Trailers are the short, stand-alone tidbits of cinematic excitement that help promote your film before it even hits theaters. A great trailer can help your film find the funding and audience it needs to become a hit.
The best trailers pique interest, tell the story, and leave viewers wanting to see it. Here are some things to keep in mind when creating a trailer for your film:
Use a combination of footage from the beginning, middle, and end of your movie to build an effective story arc. This is especially useful for films that have multiple plot threads.
Give your characters time to shine within the trailer, so that your audience can identify with them and root for them throughout the movie.
Using dialogue, film-style visuals, and a few arresting images is the most effective way to convey your story in a trailer. This will also help your audience understand the theme and tone of your film.
Add background music and sound effects, which are integral to a great trailer. This will help your audience to feel more in sync with the scenes and give them a feeling of tension.
You can choose to use a single song or a mix of tracks for your trailer. The key is to use different tracks that will create a variety of moods and emotions.
Music is a vital part of any movie trailer, but it can make or break the experience. Whether you use a rousing anthem or a sub-Skrillex warble, make sure that it is the perfect fit for your project and matches the feel of the trailer.
If you do decide to include a soundtrack, use high-quality recording. This will ensure that the quality of your audio meets your standards and gives your trailer a professional look.
It’s also a good idea to have a voiceover in your trailer. Having a familiar actor or actress speak your trailer will help your audience relate to the character and will also make it easier for them to imagine their own role in the film.
Another important aspect of a trailer is to ensure that it doesn’t contain any spoilers or reveal any details about the movie’s plot. This will prevent your audience from thinking that the trailer is the final version of your movie and might cause them to miss out on seeing it when it arrives in theaters.
The best trailers will show you the major conflict of your film, introduce you to your main characters, and then leave you with a cliffhanger that leaves your audience wanting to see the rest of the story. The cliffhanger can be the beginning of an action sequence or the end of a scene, but it should always leave your audience wanting to know more about what happens next.
A trailer can also be a teaser, which is a sneak peek at a movie that is scheduled to be released later on. These teasers often have a call-to-action button that allows the viewer to watch the full trailer if they want to learn more about the film. This is a great way to increase engagement on social media and drive people to your website where they can learn more about your movie and its story.