Differences between film openings and trailers

There are several differences between a film trailer and a film opening. They both serve a different purpose also.

First off, a film trailer serves the purpose of advertising a film, showing the films key scenes, but without giving away too much. It is supposed to 'hype up' the film and make people want to see it. It will also introduce the main characters, again, without giving away too much. Film companies sometimes release more than one film trailer. Often while the film is in early development, they may release what is known as a 'Teaser' trailer, which gives away very little and leaves the door wide open for suggestion on what the film could be about. 

Take this for example. This is the teaser trailer for Cars 3, the 3rd installment from the major film company Disney, who released this video around 2 months ago (as of 24/1/17). This trailer gives away very little on what the storyline has to offer, we don't know who anyone is (other than Lightning McQueen, but we only know who this is from a commentator in the background mentioning his name). We only see clips of the cars racing, along with a slow-mo shot of Lightning McQueen crashing, with bodywork flying around. This is followed by the tagline 'From this moment, everything will change'. Despite this lack of information surrounding the film, it caused such a stir on the internet, especially because of the change in the film going from a lighthearted film to something much darker. This link is an article written by The Sun the night of its release. It also includes how the public reacted through some Tweets they quoted. 

This is the main trailer for Cars 3 which was released two weeks ago (as of 24/1/17). This trailer shows a lot more than what the teaser showed us. It introduces a new character (Jackson Storm) as well as a new character who I can only assume is there to help Lightning McQueen (not shown in this trailer, but is revealed in a character showcase video as Cruz Ramirez. All these videos can be seen by clicking on the character names). This trailer also gives us the general gist of what the film is going to be about. Lightning McQueen is now an outdated racecar and he has to go up against the new high-tech racers and risks going into retirement. He is coached by someone who helps get McQueen ready to race. What the trailer also does is not spoil any of the film, such as giving away endings. So we don't know if Lightning McQueen has any lasting damage from the accident we saw. However, knowing Disney films, it is likely he is going to be okay, since their films are aimed at a younger audience, who wouldn't want to see a main protagonist, such as McQueen, be killed. We also dont know when this accident took place, whether its at the beginning, middle or end of the film, so it still leaves lots of doors open for potential outcomes of the film. Another thing it does is make you wonder what some things are and gets you curious.  I have included some screenshots of an area that made me wonder, which is the fact that McQueen, an oval racer, is racing on a dirt figure of eight (Demolition Derby?). Why is he there? AND WHAT IS ALL THAT FIRE DOING?

This is the film opening for Legend, a film opening about the Kray twins and their life as gangsters in the 1960's. In this opening, we get introduced to the location, London, timeframe, the 1960's, and a synopsis of the characters, Reg and Ron Kray. The opening helps us know what the film is going to be about without giving anything away, just like a trailer. It also makes us ask questions. In this particular film opening, the person narrating states that "It took a lot of love for me to hate him the way I do" when talking about Reg. This makes us ask questions. Why does she hate him? What did he do? Who even is she?

What is the difference between the two? A film trailer is made to advertise a film and make people want to see the film. A film opening is made to start the film on a high and encourage the audience to keep watching, and it often consists of something exciting, dramatic or interesting, anything to grab the audience's attention and make them think '"this is going to be good". A few examples I have listed below (I have included The Grand Tour because, despite being an on demand TV show, its had as much money pumped into it as many mainstream films):

• 2 Fast 2 Furious - Opening race
• The Simpsons Movie - Green Day performance
• The Grand Tour (Season 1 Episode 1) - Concert and Mustangs and other classic/modern cars driving across a dried up lake bed (rumoured that over $3 Million was spent on the opening (warning link seems to play an advert that you can't seem to pause)
• Hot Fuzz - Detailed summary of the main character Nicholas Angel

This research will help us when it comes to making our main film because we will know what we need to make and ensure we know the difference between a film opening and trailer.