“Spotlight” Shines At 17th Annual Golden Trailer Awards

By J. Sperling Reich | May 5, 2016 3:27 pm PDT
17th Annual Golden Trailer Awards

Open Road’s independent biographical drama “Spotlight” has a few more prizes to place on its mantle next to the Best Picture Oscar it took home earlier this year. The Tom McCarthy film picked up two trophies at the Golden Trailer Awards on Wednesday evening, including the top prize for Best of Show.

The film, which is based on the true story of journalists at the Boston Globe uncovering widespread sexual abuse by Catholic priests, also won the Best Independent trailer category. Both awards went to InSync + BemisBalkind, the media marketing agency responsible for producing the trailer for “Spotlight”.

This year marked the seventeenth annual Golden Trailer Awards ceremony, an event originally founded by Monica Brady and Evelyn Watters as a way to honor the best movie previews of the year from all over the world. Since it began in 1999, the awards have expanded the categories for which they hand out trophies to include television spots, movie posters, film festival marketing, social media campaigns, video game ads and even marketing for Broadway productions.

This year’s GTA was held at the Saban Theatre in Beverly Hills, and was on par with those in recent memory. Wayne Brady did a fine job of hosting the ceremony with support from a list of presenters that included actor David Koechner (“Anchorman”) and ended with actor Ed Asner handing out the final award of the evening, Best of Show. Over the course of two hours 16 of the more than 90 prizes were presented.

If you count all of the post-ceremony category trophies, Warner Bros. wound up taking home the most Golden Trailer Awards this year, earning 11 including two awards for New Line titles; “The Conjuring” winning Best Horror TV Spot and “Me Before You” tapped for Best Romance trailer. Warner Bros. also won awards for categories such as Best Trailer For a Book or Novel; “Magic in North America” produced by Elastic.

“The Jungle Book” strutted off with the most Golden Trailer Awards for a single film winning in Original Score, Best Animation/Family trailer, Best Animiation/Family TV Spot and Best Original Score TV Spot. Disney to collected ten trophies in all, including two for “Star Wars: The Force Awakens”; Best Fantasy Adventure trailer and Best Action Poster. While studios mostly farm out the production of their movie trailers to a handful of reputable companies, Disney cut the trailer for the latest “Star Wars” with an in-house team. There are any number of reasons for this beyond creative input, such as the ability to control access to material from one of the most anticipated movies of the past decade.

Indeed, it is the many trailer houses and marketing agencies who are the real stars at the GTAs. The audience was packed with cheering representatives from creative vendors such as LA, who won 9 trophies, Creative Advertising Group and Mark Woolen & Associates each earning five, as well as Aspect, AV Squad, Buddha Jones, Trailer Park and Zealot, each taking four categories a piece.

The judges for the 2016 GTAs was made up of filmmakers, editors and actors along the lines of Tom Hooper, the Academy Award-winning director of “The King Speech”, Tim Miller (“Deadpool”), directors Seth Gordon (“Horrible Bosses”), Michael Miller (“Poverty Inc.”), editors Mary Jo Markey, Maryann Brandon (“Star Wars: The Force Awakens”), Woody Allen’s editor Alisa Lepselter , advertising executive Linda Kaplan Thaler, actresses Khandi Alexander (“The Newsroom”), and Molly Tarlov (MTV’s “Awkward”), as well as Victoria Alonso, Executive Vice President of Physical Production for Marvel Studios.

Best of Show
Spotlight “Answers”, Open Road Films, InSync + BemisBalkind

Best Action
Deadpool “DOM Trlr E: Power Red Online”, 20th Century Fox, mOcean

Best Animation/Family
Jungle Book “Jungle”, Disney, Vibe Creative

Best Comedy
Keanu “Take it”, Warner Bros., Create Advertising Group

Best Documentary
He Named Me Malala, Fox Searchlight, Mark Woollen & Associates

Best Drama
The Martian, 20th Century Fox, Giaronomo Productions

Best Fantasy Adventure
Star Wars: The Force Awakens “Lessons”, Disney, Disney In-house

Best Horror
The Witch “Family”, A24, AV Squad

Best Independent
Spotlight “Answers”, Open Road Films, InSync + BemisBalkind

Best Music
Deadpool “Trailer B – Power Red”, 20th Century Fox, Wild Card

Best Thriller
Black Mass “Just Sayin”, Warner Bros., Aspect

Best Summer 2016 Blockbuster
Captain America: Civil War “Vigilante”, Marvel, Trailer Park, Inc.

Golden Fleece
Pixels Trailer “Game On”, Sony Pictures Entertainment, The Refinery AV

Most Original
Hail, Caesar! “So Simple”, Universal Pictures, Motive

Trashiest Trailer
Blue Mountain State: The Rise of Thadland “Redband”, Lionsgate, Mob Scene Creative + Productions

Best Romance
Me Before You “Live”, Warner Bros/MGM/New Line Cinema, Aspect

Best Video Game Trailer
Assassin’s Creed Syndicate – Story Trailer, Ubisoft, Sunny Side Up Creative

The Don LaFontane Award for Best Voice Over
Anomalisa, Paramount Pictures, Mark Woollen & Associates

Best Motion/Title Graphics
The Man From U.N.C.L.E. “Timeline”, Warner Bros., Buddha Jones

Best Original Score
Jungle Book “Mowgli”, Disney, Vibe Creative

Best Sound Editing
The Revenant, 20th Century Fox, Mark Woollen & Associates

Best Teaser
Joy “Change”, 20th Century Fox, Industry Creative

Best Trailer – No Movie
What Happened to Monday “Cannes Sizzle”, Vendome Pictures, Open Road Entertainment

Best Trailer/Teaser for a TV Series or Mini-Series
Narcos “Lines”, Netflix, TRANSIT

Best Independent Trailer (For Film Shot Under $1 Million)
Grandma “Domestic Trailer”, Sony Pictures Classics, The Grossmyth Company

Best Foreign Action Trailer
Rise of the Legend “US Trailer” , Well Go USA , Red Circle, Inc.

Best Foreign Animation/Family Trailer
Oddball “Official Trailer”, Roadshow Films, The Trace House

Best Foreign Comedy
Rams ‘UK Theatrical’, Soda Pictures, Coffee & Cigarettes

Best Foreign Documentary
Amy, Altitude, Intermission Film

Best Foreign Drama
Phoenix, Sundance Selects, Jump Cut

Best Foreign Graphics in a Trailer
The Hallow ‘Trespass’, Entertainment One UK, Create Advertising London

Best Foreign Horror
Goodnight Mommy, RADiUS, Mark Woollen & Associates

Best Foreign Independent
Macbeth “UK Teaser”, StudioCanal, Zealot UK

Best Music (Foreign)
Zinzana, Image Nation Abu Dhabi, Zealot UK

Best Foreign Romance
Brooklyn “Two Worlds”, Lionsgate UK, Create Advertising London

Best Foreign Teaser
High Rise “Teaser” , Studio Canal , Intermission Film

Best Foreign Thriller
The Wave, Magnolia Pictures, Zealot

Best Foreign Trashiest Trailer
Love, Alchemy, Mark Woollen & Associates

Golden Fleece Foreign
J. Kessels ‘Theatrical Trailer’, CTM Pictures, Spark Trailers

Most Original Foreign Trailer
Zinzana, Image Nation Abu Dhabi, Zealot UK

Best Action TV Spot
Mission Impossible Rogue Nation “Fate Alt Rev.”, Paramount Pictures, Trailer Park, Inc.

Best Animation/Family TV Spot
The Jungle Book “legend”, The Walt Disney Company, Create Advertising Group

Best Comedy TV Spot
Spy “Identity”, 20th Century Fox, AV Squad

Best Documentary TV Spot
Making A Murderer “Target”, Netflix, Aspect

Best Drama TV Spot
Bridge of Spies “:60 INTL Standing Man”, 20th Century Fox, Wild Card

Best Fantasy Adventure TV Spot
The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Pt. 2 “Epic Finale” , Lionsgate , Carve

Best Foreign TV Spot
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: Sword of Destiny “Teaser”, Netflix, InSync + BemisBalkind

Best Graphics in a TV Spot
The Man From U.N.C.L.E. “That Kind Of Review”, Warner Bros., Buddha Jones

Best Horror TV Spot
The Conjuring 2 “Close”, New Line Cinema, Buddha Jones

Best Independent TV Spot
The Hateful Eight “Last Shot”, The Weinstein Company, IGNITION

Best Music TV Spot
Straight Outta Compton “Compton/BET”, Universal Pictures, Motive

Best Original Score TV Spot
The Jungle Book “legend”, The Walt Disney Company, Create Advertising Group

Best Romance TV Spot
The Danish Girl “True Love”, Focus Features, Motive

Best Sound Editing in a TV Spot
The Witch “Paranoia”, A24, AV Squad

Best Summer Blockbuster TV Spot
Captain America: Civil War “Rivals”, Disney/Marvel, mOcean

Best Teaser TV Spot
Jessica Jones “It’s Time”, Netflix, Aspect

Best Thriller TV Spot
Sicario “Big Welcome”, Lionsgate, AV Squad

Best Video Game TV Spot
Fallout 4 “The Wanderer”, Bethesda Softworks, gnet

Best Voice Over TV Spot
Zoolander 2 “Perfect Fight Rev”, Paramount Pictures, Workshop Creative

Golden Fleece TV Spot
Fifty Shades of Black “Shadiest”, Open Road, Rogue Planet

Most Original TV Spot
Zootopia “Oscar Review”, Disney, Trailer Park, Inc.

Best Pre-Show Advertising for a Brand
Technically Speaking: Ford Edge, 40 Foot Solutions, Screenvision Media

Best Radio Spots
Ride Along 2 “Universal Claim Radio”, Universal, Universal Creative

Best Vine/Insta
Victor Frankenstein “Eyeball”, Twentieth Century Fox, Buddha Jones

Best Viral Campaign
Paranormal Activity: The Ghost Dimension “Haunted Open House”, Paramount Pictures, Grandesign

Most Innovative Advertising for a Brand/Product
Batman vs Superman: Dawn of Justice “Fly to Metropolis / Fly to Gotham”, Warner Bros., Jax Film / Crispin Porter & Bogusky / Elastic

Most Innovative Advertising for a Feature Film
Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation “Live Obstacle Course”, Paramount Pictures, Grandesign

Most Innovative Advertising for a Video Game
Broforce “The Ballad of Rambro”, Devolver Digital, kertgartner.com

Best Trailer For a Book or Novel
Magic in North America, Warner Bros. / Pottermore, Jax Film / Elastic

Best Trailer for Legit Theater (Broadway Trailers)
Aladdin on Broadway “Tradition/Genie”, Disney, Trailer Park, Inc.

Best Action Poster
Star Wars: The Force Awakens “1-Sheet”, Walt Disney Studios, LA

Best Animation/Family Poster
The Secret Life of Pets “City”, Universal Pictures, LA

Best Billboard
Allegiant: The Divergent Series “Scaling Wall” Billboard, Lionsgate, LA

Best Comedy Poster
Dirty Grandpa “Graduate”, Lionsgate, LA

Best Documentary Poster
Making a Murderer, Netflix, The Refinery

Best Drama Poster
The Hateful Eight, The Weinstein Company, Leroy & Rose

Best Fantasy/Adventure Poster
The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2 “Katniss On Fire” Payoff, Lionsgate, LA

Best Foreign Poster
Downriver “Official Poster”, Happening Films, The Trace House

Best Horror Poster
Pride & Prejudice & Zombies “Thanksgiving” One-Sheet, Sony, IGNITION

Best Independent Poster
The End of the Tour, A24 Films, P+A

Best International Poster
Unfriended “1-Sheet”, Universal Pictures International, LA

Best Motion Poster
Sinister 2, Focus Features, Gravillis Inc.

Best Romance Poster
Me Before You “One-Sheet”, Warner Bros., WORKS ADV

Best Teaser Poster
Straight Outta Compton, Universal Pictures, Gravillis Inc.

Best Thriller Poster
THE MARTIAN “Bring Him Home” One-Sheet, Fox, IGNITION

Best Wildposts (Teaser Campaign)
Minions “Artist Series” Wildposts, Universal Pictures, LA

Most Original Poster
Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice “Superman Tear Art Poster”, Warner Bros., WORKS ADV

Trashiest Poster
Dirty Grandpa “Armchair”, Lionsgate, LA

Best Video Game Poster
For Honor – Helmets, Ubisoft, Sunny Side Up Creative

Best Summer Blockbuster Poster
Suicide Squad “Teaser Poster”, Warner Bros., WORKS ADV

Best Film Festival Trailer
New York Film Festival 2015, Film Society of Lincoln Center, Jump Cut

Best Film Festival Poster
Palm Springs Int’l ShortFest 2015, Palm Springs Int’l Film Festival, LA

J. Sperling Reich