Make an Award-Worthy Trailer

So you helpfully shot tons of video at your company picnic and niece’s birthday party, but the footage is still sitting on your device. What to do with all that cinematic gold?

Turn it into a dramatic, Hollywood-style trailer, of course!

With iMovie, it’s a lot easier than you might think. The app provides you with a story arc and a shot list to work from, and you won’t even have to worry about finding the right soundtrack. iMovie includes epic scores—some by big-name composers, like Academy Award winner Hans Zimmer.

Here’s how to get rolling...

Start by tapping the big plus sign and selecting Trailer. Then choose from 14 different film genres. Adrenaline, for example, has a taut, action-movie vibe, while Romance will tug at your heartstrings with its sweeping score. Once you’ve picked a genre, tap Create at the top right.

In the Outline section, enter a title for your film and the names of your cast and crew. All of this will appear in the very authentic-looking credits that roll at the end of your work.

Next, tap the Storyboard section. You’ll see a template with suggestions for different types of shots to use to assemble your trailer. For example, you might open with a close-up of your protagonist, followed by a wide shot, before cutting to some interstitial text (all of which you can customize).

Just select a video or photo saved from your Photo library and drop it in place. Don't worry if you don’t use a recommended shot—you can go off script at any time!

iMovie makes it easy to select the perfect snippet of a longer video you’ve shot. As you’re working, preview your trailer to get a sense of how it’s all coming together by tapping the play icon. You can also scrub through a specific section by tapping and dragging.

All done? There’s just one more step—picking an elegant gown or dapper tuxedo for your red-carpet moment.

iMovie

Turn videos into movie magic

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