Published: July 2, 2024 | Last Updated: July 4, 2024
Trailer houses are specialized companies that create music for trailers, TV spots, video games, and promotional materials. These companies work closely with who work closely with studios to develop trailers that capture the essence of a film and entice audiences.
Trailer houses usually can’t get by on theatrical trailers alone, so they will do commercials, TV spots, game trailers, and more.
If a film is shot over a long period, the studio may work with multiple trailer houses to edit a trailer with footage from the set while production is ongoing.
The Pitch
Trailer houses typically undergo a pitching process, during which each company is given the footage and a budget of about $50,000 to create a spec trailer.
These companies then edit the trailer, write the copy for any voice-over or titles, and create the title animation graphics.
The studio then picks the spec trailer they like the most and awards that company with the job and the full budget, which can range between hundreds of thousands of dollars, if not a couple million, depending on the production size.
The trailer house then changes the spec trailer, completes the graphics, or throws it out and re-edits a new trailer. A studio might do this because they like the creativity and the team but want to take the trailer in a new direction.
It’s all about Marketing
Sometimes, a studio plans a marketing campaign well in advance. Consider Disney’s Star Wars or Marvel Cinematic Universe, for example, and how each film or TV show is announced years ahead of schedule.
These companies likely have a strong plan for how and when they will release each trailer to build and maintain hype over multiple years leading up to the movie’s release.
This could be because studios want to release a preliminary trailer by a certain date, before a sporting event like the Superbowl, in time for a conference like Comic-Con, or as a trailer before another similar movie with a big opening audience.
These strategic deployments are savvy marketing moves that can attract many eyeballs but could result in a short, two-week turnaround.
Other times, a studio may buy a completed film and then have to make a plan for marketing it. They will also screen test trailers in front of an audience to gauge their reaction.
This could lead to multiple edits to get it right—according to one of the industry’s largest trailer houses, it could take as many as two hundred revisions.
Trailer Production Time
While movie trailers can be as short as 15 or 30 seconds and as long as two and a half minutes, the process can take as short as two weeks or as long as two years.
The process begins very early for animated movies and can take up to a year to complete the animations. How long it takes to make a movie depends entirely on the film’s marketing campaign.
Working at Trailer Houses
You should expect to work long hours in many production houses, especially if you’re the new kid on the block.
Unfortunately, the milieu can be quite toxic – probably due to the constant deadlines and directors or producers popping in unexpectedly with comments and demands.
Some trailer houses are worse than others, so I would always recommend asking around if you favor a good work-life balance and being treated decently.
How to create a movie trailer
If this got you interested in dipping your toes into movie trailers (but not quite ready to set foot in a trailer house), check out this feature from Vanity Fair.
It includes advice from creative director Jessica Fox and breaks down how filmmakers, studios, and creative agencies collaborate to decide what to show and tell to promote a film best.
Summing Up
A trailer house is a company that specializes in creating trailers or promotional videos for films. These trailers serve as a preview or advertisement for the film, enticing audiences to watch the full movie.
Trailer houses work closely with filmmakers and studios to capture the essence of the film, often using key scenes, music, and voiceovers to create anticipation and generate buzz for the upcoming release.
