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COMP TRACKS IN REAL-TIME WITH OUR VIDEO PREVIEW TOOL
Fast - Find the right music faster by comping tracks with your video online | |
Private - Videos load instantly and are never stored on our server! | |
Multiple Sources - Use videos from your device or videos online! |
Learn more about our video preview tool HERE
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Royalty Free Trailer Music
Music for Trailers
Choosing the right music for trailers is easier said than done.
A trailer's purpose is to convince people, in a very short time, that they want to see the entire movie. A good trailer has to do more than give a general overview of the movie.
It has to highlight any important qualities, including the film's tone and pace, without giving away any plot secrets.
In simple terms, it has to tease the audience and leave them wanting more. The music has to amplify the emotion and intensify the viewers' journey from start to finish.
Time is of the Essence
If you have experience in choosing music for a movie already, you will know the importance of time. When you need 29 seconds of music for a particular scene, it has to be 29 seconds on the dot.
Think of a typical suspense scene, someone walking towards a door, anxiously anticipating what might be on the other side.
Now imagine the music has to end in perfect unison with the door handle's turning, leaving dead silence for the reveal.
If the music is 28 seconds, it stops too early, and you lose momentum, if it's 30 seconds, it's too late, and you lose the heart-stopping moment before the reveal.
For a trailer, the precise timing of the music is more important than ever.
The short duration means that you could have multiple time-specific starts/stops or hits in a condensed space.
Music for action trailers is more likely to have hits or sudden stops that mirror the video.
On the other hand, emotional trailers could be as simple as a specific chord aligning with the perfect moment. If the trailer is to have the desired impact, you can't miss any of them.
No Time for Subtlety
The trailer's short duration also brings us to our next point; there's no time for subtlety.
In a movie, you have time to develop themes through music that grow with the story. Even in a single scene, you have time to develop the music as the scene plays out.
The tricky thing with a trailer is that you are usually dealing with video from multiple scenes. So, there is no time for a slow burn; whether the desired emotion is happiness, sadness, or fear, you need to hit it fast.
Don't be tempted to blast some punk rock on high gain through the whole trailer just because the message is one of teenage angst.
You don't want to be subtle, but you do need dynamics; otherwise, it won't be interesting.
It's Not Like the Movie
If the movie or a character has specific theme music, it's likely to be in the trailer or at least some variation.
Otherwise, don't stress too much about matching music and scenes from the movie into a short trailer. Trailers often don't use the same music that you'll hear in the film.
Rather than think of the trailers as a collection of short clips, try to think of it as one continuous scene.
Visually, that's not really possible, but musically speaking, it is. For the sake of continuity, you want to find one piece of music that works over the entire trailer. Remember dynamics; the music can start/stop, pan, get quieter or louder to help get viewers on the edge of their seats.
The key difference between the movie and the trailer is the anticipation. Everything is building towards resolution in the movie, but a good container doesn't resolve, it leaves the audience wanting more.
As always, please take advantage of our awesome video preview tool to make sure you get the perfect track.