In the Bionic thread, I mentioned how the two shows - as did most shows of the late-70s give highlights of the story just when the episode starts, dampening some of the story's impact in the process. TNG at least did a discrete promo and didn't repeat any scene's bits at the moment the episode started - if you missed the teaser, it's no problem, as you're unintentionally rewarded with an even better reveal!
Right off the bat, they just give away the plot. "Caught in an alien trap". But it's the late-80s and there still had to be something to drive interest - didn't TOS just do assorted scene clips without voiceover? It's definitely an art form to encourage interest in the stew without giving the meaty chunks in advance! I knew I tuned in and still enjoyed the episode big-time, and it was fun noticing Geordi's line about bats running out of hell didn't have the backing music in the teaser. Just don't wonder why the bats were in hell and why they were running - I presume the lack of marshmallows may have been part of it.
Also, freeze-frame at just the right moment at 0:22 and the yellow orange montage surrounding Riker's mouth is hilarious.
The second-best example is this: I love how season 3's finale's teaser starts with an unusual, creepy red alert-style sound that really conveys urgency. And they only reveal so much of the plot, and somehow avoid the Locutus reveal despite a couple of obvious scene clips, not to mention target 2 of Picard (which alone drives interest - why just one person?). That teaser alone would have psyched up scores of viewers, never mind the actual episode when shown.
The story's a mixed bag, but this one keeps big plot developments minimal - just an execution of presumably the mulleted beige/silver-clad dude, complete with juggled footage to mislead the audience juuust enough, while half the ship is sneezing. (Some of the camerawork in the episode was pretty nifty too...)
The best example is last: The stories in season 4 onward might be increasingly uneven, but the revamped style of teasers gave surprisingly little away -- even throwing in a great red herring -- and really packed a punch. Sometimes far more than the actual episode itself, regardless of the incidental music (which tended to be the biggest teases between promo and episode!).
Kudos for BOBW pt 2 - - which is probably the most near-perfect teaser/trailer of all time. Nothing of the episode is revealed and anything spoken is paraphrased, but what needed to be - we're already hyped!
Even those who missed part one would be clued in and antsy... just be sure to sneeze just when we see Locutus doing a magazine pose while hitting on the redshirt goldshirt there (so we know he returns, spoiler alert, yay!!!).
Are there any teasers/trailers from TNG's run that really piqued your interest?
Right off the bat, they just give away the plot. "Caught in an alien trap". But it's the late-80s and there still had to be something to drive interest - didn't TOS just do assorted scene clips without voiceover? It's definitely an art form to encourage interest in the stew without giving the meaty chunks in advance! I knew I tuned in and still enjoyed the episode big-time, and it was fun noticing Geordi's line about bats running out of hell didn't have the backing music in the teaser. Just don't wonder why the bats were in hell and why they were running - I presume the lack of marshmallows may have been part of it.
Also, freeze-frame at just the right moment at 0:22 and the yellow orange montage surrounding Riker's mouth is hilarious.
The second-best example is this: I love how season 3's finale's teaser starts with an unusual, creepy red alert-style sound that really conveys urgency. And they only reveal so much of the plot, and somehow avoid the Locutus reveal despite a couple of obvious scene clips, not to mention target 2 of Picard (which alone drives interest - why just one person?). That teaser alone would have psyched up scores of viewers, never mind the actual episode when shown.
The story's a mixed bag, but this one keeps big plot developments minimal - just an execution of presumably the mulleted beige/silver-clad dude, complete with juggled footage to mislead the audience juuust enough, while half the ship is sneezing. (Some of the camerawork in the episode was pretty nifty too...)
The best example is last: The stories in season 4 onward might be increasingly uneven, but the revamped style of teasers gave surprisingly little away -- even throwing in a great red herring -- and really packed a punch. Sometimes far more than the actual episode itself, regardless of the incidental music (which tended to be the biggest teases between promo and episode!).
Kudos for BOBW pt 2 - - which is probably the most near-perfect teaser/trailer of all time. Nothing of the episode is revealed and anything spoken is paraphrased, but what needed to be - we're already hyped!
Even those who missed part one would be clued in and antsy... just be sure to sneeze just when we see Locutus doing a magazine pose while hitting on the Are there any teasers/trailers from TNG's run that really piqued your interest?
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