Post-Production
Cutting Your Film Trailer
Your trailer is the two minutes that decide whether anyone watches your film. This course teaches you to cut one like a pro — how to structure it, pull the right moments, use music as an engine, and build to a hook that leaves people desperate to see more.
By Will Roberts — updated August 14, 2026
What you'll learn
✓Structure a trailer that hooks fast, builds, and ends on an unforgettable button
✓Pull the best selects from your footage and cut to the rhythm of the music
✓Choose trailer music, sound design, titles, and voiceover that drive the emotion
✓Cut versions for every platform and release a trailer that actually gets watched
Pairs with this tool
Recut
Build your trailer in Recut — log your best selects, try different structures, and sync your cut to a music track so you can shape the whole trailer before you commit a single edit.
Open Recut →Course chapters
Module 1 — Foundations
I8 min
A trailer is an ad, not a summary — the one job it exists to do
What a Trailer Is For
II8 min
Teaser, trailer, TV spot, clip — what each is for and when to cut one
Trailer vs. Teaser vs. Clip
III8 min
Hook, build, button — the beats every great trailer is built from
Anatomy of a Great Trailer
IV8 min
Watch trailers like an editor — reverse-engineer why the best ones work
Watching Trailers Like an Editor
Module 2 — Core Craft
V9 min
Mine your footage for the money moments and organize your best selects
Pulling Selects from Your Footage
VI9 min
The classic three-act trailer build and how to lay it down
The Three-Act Trailer Structure
VII8 min
Music is the engine of a trailer — choosing it and cutting to it
Music & the Trailer's Engine
VIII9 min
Rhythm, escalation, and the art of the build to a killer button
Pacing, Rhythm & the Build
Module 3 — Putting It to Work
IX8 min
Text cards, title treatment, and graphics that carry the story
Text, Titles & Graphics
X8 min
Voiceover, risers, hits, and a mix that makes the trailer punch
Voiceover, Sound Design & Mix
XI8 min
Cut versions for YouTube, social, and festivals — length and aspect
Cutting for Platforms & Length
XII9 min
Test it, finish it, and launch your trailer so it lands
Testing, Finishing & Releasing