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Trailer Park: 10 Clichés Of The Indie Dramedy Trailer

Laura Aguirre — Wed, 11 Apr 2012 18:16:29 +0000

We watch a lot of movie trailers here at ScreenCrave, and, as we inch closer to summer with its ever-increasing torrent of new films, we’re seeing more and more previews with each passing day. As we do so, we can’t help but notice some similarities, repetitions, and clichés among them. Here at Trailer Park, we’ll be offering a rundown of those clichés, where they come from, and which trailers share them. For our first installment, we’ll be breaking down one of summer’s most ever-present previews: The Indie Dramady Trailer.

The problem with the Indie Dramedy Trailer is common; it tries so hard to be unique that it ends up being just like the rest in the genre. Let me first note that some of the movies on this list are personal favorites (ahem, Welcome to the Dollhouse), but, that said, their trailers have unfortunately fallen victim to trailer clichés. But we shouldn’t blame the indie auteurs? Is it the auteurs–it’s companies that purchase the rights to distribute and advertise these indie gems, and their marketing consultants, that screw up a good thing.

10. Hand Drawn Fonts

Used in: Year of the Dog (2007), According To Greta (2009), Submarine (2010), The Science of Sleep (2006), Napoleon Dynamite (2004), Juno (2007), Away We Go (2009)

Hand drawn fonts aren’t as cool as they use to be. Let’s thank Wes Anderson for bringing them to our attention, but also putting them in the subconscious of every other advertiser in America.

As Seen In: Juno

9. Blankly Staring Into Space

Used In: Beginners (2011), Submarine (2010), Greenberg (2010), Garden State (2004), Me And You And Everybody We Know (2005), Away We Go (2009), Hesher (2011), American Splendor (2003), The Squid and the Whale (2005)

‘Staring Into Space’ moments aren’t only a cliché, but also bad advertising. It tells the audience that there will be moments in the film when nothing is happening, just characters staring off into space, daydreaming about who knows what. Instead of previewing blank stares, wouldn’t it be better to show a cool dream sequence? (Although those can be just as cliche sometimes.)

As Seen In: Away We Go

8. Smoking Is Cool

Used in: The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou (2004), Clockwatchers (1998), The Science of Sleep (2006), The Royal Tenenbaums (2001), Rodger Dodger (2001), Adventureland (2009), Hesher (2011), American Beauty (1999), Slacker (1991), Safety Not Guaranteed (2012)

This is an indie dramedy, so you know there will be plenty of moments filled with melancholia. What goes perfect with tears, breakdowns, and staring into space? Cigarettes. Who needs advertising when we’ve got the cool kids smoking grandpa pipes?

As Seen In: Adventureland

7. Cute Noises (Wink, Camera Shutter, Record Scratch, Etc.)

Used in: Cedar Rapids (2011), 500 Days of Summer (2009), Thank You For Smoking (2005), Cyrus (2010), Roger Dodger (2001), Juno (2007), Broken Flowers (2005), Sunshine Cleaning (2008), Boogie Nights (1997)

Indie dramedies are filled with cuteness, from the interesting names to the matching outfits, but when you add sound effects like winks, needle scratches, and Polaroid clicks, the cuteness becomes too much. It’s like when you get a bellyache from eating too much candy. A lot of trailers are guilty of this. One of the worst sound effects is when the trailer starts off with a needle scratch, but there is no record player in sight. What is the point?

As Seen In: Thank You For Smoking

6. The Fight Scene

Used in: Cedar Rapids (2011), High Fidelity (2000), Youth In Revolt (2009), Ghost World (2001), Sideways (2004), Broken Flowers (2005), Paper Man (2009), Punch Drunk Love (2002), Adventureland (2009), Hesher (2011), Happiness (1998)

This is just to show you that indie movies aren’t all tears and witty dialogue, there’s also some action, which usually goes like this: geek gets punched in the face by some jock at a party. The end.

As Seen In: Ghost World

5. Moving In Slow Motion (Or Time Lapse)

Used In: Safety Not Guaranteed (2012), Youth In Revolt (2009), Donnie Darko (2001), Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004), Garden State (2004), Sideways (2004), Thank You For Smoking (2005), The Royal Tenenbaums (2001), Hesher (2011), Boogie Nights (1997), Cashback (2006)

I’ll be the first to admit that a time lapse, like the one in Zach Braff‘s Garden State, looks cool, but that movie has so many motion controlled sequences that it’s ineffective; and the trailer includes almost all of them. The whole trailer is just one indie trailer cliché after another.

As Heard In: Garden State

4. Quirky Dancing

Used In: Beginners (2011), Cedar Rapids (2011), The Science of Sleep (2006), High Fidelity (2000), Greenberg (2010), Lost In Translation (2003), Napoleon Dynamite (2004), Sideways (2004), Cyrus (2010), Punch Drunk Love (2002), Adventureland (2009), Welcome To The Dollhouse (1995)

Maybe there won’t be fighting, maybe there won’t be smoking, but by God there’ll be quirky dancing! Indie trailers always preview that brief moment in the movie when the oddball lead character shows their unique spirit by doing a quirky dance.

As Seen In: Welcome To The Dollhouse

3. Quotes Of Validity

Used In: Submarine (2010), Little Miss Sunshine (2006), Me And You And Everybody We Know (2005), Welcome To The Dollhouse (1995), Happiness (1998), Synecdoche, New York (2008)

Quotes in a trailer are like meeting your friend’s boyfriend/girlfriend; your friend desperately wants you to like this person, so they tell you all sorts of great things about them, but none of that really matters because at the end of the day, you’ll have your own opinion. A trailer is already a movie’s promotion; just make the best trailer possible and skip all the quotes. If it’s good, people will like it.

As Seen/Heard In: Little Miss Sunshine

2. Jumping Into Pools

Used In: Submarine (2010), Cedar Rapids (2011), Garden State (2004), Lost In Translation (2003), The Royal Tenenbaums (2001), Paper Man (2009), Adventureland (2009), Gigantic (2008), Hesher (2011), Boogie Nights (1997)

Looking through some of these trailers, I was pretty shocked to find so many with the same clip of people jumping into pools. It’s unfortunate that this has become a cliché because it can be so meaningful and beautiful when done right (I’m looking at you, Dustin Hoffman in The Graduate). It’s best to leave these out of the trailer, just so there could be a moment of ‘shock and awe’ when watching the entire movie.

As Seen In: Submarine

1. The Indie Rock Soundtrack

Used In: For Every Modern Indie Movie, There’s An Indie Rock Soundtrack

And just so you know this really is an indie movie, let’s mention the indie band doing the soundtrack. Too much? Trailers are trying too hard to be indie.

As Seen In: Greenberg

These are just some of the clichés that should disappear from Indie Dramedy Trailers.

What are some of the clichés you see? And which do you think should disappear?

Top 10 Oddball Romantic Comedies To Watch On Valentine’s Day

Laura Aguirre — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 18:09:18 +0000

Screenwriters and studio executives alike have seemed to run out of ways to tell the boy-meets-girl, or girl-meets-boy, story. Nowadays, all of the rom-coms we hear about are those between Jennifer Aniston and some bounty hunter or Katherine Heigl playing… well, a bounty hunter. With this year’s Valentine’s Day, we decided to put a list together of romantic comedies that don’t fall into the Hollywood cliché. The movies below show that there are still unique ways to tell a love story. Here are 10 Oddball Romantic Comedies for you to check out this Valentine’s Day.

10. Adventureland

Year: 2009
Romantic Leads: Jesse Eisenberg and Kristen Stewart

Set in the summer of 1987, Adventureland tells the story of a college graduate who is forced to work at a theme park before heading off to grad school in New York. Before he got a job working at games booths, he was sure about his future plans, but when he falls for his co-worker, he learns a real life lesson that changes him. Adventureland may sound like your typical boy-meets-girl story, but it’s the numerous quirky characters that make this romantic comedy stand out.

9. Manhattan Murder Mystery

Year: 1993
Romantic Leads: Woody Allen and Diane Keaton

Manhattan Murder Mystery is definitely one of Woody Allen’s most underrated films. Not only is there’s a great cast (not just Mr. Allen and Diane Keaton) including Alan Alda, Anjelica Huston, Joy Behar and even a brief appearance by a very young Zach Braff, but it’s also got the perfect combination of mystery, romance and comedy. This film is Woody Allen’s twisted, satirical version of Double Indemnity where an old married couple, on the verge of divorce, solve a murder mystery and in the process, fall for each other again.

8. Beginners

Year: 2011
Romantic Leads: Ewan McGregor and Mélanie Laurent

Among the many, many romantic comedies that hit theaters in 2011, Beginners was one of the few that didn’t suck. It was actually pretty great. This isn’t just a love story between two people (of the opposite sex), but a story about love between family, friends and lovers.

7. Some Like It Hot

Year: 1959
Romantic Leads: Marilyn Monroe and Tony Curtis

Some Like It Hot is one of the best comedies ever, but the reason it’s on this list is because of the story. Sure, there’s been plenty of films where some guy tries to be someone he’s not in order to impress a gal, but none are told in such a hilarious and original manner as this one.

6. Annie Hall

Year: 1997
Romantic Leads: Woody Allen and Diane Keaton

Woody Allen gave faith to all self-centered people around the world with Annie Hall. This film shows the relationship between a neurotic stand-up comedian and the ditsy and fashionable Annie Hall. This is one of Allen’s most popular films, not just because it mirrored Woody Allen’s real-life relationship with Diane Keaton, but for its witty dialogue and the outstanding performances.

5. Juno

Year: 2007
Romantic Leads: Ellen Page and Michael Cera

Juno will forever be remembered as the teen pregnancy movie that won our hearts in 2007. With its quirky dialogue and sarcastic characters, this movie shows a different side of the teenager. Juno put its writer Diablo Cody on the map, and gave us all new vocabulary words.

4. Chasing Amy

Year: 1997
Romantic Leads: Ben Affleck and Joey Lauren Adams

In this highly quotable Kevin Smith romantic comedy, Ben Affleck plays a guy who falls deep for a girl who likes girls. The premise of a guy falling for a lesbian has disaster spelled all over it, but Smith was able to turn this dangerously disastrous idea into a thought-provoking, hilarious conversation about relationships and sexuality. Believe it or not, Ben Affleck actually stars in a good rom-com.

3. Lost In Translation

Year: 2003
Romantic Leads: Bill Murray and Scarlett Johansson

In 2003 Sofia Coppola directed this quirky film about a married movie star and a lonely newlywed. The film went on to win big awards and big money, thanks to Coppola’s original screenplay and the casting of Bill Murray and Scarlett Johansson as the offbeat couple. These two find comfort in each other during a difficult phase in their lives, and although they are on separate journeys, they are able to share something very special.

2. Harold and Maude

Year: 1971
Romantic Leads: Bud Cort and Ruth Gordon

Hal Ashby‘s cult classic tells the story of a truly original relationship between a suicidal 19-year-old boy and a 79-year-old swinger. Thanks to its whimsical tone, Cat Stevens’ soundtrack and unconventional relationship, Harold and Maude is one of the most memorable films out there.

1. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

Year: 2004
Romantic Leads: Jim Carrey and Kate Winslet

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind – doesn’t that just roll off your tongue? No? Alright, so the title isn’t obvious or short like No Strings Attached or Killers, but this film is anything but. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind is a cerebral film with an incredibly believable relationship between Jim Carrey and Kate Winslet. The two play a couple who try to erase each other from their memories. This film shows the decline of a relationship, or what happens after the credits roll? It is surreal, truly magnificent love story.

That’s our list, do you agree? Which are you favorite quirky romantic comedies?

Diablo Cody to Produce ‘Breathers’

Krystal Clark — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 22:00:38 +0000

Academy Award winning screenwriter Diablo Cody has got a new project on the horizon, and I’m not talking about the Megan Fox movie, Jennifer’s Body. According to /Film, Cody wont be writing, but instead producing the adaptation of Breathers: A Zombie’s Lament. The screenwriter on call for this film is Geoff LaTulippe, a relative unknown who has been a studio script reader for years. He recently sold a spec script entitled Going the Distance, but it looks as if this will be the writers first big break.

That film is to be directed by Nanette Burstein, who made the documentary American Teen. That film came with a glowing recommendation by Jason Reitman who called it his favourite film at Sundance 2008.

I guess since Reitman directed Cody’s debut Juno, his opinion means a lot. I have actually heard some good things about American Teen, so I’m interested to see what Burstein will do with this piece.

Breathers: A Zombie’s Lament is “a dark comedy about undeath through the eyes of an ordinary zombie. The novel hasn’t been released yet, but it’s scheduled to hit shelves on March 3 of this year.

Are you looking forward to Diablo Cody’s adaptation of Breathers: A Zombie’s Lament?

Poltics in Movies: Juno Song for Palin

Mali Elfman — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 15:00:59 +0000

ScreenCrave.com » juno

Trailer Park: 10 Clichés Of The Indie Dramedy Trailer

10. Hand Drawn Fonts

9. Blankly Staring Into Space

8. Smoking Is Cool

7. Cute Noises (Wink, Camera Shutter, Record Scratch, Etc.)

6. The Fight Scene

5. Moving In Slow Motion (Or Time Lapse)

4. Quirky Dancing

3. Quotes Of Validity

2. Jumping Into Pools

1. The Indie Rock Soundtrack

Related Posts

Top 10 Oddball Romantic Comedies To Watch On Valentine’s Day

10. Adventureland

9. Manhattan Murder Mystery

8. Beginners

7. Some Like It Hot

6. Annie Hall

5. Juno

4. Chasing Amy

3. Lost In Translation

2. Harold and Maude

1. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

Related Posts

Diablo Cody to Produce ‘Breathers’

Related Posts

Poltics in Movies: Juno Song for Palin

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