2021 was an exciting year for film and TV advertising, with theatres returning and streaming platforms presenting many new offerings. Editors, producers and creative professionals worked exceptionally hard, crafting some amazing content that blessed our screens.
In what proved to be a difficult task with so much great work available, I have created a subjective top 10 list containing my favourite teasers and trailers from the past 12 months. The criteria consisted of compelling storytelling, musicality, sound design, originality, impact and overall polish. It was thoroughly hard to whittle it down to just 10, but it's fair to say some genuinely excellent videos made it through.
#10: Knocking - Trailer
Client: Yellow Veil Pictures
First on the list is Swedish thriller Knocking by Yellow Veil Pictures. This trailer is a great example of an indy film making the most of what it has through the use of excellent editing. The editor did an exceptional job of portraying the protagonist's nervous breakdown and paranoid state of mind using well-timed jump cuts. This technique drove home the film's tone and genre whilst feeling fitting and honest to the filmmaking. Aiding the narrative further, strong shot selection made the foreign-language dialogue less essential to follow the story. This well-executed approach allowed international audiences to experience the character's journey and emotions through its editing.
Rhythmic cuts rode the waveforms of several unnerving music cues, using the stringed instruments and drums to accent the characters' movements. Well-placed door knocks found creative ways to fit drum patterns and augment the music, reminding viewers of the plot, film title and protagonist's burden as the trailer built in intensity. This method helped increase the backend montage's unsettling tone whilst well-placed review cards highlighted its themes further.
Thanks to excellent rhythmic editing and strong visual storytelling, this memorable trailer set high standards for indy film marketing.
#9: Don't Look Up - Teaser
Agency: MOCEAN
Client: Netflix
The teaser for Don't Look Up did an excellent job placing the audience right at the forefront of Leonardo DiCaprio's anxious state of mind. Creating a rhythmic grid using Leo's hyperventilation, the trailer editor employed an interesting approach, placing music around the repeated breaths instead of building them into the song itself. Typically, when a rhythmic sound is repeated in a trailer, it gradually builds into the music cue serving as an additional melodic element. This technique was great because it heightened stress levels, mirroring a real-life panic attack as if everything around the character seemingly stopped. Coincidently, this is not the first time Leo has featured in a trailer with rhythmic breathing applied; 2015's The Revenant teaser used the aforementioned method to aid the character's journey.
In addition to a unique sonic structure, the Don't Look Up teaser does a great job of leveraging its cast with well-timed ID shots and big, bold graphics that compliment the music. The text cards mirror the title treatment at the end, which used a great colour inversion effect that changed on the beat to differentiate it from the others. Narratively speaking, the editor combined expositional dialogue with clever shot selection to convey that it was a disaster movie, as well as adding a few well-timed stop-downs for several comedic moments.
Altogether, the bold graphics and unique rhythmic grid created a memorable teaser that resonated well with audiences.
#8: Spider-Man: No Way Home - Teaser
Agency: AV Squad
Client: Sony Pictures
This highly-anticipated trailer holds the Guinness World Record for most trailer views in 24 hours, racking up 355.5 million views across all online platforms on its first day. Upon its release, the movie recorded the third biggest box office opening of all time, proving that its marketing campaign was a massive success.
In addition to boasting some impressive statistics, the trailer editor employed some beautiful techniques. In the second act, the exposition with Doctor Strange's plan to break open the multiverse was clear and engaging. The dialogue provided a comprehensive story that raised the stakes in an intriguing and lightly humorous manner. Before launching into the third act, the cuts to black and removal of sound were excellent ways to demonstrate the spell breaking. This timeless editing technique was stylish, succinct and flawlessly executed matching its aggressive sound design.
The backend montage was big, bold and epic, creating a wild ride to the finish without relying on quick cuts to build the intensity. The trailer showcased its biggest action sequences by letting the shots breathe as the music cue drove the intensity. The song was a great custom overlay of Spider-Man's signature theme, layered with huge hits and orchestral instrumentation. The cue was packed with power and emotion, lending itself well to AV Squad's signature rhythmic editing style. Finishing the trailer strong, a final action flourish perfectly punctuated one of the most memorable lines of the year, excellently executing Dr Otto Octavius's reveal. This left Spider-Man fans surprised, excited and desperate to watch the latest instalment in the MCU.
All in all, this was a memorable trailer, boasting the most impressive marketing statistics of all time.
#7: The Tragedy of Macbeth - Trailer
Agency: Mark Woollen & Associates
If I were to describe The Tragedy of Macbeth trailer in one word it would be 'minimalism'. Typically, trailers are known for packing in as much content as possible. However, this A24 film did the opposite: letting the cinematography take centre stage whilst a sparse cue guided the rhythm and tempo. The sound design was predominantly atmospheric, serving as a textural element to the super stylish visuals. A foreboding monologue from the Three Witches familiarised audiences with Macbeth's story whilst presenting conflict and danger.
Adding to the trailer's mysterious presence, the reveal of Denzel emerging from a misty shadow was a great way to ID its main star in a fortified fashion. Additionally, the graphics aided the mystifying tones further, using smoke and well-timed dips to black, matching the film's artistic aesthetic.
Since the initial trailer was launched, several teasers for the film using the same music cue emerged. This is an interesting marketing strategy, firstly by creating teasers after the main trailer itself, and secondly by making them all so similar in design. That said, this tactic worked well, with each video offering unique story elements whilst maintaining a consistent tone of voice in its marketing. It will be interesting to see how many trailers emulate Mark Woollen's minimalistic method in 2022. However, The Tragedy of Macbeth lent itself perfectly to this style, which perhaps would feel much more gimmicky on other, less artsy titles.
On the whole, The Tragedy of Macbeth trailer is the year's best example of less being more. The minimalist approach is groundbreaking, letting the filmmaking take centre stage and market itself.
#6: Malignant - Trailer 2
Agency: AV Squad Client: Warner Bros.
What makes the Malignant trailer unique is its use of James Wan's interview. More commonly associated with featurettes, interviews with talent and production members are rarely included in modern trailers. That said, this was a clever way to indicate tonal differences that feature in the film without the need for music or story beats.
In addition to including a uniquely-placed interview, the trailer editor employed diverse sonic variety with multiple cues, moments of silence and terrific sound design. Most notably, during James Wan's interview, the pulsating cue led to a perfectly-timed stop-down into an eerie creaking window. This was followed by a short breath into a jump scare, motivating a transition into the sinister orchestral cue towards the backend. This execution level is simply musical mastery, creating horror and suspense on another level, which was reached several times throughout the video.
After a suspenseful silence, the backend launch is motivated by an exploding light bulb. Matching the characters' reactions, a long rise emulating a tortured scream intensifies as other sounds are removed. This created a sense of suffocating anxiety, placing the audience in the character's shoes as the monster draws closer. During the end card, a rare contemporary insertion of voiceover reads the film's title and its R-rating in a dramatic fashion concluding the trailer strong.
This trailer was a musical masterclass in horror and suspense and utilised unique components to create something memorable.
#5: Ozark - Teaser
Agency: Netflix Creative Studio
Client: Netflix
Editor: Johnny ONeil
The Ozark Season 4 teaser is simply genius. The rewind effect is striking and memorable, with a strong story justification to remind the audience of the previous seasons.
Opening with a crashed car, the teaser cleverly cross-cuts between various moments of drama and tension. As the intensity increases, the audience is expected to be led to the car crash itself. Instead, the sequence finishes with the Byrde family calmly sitting in the car during a moment of near silence. This was a great diversion, contrasting the expected loud brutality of a crash with a silence that was equally as uncomfortable. Mirroring the editing style, a graphic card featuring a reverse dissolve effect prompts viewers with a strong call to action before the release date's reveal.
What makes this trailer even more unique is its absence of music. Instead, reversed sound effects compile the majority of the sound bed, creating a satisfying rhythm without the need for drums or instruments. The sound design also served as an exceptional structural shape for Marty Byrde's monologue. This strong dialogue centred around decisions paired well with the visuals, emphasising the importance of choices and turning back time.
This was a genuinely excellent teaser and perhaps the most unique of its kind in recent years.
#4: Last Night in Soho - Teaser
Agency: Buddha Jones
Client: Focus Features
Last Night in Soho launched its campaign with a great teaser that gave fans a taste of Edgar Wright's latest instalment. Using Anya Taylor-Joy's rendition of Downtown, originally performed by Petula Clark, the teaser relied heavily on song lyrics for the story. Without the need for dialogue, the editor illustrated Thomasin McKenzie's move to London to pursue her dreams as a fashion designer. As well as demonstrating a literal journey, the song's lyrics perfectly encapsulated the character's emotional journey too. The audience is shown the protagonist's ambition, passion, naivety and loneliness thanks to fitting lyrics married to carefully applied shot selection. Reverberated vocals along with sparse sound design placed even more emphasis on the lyrics, hammering the story home further. The sparse nature of audio also accentuated the protagonist being in a world of her own with everything drowned out around her. Aiding the music and shot selection further, beautifully crafted copy cards excellently demonstrated the film being in another period. Additionally, the consequences of choices were also highlighted, helping amplify the stakes without expositional dialogue needing to do any legwork.
The trailer's second act progressively built in intensity, taking a well-paced tonal shift towards its darker, more sinister themes. A click sound effect initially motivated by a light switch sporadically built into the cue cleverly accenting potential figments of imagination. This was an innovative tactic used to highlight the film's psychological thriller aspects and a gentle way to progress to its darker horror themes. After overlaid hits and orchestral instrumentation crescendo a backend montage, a metallic blade slice motivates a cut to black. We hear the protagonist's voice for the first time before the light switch sound returns to launch a suspenseful horror sequence. Anxious breaths, floorboard creaks and a dramatic rise accompanied an intensely-lit scene, perfectly peaking on a glass-cracking effect into the title treatment. This was a fantastic way to shift tones from thriller to horror, highlighting the film's multi-genre nature.
The Last Night in Soho teaser made excellent use of song lyrics, sparse sound design and clever copy cards to tell a strong, impactful story.
#3: Lamb - Trailer
Agency: AV Squad
Client: A24
Producer: Tommy Pitt
Editor: Pat Davet
This incredibly unique trailer begins by setting a dark, ominous tone with unsettling drones and atmospheric sound design. Without a single line of dialogue or copy for the first minute, visual storytelling shows death and new life in a world of isolated existence. A sound bed of layered bleats and breaths convey fright, surprise, and exhaustion, directly placing the viewer in the characters' emotions. The shot selection built suspense by holding back on major reveals whilst still maintaining interest and keeping the viewer precisely at the correct point in the story.
The first act concludes after a long rise leads to a suspenseful pause between the two characters. The trailer's first line of dialogue precedes a witty smirk, relieving all tension and motivating a drastic tonal shift from thriller to satirical comedy. After a long, tense build, The Beach Boys cue took centre stage, communicating the film's bizarre, disturbing, and facetious concept. Finally, the protagonist's screaming rage motivated a stop-down before the cue transitioned to thriller and horror tones once again. This 180-degree shift was excellently timed, guiding the audience back towards its darker themes.
The backend montage created the perfect blend of Acts 1 and 2, combining vocals from the song with big hits, a dramatic rise and percussive hoof sounds. This cleverly-crafted sound bed was the perfect catalyst for the match cuts, head turns, and visual accents before the end card sting shifted back to the satirical comedy.
This trailer is one of the best examples of tonal shifts, simple storytelling and emotion driving intrigue for a flagship A24 title.
#2: The Matrix Resurrections - Trailer 2
Agency: Buddha Jones
Client: Warner Bros.
The Matrix Resurrections' second trailer made its marketing objectives abundantly clear: A deep dive into nostalgia targeting existing fans of the franchise. Using visual and audio throwbacks, the trailer cross-cut between its 1999 counterpart paired with a bombastic rendition of Don Davis' iconic score from the original film.
The trailer's open builds the world and its characters by describing the Matrix with a series of grandiose statements during a flashback sequence. Longer shots with smooth dips to black progressively built to a more aggressive but well-timed tempo as the section intensified. The segment reaches its climax with Neo snapping back into reality with a superbly deafening use of silence. This highlighted a critical moment whilst creating a strong emotional shift that translated well to the audience.
The first act kicks into gear with a pulsating suspenseful music cue that slowly builds tension with excellent accents crafted around the narrative exposition. Concluding the segment with one of the most impressive sequences of the year, ricocheting bullets synced to impactful hits led to a flawless musical stop-down. What's great about this section is that it draws attention to multiple points of focus so seamlessly whilst still managing to serve the story.
The second and third acts highlight the importance of Neo's choices before drawing heavily on his relationship with Trinity. After concluding the section with a cut to black, the same deafening silence from Act 1 returned with some very subtle primal sound motifs of heartbeats and a singular breath. The absence of sound created a suspenseful and exhilarating experience as if the audience is at the top of a rollercoaster anticipating the drop. This technique was excellent, creating a wide range of emotions through a series of peaks and troughs.
The final button gave Keanu one more moment of nostalgia in an action flourish crafted exclusively with sound design. This was an excellent way to end the trailer, staying true to its marketing objectives whilst kicking back into a higher gear after drawing to near silence shortly before.
This cleverly-crafted trailer was purposefully designed to excite existing Matrix fans about the franchise's latest instalment. Additionally, its music, sound design and tonal shifts created a sense of magnificence that heavily persuades viewers to see the film on the big screen.
#1: Everything Everywhere All At Once - Trailer
Agency: AV Squad
Client: A24
Editor: Brian Solomon
The Everything Everywhere All At Once trailer is nothing short of a masterpiece. The conveyance of sci-fi, action, thriller and comedy with beautiful rhythmic editing and clear exposition is a phenomenal accomplishment.
The trailer's open and first act does a superb job introducing the main character. Mrs Wang's everyday world is led by an enticing Jamie Lee Curtis monologue, which promises audiences an interesting story. The editor marks their rhythmic footprint early, using door slams, wheezing coughs and disapproving murmurs to compliment the music. In addition to creating a satisfying rhythm, this technique highlighted important story beats without the need for dialogue. Thanks to excellent sound design and shot selection, the audience is shown an unwell relative, a frustrated protagonist and an adamant antagonist. This was a highly-engaging, well-executed way to begin the trailer, conveying ample information in the most creative ways possible. The trailer's turning point comes when a supernatural force drags the protagonist away from her conversation. The riser leading to a stop down was an aggressive tonal shift to establish its sci-fi characteristics effectively. Furthermore, Mrs Wang's question of "what's happening?" was an outstanding dialogue line, naturally preceding the exposition set to follow in Act 2.
The second act was a brilliant balance of the film's plot and sub-genre characteristics. The editor explained the story clearly around engaging action sequences, dry comedic beats and thunderous sound design. In addition to excellent structure and harmoniously balancing multiple elements, strong visual storytelling techniques were also applied. A shift in aspect ratio showed the difference in the multiverse's size and created a feeling of claustrophobia that amplified the protagonist's sense of threat. This technique was employed at several points, most noticeably concluding the trailer with a series of match cuts showing Mrs Wang situated in a multitude of multiverse scenarios. The gradual increments of this effect were well-placed, allowing for its final, more overt usage to blend with the rest of the trailer more seamlessly.
The third act shifted tones again, making excellent use of David Bowie - Time as the music cue to support the backend. This song was a great choice, emphasising the time aspects of the multiverse whilst amplifying the emotion with its big vocals and instrumentation. AV Squad's signature rhythmic editing style was on full display as the song built in intensity. Perfectly-synced action whooshes, hits and screams raised the stakes whilst escalating the emotion. Towards the trailer's crescendo, grandiose statements along with multiple locations showcased the film's scope, strengthening its levels of sci-fi adventure.
The Everything Everywhere All At Once trailer finished the year strong with a memorable marketing campaign that can only be considered as a piece of high-level art.
Congratulations to every editor, agency and studio who made this list. Your work continues to inspire, influence and excite movie fans every single day. Keep killin' it in the bay!
What were your favourite teasers and trailers of 2021? Did any of your favourites miss this list? Let me know in the comments below!