Dear readers,

Welcome back to The Trailer Brief – a bi-weekly newsletter documenting the craft, people, and evolution of trailer editing while the generation that built the modern industry is still working.

Well, what a month it’s been for the trailer world.

Congratulations to everyone nominated for a Golden Trailer Award! I always enjoy seeing how agencies make their nomination announcement. My favorite part is watching creativity for the sake of creativity and an opportunity for companies to showcase their own brand. Nobody is winning an award based on how they announce their nominations, but it doesn’t stop the agencies from making something cool anyways. Bravo!

On the flip side, my heart goes out to everyone affected by Trailer Park Group’s restructuring and closure of the movie trailer division. So many extremely talented people are out of work, and having it come on the heels of the GTA nominations feels especially difficult. I know the story for these individuals is not over. I’m looking forward to seeing how this large hole in the industry will be filled.

Lastly, thank you all so much for your support! I’m extremely grateful for and humbled by the response to this project. I’ve already integrated some reader feedback into this edition; thank you for helping shape this into something better.

Without further ado, I hope you enjoy this second edition of The Trailer Brief!

“Widow’s Bay” Teasers x3
Studio/Network: Apple TV
Creative Agency: ZEALOT

Instead of a full trailer, Apple TV releases three haunting and hilarious teasers (and a few bonus content clips) ahead of the “Widow’s Bay” premiere.

Creative Highlights:
The pacing of each teaser is superb. Zealot found a way to walk the line between horror and comedy in a way that’s unique and engaging. By playing into all of the horror/suspense tropes and then punctuating the dramatic build with a punchline, the tone of the show comes through perfectly. It’s hard not to get sucked in by the storytelling, rhythmic sound design, and mysterious visuals. As soon as you’re invested in the narrative, the rug is pulled and the spot is over, leaving you wanting more. The “Boogeyman” and “Sea Hag” spots especially feel like spooky campfire stories, teasing the mysteries that lie ahead. The first teaser is the closest to a true trailer, revealing a bit more context to what’s going on in Widow’s Bay. Together, they create a really full picture of what the show is about and, perhaps more importantly, how the show feels.

Craft Insight:
If these were shorter, they would have been excellent digital spots, but the decision to keep them a little longer and release all three as teasers is what makes them really special. From what I’ve experienced, audiences seem to be increasingly drawn to genre-focused teasers over full story-based trailers. While I’m not sure how it would translate to films, I hope more series go the multiple teaser route. The audience gets a great snapshot of what the show is about, (tone, characters, setting) without giving any of the actual plot details away.

“Welcome to Wrexham S5” Trailer
Studio/Network: FX
Creative Agency: Open Road

Season 5 of “Welcome to Wrexham” brings the series’ best trailer yet.

Creative Highlights:
One thing that FX does extremely well is creating a cohesive GFX look across an entire campaign. From the A/V GFX look to the print, digital and OOH campaigns, every show they put out has a unique and recognizable look. The Wrexham dragon-inspired look for this series has matured throughout the seasons and this trailer really shows that off. GFX sometimes feel like an afterthought in a trailer, temped in and forgotten about, but by letting the GFX design inform the cut this spot is bookended by a GFX look that intentionally plays upon the team’s history and colors.

The trailerization of Neil Diamond’s “I’m a Believer”, a cover of the Monkees’ song he originally wrote, sits in line with the music choices used in the show. It plays on the true Cinderella story that the football club has been living, but also the pain that comes with defeat. The tonal shifts in the trailer are excellent: from the hopefulness at the beginning, to the euphoria of victory, to the excitement of the future, to the forlornness of losing sight of the past, before finishing with the hopeful tone it started in.

Craft Insight:
Making a documentary trailer is HARD. Making a regular trailer is hard, but needing to navigate hours of unfinished footage with marketing clearance issues make it so much harder. Not to mention the mixed frame rates and quality of sources. Every documentary trailer is a small miracle. Good luck to everyone working on documentaries. Outside of that, I would love seeing more campaigns lean super hard into a design look, and really let it play a role in the editorial process. I’m not talking about rotoscoping and integrated GFX, but getting GFX designers involved in the actual broader campaign design and coming up with a plan for how it will be incorporated into the trailer.

“Finding Emily” Trailer
Studio/Network: Focus Features & Working Title
Creative Agency: Intermission

This charming trailer highlights the chemistry between young stars on the cusp of breaking out. Technically the U.K. version of the trailer has been out for a few months, but it came onto my radar when the U.S. version was released this week.

Creative Highlights:
This trailer does a great job of keeping the narrative moving and the audience engaged. By using a three act structure, with jokes scattered throughout that not only entertain, but also progress the story and reveal more about the characters, there is never a dull moment. The cue choice of “More” by Nxdia offers a vocal track that presses on the obsession that ignites the story. It then shifts into “How to Walk” by W.H. Lung which kicks into gear at the perfect moment. Just as the full magnitude of the plot is felt, the clever copy run summarizes exactly what this movie is about: “LOOKING FOR LOVE // FINDING CHAOS.”

Craft Insight:
This trailer feels like an homage to rom coms of the past, while introducing something fresh and new. While there have been several rom-coms in recent years that rely on A-List talent, this project is successful because it taps into the moonstruck foundation of the genre. This cut makes you feel something, from the initial crash back to reality, through the big romantic gesture at the end. Anyone who’s ever had a crush will want to see this movie.

“Obsession” One Wish Willow Advert
Studio: Blumhouse & Focus Features
Creative Agency: GrandSon

Non-traditional marketing campaigns make the audience feel like a part of the story. This “Obsession” advertisement allows them to own a part of it.

Creative Highlights:
This is such a fun spot that captures the vibe of a 90’s toy commercial. The spot creates an “if you know, you know” aspect to this campaign that serves very well to the viral marketing campaign required from an indie horror flick. The VO throughout and the custom jingle make this feel like a legitimate product, until the payoff at the end.

Craft Insight:
Selling collectible replicas is a great way to engage the cult followers of arthouse studios. Creating actual marketing materials for those items is a memorable way to drive engagement online. By leaning into the campiness of the low budget horror genre, this spot feels authentically fun. We’ve seen this done several times by A24 in the past and is something that Blumhouse has experimented with also. I’d expect them, and other smaller studios, to participate in this viral market more frequently. It’s a budget-friendly way to engage audiences, while also tapping into merchandising revenue.

A breakdown of an iconic trailer from the past.

“Inception” Trailer & The Birth of the Braaam
Studio: Legendary
Creative Agency + Editor: BLT A/V + David Rosenthal

In 2010, trailer editing changed forever. Two weeks ago, we wrote about the pop remixes that took over the industry after The Social Network trailer. This week, we’re diving into THE trailer sound effect. While the original composer of the iconic sound effect has been debated, there is no arguing that the third “Inception” trailer cemented its place in trailer history.

The Challenge
The summer movie slate for 2010 was dominated by existing IP blockbusters Iron Man 2, Toy Story 3, and Twilight Eclipse. Trying to break through the noise with an original, high concept idea was an uphill battle. Due to an intentionally secretive marketing campaign, audiences were interested and engaged, but didn’t have any actual idea what the movie was about. Nolan fans especially were invested in scanning the QR codes, solving the puzzles, and uncovering the mysteries scattered throughout the interactive internet campaign. Casual fans, however, were confused about what they were looking at. The first teaser and trailer revealed a lot of the scope and impressive visuals Nolan is known for, but didn’t answer any of the questions about what the movie was actually about. The third trailer needed to compound on the hype and start to pull back some of the layers of mystique, while not feeling too derivative of the existing marketing materials.

The Spot
If the first two trailers made anything clear, it’s that two things are important in this film: water and ideas. Powered by composer Zack Hemsey’s “Mind Heist”, the spot picks up with those two things in mind. Leo’s character washes up on the shore, while narrating about subconscious security. In response, thanks to Cillian’s character, we finally understand that Leo has been talking about dreams this whole time.

The first three braaam’s of the trailer (similar to, but more impactful than, the braaam’s of the previous trailers) take us to a new location, where Page’s character¹ is introduced, who serves as the proxy for the audience. We learn about the world as she does. Her initial confusion is juxtaposed by the violent dreamscapes that occur throughout the film. We see her in wonder as she’s exposed to the dreamworld and the heist she’s been invited to participate in.

Leo continues as the guide through the trailer, much like he’s the leader of the heist. Halfway through, his “I’m ready” kicks off the real drama. There’s clearly more going on than the sci-fi spectacle we’ve seen so far, grounding the film in themes of familial struggles and loss. The braaam’s become more forward in the music track, as things spiral out of control. The iconic copy run, which was featured heavily in the campaign, “YOUR MIND // IS THE SCENE OF THE CRIME” shores up the storytelling as things fall apart. We start to wonder if Leo actually has it all under control, which tees up the perfect ending to this spot. Joseph Gordon-Levitt lightens the mood by quipping “I’d hate to see you out of control.”

The humor continues in the button, when Tom Hardy cleverly reminds Gordon-Levitt that in the dream world, anything is possible. BRAAAM.

The Reaction
This trailer became a pop culture icon, inspiring an internet trend of trailer mashups and remixes at a scale unseen before. The “BRAAAM” alone became an internet phenomenon.

The trailer took home the Golden Trailer for “Summer 2010 Blockbuster.” It is widely regarded as one of the most influential trailers of all time, and a favorite amongst movie fans.

The film over-performed in the box office, making $292.6 million domestically, proving that original films can achieve blockbuster status. A large part of the success is credited to the marketing of the film.

The Legacy
The Inception campaign became a premier example of 21st century marketing.
The “BRAAAM” took on a life of its own and has been used in countless trailers since. It’s been referred to as “the Inception sound effect” and dominated over a decade of trailers. Every SFX library has a pack of BRAAAM’s available to purchase.

A trailer-spin on the news around town.

The Golden Trailer Awards Show A Trailer Industry Snapshot
Source: Deadline

What happened?
The 2026 GTA nominations were released on May 5, and they show a decent glimpse into the state of the industry. AV Squad is attempting an Agency of the Year three-peat, leading the nomination charge with 52. Tiny Hero continues strong with 34 nominations, improving from 33 last year. Requiem had a coming out party, with their full first year of eligibility, racking up 34 nominations as well. ZEALOT made a meaningful jump in nominations this year, from 26 in 2025 to 34 in 2026. GrandSon similarly had a big jump from 18 to 32. LIVEBAD Creative has a major improvement from 1 nomination last year, to 13 this year, also due to being eligible for a full year. Other notable jumps are X/AV and Buddha Jones, which improved by 9 and 8 nominations, respectively.

What does it mean for the trailer world?
The nominations can signal strength, especially for shops trying to make a name for themselves. It’s tough to make meaningful comparisons between shops, as each submission is quite expensive, so it’s really a case of quantity + quality. Larger, more productive shops have a bit of an edge in the numbers game, but quality will reign supreme when the awards are decided. It’s good to see new shops entering the arena, as it drives more competition and creates more jobs.

Trailer Park Group Closes Movie Trailer Division
Source: The Hollywood Reporter

What happened?
On May 12, Trailer Park Group, the marketing agency owned by private equity firm Erie Street Growth Partners, announced that it will be shutting down its movie trailer division. TPG is restructuring other areas of the company, laying off around 150 people, and moving their headquarters from Hollywood to Woodland Hills.

What does it mean for the trailer world?
Benedict Coulter, trailer industry legend, owner of Rebel, and co-founder of Trailer Park, gave his insight:

Advertising Targeting Gets Specific Using AI
Sources: Amazon | Variety | NBCUniversal | The Current

What happened?
During Upfronts Week, Amazon and NBCU announced their response to “ad fatigue," the feeling viewers get when they see the same advertisement over and over. Amazon’s approach is what they called “Dynamic TV Creative,” which is essentially a shell TV spot, that can change the messaging based on trackable viewer metrics. NBCU is rolling out AI-Assisted ad placement, allowing them to adjust placement on the fly, based on what’s happening on-screen. The result would mean super-targeted placements that tie into story or sporting event as they happen.

What does it mean for the trailer world?
This reflects a broader shift in advertisers emphasizing return on ad spend more than ever. We can expect a similar trend to appear in our industry. As they’re able to track the viewers behaviors full-funnel, we can anticipate the need for hyper-targeted TV campaigns, with more variations than ever. I’d also expect Amazon’s tool to be used in versioning or changing shots in TV ads on the fly.

Netflix’s “Narnia” Forces a Marketing Reset
Sources: The Hollywood Reporter | Deadline | Screenrant

What happened?
For the first time, Netflix has agreed to a wide theatrical release for one of its films, in what has been considered a win for both filmmakers and theater owners. AMC CEO Adam Aron has called it “the biggest opportunity our industry has ever had to embrace Netflix as a theatrical content provider.”

What does it mean for the trailer world?
It’s been reported that “Narnia” will be the most expensive Netflix film ever produced and, in order to recoup this budget, they will rely heavily on opening weekend box office returns. Netflix enters an arena they haven’t been interested in previously and their marketing strategy will need to adapt. Expect a much larger campaign for “Narnia” compared to any other Netflix project, which could become more common if they choose to go the theatrical route on other films in the future.

Closing remarks.

I hope you enjoyed this edition of The Trailer Brief!

I do my best to watch as many trailers as I can when they come out, but I can’t see everything. If you worked on something cool, or see something that stands out, please send it my way. You can email [email protected].

If you’re not already, be sure to subscribe to the mailing list. Next edition we will have our first Q+A that you won’t want to miss! I’m really looking forward to it.

_{All of the information shared in this newsletter is publicly available. All of the thoughts, insights, and opinions presented in this newsletter belong solely to the individual writers and editors of the Trailer Brief and do not necessarily reflect the views of their full-time employers.}