To cut a long story short

Jasmine Singh

A colleague comes back from watching a Bollywood movie Baaghi, announcing that she saw the trailer of Punjabi film Kaptaan. It wasn’t for the first time that she had seen a Punjabi movie trailer being played during a Hindi film show, what caught her attention was how technically well it was cut. “I have seen the trailer of Punjabi film Ambarsariya earlier in the theatre, and it looked amazing,” she shares her observation.

With the reach and texture of Punjabi cinema rising, it is only important that the trailer, which is the first look of the film, be made into a catchy, gripping and technically strong piece!

Filmmakers are making effort to get their trailers made from post-production teams and film editors working for Bollywood, spending a decent amount on their making. Gippy Grewal starrer film Kaptaan looks nothing short of a Bollywood thriller. “You can imagine how important a trailer is for any film that sometimes, even before a film is shot; filmmakers sit down to discuss how the promo would look like.”

Cutting a promo costs anything between Rs 15-20 lakh, or even more depending on certain scenes that need to be reshot or if some extraordinary shots need to be taken.

Normally, a trailer of a film highlights its USP, giving a sneak peek into what to expect from the film, but the problem arises when a film is out-an-out a mystery or comedy. “If it is a thriller, then you can’t afford to give out the plot, so one has to be careful while selecting the scenes to be put in the trailer, and if it is a comedy, you just can’t afford to exhaust your punches in the promo,” adds director Manduip Singh.

Size matters

Since trailers are also being released on youtube, apart from being screened in theatres, filmmakers are now opting for a 2-minute movie trailer. The million hits that a trailer gets on youtube, in a way decides the fate of the film. Well, in most cases it does! (Exceptions taken into account)

The work on a trailer starts at least three to four months before the release of a film. “A good trailer has everything, little bit of romance, action, drama, comedy and if it is a suspense film, then the trailer generally ends with a question mark keeping the audiences guessing,” adds renowned Bollywood and Punjabi film editor Manish More of Justright Studioz, Mumbai. Also, More clarifies that there is no different treatment that is given to the trailer of a Punjabi film. “We cut the trailer of a Punjabi film like we do for any other Bollywood film; however we do have to keep the Punjabi audiences in mind while working on a Punjabi film.” In addition to this, More also shares that some films like Sardaarji deserve a bigger trailer, “So, we cut a three- minute promo in such cases, again depending on the content of the film.”