Joseph Farrell Dead: Father of the Movie Trailer Dies at 76

You probably never heard the name Joseph Farrell, but if you've gone to a movie in recent history, you've definitely seen his work. Farrell is credited with introducing a number of market research ideas into Hollywood, including the movie trailer. Confirmed by his publicist, Farrell died on Wednesday from natural causes at the age of 76. Farrell was the former chairman and CEO of the National Research Group which would fast become the "leading market research group in the film industry," reports Deadline. In addition to the movie trailer, Farrell also had a hand in the increased reliance on test screenings, box-office tracking, television spots and even the concept of quadrants -- that an audience can be split into four sections: men over 25, women over 25, men under 25, women under 25. The biggest hits -- think the 'Pirates of the Caribbean' franchise -- are usually described as four-quadrant movies. (Something like 'Breaking Dawn Part 1' is not.) In 2003, Farrell created his own company, FP Productions, where he set up an exclusive first-look deal at Disney. He also remained a marketing consultant for the studios. [via Deadline] Follow Moviefone on Twitter Like Moviefone on Facebook