Am I just being a grumpy old man (yes) or are trailers for television programmes now so fast and ‘busy’ that they are more offputting than enticing? Is the autistic brain more easily overwhelmed by this phenomenon or do you think many NT people are just as hacked off with it? There were three in a row there on after that amazing David Attenborough thing about the British Isles.
The first was for various things in the iPlayer. It was all rapidly intercut snippets of noise and nauseatingly contrastive bright colours - a meaningless collage, the worst aspect of which was a sort of rapidly escalating Mexican wave effect of all the endless choices on offer. This adding motion sickness and a kind of paralysing panic (oh god, look at all that stuff, where would you even start? And why?!) to the whole experience.
Next was some sort of light drama with Greg Davies and for something that had all the palpable characteristics of a cosy midweek watch that you could make a cup of tea during without losing your bearings it was cut like a movie trailer, with not a single moment’s consession to the possibility that potential viewers might have an attention slightly beyond that of a hyperactive child.
Finally, there was Great Expectations. Slightly improved on the first trailer I saw for it, which was styled like a Marvel action film trailer. All heavy accelerating drumbeats (with one shot per beat) and drowned out dialogue. To what end? Do they think we don’t know what Charles Dickens stuff is like? Are they thinking ‘this will make them want to see it, high octane vibes that… won’t actually be in it’ (thank goodness).
It would be so refreshing to see an ad that gives us a moment to process a brief dialogue exchange, or even slows the pace to something graceful and all the more powerful for it. I appreciate that there is a place for ‘crash bang wallop’ trailers (one or two Doctor Who ones over the years have suited it, though even those look positively sedate by comparison to the above assaults on the senses) but surely not in every single ad shown?
Wait, what do you mean this isn’t Points of View? Does anyone have Barry Took’s phone number?