This is how to promote a movie

I've read a lot about movie marketing over the past 2 or 3 years. I even studied film and script writing in undergrad at UF (www.ufl.edu). But man, this is the way to get people jacked up about a movie.

Check out this clip for the movie Serenity, directed by Josh Wheedon. [As of November 2005, this link has been taken down since the movie is currently in theatres - I'm trying to find another clip.]

I'm not much of a Sci Fi guy, but the way that the movie brought you right into the story and then gave you an immediate twist right in the first 2 minutes. Very nice. And the writing got the story moving right before page 10 (just like they teach you to do in film school). As a general rule of thumb, every page of a screenplay translates into about a minute of screen time. The call to action is set...and it leaves me hanging...wanting...no daring me to go and see the rest of the film.

Forget trailers which are often either a discombobulated mixture of clips and highlights, or a quick synopsis that all but give away the story. Write a great screenplay, and then give me one heck of a hook to pull me into the story and make me want to pay $8 plus popcorn to see the rest.

Nice job. This is how to promote a movie.