By Jim & Ted
The podcast currently has 11 episodes available.
Can you learn all you need to know about an actor from trailers? Jim and Ted try and find out.
Joaquin Phoenix has had a long career and quiet a variety of films but something about his look gives his audience the idea that it's him acting there, and surprisingly - that is a comforting feeling.
Up first this week is this indie flick with Jonah Hill, Rooney Mara and Jack Black in the streaming film, Don't Worry, He Won't Get Far On Foot.
On March 9, 2018 he's in theaters in You Were Never Really Here.
These are great directors why do they like working with JP? Here's a great, yet underrated Paul Thomas Anderson film that reads more like a Coen Brothers script than the typical focused percision of a PTA film. OK, Ted put this one in to hear Jim's Terrible British accent impersonation.
...and to round it out Walk the Line.
The Super Bowl cycles through the major networks (NBC, CBS & FOX) so the AFC and NFC championship games go to the other networks. The sweet renewal contract is here at TV by the Numbers. NBC got the best part of this deal.
"Cold Open," "Tease," etc. we don't know why we call these things what we call them we just do. This look inside... baseball? in the TV promo space. Sometimes I think media marketers make stuff for their own amusement but this time the meta message rings true to the everyman.
Apparently Netflix engineers developed a proof concept in 2014 that Ted requested today. Since they can do it why won't they. The Trailer Junkies would love to know.
Now for Ted's story...On the way home from Jim’s house my family stopped for a linner at Industrial Eats, a small restaurant in Buellton. Great name, nice people, great food and when I went to the bathroom this movie poster hung over the sink. An amazing coincidence, since Jim and I were stewing up a podcasting idea to review movies based solely on their trailer. Every pod will cover two trailers and one poster.
I immediately snapped a picture of this poster and slacked it to Jim knowing Miller’s Crossing had to be the first poster we discussed. Others have discussed the movie and behind the scene but I was surprised to come up empty on my search for reviews of the poster.
Let’s dissect the choices that led to this poster and appreciate it for the rare gem that has stood the test of time. Almost thirty years later I’m fairly certain this poster would not have been made and if it were commissioned it certainly wouldn’t be the hero poster.
When you think of your typical movie poster there’s usually a few marketing goals.
You can’t blame marketers for attempting to hit these points as directly as possible. They only have a moment to grab someone walking down a street or driving by a bus enclosure and compel the passerby to notice, like the image, recall it when at the box office and spend money. Here’s a deeper dive on these KPIs applied to this iconic poster.
First, star-power. It is clear that the marketing team and filmmakers didn’t care if you could identify Gabriel Byrne and John Turturro. When I saw it in the bathroom, I thought for a second it was Harvey Keitel standing over the sniveling Bernie Bernbaum (unmistakable, even at fifty yards on his knees). No actors’ names copy added for clarity. An interested observer from 1990 would have to squint at the billing block and thank the lawyers and unions for its inclusion.
Second, the story hint. The art of this image is from the filmmakers directly, not a glamorous photoshoot or a blend of artistic renderings of the “essence” or “meaning” of the film. It’s a shot from the film, right there, smack-dab in the middle of the movie from the Coens’ minds and Barry Sonnenfeld’s eye. No toolkit, no supplemental artwork. This “cropped production still” accomplishes the story hint but this is not a story about two guys facing off in the woods. There is a lot to unpack and delights when you see the poster after watching the film. A strictly artistic byproduct that might drive poster purchases but doesn’t, in-and-of-itself, drive ticket sales.
Usually a strap line would step in here to do some heavy lifting – not here. And maybe that’s a good thing since looking at these other movies the strap line/logline overexposes and boxes in the movie referenced and exposes these posters as pure, ham-fisted commerce.
“In a world where nothing is what it seems, you’ve got to look beyond… ‘The Usual Suspects’” reads like copy ripped from the trailer script and slapped on the poster. Goodfellas simple, straight-forward strap line “three decades of life in the mafia” lacks the creativity and evocation deserving of any Scorsese movie. If the Raising Arizona poster stopped at “A comedy beyond belief” it would have hinted of what’s to come but the addition of “Their lawless years behind them. Their child-rearing years ahead…” while poetic seemed to be marketing execs using a log line against the filmmakers.
Miller’s Crossing’s story hint rests on the quote and this quote delivers. Somewhere between a strap and a logline this quote praises the filmmakers and associates this film with The Godfather, great genre company. The addition of the word “masterpiece” is marketing gold. So much so that I'm certain reviewers give these glowing concise praise lines in the hopes they’d get on a poster or in a quote spot.
Lastly, it needs to identify the intended audience. Miller’s Crossing’s legacy mention should logically read “From …the creators of ‘Blood Simple’” and end there but the addition of Raising Arizona might at first glance seem like its adding needless confusion and while I’m not sure what marketer would allow this to get on a poster. I like to think that at the time it had to be a gamble that someone had to fight for. Maybe someone took a risk and added Raising Arizona for the complexity of storytelling and allowed the poster audience to decide if they were Coen Brothers fans.
Even while breaking norms and proven marketing techniques this worked on many levels and the experience was uniquely Coen-esque, all the way down to the poster.
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This week Jim and Ted discuss four trailers, but before they get into the big screen they start off with a Syfy show that Jim has been watching, The Expanse. At only halfway through the first season, Jim's already a fan. Ted, on the other hand, is not convinced, but continues to hold out for Ronald D. Moore's return to the sci-fi genre. Not on Syfy, but with a new unnamed Apple show. Yes, confusing.
Next up, this week's TJPdeepDIVE is Red Sparrow. A thriller action film with great actors and a hastening pace that builds on the anticipation and seduction of the Cold War elements in this trailer and, they hope, subsequently in the movie.
Shhhhhhhhh! this TJPhotTAKE on A Quiet Place sends Jim and Ted off the rails remembering John Krasinski as the Dunder Mifflin paper salesman, Jim Halpert, and they get derailed with fart jokes.
Last, but certainly not least, the Trailer Junkies have a third TJPhotTAKE this week where they discuss Breaking In. It's the new Gabrielle Union thriller which adds to the list of films pitched as "Die Hard in a (fill in the blank)". Ted's Three Word Review will you give you a hint - "Die Hard, Heiress".
This week Ted & Jim tackle the buddy-action-comedy, Game Over, Man! In the evolution of how Trailer Junkies Podcast does this here are the videos all in one place. The #TJPdeepDIVE is Game Over, Man! but it's really about Netflix.
We approach Netflix’s marketing with a broader look at other viral pieces. Ted changes his mind on the timing of the Netflix PROPOSAL with Drew Barrymore and Timothy Olyphant promoting Santa Clarita Diet. First, he thinks it's bad timing, but by the end this piece of content acts as a sustainable marketing piece.
We also look at one of the sequel announcement pieces for Bright 2 as a Leaked Orc Audition reel. Never taking themselves too seriously, at least on the consumer-facing side. The stock price on the other hand, deadly serious.
We ran long this week but there’s a lot to talk around Netflix and their tech lens on the media space. Ted's still trying to coin the acronym #MaaS for Media as a Service, but the autonomous vehicle people are trying to use it as Mobility as a Service.
Please tweet us any errors you may find as Jim & Ted set up #TJPdrinkingGAME to offer corrections for various mistakes and annoyances.
As always please feel free to contact us on any platform.
#TJPdeepDIVE Ocean’s 8
This week the junkies discuss the gender swap on Ocean’s 8 and compare the newest installment to the other Ocean’s 11 films both Clooney’s and Sinatra’s. A suggestion from Anne, Ted’s wife and Terrence, his coworker – Ted and Jim look back at Soderbergh’s Ocean’s 11 trailer to speculate on the style of the two films.
#TJPhotTAKE Book of Henry
Maybe a bit of a longer discussion on the trailer for this film from this past summer (2017). Ted’s branding and hashtagging everything is sight. If you want to make a suggestion on twitter you can hashtag #TJPaudSUG like we got from @RJCaedo for The Book of Henry. Quite a fun trailer that takes a hard left about a minute in.
CREDIT: worldnewstweets.com
We wrap up this week with a quick story about All the Money in the World’s recasting. This Ridley Scott and Christopher Plummer interview was a great insight into Ridley’s process and Christopher’s good humor with his birthday cake where his face replaces the rest of the cast and crew.
WARNING: Jim is on vacation so the audio is a little rough but we wanted to get this one out to test another segment #TJPkidsTAKE
Jim and Ted are joined by Ted's kids, Audrey and Bryce (11 and 8 respectively) and they discuss the trailer for Ferdinand, then they go and see the movie and recap whether the trailer did a good job or not.
Along the way we get Ted's pitch for AMC Stubs Premiere membership (they are not a sponsor, yet) and a #TJPhotTAKE on Sherlock Gnomes. As well as Audrey and Bryce's exposure to Masters of Scale and Lovett or Leave It.
We will still have our regular pod on Thursday.
#TJPdeepDIVE Mortal Engines
Please watch this Mortal Engines Official Trailer before listening.
Jim and Ted agree on this one, the trailer as a trailer is a failure. Not a teaser, not a trailer but Ted explains what a lift is. With so much information missing Jim and Ted try and fill in the missing pieces but instead abandon the trailer until the next one. #Teds3wordREVIEW – Peter Jackson, WHY!
Give this version of The Greatest Showman Live Commercial a watching before listening.
Jim and Ted also agree on this one. The excitement of a theatrical feat of pulling off a live commercial in live programming should provide a lift for this kind of movie. They also dive into the other aspects of the Greatest Showman’s marketing a bit. #Teds3wordREVIEW - Huge Act, Man (#SWIDT See What I Did There?)
#TJPhotTAKE Chappaquiddick Trailer
Ted explains the etymology of his nickname and fond memories of the Vineyard.
The marmalade-loving bear is back at it with the Brown family in this gorgeous cinematically delightful sequel. Jim and Ted take a deep dive on this trailer and hijinks ensues. Ted flexes his film BA and his marketing MBA with some jargon and never forget Ted’s 3-word review.
Some helpful vocab:Special Thanks to Jeremy Kent Jackson for the voice over and Rogelio Caedo for the scoring.
Thanks for listening. Be sure to like, subscribe, and share. Let us know your thoughts in the comments and leave us a review in iTunes.
De oppresso liber “To free the oppressed” is the Special Forces motto and this film, 12 Strong: The Declassified True Story of the Horse Soldiers commemorate the men who went to Afghanistan immediately after the September 11 attacks. During this trailer debrief – Jim’s military knowledge is tested and Ted tries to say dressage. But in the end the unknown outcome of these dozen warriors and their families will bring Jim to the theater. Ted’s three-word review gets workshopped and you’ll have to listen to hear what it is. On a serious tip Jim warns about the dangers of binge viewing.
If you are a veteran – Thank you for your service.
Thanks for listening. Be sure to like, subscribe, and share. Let us know your thoughts in the comments and leave us a review in iTunes.
Hello, we're the Trailer Junkies!
In this introductory episode, Trailer Junkies, Jim & Ted, introduce themselves and provide you, the listener, with their social media and contact information, website information, and the tips to their show's review style. Jim & Ted hope you enjoy their antics and please subscribe, and share.
Thanks for listening. Be sure to like, subscribe, and share. Let us know your thoughts in the comments and leave us a review in iTunes.
The podcast currently has 11 episodes available.