How to Make a Good Movie Trailer for Your Short Film

Yessss!!! The BloodGuilt short film trailer is finally here and I’m so proud of it! And Yes, I’m that excited about a one minute piece of video content, because you all don’t understand. I mean, there were times I scrapped a week’s worth of work to
start the entire project anew. But I can finally put all of that behind me because the trailer is finally here! So, make sure you check it out when you get a chance, and let me know what you think!

“Anyways”, I wanted to take some time to help anyone that may be pulling together a trailer of their own. Because when I was creating mine, I happened to receive some info about creating a movie trailer at just the right time. It came from Chris – Film EditingPro and it was a true Godsend. So, hopefully I can pay that same sentiment forward by helping someone else in need.

The pdf in question provided a logical process for creating a trailer. Now that doesn’t sound like much, but as creatives, our minds don’t always work in the most logical ways. So, having this road map, kept me from getting lost within my own thoughts – which is how I ended up scrapping a week’s worth of work in the first place.

My only disclaimer is for you not receiving this info as gospel.  Meaning, DO NOT think that this is the only way a trailer can be made. See it as guide for understanding how the entire process works. But then, use the Bruce Lee method (of adopting what works for you, and throwing away what doesn’t) to create your own unique flow.

That’s exactly what I did with this pdf. I studied it, got an understanding of the process, then used it to develop my own unique work flow. So, without any further ado:

Let’s get into it!!!

1.) Separate yourself from the film, and develop a unique storyline for the trailer.

A trailer needs to have its own unique story – with its own beginning, middle, and end. However, the storyline of the trailer should be similar to the mood and tone of the original film. Otherwise, the experience of the trailer can potentially take away from the experience of the film. Nevertheless, the trailer still needs to be strong enough to stand on its own.

2.) Find clips from the original film to convey the trailer’s story.

At this stage of the process, we’re not placing anything on a timeline. We’re only storing key moments into a file to be used later. If the your short film or hasn’t been edited yet, locate good shots and/or lines of dialogue from your footage.

And if some of those clips don’t make it into the final film?

Don’t sweat it, almost every major studio trailer contains clips that don’t make the film’s final cut. Which may be hard to believe, but is totally true. Because, if the feature film (or short film) is doing its job in entertaining its audience, the audience will be hard-pressed to even remember the trailer – much less the clips within it.

Just remember, the trailer needs its own unique story.

3.) Locate some music that can pull everything together.

This is probably the most challenging and time consuming part of the process. It takes time to sort through music that may, or may not work. It also takes time to listen to each of those tracks (in their entirety) to see what parts can work over others.

So, if you find yourself getting frustrated at this stage, don’t sweat it – it’s absolutely normal. Just keep searching until you find it. And you’ll know you’ve found it when you hear it, because that track will add a perfect emotional layer to the images in your head.

Okay, this post is getting a bit too long. So, I’ll come back next week, and we’ll get into the creation of the timeline. I’ll also be discussing sound design: hits, wooshes, and reverses to make your trailer even punchier than you imagined. But, in the meantime, don’t forget to check out the BloodGuilt trailer. [salute]