Video Essay: The Evolution of Movie Trailers Over The Years

For a couple of years, I wanted to be a movie trailer editor. There's an art to cutting a trailer, and there's something amazing about seeing a perfectly crafted one that conjures excitement and anticipation without giving away the entire film. Eventually my love for writing about film and television overtook my desire to edit trailers, but I still love that rare sensation of seeing the perfect trailer. (The one for Cloud Atlas stands out as a recent example of one of my favorites.)

The Playlist points us to a video essay from Steven Benedict that tracks the evolution of film trailers throughout the years, from the very first movie advertisements all the way up to the proliferation of red-band trailers. It's an interesting watch, and certainly contains information that I didn't know before. Check it out and let us know what you think.