Iconic movie trailers, explained by a trailer editor

How trailers work, explained by someone who makes them.
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Trailer editor Bill Neil works at Buddha Jones making movie trailers that scare, excite, and, most importantly, get people to want to see a movie.
In this video, he explains the things that a trailer editor notices about trailers old and new, great and terrible, and somewhere in the middle. Starting with trailers from the '60s, he gets all the way to the present while reviewing techniques like sound design, “rug pulls,” and how to hide fake blood.
Note: The headline on this piece has been updated.
Previous headline: Movie trailer editor deconstructs iconic trailers
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[@Vox]

One of Bill’s proudest KZbin moments came after the trailer for “Mother” was released. Almost immediately, KZbinrs started cutting trailers for other movies in the style of the distinctive (and haunting) “Mother” trailer Bill cut. Watch Bill's original: kzbin.info/www/bejne/jqGsdKKZa5qonpI And Zach Prewitt’s Rosemary’s Baby Cover: kzbin.info/www/bejne/eYnIpY2maK-Jmtk Thanks for watching. -Phil

[@pp1942]

Mother! has the best and most original trailer i've ever seen. It actually made me watch the movie in theater

[@santonyolennane1015]

5:13 A dream job, anything in film. But, thats not why I am commenting. I saw Carrie when it first came out, and they could afford to give away most of the scenes... because that final scene at the grave had the theater screaming. Sure the Towering Inferno was tense.. but,oh boy "CARRIE" is in a class of its own. Chucky couldnt touch it with a steak skewer

[@recesss]

I liked TAR's trailer

[@Pantano63]

Ah this guy made the trailer for Once Upon a time in Hollywood? I honestly thought the trailer was better than the actual movie.

[@joefanelli5744]

Please ask him to break down The Social Network Trailer

[@ashleywaner1284]

Honestly, why is trailer editing not a category for an award at the Oscars? Some trailers are masterpieces and these editors deserve the credit!

[@Pixietink]

Agree

[@ianwhitsitt8189]

the main reason: films are primarily created as pieces of art, trailers are primarily created as pieces of marketing/commerce. trailers can often rise to become artistic, but they aren't inherent expressions of creativity to nearly the same level as the films themselves.

[@maxonite]

@@ianwhitsitt8189 i mean… films are primarily created to make money

[@ianwhitsitt8189]

@@maxonite that's true! it's not an easy line to draw. but the people who make films and win awards for their work are primarily motivated by craft. trailer houses, though certainly requiring artistry, are profit seeking ventures aiming to sell products above anything and everything.

[@AndrewCortesi]

You can't receive an Oscar for a trailer because it's not a film or short film but you CAN submit a trailer or marketing spot and receive other types of awards.

[@charlietighe]

When I was in high school I emailed Don LaFontaine to see how much he would charge to do a VO for our senior year slideshow. Instead of sending an invoice, he sent me an mp3 and the email just read "Enjoy!" What a legend.

[@Caterfree10]

Learning that trailer editors usually only have dailies instead of full cuts of movies to work from definitely explains the frequency of, say, trailers “lying” or how there are often scenes that are in the trailers but don’t make it into the final movie.

[@macestewart]

yes! I always wondered why the sequence on the Twilight trailer: "how long have you been seventeen?" "a while" was never in the movie! Now I know :) they probably got it from the dailies.

[@Caterfree10]

@@macestewart not the example I would’ve gone to first. Tho that’s interesting given I’m fairly certain that line was in the book? I only read it the once tho and it’s been a good 15ish years since so. ^^;

[@macestewart]

@@Caterfree10 lol I know, I think it just got stored in my brain all those years ago that it wasn't in the movie. Especially because, yes, it was in the book! Stil not sure why they had to cut it :(

[@amteun]

i wonder if bill neil knows how much of a frenzy he caused among jordan peele fans when they were theorizing why the "from jordan peele" shot was edited that way and what it had to do with the plot of movie. and it's perfect that he mentioned close encounters of the third kind, because brandon perea (who played angel in the film) said he used it as a reference to prepare for his role, as a suggestion by jordan peele himself -- though of course now having seen nope in its entirety, it all makes so much sense.

[@isaacmartinez6904]

It’s nice to hear someone who makes amazing movie trailers.

[@cararaker6066]

"It's an homage, I guess" ... "or I'm stealing, I'm not sure" 😂

[@mr.thumbsup8335]

The Nope teaser trailer was easily my favorite trailer to come out of last year, and seeing the trailer editor himself explain how and why he edited it the way he did made it even better.

[@ConnorJohn50]

Love how you start the video with a bumper and then explain it immediately after. Really sets the tone of the video.

[@Physionic]

Allow me to express how much I despise "bumpers". I think of a trailer as a bit of a mini movie without giving away the plot (although, trailers often ruin the plot), so when I click on a trailer, the trailer ("mini movie") is ruined when the bumper shows all the exciting scenes before I see them in the trailer. Not at all a fan. Great video, however - I *am* a fan of this video. :)

[@amandalandaverde2622]

yes!! i feel like bumpers are generally thought of as a waste of everyone’s time

[@Orangeflava]

First world problems, ha 🌎

[@macestewart]

I totally agree! But nowadays since people's attention span is so short, I guess they created them as a way to ensure the person would watch it all the way through. With tik tok, etc. if something isn't engaging in the first three seconds, a lot of people turn away. It's sad

[@karl_franks]

They’re so annoying, I’ve already made a decision to watch a trailer so why do I need a 5 second teaser of the video I’m already watching?? agreed they almost “spoil” moments that will then show up in the actual trailer I’m about to watch

[@GiancarloGarcia]

Came here for this

[@thecunninlynguist]

Dope. Always wondered what the thought process was for some trailers. Now you need to get the people who spoil the entire movie in the trailer...gotta know if it's the studio/director's choice or if the trailer maker's

[@FrazerMerrick]

There is quite literally a whole segment in this video about how that began with trailers like Carrie and how it absolutely isn't a modern phenomena.

[@vhsrevolution]

The answer is that no trailer is made by one person. So many people (editors, producers, filmmakers, studios, etc) have their hands in a trailer plus the trailers also get shown to test audiences. So by the time you see a trailer in theaters or online, it's gone through sometimes months and months of working and re-working to get the version that everyone is happy with and that they think will sell the movie best.

[@steverebeccarobertson852]

It's the studio. It's always the studio.

[@LongTermTitanKillingBootyCall]

Hearing this guy talk about trailers with such passion finally makes me truly appreciate the specificity of the cinematic language of a trailer vs the final film

[@ryz177]

Vox should be making more of these types of videos!

[@Wes_Snipes]

Vox can do whatever they want. Ill watch anything they produce. Its all gold.

[@hmwith]

They used to! I miss them & it's always great to see them.

[@MariekevanBuytene]

I love the trailer for The Social Network. Just one haunting song.

[@vhsrevolution]

I mean, it's a little more than just one haunting song. There's the graphics only first half and then the very complex storytelling of the second half. The song helps a lot but it's all the pieces that come together to make the trailer as good as it is.

[@friedeggwhites]

this guy is so charming and passionate about his work i love listening to him talk about all these trailers

[@phoebexxlouise]

One of the most effective trailers was for the Hunger Games. Due to censorship they were unable to show any violence between children, so they had to end it at the midpoint without showing any of the actual games. The cliffhanger vibes are unmatched. It makes you want to see the games themselves 10x more

[@Wes_Snipes]

I love trailers, I love fast editing, editing on beats and I love how they choose which shots. Thank you for this.

[@JimmyTuxTv]

Vox again taught me something I didn’t even know I needed to learn

[@ethansloan]

We definitely need an Oscar for best trailer.

[@seyeolajuyin]

They have their own award show.

[@FreakieFan]

No we don’t…

[@NXNX7]

The worst trailers are the ones that give you away the entire plot. And it's usually the worst kind of movies that have those trailers

[@kyandeiai]

The 10 Cloverfield Lane trailer ( 9:46 ) is one of my favourites, loved that uncomfortable transition the trailer has to reveal its true story.

[@Wes_Snipes]

Having John Goodman in it and be evil was also part of the rug pull. He's usually comedic so it was even more of a surprise.

[@hmwith]

The trailer is amazing. It makes the movie looks so much better than it actually is lol great job

[@WTFG78]

In the case of the Dr. Strangelove trailer, it wasn’t done by the studio. It was done by the movie’s title designer, the legendary Pablo Ferro. He also edited the trailers for movies like Stop Making Sense and A Clockwork Orange.

[@adam.foster]

Excellent breakdown of the art and skill behind what we all seemingly watch and take for granted, goes to show there's a lot more going on behind the scenes

[@Fibonaccisghost]

For some reason, this is exactly how I’d imagine a trailer guy would be.

[@izbreez9615]

And now we know why sometimes trailers have scenes that the final cut doesn't ... Half the time the trailer house doesn't even know what the final film will be.

[@gerrymandering6669]

the mission impossible trailer specifically with henry cavill punching is so good i still think ab it to this day

[@cuchelo1]

Great video! Would love to see more from Bill, especially his take on how fans sometimes re-cut trailers to completely change the tone of the film (the one that always comes to mind is "Shining!" as a rom-com.)

[@Simte]

Bumpers are so weird, while some build hype most make me skip the trailer immediately. Directing trailers is an art itself, how fun this video was.

[@Treehouse0fHorror]

The jigsaw puzzle analogy was a phenomenal ending 🧩 great video, very informative and engaging!

[@ryandiraaaa]

this is purely amazing, brilliant job by Vox's creative team to put this on.

[@gabrielle2829]

one of my favourite recent trailers was for Emma (2020), so well edited, and really showed what the movie was like, the humour and the design

[@vernardfields7044]

I remember that record of Sounds that Make You Shiver!!! I almost cried when you played the withces laugh... OMG!!! So many childhood memories swept over me!

[@tw4295]

Wholeheartedly amazing. Not a movie person, but I do love trailers and reading the credits so this is great!

[@Alex-vp8fw]

Phenomenal video! So entertainning and educating at the same time!!

[@melaninxhalide1165]

This was great….except for the super heavy emphasis on the trailers for horror films. Would’ve liked to see a more well rounded pull from all genres. Would love to see more expansion on this series.

[@gabi1086]

Thank you for this super insightful behind the scenes video.

[@lucasmuraguchi7961]

As an editor. I learned a lot from this short clip.

[@adamrobb27]

That’s why sometimes the trailer doesn’t always match the movie itself, because they’re not seeing the entire movie usually.

[@219Collective]

GO BILL!!!! So grateful to have had the privilege to work at Buddha Jones a while ago - and still say to this day that's the best work experience I've had, hands down! Congrats on the partnership!!! I only had a handful of interactions with Bill, mostly in the kitchen lol But I remember he was always super nice and witty. So cool to watch this - feel like I'm sitting in his bay again lol Shout out to Buddha! Love you guys and everything you're doing! ❤💯 Definitely remember helping with those Daily Assemblies 😂

[@youfollow_]

loved how this taught tips in filmmaking and Sound Effects

[@rylans.5365]

It’s really gotten to the point where I will not watch any trailer, and will just wait to watch the movie. It just gives so much away and I feel like I watched the whole movie just from the 1-2 minute video.

[@nakenmil]

Sometimes I've seen trailers that evoke an incredibly strong feeling in and of themselves. I've gone back and re-watched some of them, like the trailer for "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty" for example (the one with the Monsters and Men soundtrack), which is basically an incredibly concentrated, life-affirming short film. Or a trailer for a video game called "Edge of Twilight", where the game is pretty meh, but the cinematic trailer is this incredibly moody, deeply depressing masterpiece of storybook narration.

[@macestewart]

TSLOWM is a great trailer. I get that same feeling from trailers to Wakanda Forever and Thor Ragnarok, off the top of my head.

[@AdamHarrisTrader]

Loved this- thanks guys!

[@christypassy]

That NOPE trailer was fantastic! I'm very happy I got to know his thought process

[@GuineaPigEveryday]

Honestly I was just questioning the art of trailer editing because I wondered how creatively distinct it is from the movie. For instance, Chris Nolan has had phenomenal trailers, and no im not just talking inception/interstellar. Dunkirk, is brilliant using the sort of music from the movie effectively. But especially Tenet, that trailer blew me away, it was so captivating, and honestly better than the movie ended up being. Mad Max Fury Road too has a brilliant trailer. And recently The Flash really surprised me with how fresh and well-edited the trailer was, with unique sound-mixing, a good sort of background score thats original and weird and fitting to the subject (ofc there's the Batman theme for a bit too). But for one thing it stood out from the other superhero trailers, and from the 'let's DJ-mix a popular song whose title kinda fits the movie' like Ant-Man Quantummania.

[@nadiaporter191]

This is fascinating! I've always wondered how trailer editing worked and he seems so knowledgeable and passionate about the subject. Is there an AMA with this guy because I want to ask him everything!

[@MAMysteryTours]

Awesome video showing support from Australia

[@constructism]

you should do another video about the design of movie posters!

[@KKBG]

Thanks for the tutorial Vox and Bill

[@pgplaysvidya]

i'm not mad or sad or upset or happy. just noticing: i loved the movie "Nope" but the trailer had nothing to do with the movie. But it intrigued me. This video explains that very well. Do i want a trailer to tell me what a movie is about? Actually no. But it's probably more expensive to do these non sequitur trailers that still have to get people noticing, remembering, talking, and watching

[@paddyneideck]

Love this. Don't see many videos like this

[@Neolanseth]

I stopped watching BFF trailers a couple of years back, they’re so full of spoilers. But I do appreciate the work that goes into them. I remember memorizing trailers from my favorite VHS tapes lol they became part of the movie to me

[@jessethelopez]

Great interview. 👍

[@ericherold]

Absolutely hate "bumpers". I came to KZbin to watch your trailer. I don't need a trailer for your trailer. Enjoyed this video! Thanks Vox and Bill!

[@simonasfaw9450]

i love the behind the scenes of the movie industry... it's just awesome magic and Enginuity.

[@sak8_8]

Lol the rhythm, beat with action bit at 10:28 he talks about is present everywhere in anime amvs

[@emilianomarquez1629]

Yo! This was actually better than cinema classes I've had. Following that man ASAP.

[@wunderkind56]

Great video. Trying to off hand recall what my favorite trailer might be and I settled on "Man of Steel". A great trailer will have "re-watchability".

[@joefanelli5744]

I want a series of this man breaking down movie trailers

[@HeyTylerAustin]

i’d watch an entire series about this

[@storywala88]

Love these videos but yes, trailers should be an award category too

[@Colorcrayons]

Well, I did learn many of the trailers contain scenes that werent in the final release. Kinda weird how they dont work from the final cut. I recall many many iconic scenes that were just never in the theatrical release, yet still strongly associate it with the films due to repetitive trailers views.

[@32fps]

Studios have a bad habit of setting release dates that then make ridiculously tight schedules. I work in the industry and have a friend that told me there were around 1,100 VFX shots still unfinished a few weeks from Black Adam's release. But if you want to drum up hype for a movie and get it into people's consciousness a year, six months, etc before the release date, there's really no way else but to use dailies or rough cuts. If they waited until the film was finished, they'd just be sitting on a finished film and realistically they're in the business of making money, so they'd rather just release the film. Doesn't always happen though; Godzilla: King of the Monsters was fully finished like three or four months before its release date, but that's extremely rare, and still means the trailers don't come from the finished products.

[@SB-od9sl]

Latest mission impossible trailer was amazing.

[@FrancoQwerty]

Really wished you had analyzed the 2'30'' minute long epic trailer for *_"300"_* with the song by _Nine Inch Nails_ and its faster paced cut of *"THIS IS SPARTA!"* haha

[@erinrising2799]

the original teaser trailer for Nope was a masterpiece

[@StuartValentine96]

The video editor of this vid must have been sweating bullets! But well done! Amazing video!

[@TheCarlScharnberg]

I remember being surprised by finding out the fact that making trailers were an actual job, and not something the actual film companies would do themselves for their own films. Learned this when I watched The Holiday. You learn something new every day.

[@JeremyRatzlaff]

Yesssssss, this is wonderful!

[@aaronhuskins9189]

Can’t believe Inception trailer wasn’t mentioned here. It literally influenced nearly every trailer that came after it for a decade.

[@dafingaz]

As a trailer music composer...I enjoyed this. :)

[@user-gw6or1gt1k]

90s trailers with Don lafontaine is something ❤

[@HebaruSan]

The fact that they have to make the trailers before the movie is even done explains so much

[@an0idiot0of0use]

But jigsaw puzzles ARE sold with the entire picture of the puzzle on the box...

[@crimsonvipor]

That thumbnail made me think the guy was Seb Vettel for a moment, and I was so confused for a sec there

[@Roman-tu3vh]

I am just curious how where did they getting sound bites from from old stuff to use them, like he said he did with Texas Massacre? Like houses getting those og bites from studios or somehow recreating/editing them out? Same question with. Same question with deconstructing songg, how do they getting layers of the track?

[@JayceeR]

5:10 This is why I normally don't watch any trailer, I just go straight up looking for the date and save it to my watchlist if the Title of the movie sounds good enough for me, but of course, I can't always avoid the trailers when scrolling through TikTok, Facebook, or Instagram.

[@Dr_Madonna]

This guy needs to write and direct a full feature film.

[@Homestead_chick]

Agree 100%❤

[@32fps]

I'm fascinated by the amount of people saying they didn't realize trailers weren't made off of the finished product. Thought it was common knowledge at this point!

[@TdF_101]

I hate trailer bumpers, it spoils the whole trailer. Glad the guy explained right away how badly people who make these decisions think.

[@JoePrimmerEditor]

clap, clap, cut! love it.

[@inner_currents]

That's a very interesting inside in how trailers are made. I'm wondering though how the trailer editors are working with the daily shots. They are not edited to the point the final footage will be (e.g. color grading). How does the trailer editor match the aesthetic from raw footage to the final movie?

[@coldgrandpa]

One of the best trailers I've ever seen was for the movie closet monster

[@safe-keeper1042]

Only thing I'd ask him is why trailers these days have to summarize the entire plot, including major plot points. I get that his "butwhatabout Carrie" was a lighthearted joke, but I'd genuenely like to know the actual answer.

[@tomsouzas]

Amazing!

[@fragr33f74]

Whoever cuts Christopher Nolan's trailers together is seriously talented. They're always bangers.

[@nucspartan321]

Great video

[@ripwednesdayadams]

I loved the NOPE trailer so it’s awesome to hear the creative process. The best trailers don’t give away the biggest moments in the film.

[@DemKatie42]

The funny thing is that Carrie the book does the same thing - it has a lot of lines like "X didn't know that he would be dead in three hours" or something like that. I thought it was pretty bad and it put me off reading any other Stephen King books for years!

[@mikeboy0001]

Just want simple trailers showcasing movie's feel, no spoilers, instead they go for every Drama shown as a Mission Impossible

[@Bobbydawriter]

Excellent!

[@mychairmadeafartnois]

I’d like more details about how they know the story they’re making a trailer for. Did they get a script? A précis? Because presumably the dailies will not always tell you the whole story as you’re working. What’s the timeline about when the trailer is due vs the film? I feel like I’ve seen films or shows the trailer didn’t match, and I’d line to know his thoughts on that.

[@tylerhackner9731]

Amazing trailers

[@deborahpollitt7533]

Amazing, seems the trailer formula is: artistry plus psychology equals desire

[@Zolnierzu]

Now we have trailers for trailers. I'm not talking about teasers, but nowadays there's like a 10s preview to the actual trailer. What has the world become...

[@ekwedorfilms]

Super there shld be a whole series on trailer editors

[@daevidabalos5096]

finally, the raise that they deserve

[@maximalDruck]

Trailers are, primarily, a marketing instrument to sell - and are willing to spoil the film if deemed necessary. The best way to enjoy Film, and get the most out of the experience is (imho) to get good recommendations from a trusted source (friend, critic, app/blog/website,..) and then go in blind on information besides that.

[@nathanngumi8467]

Very interesting!

[@Kholdstare52]

Thank you for explaining what bumpers are and why they exist. I came here to say I HATE them!!! They ruin trailers! And to know they only exist to cater to people who don't have the attention span to stick around for 2 minutes on a link they clicked is really sad and embarrassing. You do great work though, keep it up.

[@DRV110]

they have them on TV shows now. They should you a mini trailer of the episode YOU'VE ALREADY COMMITTED TO WATCING. and spoil all the best bits.

[@kaitlyn__L]

@@DRV110 tbh Battlestar Galaxtica was doing it in 2003 lol (still bugged me then though)

[@tomchambers4248]

I need to teach my film students about film trailers next week. Thanks Vox - lesson done.