Trailers Used To Come After the Film
What is the origin of the word “trailer”?
Interesting Facts in Easy English
Pre-Listening Vocabulary
- trailer: a movie preview
- potential: possible in the future
- feature film: a full-length film being shown in a movie theatre
- stick around: to remain in a location
- stick: to last a long time
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Trailers Used To Come After the Film
Comprehension Questions
- What is a “trailer” in the film industry?
- Why was this word “trailer” originally used for these clips?
- Why was the timing of trailer showings switched around?
Discussion Questions: When you go to the theatre to watch a film, do you enjoy watching the trailers, or do you wish they would just get on with the show? Do trailers give too much away?
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Trailers Used To Come After the Film
When you go to a
theatre to watch a film, you usually see a few trailers before the film. Trailers are short previews designed to get potential
viewers interested in an upcoming film. The word “trail” means
to come at the end. When trailers were first used in theatres, they were
shown after the feature film. In other words, they
trailed at the end. Many moviegoers did not stick around to watch these trailers, however, so they were moved to the beginning.
Despite this change in showing times, the industry word “trailer” stuck, and is still used today.
- A “trailer” is a movie preview that is often shown in a theatre before a feature film.
- This word was originally used because these clips were shown after a film. (They trailed at the end.)
- The timing of the trailers changed because many moviegoers didn’t stick around to watch the previews. It made more sense to show them before the film.
