A great trailer can make a movie or documentary project seem like a must-see. Whether they’re used to build excitement for a theatrical release, entice viewers to a film festival screening or as part of a pitch to potential investors, a trailer can be a key piece in a successful project’s marketing plan. But making a trailer that engages audiences and sells the concept is no easy task. The same storytelling elements that engage viewers in films and TV shows have to be present in a trailer, which is even more important because every frame is under scrutiny by audiences eager to get a taste of the final product.
The key is to capture the audience’s attention and build up to a moment that promises the audience something they won’t be able to resist watching. This can be done through an exciting soundtrack, shots of intriguing-looking characters or locations or even through physical humor. It’s important that the hook is strong enough to hold the audience’s attention throughout the video because viewer attention spans are notoriously short.
After catching the audience’s attention, it’s crucial that you introduce your main characters to ensure the audience feels attached to the story and can identify with the characters. A good way to do this is through a dramatic moment or action shot, but it’s also a good idea to use dialogue to push the narrative forward and build up suspense and tension.
The next step is to create a clear and concise script that communicates the core message of your book or movie. It’s also worth creating a storyboard, or a graphical representation of how your trailer will unfold, to help you visualize the key scenes and their placement in your video. This will ensure that your trailer has a solid structure and adheres to the three-act movie format, however abridged.
Lastly, the last step is to choose powerful imagery that captures the tone and content of your book or movie. A great way to do this is by using a tool like Animoto’s built-in image library, which offers over 1 million royalty-free photos and video clips from Getty Images. You can access the media library by opening the “Stock” tray to the right of your Animoto editor screen. You can also search for specific terms in the media library to find imagery that fits your story. Using stock images and video clips helps you save time and resources, as well as provides the flexibility of editing in multiple formats.