Clip tease
Trailers are an effective tool harnessed by the film industry to grab an audience’s attention. A well-edited one can translate into more viewers – and that means more money.
Over the decades, their role in film marketing has evolved: in the 1940s, trailers could run for as long as four minutes, a reflection of slower-paced lives. In today’s hectic, attention-span-diluted world, they average half that time.
To showcase stand-out examples from local cinema, the Leisure and Cultural Services Department’s Hong Kong Film Archive (HKFA) is hosting “Coming to a Theatre Near You – Gems of Hong Kong Film Trailers”, at the HKFA’s Exhibition Hall in Sai Wan Ho.
The exhibition is showing more than 100 trailers of films from the 1940s to the present day, all sourced from the HKFA’s collection and complemented by seminars with experienced editors and veterans of film promotion.
“Trailers are an essential component of the film industry as they serve as an advertisement to draw people’s attention and lure them to the cinema,” says Kenxi Lau, HKFA’s assistant curator of programming. “Moreover, by studying film trailers, we can explore and trace the development of Hong Kong film.”
Lau says the editing process plays a crucial role in creating an effective trailer.
“Typically, a trailer ranges from tens of seconds to a few minutes in length, which presents a significant challenge for film editors,” she says. “They must carefully select the most attractive content and shots from the film to captivate the audience and encourage them to purchase a ticket. Additionally, the editors must control the pace and rhythm of the trailer, making strategic use of music and promotional slogans to create the desired effect.
“This requires a high level of editing skills and creativity to ensure the trailer effectively promotes the film and leaves a lasting impression on the viewers.”
The exhibition explores the use of music in trailers, best captured in the trailer for Ann Hui On-wah’s Love in a Fallen City (1984), starring
Chow Yun-fat, and that for Mabel Cheung Yuenting’s An Autumn’s Tale (1987), also starring Chow.
Other trailers feature innovative introductions of lead actors, such as the teaser for The House of 72 Tenants (1973), directed by Chor Yuen, where the film’s cast, which includes Lydia Sum Tin-ha (also known as Lydia Shum), Hu Chin, Elliot Yueh Hua and Ching Li, are introduced one by one.
The exhibition also shows how film companies cater to overseas markets. Bruce Lee’s kung fu films The Big Boss (1971) and Game of Death (1978), for example, both had English trailers.
Visitors can also listen to excerpts of interviews with actress Fung Bo-bo and actor and dubbing artist Ding Yue, as well as clips from filmmakers including Ho Cheuk-tin (The Sparring Partner), Jonathan Li Tsz-chun (Lost in Time, Infernal Affairs III, Love Battlefield) and Nick Cheuk Yik-him, who won best new director at this year’s Asian Film Awards for the drama Time Still Turns the Pages.
Interviews with trailer editors Tony Chow Kwokchung, Chiang Kwok-kuen, Ng Wang-hung and
Wong Hoi will be rolled out in phases.
The exhibition, part of the Hong Kong Pop Culture Festival 2024, also features an immersive “Tunnel of Stars” with walls screening star-studded clips from film trailers.
“Coming to a Theatre Near You – Gems of Hong Kong Film Trailers”, Exhibition Hall, Hong Kong Film Archive, 50 Lei King Road, Sai Wan Ho. Open Monday, Wednesday to Sunday, 10am-8pm. Closed on Tuesdays (except public holidays). Admission is free. Ends November 3. For more information, visit filmarchive.gov.hk.