A video trailer is a powerful tool to capture the attention of your audience and persuade them to watch your full video. Whether you are creating a trailer for a documentary, a short film, a product launch, or a personal project, you need to follow some basic principles to make it effective and engaging. In this article, we will show you how to create a successful video trailer in six steps.
The first step to create a successful video trailer is to define your goal. What is the purpose of your trailer? Who is your target audience? What do you want them to feel, think, or do after watching your trailer? Your goal will guide your decisions on the content, style, tone, and length of your trailer.
A nice way to package these answers is to create a story. Create a beginning, middle and end for what you are trying to promote.
The second step to create a successful video trailer is to choose your genre and style. Depending on your goal and audience, you can opt for different genres and styles of video trailers. For example, you can use a documentary style to inform and educate, a comedy style to entertain and amuse, a thriller style to intrigue and suspense, or a drama style to evoke and emotion. You can also mix and match different genres and styles to create a unique and original trailer.
If it's a trailer of something that already exists, the genre and style should follow and enhance that. For example, a trailer for a poetic documentary should have the same feel as the documentary. You want to sell the original to audiences.
The third step to create a successful video trailer is to write your script and storyboard. A script is a written document that outlines the dialogue, narration, sound effects, and music of your trailer. A storyboard is a visual representation of your script that shows the shots, angles, transitions, and graphics of your trailer. Writing a script and storyboard will help you organize your ideas, plan your production, and communicate your vision.
For trailers where you need to use existing footage, it can help to create a paper edit for it. While this step is not necessary, it can still be useful.
The fourth step to create a successful video trailer is to shoot and edit your footage. Shooting your footage involves capturing the images and sounds that you need for your trailer. Editing your footage involves selecting, trimming, arranging, and enhancing your clips to create a coherent and compelling story. You can use various techniques and tools to shoot and edit your footage, such as cameras, microphones, tripods, lighting, software, filters, effects, and transitions.
The fifth step to create a successful video trailer is to add your voice-over and music. A voice-over is a recorded narration that explains, comments, or guides your audience through your trailer. A music is a background sound that sets the mood, tone, and rhythm of your trailer. You can use your own voice or hire a professional voice actor to record your voice-over. You can also use royalty-free or licensed music or create your own music to match your trailer.
The sixth and final step to create a successful video trailer is to test and refine your trailer. Testing your trailer involves showing it to a small group of people who represent your target audience and getting their feedback. Refining your trailer involves making adjustments and improvements based on the feedback. You can test and refine your trailer until you are satisfied with the result and ready to share it with the world.