What genre are you looking for?

When you're a low-budget independent filmmaker, finding the right audience seems impossible. What's more, you don't have the budget or the time to make a trailer that tells the story you want and has that big-budget trailer aesthetic.

I get it. I've been there. And my clients have had similar challenges.

Here are some of the filmmakers and storytellers I've made trailers for and how I helped them find their audience, as well as some of the spec work I’m most proud of.

Drama

DOLO

Series Pilot

When director Gonçalo Braga and I spoke for the first time, he introduced me to his first big project, Dolo. The pilot of a series for which he has great ambitions. Being his first project, Gonçalo wanted a trailer that stood apart from series like Euphoria and 13 Reasons Why, and made Dolo look bigger than its budget.

Gonçalo and I spoke a lot about what the strengths of the film were, how the trailer should feel and most importantly what not to do in it. The result was a trailer with a fast-paced edit to the sound of a slow song by Édith Piaf, which helped it achieve over 100,000 views on Instagram.

Uníssono/Unison

Short Film

I spent almost a year working on this short film. In the process, the story changed, various budget constraints, nights of sleep turned upside down (and yes, I loved it all from start to finish).

In the midst of the various changes, one thing remained consistent: from time to time, I asked myself “How would this look in a trailer?”. Although counterintuitive, thinking about how I would reduce the essence of this movie into 30 seconds helped keep me focused during the process.

When I showed the trailer to the person I took as a reference for my target audience, they had the reaction I was aiming for, solidifying my confidence that I had reached the right audience with the trailer.

No Man’s Land

Short Film

I can’t show anything from this project.

…yet.

I’m currently working with the director to make a trailer and several spots for social media and distributors.

This is a process that involves figuring out what the right messaging for the project is, how to highlight the movie’s strengths and defining the audio identity of the trailer.

All I can say is that I’m really excited to share it all when it’s ready.

Horror/Thriller

The Edge of Sleep

TV series

This is a spec trailer.

This trailer was born out of the frustration I had with the official trailer that seemed to be similar to the majority of the audience online and even the lead actor. The trailer not only revealed too much of the story, but also presented it in a non-engaging way, making this psychological thriller come across as teen drama.

So for my version, I wanted to cut something that felt in line with the psychedelic nature of the show and that would make the viewer see the world from the main character’s POV. For that, the editing needed to convey a sense of unpredictability and rely on unconventional sound design.

I cut this trailer in just 3 days.

Five Nights at Freddy’s

Film

This is a spec trailer.

I decided to cut a trailer for this film because it presented a certain challenge: although it was a horror film, I didn’t find the film scary when it was clearly trying to be. So my goal was to cut a trailer that strengthened the horror elements of the story and make it seem like a scary film.

Whether or not I succeeded, I’ll leave it up to you.

Comedy

Wilford ‘Motherloving’ Warfstache

Short Film

This is a spec trailer.

I cut a lot of trailers for comedies. The thing is, they’re all stage plays and I really wanted to give it a shot at cutting a trailer for a comedy film.

Being a fan of this short, I decided to cut a trailer for it. The goal with comedy trailers for me is to always have the comedy guide the story, not interrupt it. In this case, it meant juxtaposing a very serious main character with the over the top eccentric antagonist.

The Company II

Stage Play

TeatroEsfera wanted a trailer for the sequel to one of their most successful plays, one that attracted both the audience of the original as well as new viewers.

It needed to present the story, the comedic nature of it, and keep the main plot twist a secret.

Having worked with the director in the past, I was already aligned with her style of writing and of work and our conversations were very short. I watched and filmed many of the rehearsals as reference before outlining what was needed for the trailer and filming all of the necessary shots in a couple of hours.

With all this planning, the trailer was cut very quickly and delivered with no notes from the director nor the company.

Dinner for Schmucks

Stage Play

The task for this one was simple, but not easy.

The production company called me the week of the premiere to cut a spot for this play. I didn’t know the play and was watching it for the first time as I was filming it. And yet, I had to cut a trailer that represented the style of the comedy, the story and the entire cast (some of which only showed up for a couple of minutes on stage).

Within the week, I handed them this trailer and it has since become the main spot they use for their social media campaign.

Family Friendly

In The Twinkling of an Eye

Stage Play

For this play, director Mafalda Santos had a big obstacle in front of her: having written a play aimed at children about a period of dictatorship in Portugal's history, the play was given an age rating higher than the target audience's age.

With a limited budget and resources, the trailer needed to reach the right audience. The trailer therefore retained the energy and style of humor that young children appreciate, while remaining faithful to the themes it explores and the musical component of the play.

Because of the trailer, they were ultimately able to find their audience of children, despite the fact that the age rating was not targeted at that demographic.

Raining Questions

Stage Play

Director Carolina Parreira had a philosophical children's play in her hands.

As the play's budget and resources were limited, the company was unable to have the set and wardrobe complete in time for the early promotion. The trailer and promotional videos were then planned from the conception of the play so that the process became agile for the team and managed to appeal to the young audience they were looking for.