“A Crazy Art Form Of Its Own:” An Underrated Part Of Christopher Nolan’s Movies Has Been Consistently Great Since His First Batman

Christopher Nolan is one of the most famous directors in the world, yet a rather significant part of his movies is somewhat underrated, despite being consistently great since his first Batman movie: the trailers. Christopher Nolan’s movies have garnered the filmmaker a well-known reputation for box office success and Oscar-winning storytelling. In fact, his most recent movie, Oppenheimer, won 7 Academy Awards, 5 Golden Globes, and 7 BAFTAs. There is a trend for Christopher Nolan to deliver out-of-order stories in movies, especially in his debut, and this non-linear narrative makes up some of his most famous works, such as Inception.

As a result of his success and reoccurring themes, Christopher Nolan has obviously inspired many other films, and the director remains one of the most prominent people in the movie industry. That being said, while most people are aware of Nolan’s movies and their outstanding popularity, the trailers for Christopher Nolan’s movies are somewhat overlooked in the grand scheme of things. Ever since 2005’s Batman Begins, Nolan’s trailers have been consistently great, which contributed to the overall success of his films, and it is all because Christopher Nolan describes these trailers as “a crazy art form of its own.”

The Trailers For Christopher Nolan Movies Have Always Been Incredible

Nolan’s Trailers Maintain A High Level Of Cinematic Quality

The trailers for Christopher Nolan’s movies have always been incredible, gaining millions of views and helping to promote the film. The reason why they are so good is that Nolan’s trailers maintain a high level of cinematic quality that reflects the movie’s cinematography, arresting images, and storytelling, which creates a sense of mystery. Christopher Nolan’s movies have always grossed highly at the box office for the same reasons, so it makes sense that the director would implement these techniques into the trailers, in order to accurately reflect what the film will be about as well as its overall quality.

Considering the director originally started by creating short films, it is no surprise that Nolan is good at telling a story within a short timeframe. Christopher Nolan’s short films were mostly college projects and were nowhere near the level of his later works, but they did demonstrate the director’s early talent, which allowed him to get noticed. Christopher Nolan’s ability to tell a story within a limited duration can obviously be seen in his 2-minute movie trailers, as Nolan’s trailers accurately capture the tone, create intrigue for the story, and show memorable visuals, with an epic and punchy score.

The Dark Knight’s Viral Campaign Changed The Game For Blockbuster Marketing

The 2008 “Why So Serious?” Campaign Will Go Down In History

2008’s “Why So Serious?” campaign was an ARG (Alternate Reality Game) which involved ordinary people in scavenger hunts and themed experiences for the marketing of The Dark Knight. According to an IGN interview with Alex Lieu (CCO and Director of “Why So Serious?”) Chris and Jonah Nolan were inspired by the “Year Zero” project and reached out to Lieu and Susan Bonds (CEO and Producer of “Why So Serious?”) to do something similar for Batman. Recalling a specific event in the campaign, Lieu said, “We never underestimate what happens when millions of people get together and try to solve something.”

“Why So Serious?” was a marketing campaign which went viral due to its clever promotion tactics. While the history of the event is too long-winded to describe in full here, the main events include hiding Joker cards in comics, various websites, distributing 11,000 Joker-defaced “dollar bills” at San Diego Comic-Con, scavenger hunts, a Harvey Dent election campaign, planting Nokias inside cakes, and projecting the Bat Signal in Chicago and New York. According to Lieu, the Nolans actually “fought for this to happen,” knowing its impact, and it obviously paid off as The Dark Knight was a massive box office success.

Inception’s Trailers Are Probably The Most Influential Of The Century

Inception Popularized The Use Of Braaams In Hollywood

Out of all of Christopher Nolan’s movie trailers, Inception is probably the most influential for a number of reasons. Inception’s trailer showcased a classic Christopher Nolan movie full of twists without giving too much away, creating intrigue with its dramatic visuals and strange concept. Additionally, much like the famous “Why So Serious?” campaign for The Dark Knight in 2008, Inception also employed a viral marketing campaign. While it was nowhere near the scale of The Dark Knight, as the movie was a sequel and already had a huge IP, the cryptic clues led to a lot of attention for Inception.

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Furthermore, when Inception’s official trailer was released, it went viral, with amateurs making their own trailer mashups. The reason why Inception’s trailer was so prominent was because it featured “Mind Heist” by Zack Hemsey, which had a repeated use of “braaam” sounds – a rising thunderous sound that creates a sense of momentousness. Although “braaams” had been around for a few years prior, The Hollywood Reporter surmised that “Hemsey’s braaams feel bigger, more satisfying and ultimately more dramatic,” leading to its popularization. Consequently, Inception’s trailer influenced the popular “braaams” trend in modern Hollywood productions and was even parodied by South Park.

Christopher Nolan Knows How Important (And Difficult) Movie Trailers Are

Nolan Has A Love For Movie Trailers, Calling Them An Art Form

Christopher Nolan knows how important and how difficult movie trailers are to promote a 2-3 hour movie in just 2 minutes. In an interview with Josh Horowitz for his Happy Sad Confused podcast, Christopher Nolan said that while he loves all movie trailers, “it’s a really fun thing to be involved in your own movie trailers,” citing that it is “a crazy art form of its own.” In the interview, Nolan describes working with editors in “changing individual frames and shifting a whole feeling,” demonstrating how meticulous the process is. You can check out Christopher Nolan’s full interview below:

As the first impression of any piece of media, trailers are extremely important to get right. Having an arresting image that sticks in the audience’s mind and an intriguing plot can go a long way in enticing viewership. Yet, while Inception has been rated one of the best movie trailers ever, Christopher Nolan actually said that one of his favorite trailers was Alien, as “The original TV spot for Ridley Scott’s Alien stuck in my head in a major way.” With such an iconic example, it is not hard to see why Christopher Nolan’s movie trailers are so good.

Sources: IGN, The Hollywood Reporter, Happy Sad Confused Podcast

Christopher Nolan

Birthdate

July 30, 1970

Birthplace

Westminster, London, England, UK