Skip to main content

The context you need, when you need it

When news breaks, you need to understand what actually matters — and what to do about it. At Vox, our mission to help you make sense of the world has never been more vital. But we can’t do it on our own.

We rely on readers like you to fund our journalism. Will you support our work and become a Vox Member today?

Join now

A movie trailer editor deconstructs iconic trailers

How trailers work, explained by someone who makes them.

Phil Edwards
Phil Edwards was a senior producer for the Vox video team.

Trailer editor Bill Neil works at Buddha Jones making movie trailers that scare, excite, and, most importantly, get people to want to see a movie. His work includes Jordan Peele’s Nope, Zack Snyder’s Dawn of the Dead, and M. Night Shyamalan’s Old.

In this video, he explains the things a trailer editor notices about trailers old and new, great and terrible, and somewhere in the middle. Starting with trailers from the ’60s, he gets all the way to the present while reviewing techniques like sound design, “rug pulls,” and how to hide fake blood. And if you feel the urge to complain that today’s trailers give too much of the plot away, Neil shows us how that’s not a brand-new trend.

For more videos on the film industry, check out Vox producer Ed Vega’s latest video on subtitles and why we all seem to need them now.

You can find this video and all of Vox’s videos on YouTube.

Related

See More:

More in Video

Video
Why Americans can’t escape credit card debtWhy Americans can’t escape credit card debt
Play
Video

Credit card APRs are now as high as 20 percent.

By Frank Posillico
Video
Why some couples are happier living apartWhy some couples are happier living apart
Play
Video

This growing relationship trend might change the way you think about living with your romantic partner.

By Gina Pollack
Video
The strange myth behind carrots and night visionThe strange myth behind carrots and night vision
Play
Video

How we fell for World War II propaganda.

By Nate Krieger
Video
Are team sports the secret to living longer?Are team sports the secret to living longer?
Play
Video

How a basketball league for “grannies” is reimagining aging.

By Benjamin Stephen
Video
How Georgia manufactured the Peach State mythHow Georgia manufactured the Peach State myth
Play
Video

It was never really about the fruit.

By Frank Posillico
Video
How smart design can benefit senior livingHow smart design can benefit senior living
Play
Video

And why it matters for retirement communities.

By Lindsey Sitz