How to make a great movie trailer

A film can have a big star, a visionary director, cutting-edge special effects, and a wildly fresh concept, but at the end of the day what it really takes to get butts in seats is a knockout trailer. And, much like those who make movies, those who make movie trailers are constantly seeking to raise the bar. “There’s always a push for how to do something different and new,” says Benj Thall, a director and veteran trailer editor who heads his own boutique agency, Evolver Creative, and works as a hired specialist for film studios and streamers. “There’s only so many ’80s pop songs we can trailer-ize,” he adds with a laugh.

Thall, whose work ranges from studio tentpoles like Harry Potter And The Half-Blood Prince, Tron: Legacy and Watchmen to documentaries and indie fare like Val, Whale Rider and Young Victoria, sees his task as taking a film’s raw ingredients and creating an arresting mini-narrative that reflects the movie’s dynamic essence. “The really good trailers present something in a brief moment that you’ve maybe never seen before, or just knock your socks off,” he notes. “I always start my trailer work by looking for a true, impactful moment in the film that sums up the emotional tone or the feel of the film,” he explains. “All good trailers have a bit of that indescribable feeling you get from watching that specific movie, whether that’s a quintessential line, a moment, a look between characters. I tend to try and build something around that.”

Ric Thomas, an editor at Buddha Jones, one of Hollywood’s foremost trailer houses, whose work includes a slew of Marvel campaigns, such as promos for Ant-Man & The Wasp: Quantumania, says there’s a constant search for innovation. “We’re always trying to avoid people feeling like they recognize tropes and cliches; so it’s ever-evolving,” says Thomas, who sifts through content with his colleagues to identify standout moments, then makes assemblies using elements of the finished films, dailies, and screenplays as a guide. “We try and work out the cleanest, most concise way of telling the story … You don’t want to overload people with information.”

Watch the clock

For decades, the running time for trailers has been largely capped at two minutes and 30 seconds, and even in the era of digital media Thall says trailers that stick to that familiar standard tend to be the most successful. “Two minutes to three minutes is the sweet spot.” says Thall. “If you get a three-minute trailer, you’re gonna feel like ‘This is long.’ So there’s this built in limit.” In that brief window of time, trailer editors try to pack in every possible selling point in the most organic yet economic way possible.

“When you have these big action movies like Guardians Of The Galaxy,” Thall adds, “every two-second shot has to be loaded for the viewer; loaded with information, loaded with special effects, loaded with emotional content. Every frame is important. Also the shots that you don’t include are important; what you’re not saying, what you’re leaving for the viewer to infer. A lot of the power of editing is what you don’t put in, leaving a question for the viewer.”

How much is too much is a frequent source of friction—trailer editors strive to tease but not necessarily spoil the stories these films are telling. “There’s pressure to put the film in the best light–this might be the only time anyone sees anything about this film,” says Thall. “But it’s a delicate balance. When we start on a piece, we discuss what’s not to be given away.” Thomas concurs: “It’s a fine line in terms of spoilers,” although he allows that Hollywood’s fixation on franchise and IP-driven features creates the opportunity to craft exciting reveals for fans who’ll flip for a glimpse of an old favorite.

Test, test, and test some more

Thomas says studio input can vary widely as multiple trailer houses–even multiple teams within one trailer house–craft different takes. “A brief will vary from very specific ideas and things we have to hit to ‘We trust you, and we’d love your input in terms of what you think a trailer for this [film] would look like,’” he says. “We’ll send first versions, and then we’ll go through notes with the studios and other stakeholders. Trailers get tested to the point where they’ll ask people what’s resonating with them, and filmmakers will be involved in that process and obviously they get final approval, as well.”

While directors and producers have a voice in the process, only a handful of filmmakers take an active, hands-on role in crafting trailers (among them David Fincher and Christopher Nolan). “Filmmakers are so close to the material that the level of disambiguation we have to do is difficult for them,” Thomas says.

Occasionally, trailers stand out as works of art in their own right: modern classics include Fincher’s The Social Network with its potent, innovative use of a slowed-down version of Radiohead’s “Creep” that would endure as a trope for years, and Little Children, with its juxtaposition of film footage with the sound of an oncoming train building in the background.

Stay ahead of the curve

Lately, Thomas has been enjoying trailers that lean into the user-friendly modes of social media outlets like TikTok and Instagram “to make less polished content that people don’t engage with, because people on some digital platforms don’t like to feel like they’re being advertised to,” he explains. “They want content that is a bit more kind of colloquial and less polished.”

Such a counterintuitive approach only proves that trailers are “this really unique medium,” says Thall, reflecting on the boundless opportunities for creativity and artistry in a seemingly straightjacketed format. “You’re crafting the whole from a visual standpoint and a sonic standpoint, and we don’t generally get to change the visuals of a movie, but we get to put this signature and this stylistic sound and feel to how the movie is presented.” As for Thomas, “People ask me, if I would like to edit features myself, and I say, ‘Well, I can’t, because I would make it two and a half minutes.”