They say age is important in the film industry, we concur but by different means! Did you know that the first-ever trailer released was in the year 1895 by the Germans? Yes, movie trailers are even older than world war I! The technique of stitching short snippets have evolved through time. Starting off as the art form of splicing films, they can now be conveniently made with an online or software trailer maker. The only thing that has prevailed through the centuries is the secret formula of enticement.
Has this little teaser tickled your fancy? Coming to a cinema near you, we trail off on the journey of a trailer making. Discover how you can make yours the talk of the town!
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Let’s Clear up Some Basics
Spellbinding, action-packed, and most of all, exciting. As you may experience today, trailers are tantalizing advertisements for upcoming movies to be featured in the theatre. But truth is, there is more to the term than meets the eye.
What are Trailers?
Consisting of abbreviated snippets derived from the movie, trailers are short videos featuring the most noteworthy parts of the plot without revealing any spoilers. These entertaining scenes are picked to titillate mass audiences as pre-movie previews. They create hype and potential to lure future repeat-patronage of moviegoers. A fact, however, known to few, is the other components of trailers. Remember those pesky product commercials that stand in your way of the movie you’ve paid for? They too are considered to be trailer videos. Such was invented in the early days when movie films were short. Consequently, theatre owners turned to airing these commercials to make a little extra two-way moolah.
What is a Trailer Maker?
As simple as the term defines, a trailer maker is a tool that helps producers create trailer videos. In the days of yore, trailers were made with a technique called film splicing. It is a technique that requires manual and physical joining pieces of negative or positive film together. Old school machines are used together with clear tape to design the producer’s intent. Such was a tedious process that requires a specific skill set and a crafty pair of hands.
But, my word, have things changed! Today, as trailer making is as easy as the click of a mouse. Technology has made trailer making so simple anyone can do it with a laptop. Trailer makers are software or online applications that can convenience amateurs and professionals alike to develop brilliant videos. These tools replace the old art form of splicing, massively reducing the length of time required, technique, and instruments required for trailer production. Ready templates are available together with word placement and music to create stunning experiences for viewers. It should however be well noted that the trailer maker is only the paintbrush. Your masterpiece still requires an artist to create the fruition of a spectacular masterpiece. Creativity and theoretical knowledge are still the bedrock that makes awesome trailers.
Types of Trailers
Did you know that trailer makers make more than just film previews? Essentially, trailers are a form of promotion. And just like all forms of successful marketing, they are compelling, engaging, and short. Trailer makers create brief introductions on the “product”. So if you think about it, their applications could easily be applied in other ways.
Movies and TV Shows
“Alien”, “Citizen Kane” and “The Exorcist” have stood the test of time and film technology advancement. Today, they are ranked in the top ten list of best movie trailers in the US. It’s hard not to enjoy most movie trailers because they are a form of storytelling. We know for a fact that messages communicated as stories are up to 22 times more memorable than any other means of media. A trailer maker can create videos that stitch together snippets of a storyline. Another creative way to grip is the use of cliffhangers. They make film titles irresistible, and the leave the audience begging for more. Other than the theater, these film trailers can also be aired on YouTube, television commercials, and websites such as IMDB.
For the same reasons, TV show trailers are as effective in attaining viewership. They often feature snippets of the entire series to brief the audience on what the program is about. That said, they can also be presented as hints to show what might happen in the next episode.
Books
In the same fashion, book trailers are also an effective form of marketing used to promote a book. The content usually highlights the narrative arc of the book’s content just like a synopsis. A trailer maker creates a short video that can be distributed across multiple platforms. For instance, social media platforms, YouTube, and paid ad spaces are effective platforms that can increase your book’s visibility across a wider audience. A picture is worth a thousand words, but a video is worth a million!
Video Games
Did you know that IMDB also features game trailer videos? Game trailers demonstrate how the game visually looks like before your audience get a chance to try it out. Within a recommended length of fewer than 90 seconds, your video should be able to grab attention, engage, and make your viewers understand the entire concept of the game. To do that, a trailer maker can help you to create an immersive and entertaining experience by including the atmosphere and mood as in the actual game. Such drives emotion, a powerful arsenal that can manipulate clicks on your call to action button. Remember that you took painstaking efforts to develop your game. Don’t bail at the last bit. Your game trailer should be delivered as the same quality as your game. And don’t forget to blow minds!
YouTube Channel
Channel your creativity with a YouTube channel trailer. YouTube is an excellent and cost-efficient way to put your brand out there. Or, well, to become famous just like how Justin Bieber and Soulja Boy did. A channel trailer is pretty much like a movie trailer and can also be created with trailer makers. It offers a preview on your channel’s content to help turn visitors into subscribers. By default, ads not appear when the trailer is playing. Hence they are the perfect non-disruptive marketing tool to catch some eyes.
Making the Best Trailers
Since video trailers are indeed a marketing tool, strategies used in promotion should be applied during the making of these trailers. No matter the genre of trailer you are making, here are a few tips that are universally effective.
Comply with Specifications
Bomb’s away! Before you start developing your script, it’s probably best to understand the requirements that have been approved by kings of the industry. The Motion Picture Association of American dictates that all movie trailers should be kept within a length of 2 minutes and 30 seconds. In January 2014 however, the National Association of Theater Owners issued a guideline that restricts all trailers to be no longer than 2 minutes. Moral of the story? No matter how excited you are about sharing content, short is always sweet! Make sure you watch out for length while you’re using your trailer maker, and all will be swell.
A second noteworthy point would be the sequence of your trailer. When piecing snippets together on your movie trailer maker, always put the most gripping parts of it in the beginning. In the era of the goldfish attention span, screen time is very precious. Some say that the length of a film should be directly related to the endurance of a human bladder. We say trailers should last as long as a quick toilet break!
Plan Your Content
Unless you are looking to hire Heath Ledger in “The Dark Knight” who improvises, it’s a good idea to plan out a script for your movie trailer. It all depends on the mood you are trying to put across really. Adam Body quipped that in a world without heroes, as the movie trailer voice-over guy might say, the slightly awkward can be slightly cool. Even though the characteristically booming voice over narration has been a signature of movie trailers, the trend seems to be fading out.
Trailers today seem to more frequently feature actual film snippets that contain character dialogue rather than voice overs. In contrast, some videos use on-screen text with pulsing music to get hearts pounding. It all depends on your creative flair. The one thing they do have in common is that they all tell a story. Before you start using a trailer maker, it’s best to first develop a storyboard that showcases the characters and situation of the plot. As an appetizer teaser, a great technique is to also add a hint of what might become the resolution of the plot.
Deconstruct the Content
Essentially, developing a trailer is kind of like skimming through an article and only picking out significant headings. Your trailer only has about 2 minutes to tell a story that makes sense. So don’t complicate things by getting into the nitty-gritty details. Simply pick out one concept you wish to show the audience and focus all your content around that. Include the most important scenes that appeal to human emotion. That includes funny, exciting, and action-packed parts of the plot.
Deconstructing a film today is a lot easier with a high tech trailer maker. All you have to do is snip and assemble. However, do make sure that the snippets transition in a smooth, intelligible, and non-awkward way. Text screens in between can help to ease abruptness while also helping to tell the story.
Don’t Spoil It
Needless to say, never, and we mean, never ever give away the ending of your plot! It is the ultimate pitfall to every trailer video. Feature best snippets of your film, but build an air of mystery around that. Giving away the ending is like telling NFL fans who won the game before they’ve watched it. It makes your trailer video shallow, predictable, and less anticipated. Finding the balance between outlining a plot but not showing what exactly happens can be a challenge. You can leave hints, but always leave room for surprising twists and pondering.
Music and Effects
Unsettling, ominous, throbbing, and reverberating. Pulsing bass-drop noises seem to reign every big blockbuster movie of recent years. It’s hard to tell which movie was the trailblazer. These rumbling, bone chattering sounds have been featured in “The Dark Knight”, “Transformers” and “Inception”. They create an impactful and dramatic experience for every audience.
However, if your trailer is spotting more of a drama or TV show genre, music would be the way to go. Everyone loves a hearty, cheerful tune Your choice of music creates the atmosphere of which your genre sits in. No matter your choice, remember that sound buffers as an emotional experience for your viewers. One that will take them on a roller coaster ride of your trailer and leave them wanting more.
Trailer Makers at its Best
Poor trailers can do more harm than good. They can spoil the prospects of an excellent film, book, or product because everything is really about first impressions. While there are a gazillion options in trailer maker apps, it does take a little exploration to find the right one for your purpose. We bring you the top three options below:
Adobe Premiere Pro Software
Shooting for the stars? Of course, the media guru brand serves up the best. Major blockbuster trailers like “Deadpool” and “Gone Girl” have been cut on it. No doubt, it does take a specialized skill set to maneuver the software. But if you’re going big and have the right basics on hand, you’ll be able to make a killer trailer with the app. Producers use Adobe Premiere Pro together with Adobe After Effects to create the best outcome. While Premiere takes care of video editing, After Effects can be used to manipulate motion graphics, visual effects, and picture compositing.
Online Applications
If you have one trailer to make, it’s probably not worth the time and effort of buying and learning new software. In cases like these, there is a myriad of available online templates you can use to create your own trailer. Some examples of online trailer makers include Biteable, RenderForest, and MotionDen.
The one disadvantage to using these though is the lack of originality. Mixing and matching templates can produce different combinations of unique results. But customization can sometimes be rigid and may not produce the best effects. At times they can end up looking like a PowerPoint presentation instead. But the great thing is that some of these templates are free of charge.
Tailored Trailer Maker
The best way to appeal to a human audience is with works created by a human being, of course! DIY aside, it is possible to outsource your trailer to a professional producer. Platforms like this one can create bespoke trailer videos according to your content, specifications, and creative mood. The trailer maker service ensures that your project will be completed at high quality, a cost-effective rate, and at a quick turnover time. Backed by happy clients, it’s the perfect solution for ad-hoc projects.
The Bottom Line
Logic can only take you so far, but imagination takes you to the level you really want to find. A trailer maker is a great tool to have but don’t forget that screen time is precious. The worst thing you could do is slap together a home-made trailer and expect people to turn up at your door. If in doubt, leave it to the professionals. But there’s no harm in a little creative exploration!
