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I had seen all the trailers of The Amazing Spider-Man before its release. In one of those trailers Uncle Ben (Martin Sheen) says to Peter,

Do you have any idea what you really are?

This seems to imply that Uncle Ben knows about Peter's identity. This would have been a huge spoiler. But when I saw the movie, there was no such scene.

Do the filmmakers discuss such spoilers with some of the audiences and see if they like it and then change it accordingly? Or was this scene cut for other reasons?

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    oh u should look @ trailers of paranormal activity movies ;)
    – Dredd
    Oct 11, 2012 at 15:08
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    which scene from TDKR? the scene where the guy helping Bruce in prison looks like Alfred but apparently not Alfred, right? Oct 12, 2012 at 5:20
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    wow, I didn't see that before. That prison guy beside Wayne does look like Alfred in the trailer. The one I was saying is: Alfred says I swore I will protect you, but I haven't looking at Wayne. Even the lip sync matches. I don't remember hearing this dialogue in the movie in that particular scene. do you? Trailer
    – Mani
    Oct 12, 2012 at 15:56

2 Answers 2

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Don’t forget that marketing may start on a film long before a final print is finished for theatrical distribution. Often times, editors will have access to ALL of the footage when cutting a trailer, sometimes just specific sequences. It’s a collaborative effort where they approve whatever is used, but this is why alternate takes or even jokes are used in trailers. Because at the time, there may not have been a final one created.

Wikipedia says

Trailers tell the story of a film in a highly condensed fashion that must have maximum appeal. In the decades since film marketing has become a large industry, trailers have become highly polished pieces of advertising, able to present even poor movies in an attractive light. Some of the elements common to many trailers are listed below. Trailers are typically made up of scenes from the film they are promoting, but sometimes contain deleted scenes from the film.

Most trailers have a three-act structure similar to a full feature-length film. They start with a beginning (act 1) that lays out the premise of the story. The middle (act 2) drives the story further and usually ends with a dramatic climax. Act 3 usually features a strong piece of "signature music" (either a recognizable song or a powerful, sweeping orchestral piece). This last act often consists of a visual montage of powerful and emotional moments of the film and may also contain a cast run if there are noteworthy stars that could help sell the movie.

Some trailers use "special shoot" footage, which is material that has been created specifically for advertising purposes and does not appear in the actual film. The most notable film to use this technique was Terminator 2: Judgment Day, whose trailer featured an elaborate special effect scene of a T-800 Terminator being assembled in a factory that was never intended to be in the film itself.

So this may be the same for the case of The Amazing Spider-man or The Dark Knight Rises's trailer which contains some deleted scene.

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    +1 There are specialized trailer production companies which movie productions may have a contract with. In The Holiday movie one of the lead actors work in the trailer production company.
    – Mani
    Oct 12, 2012 at 5:03
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I think they do that on purpose. Many scenes that are included for a certain trailer don't make the final cut when the actual film comes out. So maybe those are from the deleted scenes.

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