Writer-Director Andrew Stanton, decided to speak about hisnew trailer that he released for his upcoming film John Carter, he believesthat, when it comes to marketing, more movies should "own theirsh*t."
"To me, if a trailer is looking or sounding like anyother trailer out there, then what you're saying to the audience is, 'My movieis just like any other movie,'" noted Stanton on the eve of the trailerpremiere for his new film, the ambitious sci-fi epic John Carter. "I tendto worry that marketers are underestimating their audience, which is not what Iwas trained to do at PIXAR. Own what you really have. Own your sh*t."
And judging by John Carter's new trailer (watch it below),the filmmaker is taking great pride in owning the identity of his live-actiondirectorial debut. In fact, Stanton is very passionate about the way films aremade and seen. He knows how to deliver big ideas; he's crazy at taking thoseideas and wrapping them around characters worth caring about (see WALL.E andFinding Nemo). The biggest compliment you can give the guy is something alongthe lines of: "I wish I came up with that first!"
IGN then got a chance to speak with the guy, and they wereinterested on how do you get a film to be so successful and whats that processlike, but anyway check the interview.
IGN: The lasttime we spoke with you, you were getting ready to release the teaser trailerfor John Carter. And getting that from concept to final product was a longprocess for you and your team. Ultimately, the piece was met with variousreactions, but it definitely had people talking.
Andrew Stanton:Well, I think we called attention by being quieter than everybody else. Andwith this new trailer... we're proud of the film we have. So every [discussion]we have about it -- whether it be about making the poster or the trailer -- is:"Let's encapsulate it." And if that's not easy to do, then that's OK.But let's not give up until we encapsulate what it feels like to watch themovie.
What I care about is: "Do you feel after you've watchedthe trailer like I know you'll feel after you've watched the movie?" Itjust so rarely happens with trailers.
IGN: Let's backup a bit and talk about the process of making this trailer -- of fine tuning itwhile knee-deep in post-production, to get it to that place you just described.
Stanton: Sure.This happens on every movie, at least on every movie I've worked on. Because ofthe CGI nature of it, there's so much to be done to an image to make it look"finished" on film these days -- especially on the digital ones --that we never fit the calendar with when those shots are going to be done andwhen the trailers have to come out.
Trailers and teasers have to be planned at least anywherefrom six months to year out from release, and most movies -- the film, theimages -- they aren't starting to look finished until at least three to sixmonths out from release. So there's always this huge [scheduling] conflict. Alot of the time, you're seeing less in a trailer or you're not seeing "thebest stuff." It isn't because they didn't plan it that way, it's becausethat's all they had that they could show you.
Fortunately, when you're on a big movie with a studio likeDisney, they've been through it enough times that you can try to plan for it.
IGN: So at whatpoint does the marketing component of the movie intersect with what you'redoing as a filmmaker?
Stanton: You'retrying to find the identity of your campaign while you're making the teaser --at the same time -- so that's tricky. For example, on the teaser, you let [themarketers] play with all the rough footage of your film, and they'll cutwhatever they need to cut to try and find something. Your first big hope isthat they'll just find something worth watching. And if you're lucky enough tofind the trailer that everybody likes then the next big battle comes. Becauseyou go: "Well, I love that trailer. But I gotta tell you, 70 percent ofthe shots you've chosen? They will not be done by the time you need them."
John Carter hits theaters in March 2012. Definitely will besomething worth the wait.
Check out the Trailer Below....
