Scott,

Thanks, this was a successful series. I'm a believer in the "Death of the Author" and I feel there's a multitude of beneficial interpretation to be made from this insight. As a total outsider, any and all perspectives are appreciated.

"the general audience really enjoys knowing the whole storyline"

Who are these "focus group" nimrods? I mean, if you held their feet to the flame (and God, I wish someone would, for a loooooong loooong time...) would they admit that the only movies they love are the ones that were totally ruined for them in a trailer? What kind of loopy logic is THAT?

That's like ordering pre-chewed food at a restaurant... that's like, basically, knowing the score of a baseball game before you watch it. Ultimately, it's utterly counter-productive to what DRAMA is all about!

To think some cluster of professional "focus group" humanoids are ruining it for all of us... sheesh!

"the general audience really enjoys knowing the whole storyline."

Couldn't disagree more.

Audiences like to know what to expect in terms of what kind of ride they are in for.

They don't want to know every twist and turn before they actually take the ride.

Look at trailers from the 80s compared to today's trailers. They focus mainly on Act one (setup) and Act Two (fun stuff, a complication that leads to the midpoint) with very little if ANY reference to Act Three.

Look at the Iron Man trailer. It's actually a throwback to 80s trailers.

Hitchcock trailers hook, tease, tantalize, but don't reveal key surprises.
Today many people refuse to watch trailers and read certain critics for this very reason- Spoilers!