Fifteen years out from the chaos, here is my raw take on the INDEFINITE trailers.
INDEFINITE Trailer 1
I slammed together the first trailer the moment INDEFINITE was locked in to a premiere date. Time was ticking. The hype machine needed to start roaring.
–The first dialogue lines hit flat. No need to spoon-feed names. “Amber…” “Jonas…” Blah blah blah.
–“Amber, you were about to get something.” Who cares? Cut the fluff.
–“Drink one of the vials.” That line is punchier.
–The opening shot packs enough punch to grab the audience without dialogue.
–The line “Maybe” by Otto should be cut.
–The first fight is slow. Frames should be cut to speed up the frenetic pace.
–As soon as the street thug exits the house–end scene.
–Running shots needed tighter splices. Removing fractions of time raises the adrenaline level.
–Otto stalking past the grimy yellow garage is the best dramatic moment.
–The second Otto fires his gun, slice the shot. The running drags on.
–Yet again, more quicker running cuts.
–”The Office” scene has toooo much waiting. We are at 1 minute and 20 seconds. Time to wrap this up. The audience is confused.
–The dialogue lacked edge. Our inexperience showed. Sharp, theme-focused lines would elevate the story.
INDEFINITE Trailer 2
This trailer might have dropped just before the premiere. I forget.
–INDEFINITE trailer 2 wipes the floor with INDEFINITE trailer 1.
–Subdued intense music kicks things off. The mystery begins.
–A mysterious figure lurks on the stairwell.
–Most importantly–less distracting chatter.
–Axe the first gun blast. The shot is totally out of sync with the visual. It was smashed in to create a surprise. The kitchen scene that follows is disconnected from the random shot.
–The visual style is massively upgraded. Comic book gritty effects were added.
–The kitchen scene hits way harder. Otto and Jonas’ clash has more edge than trailer #1.
–Tighter shots on the actors punch up the kitchen sequence. Trailer #1’s wide-angle shots were dull.
–Trailer #2’s brawls hit hard. The action is “movie” watchable. Even so, a few frames could be shaved off.
–Overall, trailer #2 hits harder. The action cuts hit like broken glass–a fast smash of mayhem.
–The trailer could end after Otto drops, “Yeah I do, I paid to have it.” Let the line hang into the darkness. Then boom–INDEFINITE appears.
–The remaining chaos of action needs to stream by savagely. Shred the moments into micro seconds. Keep the audience guessing. Then slow down with the threat of burning the face off under the mask.
Recap
I’m still amped about INDEFINITE. Trailer #2 is packed with hardcore thrills. From frame one the viewer is pulled into a shadowy world.