Could this be the Missing Link?

A strong frontrunner for the dawning of this technique is 1999's THE MATRIX. Take a look:



Multiple techniques are used.  Flashes to white.  The dip to black is implemented.  But also the hard cut to black, accomplishing a very similar, but more aggressive effect.

Also notice how the last half of the trailer is almost completely devoid dips to black.  As the action picks up in pace, the trailer uses hard cuts bombarding us with images.

The dips to black are largely used for their dreamy effect in the first half of the trailer.

This may very well be the watershed trailer that solidified the default use of dips to black in movie trailers.  But I think we can find earlier examples that may have even influenced this trailer.

In fact, I know we can.  And that'll be my next post.

The Misson Begins

There is a wave of trailers that really bother me.  I call them --

BLINK TRAILERS

No idea if that is what they are really called or not.  Don't care, either.

These are trailers that excessively dip to black between cuts.  Generally, they are completely devoid of hard cuts altogether.  Here's a rather ergregious example:



My personal opinion is that they are more jarring than effective.  I also think it's a result of how formulaic advertisers have become.  That somewhere along the line, someone made a really good, effective blink trailer.  And people started copying it, until we arrived at today.

I'm trying to track down that first blink trailer. 

The missing link of blink trailers if you will.

There are a couple rules (not set in stone, mind you) that I hypothesize this genetic precursor to the modern blink trailer will have --

1) Most likely it will be from a film that had a wide audience.

It needed to be an effective enough trailer that the practice would catch on and be aped.

2) It will use the dips to black for effect.  (Rather than today's default standing).

The theory here, is that the usage for effect will likely be an early precursor.  Those that use it as a default setting have picked up that habit from somewhere else. 

3) It is also likely to use multiple editing techniques.

This goes hand in hand with the previous bullet.  The trailer will be cut for maximum impact, rather than being on a default dip to black setting.

4) It is likely a result of non-linear editing programs. 

While this is the most vague, it provides a general timeline within the history of cinema as to where this missing link may be hiding.

LET THE HUNT BEGIN!