Trailer drop! & marketing advice for dummies like me
How to "direct" the trailer-making process. Plus: that one very important thing I always forget to do that causes endless grief in our marketing efforts.
I love this trailer!
SHOUTOUT Khalid West and the HBO Max Marketing A/V team, who created it.
I want to share a couple things I’ve learned about making trailers, even though I don’t know how to make trailers. I have tried making trailers, and no thank you, that is hard and specific, so I say: god bless the trailer cutters! So, really what I know how to do is ‘give notes’ on a trailer.
But first: do you know anyone looking for office space in Brooklyn? If so, please send them my way because we are looking for suite-mates now that the wonderful crew at Marshall Curry Productions have moved on. Here is a listing for our space in the gorgeous Old American Can Factory.
Step 1: take a deep breath and remember this is not the film, this is a trailer
If you are like me, it can initially be confusing and even disturbing when you first see the film you labored over for years sort of ‘put into a blender’ + spit out as a trailer. TBH, for me, this is hard every time. I find I usually need to let it settle for a bit to get over the initial shock. And I remind myself, It’s not the film, it’s a trailer! A trailer is literally an advertisement!!
Step 2: discern what is the pitch being made
I look at the big picture first: what are the sections, what does each one communicate, in what order? What’s the initial hook, what are the turns and layers? Does it capture what I think people will love about the movie? Or is there a new pitch here I’ve never even considered before?
Step 3: give specific suggestions
After I digest and outline that bigger-picture summary, I consider whether I might suggest moving the sections around, or subtract/create/combine sections. Then I make a list of specific swaps for dialogue or shots that I think might work better in specific instances. I try to include timecodes or screenshots to make it easy for them to find these suggestions. I do not assume they know where “the bunny shot” is.
Step 4: stay in your lane… but know what you know
I do not know how to make a trailer, so I don’t assume any of these ideas will work.
But also… I know what I know. By trailer time, I’ve usually been pitching the film in one way or another for years. I know what made people’s eyes light up with delight or what made them look confused, what turns them off and what makes them want to know more. I also know what their expectations are, and what works to surprise them. My job here is to convey all of that marketing information to my team.
But here’s the really important thing to remember for the trailer — and it’s not just about the trailer, it’s about all the marketing materials — the poster, the featured stills, social media content... It’s something I forget to do every. single. movie. When will I ever learn??!
