The Art of First Impressions: How

to Cut a Movie Trailer

According to Stephen Garrett
Getting Started
Garrett argues that a trailer is a condensed version of a feature film, thus it is
imperative to include a collection of its greatest elements.

The genre of the feature film will determine what is included within the trailer, but
should not define the trailer as although this will attract audience members but
could potentially alienate them if the film does not meet their expectations.

It is important to note that when editing a trailer, you must evaluate the following:

❖ The benefits from having a narrator

❖ What music is the best fitting for the trailer
❖ Involving a copywriter
❖ Does the film have enough explanatory dialogue to sustain itself?
Rhythm and Structure
Garrett proposes that trailer editing is about rhythm. A well cut trailer will have a
flowing motion to it, and will propel the viewer through the experience of the film
and should heighten the excitement and anticipation evoked from the trailer.

Music plays an important part in aiding the fluency of the rhythm.

Garrett discusses a common three act structure, and the occasional trailer which
features one act or four/

Act One should introduce the films’ characters and environment

Act Two should complicate their world with obstacles to overcome

Act Three should intensify the conflicts and ratchet up the tension/excitement
Disassembling Your Film & Constructing Your Trailer
It is an editor’s job to emulate the work of a tailor by cutting the film material and
shaping them, yet a trailer editor’s job is to mirror the work of a chef as they are
required to condense the film material and extract their essence in order to
enhance the overall product.

In order to attract audience members to the film, narrative enigma MUST be

generated. A method devised by trailer editors to achieve this, is to de-
contextualize everything. For example an excited dog bark is just a dog bark, a half
smile from the heroine that secretly devastates her boyfriend is a smile within a
trailer. The function of acts in the feature film, are not revealed in the trailer.
The Familiar Editing Tropes In Trailers
❖ Dissolves
❖ Fades from black
❖ Fades to black
❖ White flashes with the metal-door slams
❖ Fast-paced flutter cuts
❖ Double exposures
❖ Speed adjustments
❖ Audio rises
❖ Audio drones
❖ Audio stings
Striking The Right Tone
If the audience members feel that they have seen the same type of film prior to
this trailer, they will be closed minded about the film and will most likely avoid
watching the full film.

Myles Bender, the senior vice president of creative advertising at Focus Features,
carefully avoided this reaction with the 2011 version of Jane Eyre by recreating the
trailer. He toned down the traditional and romantic aspect of this literature
adaptation, and emphasised a horror aspect. The sinister elements of the film
were emphasises within the trailer to create a new tone for the film of a modern
tale of madness and obsession, which greatly intrigued audience members.
Music Driven (Montage Driven) Trailers
Although songs and images are commonly used to dictate the feeling and
structure of a trailer, they are unable to reveal the story. Therefore certain
filmmakers utilise a music-driven montage as this enables the film to be marketed
uniquely and originally as this is a distinct visual style.

A popular example of this method is Morvern Callar, Lynne Ramsay’s 2002 film
which follows an identity crisis. The structure of the trailer includes the music
frequently being interrupted by random snippets of dialogue, which successfully
depicts the anxiety felt by the protagonist as she experiences this mental and
emotional process.
Documentaries
Although documentaries are non-fiction, they often follow the conventions of a
fiction film.

As discussed earlier, the most obvious marketing angle (of the film’s genre) isn’t
the most effective. Garrett posits an example of Werner Herzog’s documentary
film ‘Encounters at the End of the World’ which follows the narrator’s (voiced by
the director) rife with his trademark Teutonic cadence. Originally the trailer was
cut with astonishing images, eerie choral music and Herzog’s narration but the
THINKFilm president argued that his narration should be removed from the trailer
to enhance the intrigue surrounding the film.
Using Subtitles
Although previously distributed depended on a narrator, rather than the dialogue in
a variety of languages to explain the story for foreign viewers.

However, a considerable amount of people believe that foreign language

dialogues should be treated in the same manner as the English dialogue; to
advance a story, set a mood and share emotion.

Cristian Mungiu’s trailer for ‘4 Months, 3 Weeks, and 2 Days’ included 20 subtitles,
which did not impair the urgency and tension evoked. Moreover, it does not take
away the narrative enigma but enhance it.
Using Copy and Narration
The overuse of copy and narration within Hollywood movies has left trailers
looking unoriginal and uninspiring. Yet without copy and narration, the film can be
explained organically which results in the trailer telling rather than showing and is
also less intriguing.

The use of Copy is an efficient method to set up the premise. The film ‘Carlos’ is a
key example of this with its use of three copy cards. This allowed the time, setting
and global impact was conveyed within seconds.

1. IN THE 1970’S AND 1980’S

2. ONLY ONE MAN
3. COULD HIJACK THE WORLD
Making a Trailer Economically
99% of trailers include music, copy and narration, which has resulted in
advantaging trailers that lack these factors as it enables them to acquire
originality and stand out from other trailers. Moreover, without copyrighted music
the company do not have to pay out a huge sum for copyright rights.

Garrett includes an example of Kelly Reichardt ‘Wendy and Lucy’ where:

➔ A musical accompaniment was absent to hyperbolise the unsentimental tone

of the film
➔ The film’s strongest asset, Michelle Williams, performed a riveting
performance which allowed her dramatic predicament to create the music
and rhythms for the trailer.The escalation in her desperation establishes the
structure
Reference to the Title
It is advisable that if the film is said in reference during the feature film that one
should include this within the trailer. This can evoke a sense of poetry and give
context to the trailer. However this must be executed efficiently as it is possible to
stimulate confusion within the audience if the title is complicated and this can be
a risk to total gross and ticket sales.

Effective uses:

“But mostly I hate the way I don’t hate you, not even close not even a little bit not
even at all” - Ten Things I Hate About You 1999

“You are a wallflower” - The Perks of Being a Wallflower 2012

No Rules, Only Guidelines
Garrett’s trailer preference is one that lacks copy, narration and subtitles, but
ironically holds ‘Gomorra’ as his favourite trailers to cut. ‘Gomorra’ includes
lengthy copy cards, lots of narration and subtitles.

Moreover, despite the prevalence of the three act structure in trailers with distinct
music for each act, there are certain trailers that defy this guideline. One in
particular is ‘L.I.E’ which only includes a single act and song.

Ultimately, there is no flawless method to cut a trailer; and it is a possible for a

film to have varying several trailers, they must all be effective in selling the product
of the film.
A Trailer Is Its Own Film
In conclusion trailers should:

➢ Function separately from the film product

➢ Be something one would want to watch multiple times
➢ Never resolve the plot
➢ Always ignite narrative enigma
➢ Arouse, provoke, seduce and beguile an audience
➢ Allow the audience to understand the genre of the film