Editing a trailer, how?

A

aFox

Active member
One thing i really would like to do is get more into cutting trailers for TV shows and movies. Because there is no forum dedicated to editing, i thought i would post here, especially because i heard that most trailerhouses in the US use FinalCut, so there might be a few professionals around :)

Of course also if you are not a professional, i would be glad if you could share your thoughts on trailer cutting, because right now its still very difficult for me to do a decent trailer, but i am learning and hope i get better. I am also interested in your workflow. Do you start by laying out the music, do you make a concept for the trailer beforehand (thinking about the text inserts or what the narrator says)? How do you start, etc...

One fundamental thing i encountered right away was that, trailer have their cuts right on the beat of the music quite often, one thing i was told is a big no, no usually.
 
Cutting to music is a no-no in non-trailer situations? I haven't heard that. I'd be curious to hear why you think that?
 
Cutting to the beat is a matter of taste. Some folks swear by it- especially in the movie trailer world, others think it's lazy or just don't like it. I suggest watching and studying a lot of trailers and figuring out what works. The best trailers are well paced and have good dramatic builds, that make you want to see the movie without giving too much away.

Noah
 
Well maybe when cutting trailers it is more common, but otherwise, people told me not to do it because it is considered "cheap", but yeah maybe those were not the greatest cutters either. I personally like cutting to the beat if you don´t do it all the time, otherwise it gets predictable and boring.

keep it coming :)
 
aFox said:
One fundamental thing i encountered right away was that, trailer have their cuts right on the beat of the music quite often, one thing i was told is a big no, no usually.
Click to expand...

Although I do cut with music all the time I can see the point about not cutting to the beat. I think most are cut to dramatic sound effects and orchestral crescendos that flow and ebb to the anouncers voice or the action or the character one liners. I deal with a ton of Hip Hop movies/docs and even those are cut more to the story of the trailer rather than the beat. Trailers aren't music videos, they're more like short shorts. With the recent spate of dance movies, there's so much slomo that even those are mostly cut off beat. However, I did one for BLADE on SPIKE 2 years ago and since there were so many horn and/or guitar stabs, I had no choice but to cut most of it to the beat. Tho I did stretch some shots to keep it from being too music videoEE.
 
yeah good point with the diaog, seems to me that the story really is conveyed through the soundtrack. Cool reel jump. For me unfortunately its still difficult to find the right music and to get e good transition between different kinds of music.
 
Trailers are my bread and butter. My workflow usually goes like this.

1) Watch the movie and do detailed time code notes, logging cool shots and bits of dialogue that seem good for the trailer. You get a sense for this after you've done a couple. Usually, the best storytelling soundbites tends to be in the first 30 minutes, where things are being setup, as a trailer is all about setting up the premise of the film for the audience.
2) Conceptualize, then write a script using the above time code notes. I have done trailers on the fly without any script or log notes, but they usually come out better when I do. And it actually saves time in the long run.
3) Find good music. If the film has a soundtrack already great. I often do trailers for film markets so I can use whatever I want. Generally I'll use 3-5 different tracks in a trailer. Anyway the rhythm of the music gives me ideas for cutting. When I found what I want, I'll lay down the tracks roughly in a timeline, and lay down scratch voice over if need be where I think it will fit well.
4) Start laying in clips and soundbites, using the pre-laid music as a guide. Often the music will be recut at this point or trimmed.
5) Lay in effects and transitions. Transitions (like burns to white) are often done around music changes. A good cymbal swell can smooth over music changes on the soundtrack.
6) Lay in sound design and do a rough mix. Although if it's a sound design heavy trailer (like a horror film) I'll do this while cutting picture. These days for horror films everybody wants a whoosh, scream and staccato cut every two seconds.

Here's a recent trailer I did for the film markets--

http://www.pixultronik.com/perfectFIN.mov
 
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Batutta said:
Thanks. I thought it was a little corny, but all sports underdog movies are.
Click to expand...

I wasn't really referring to the content, but rather the pacing, cuts, transitions, SFX, music etc... (this is the FCP section after all...lol).

Again, very nice job.


PS. However, I will go out on a limb and say the kid probably throws that last strike......It's either that or change the movie title? Schmaltz Disney
 
Batutta said:
Trailers are my bread and butter. My workflow usually goes like this.

1) Watch the movie and do detailed time code notes, logging cool shots and bits of dialogue that seem good for the trailer. You get a sense for this after you've done a couple. Usually, the best storytelling soundbites tends to be in the first 30 minutes, where things are being setup, as a trailer is all about setting up the premise of the film for the audience.
2) Conceptualize, then write a script using the above time code notes. I have done trailers on the fly without any script or log notes, but they usually come out better when I do. And it actually saves time in the long run.
3) Find good music. If the film has a soundtrack already great. I often do trailers for film markets so I can use whatever I want. Generally I'll use 3-5 different tracks in a trailer. Anyway the rhythm of the music gives me ideas for cutting. When I found what I want, I'll lay down the tracks roughly in a timeline, and lay down scratch voice over if need be where I think it will fit well.
4) Start laying in clips and soundbites, using the pre-laid music as a guide. Often the music will be recut at this point or trimmed.
5) Lay in effects and transitions. Transitions (like burns to white) are often done around music changes. A good cymbal swell can smooth over music changes on the soundtrack.
6) Lay in sound design and do a rough mix. Although if it's a sound design heavy trailer (like a horror film) I'll do this while cutting picture. These days for horror films everybody wants a whoosh, scream and staccato cut every two seconds.

Here's a recent trailer I did for the film markets--

http://www.pixultronik.com/perfectFIN.mov
Click to expand...


You really get to pick all the shots and soundtrack? I had NO idea a studio would give someone so much control, especially for such a pivotal part of the marketing.

How often are you forced to make change's? By whom? how much pay is there for cutting a trailer like that (ballpark is fine)? Pay is by the job, I'm guessing? How bout the really high budget studio films... is it also one guy who makes most of the calls on the trailer? how much do they make? what's your blood type? social security number? how many pets do you have?

OK... I got a little carried away on those last questions... sorry.

Very informative post, though:dankk2:

There's somebody else around here who's mainly a trailer cutter, but I can't remember who...
 
i've cut trailers. the short version is this... the editor gets "version 1", that's yours (generally). then, the client gets dozens upon dozens of revisions.

it's been a while since I cut a trailer, but I used to do it for all the major studios. I think "Sideways" was the last. or maybe "Hitch", i forget which was last. anyway, it basically works like this...

studios don't often cut their own trailers.

usually, a producer that works for the contracted "trailer house" discusses the project with the client (studio) to conceptualize the tone and any important general creative ideas. the producer and a copywriter bang out a script that includes VO and/or copy for title cards. the trailer house's music department comes up with "pitches", these are several CD's of songs and score based on the initial creative concept. the house's motion graphics department begins work on the title cards, billing block, etc. a team of assistant editors digitize and log the film's current cut or all the dailies and logs them. then, the editor takes all this material and has a lot of freedom to craft the first version. it can take a few days or up to a couple weeks. the producer then comes in, gives notes, and then that version is sent to the client. a long process of revisions and notes follows until a final version is reached. then, the music department clears the music cues that have been chosen with the label, the VO is re-read for a final version, and motion graphics are finalized. next, an assistant editor preps the cut and all materials sending sound elements to a full theatrical size mix stage like TODD-AO or SSI and picture elements go to a company like PICTUREHEAD who specializes in pulling shots from the raw dailies and assembling and color grading a 2K digital version of the editor's trailer. once the 5.1 mix is approved, everything is delivered to the client.

now as to my own methods and techniques... it's hard to effectively put into words. if what I was doing as a trailer editor was easy enough to itemize in a post, they wouldn't have been paying me $800 to $1200 per day to do it. each film is its own animal.
 
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Hitch was a cool trailer! :)

So if i get it right, you come into production and get handed some music you can/should use along with VO lines and title cards? But aren´t the VO and the titlecards very likely to change while you are working with the material, do you change them apropriately? And how does such a script look like? How much time do you have for the first rough cut of the trailer?

great post by the way!
 
ryan brown said:
You really get to pick all the shots and soundtrack? I had NO idea a studio would give someone so much control, especially for such a pivotal part of the marketing.

How often are you forced to make change's? By whom? how much pay is there for cutting a trailer like that (ballpark is fine)? Pay is by the job, I'm guessing? How bout the really high budget studio films... is it also one guy who makes most of the calls on the trailer? how much do they make? what's your blood type? social security number? how many pets do you have?

OK... I got a little carried away on those last questions... sorry.

Very informative post, though:dankk2:

There's somebody else around here who's mainly a trailer cutter, but I can't remember who...
Click to expand...

Well, my situation is a little unique as I'm a solo artist, gun for hire. I usually get last minute stuff that needs to be done in a few days, and they know I can do everything. Most trailer houses have a producer who guides things, a writer and an editor. I do all three jobs. I usually don't get too many notes as I usually work for independent houses who are thrilled with anything that doesn't suck, and as I said, usually need things done last minute. My few experiences with the bigger studios usually get bogged down in ridiculous micro-managing and "frame-f*ing", to the point where you want to cry.
 
kubrick made great trailers. the cohen brothers make great trailers. as does lynch. the best trailers involve a great peice of music, NO corny voiceover announcer, and a simple, straight forward visual scheme taken from the action in the film.

also...do not belabor your viewers' patience with every stupid minutiae of your storyline.

create interest...leave them wanting more
 
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