
Like others say, you could make a short version to try and get funding. That would work and it would get the general idea of what you want to do across.
 
I would do what Starcentral suggested, shoot an intense, well-written scene from your script, something that gives an idea of what the film is about and also gives you the opportunity to show your vision for the film's look and feel. Polish it up to its very best, then take it with you.

The problem with shooting a short or "condensed version" of your feature idea is that if it's well done and tells a full story, it can be hard for an interested party to imagine how you could turn that 5-10m into 90m without it becoming extremely slow, pointless and drawn-out. Because essentially, you're giving them the tootsie roll center of the tootsie pop, then trying to convince them they want the same thing, only with a hard candy shell that they have to lick forever just to get to that same thing at the center that they just had without the work. The way this CAN work, I think, is to do like Blomkamp did with ALIVE IN JOBURG: he created a short film that set up an idea, and then he had an entirely DIFFERENT story to tell in the feature, DISTRICT 9. But this works best, probably, with genre idea-driven films like sci-fi, horror, etc.

-EMB

Just put that SAW short on my to-watch list for today. Didn't know SAW originated as a short.
 
As for that little conversation with the distributor, that's literally nothing more than posturing and downplaying on the distributor's part. While I imagine some financiers, execs, and distribs would probably raise a brow at a full trailer for an unproduced film, if you went in with a 2-4m scene, even with the intention of reshooting it later when you have the financing, crew, and equipment to do better, that's just a "proof of concept." It's a semi-standard tool for acquiring financing, especially now in the crowdfunding age. Anyone who scoffs at that is either an idiot you don't want to be doing business with, or is trying to make you doubt your footing so he can, as starcentral said, con you into making a bad deal.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Proof_of_concept#In_filmmaking

-EMB
 
don't shoot an isolated scene, that's silly. Why would you. Shoot a COMPLETE SHORT that can work on its own. People this worked for : "Mama", "Saw", "Alive In Joburg".... the whole idea of shooting a trailer or a scene from a bigger piece is goofy, awkward, and has always been. Its just weird and stupid, pretending that what youre making is part of something imaginary. Go make ....A FREEKING ACTUAL MOVIE. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WRqS6pBC42w
 
Like anything in film, there are no steadfast rules. It is he wild Wild West. I recently shot a spec trailer for a film I was trying to get off of the ground, and though that project didn't end up going through, it lead to me being able to direct another film. I say find a project, love it, show your skills, and you'll be amazed how things can move forward. Go with your gut and good luck.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=6DT17IRqrSc
 
nycineaste said:
don't shoot an isolated scene, that's silly. Why would you. Shoot a COMPLETE SHORT that can work on its own. People this worked for : "Mama", "Saw", "Alive In Joburg".... the whole idea of shooting a trailer or a scene from a bigger piece is goofy, awkward, and has always been. Its just weird and stupid, pretending that what youre making is part of something imaginary. Go make ....A FREEKING ACTUAL MOVIE. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WRqS6pBC42w
Click to expand...

You are aware that the Mama "short film" is EXACTLY what we're talking about when we suggest shooting a scene from your script? If you've seen the movie (and even the "short film," which has absolutely no beginning-middle-end story, but is just a scene, or a "proof of concept"), you'll know that the short film is a scene from the second half of the movie/script. SAW and ALIVE IN JOBURG are actual short films, but the Mama short film is just a proof of concept.

-EMB
 
this version (just watched it) is not the original, which I saw a year ago before the movie was made. I don't know why they did that, I guess they wanted to turn it into more of a commercial for the movie. the original does have more of an "ending" and tells a complete tale, in the way that a short would tend to. but yes, clearly movies have been launched from "faux trailer" and proof-of-concept pieces, so go for it if that's your bag.
 
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Sling Blade started out as a short, too I believe. I think if you have a scene that really plays on a character dynamic that will/would exist in your larger film, then you have the nuts & bolts to tell a self contained short film story. Later when the feature film is being shot you have the option (but not the obligation) to use that short (or chunks of it) in the final footage.
 
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