10 Ways Trailers Let You Know A Movie Is Secretly Awful

4. Repeatedly Fading To Black

The problem arises when the editor goes into overdrive and uses a fade to black transition on virtually every shot in the trailer. What was once effective has now become incredibly well-worn, and just like a magician who uses the same old trick from one performance to the next, its overuse is a sign that something isn't quite right. Used occasionally and the fade to black can add to the feeling of anticipation - used repeatedly and the studio is clearly over-egging the pudding and creating a falsely heightened sense of anticipation.

We've already seen the fade to black being used excessively in the Battleship and Fantastic Four trailers, but the second trailer for Man Of Steel is a fine example of the effect being used to the point of absolute redundancy.