A trailer is a short film designed to promote and market a feature-length film. Typically, the trailer is shown before the feature film at a movie theater. It may also be screened on television to generate buzz for the film, as well as encourage audience members to attend. Despite its relatively brief running time, a successful trailer requires careful planning and attention to detail.
The first step in creating a trailer is to choose the appropriate footage for it. This can be done by selecting scenes from the film, or choosing a scene that represents an important aspect of the film. Once the footage is selected, it must be edited together to create a compelling and interesting trailer. The trailer should be short, no more than two minutes long. It should end with a strong call-to-action, such as buying the film, signing up for the mailing list, or visiting the website.
Choosing a soundtrack is an important part of the process, as it is often what sets the tone of the trailer. The music will provide an emotional connection for the audience, and it should support the storyline of the trailer. In addition, the sound effects should be used to emphasize certain scenes and create a sense of tension. The trailer should be designed to entice the viewer to see the full film, and it should not give away too much information about the storyline of the feature-length movie.
While there are many different software packages that can be used to create a trailer, the most important elements are creativity and the quality of the footage that is being used. Whether working on an independent film, or with a large-budget production company, the trailer will be scrutinized with surgical precision by picky sponsors and ravenous franchise fans alike. Any small hiccup, such as a coffee cup in the frame of a shot or a poorly synced sound effect, will be noticed and pointed out.
If you are making a documentary film, try to shoot as many different angles of the subject as possible. This will help you to have plenty of visual variation when it comes to editing the trailer. You can also look at other documentary trailers for inspiration on how to edit yours.
It is helpful to have a structure sheet for your trailer, which will help you plan what shots to include and how to sequence them. The structure sheet will also allow you to see how the finished product is going to look so that you can make any necessary adjustments before shooting.
Choosing the right footage for a trailer can be an incredibly difficult task. If you are working with a large production company, the chances are that all of the original filming for the feature-length movie is complete and in post-production. In this case, the marketing creatives will choose a narrative to appeal to a specific demographic group, and they will select footage from the film that best supports that narrative. This process will likely go through several iterations, as the marketers and editor will be constantly tweaking and revising the trailer in an attempt to create the perfect piece of marketing for the film.