What's the best way to promote a film? Show a small portion of it to movie fans! And where are those movie fans? In the theaters! That's how trailers got started. Now you see them on TV and online, too, and probably on one of those gas pumps with screens. But it took a long time for the movie trailer to become the art form that it is now.
Granger Willson of Vulture takes us on a historical ride through how movie trailers have changed from the beginning of theater runs 100 year ago to today. -via Laughing Squid