What are some tips and best practices for creating a film trailer that stands out?

A film trailer is a powerful marketing tool that can generate interest, curiosity, and excitement for your film project. Whether you are aiming for a theatrical release, a streaming platform, or a film festival submission, a well-crafted trailer can make a lasting impression on your potential audience. But how do you create a film trailer that stands out from the crowd? Here are some tips and best practices to help you achieve your goals.

1 Know your genre and audience

Before you start editing your trailer, you need to have a clear idea of what genre and audience you are targeting. Different genres have different conventions, expectations, and emotions that you need to convey in your trailer. For example, a horror trailer might use jump scares, suspenseful music, and dark visuals, while a comedy trailer might use jokes, upbeat music, and colorful visuals. Similarly, you need to know who your ideal viewers are and what they are looking for in a film. For example, if you are making a documentary, you might want to highlight the relevance, credibility, and impact of your topic, while if you are making a fantasy, you might want to showcase the creativity, spectacle, and adventure of your world.

Add your perspective

Nick Uttam

Podcast Producer | Videography | Social Media Manager
Report contribution
In my experience you have a very short amount of time to grab somebody’s attention with a trailer. You have to make sure the first 10 seconds gets their attention so they can watch the whole thing and Look forward to watching your movie when it comes out.

Like

2 Choose the best footage and sound

The next step is to select the best footage and sound that will showcase your film's story, style, and quality. You want to choose scenes that are visually striking, emotionally engaging, and narratively intriguing, but without giving away too much of the plot or the twists. You also want to choose sound that will enhance the mood, tone, and pace of your trailer. This includes the music, the dialogue, the sound effects, and the voice-over. You want to use music that matches your genre and creates a strong emotional response, dialogue that reveals the characters and their conflicts, sound effects that add realism and tension, and voice-over that summarizes the premise and hooks the viewers.

Add your perspective

3 Structure your trailer effectively

The third step is to structure your trailer effectively, using a clear beginning, middle, and end. The beginning should introduce your film's title, genre, and main characters, as well as establish the setting, the problem, and the stakes. The middle should build up the conflict, the action, and the suspense, as well as showcase the unique features of your film, such as the cinematography, the special effects, or the performances. The end should leave the viewers wanting more, by ending on a cliffhanger, a question, or a call to action. You should also use transitions, titles, and graphics to create a smooth and coherent flow between the different segments of your trailer.

Add your perspective

Matthew Patterson

Marketing Manager / Content Producer / Copywriter / Social Media Strategist
Report contribution
This AI article is full of solid practical advice, but it reflects the truth that - unlike writing/directing/producing finished products - the HOW of creating compelling marketing material is not widely written about or taught and practical advice isn’t easy to come by. I’d suggest using the above section as a guide and compare it to both modern and historic trailers of a similar genre/niche as your own as a guide. You’ll find the trailers that do their job best are ones that function as a SALES tool. They make you WANT to see more. That’s it. Using the advice in this article is a great place to start. But remembering what it’s main function is - a sales tool - will be your best guide.

Like

4 Keep it short and simple

The fourth step is to keep your trailer short and simple, avoiding unnecessary details, spoilers, or confusion. Ideally, your trailer should be between 90 seconds and 2 minutes long, depending on your genre and platform. Anything longer might bore or overwhelm your viewers, while anything shorter might not give enough information or impact. You should also keep your trailer simple, focusing on the main elements of your film and avoiding subplots, secondary characters, or technical jargon. You want to give your viewers enough information to understand what your film is about, but not so much that they lose interest or curiosity.

Add your perspective

5 Test and refine your trailer

The final step is to test and refine your trailer, using feedback, analytics, and optimization tools. You should test your trailer on different devices, platforms, and formats, such as mobile phones, laptops, social media, or websites, to make sure it works well and looks good. You should also get feedback from different sources, such as your peers, your mentors, your target audience, or your potential distributors, to see how they react and what they think of your trailer. You should use analytics tools, such as YouTube Studio or Vimeo Stats, to measure the performance of your trailer, such as the views, the watch time, the likes, or the comments. You should use optimization tools, such as keywords, tags, thumbnails, or captions, to improve the visibility and accessibility of your trailer. You should use this data and feedback to refine your trailer, making adjustments to the footage, the sound, the structure, or the length, until you are satisfied with the result.

Add your perspective

Vighnesh C.

Promo Producer & Post Production Specialist | EX - ZEE OTT | EX - TRIGGER HAPPY
Report contribution
- always make sure that right from the initial cut, communication remains the same and not goes haywire after feedback and changes

Like
Matamba Kombila

Filmmaker, or is it storyteller.
Report contribution
From my experience, I'd recommend to always start testing with your peers and mentors, then refine from their feedback. Then use the marketing tools. But always stay true to your heart and vision, because only you know what you want to get across. It's important to build your audience so numbers are crucial, but also it's not just about how high the numbers are, but about who is watching.

Like
Myescha Joell

Storyteller, Publicist, Producer, Script Reader, Owner at Morris Street Media
Report contribution
While it's important to ensure your trailer is operational and infrastructure is in place to source data, remember to have fun! This phase of the journey can be the most exhilarating. It's the first time you get to engage your audience. In addition to the virtual platforms, consider showcasing your trailer IRL. It doesn't have to be labor-intensive nor should you over-index on your budget. In a Post-Covid world, people are eager to come together. You can partner with local business owners to host a viewing party or host an intimate gathering at your home. There's something magical about watching people experience a film/trailer for the first time. Using those insights, along with the data you gather will optimize the final product.

Like

6 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?

Add your perspective

What are some tips and best practices for creating a film trailer that stands out?

1

2

3

4

5

6

1 Know your genre and audience

2 Choose the best footage and sound

3 Structure your trailer effectively

4 Keep it short and simple

5 Test and refine your trailer

6 Here’s what else to consider

Film Production

Rate this article

Thanks for your feedback

More articles on Film Production

More relevant reading

What are some tips and best practices for creating a film trailer that stands out?

1

2

3

4

5

6

1 Know your genre and audience

2 Choose the best footage and sound

3 Structure your trailer effectively

4 Keep it short and simple

5 Test and refine your trailer

6 Here’s what else to consider

Film Production

Rate this article

Thanks for your feedback

Explore Other Skills