The Shining & 2012

For the most part, reading The Auteur's Notebook has been interesting yet difficult to decipher as many of the film's discussed are either new and difficult to see in theatres, or old and hard to find copies of. However, a recent article posted link's for two film trailers. One for Stanley Kubrick's The Shining, and another for an upcoming film entitled 2012, which is a precursor to what some believe is the foreboding apoclypse.

Before discussing the trailers, one should watch each as to recognize the obvious point I wish to discuss. A point regarding originality and creativity, as well as paying tribute to past accomplishments.

First, the original article.

Also, alternate link's to the trailer's of The Shining and 2012's official site.

Although the original article had no actual text except for it's title "No Respect for the Dead," the comment's of other user's inspired dialogue on the obvious copycat trailer is theft of an idea, or an homage to a great Kubrick film, and also a mystifying trailer. Regardless, there is nowhere on the blog or the official 2012 website stating the actual intent of the filmmaker's. Although it's just a trailer, a trailer is the initial handshake an audience member has with a film. Regardless of any rumors or hearsay, this first impression set's the tone for the viewer's mood for when (and if) he or she sit's down in a theatre to see the film.

Regardless of the intent of the 2012 trailer, hearing the same moody music and seeing a massive amount of liquid encompass the camera's frame in a different context reveals what emotion's are stirred by the convention's of the trailer. The music from the original Kubrick trailer obviously gives the viewer a sense of fear and and inevitable violence. So when the music is transported to the new trailer, it becomes apparent that sound indeed control's the image, but also that sound is adaptable to new settings. The same music gives off a sense of exotic knowledge, when we see a monk running along a mountaintop, almost as if he knows something the viewer doesn't, and he has to warn someone.

This revealing use of similar music in different contexts forces me to offer an opinion on the value of originality. Why come up with something new if something proven to work is available? Both trailer's want to invite the viewer to something obviously violent, tragic, and daringly epic. Kubrick's The Shining was and still is a massive success of a film, and the creator's of 2012 are hoping to succeed in a similar way. However, if the creator's of the trailer only saw the original trailer as a business model for success, and not for it's ability to capture an emotion that would invite a filmgoer to take interest, then "No Respect for the Dead" is an appropriate expression to describe their theft. If, however, the new trailer is a tribute to a great Kubrick film, then maybe reusing and "remixing" old creation's is in itself, original.