Teaser Trailer

A teaser trailer is a short trailer used to advertise an upcoming movie, game, or television show. Unlike typical theatrical trailers, teasers are usually very short in length (between 30-60 seconds) and usually contain little, if any, actual footage of the film. One of the reasons why they are called "teasers' is because they are shown a long time before the movie comes out, so as to "tease" the audience.

Ready...

You will be making a teaser trailer for your book. It does not have to be long--in fact it should be no more than 60 seconds. Teaser trailers exist to generate interest, to build hype. To help prepare you for making a teaser trailer, think about the story of your book. Can you summarize the tones, themes, and essence of it in one to three sentences? A good teaser trailer can do this, to immediately transport the viewer into the world of the story being told. Don LaFontaine, the famous American voice-over artist, said that movie trailers--teaser trailers especially, should very rapidly set the scene for the story. LaFontaine became famous for starting his work with "In a world where..." Your own teaser trailer should also rapidly set the scene for your story, while building interest and hype for your book.

Set...

To make your trailer, you can use Animoto or iMovie. You will first need to collect pictures (at least 12). The script, or the words that will appear on your teaser trailer, can be taken from your Tagline activity, or you can choose to make up new ones. You can choose to use only text and music in your teaser trailer, or to also include a voice-over narration. If you decide to use voice-over narration, it is recommended that you use Audacity or GarageBand.

If you need a refresher in using Animoto, Audacity, GarageBand, or iMovie, please see the links below for Skill Steps and tutorials.

  • Using Animoto (for guide/skill steps, please see Attachments at the bottom of this page)

  • Using Audacity

  • Using GarageBand

  • Using iMovie

...Go!

Once your teaser trailer has been made, post it to YouTube using your Google account. That way, it can be easily embedded into your movie website and shared with others. The sample teaser trailer below was made using iMovie.