A trailer is a short movie clip that gives a taste of the film, television show or documentary you are promoting. A well-executed trailer captivates audiences and leaves them wanting more. While it can be difficult to create a trailer that will engage the audience, some of the same storytelling elements that work in films and TV shows are also important in making your own trailer.
The best movie trailers introduce you to the main characters and set up the central conflict of the film. They then end with a major cliffhanger, leaving you wondering how the protagonist will overcome the conflict. If they do, you will want to see the full film. This technique is particularly effective for dramas, and many of the great thrillers use this strategy.
Movie trailers typically start with a deep-voiced narrator intoned something like, “In a world where nothing is certain, one man must face his greatest challenge.” After the opening line, stock footage shots of exotic locations or locations are used to imply that you are going to be taken on an adventure. Then you will get a montage of clips from the film, often accompanied by music that is appropriate for the genre. The music is often created by a professional composer.
Using editing techniques to enhance the impact of scenes is essential in a good trailer. Slow down the pacing by fading in and out of scenes, add sound effects to liven up scene transitions and sync the action to the music. Trailers often have quick cuts and a fast pace to make them feel more exciting and energetic.
While it’s essential to show viewers something of the story in your trailer, a good trailer will not reveal too much. You should not give away the ending of your film, but you should leave them intrigued. To do so, you can build empathy for your characters by showing them in conflict or tension with each other. You can also create suspense by teasing the conflict with a mystery, or by leaving it unresolved at the end of the trailer.
If you are promoting an unscripted project, such as a reality show or documentary, you will need to use different techniques to tell your story. You can incorporate interviews with people involved in the project and archival footage to create a compelling trailer. You can also use a combination of clips from the movie and a montage of images that are relevant to your subject.
A good trailer can help you sell your project, but it is not guaranteed to win you the support and funding that you need to complete your film or documentary. To increase the likelihood that your project will be successful, it is critical to do your research and study the best trailers of similar projects. Then you must be persistent in pursuing your goal. You can learn the skills to make a trailer on your own with software like iMovie, but it is the creativity and originality of the filmmaker that will ultimately determine whether your project gets made.