My First Trailer is What Finally Made it Feel Real

The trailer to my debut short film Snatch’D.

I had been procrastinating and procrastinating making a trailer for my short film. I mean, it’s only 5 minutes, why does it need one?...It needs one. 

After talking to the professor who helped me make Snatch’D (2025) in the first place, Geoffrey Gunn, I realized my time to put it off was running out. I finished this trailer after being accepted in a film festival, and an honorable mention at another. I realized I put this off not as a means of laziness, but because it means it’s almost over.

What I Did

I started by looking at my original script, despite its changes throughout the process. Then, I skimmed through the completed short film. I reflected on what was really important and what would draw people in. I created a script for the trailer. Lastly, I brought in the finished short film into Premiere Pro, and began to chop it up. I got feedback from professor, Mary Sturgill. 

I finalized the draft by adding details, such as transitions, new clip inserts and music, and the text “Watch on YouTube Now,” but with an eye-popping transition. Now, I have a short film trailer. In the world that pushes for the use of AI, I pushed against it by not using it to create the trailer. A trailer is an assessment of reflection–knowing yourself and your work; AI can’t help with that.

I Have a Trailer–What Did I Learn from It and What Now?

I am excited to fully publicly release Snatch’D (2025) when I am done with the festival circuit. Although I have shared the private link around, I think making it public will close the chapter on this project. Right now I feel like I am on the last few pages. The seniors involved have all graduated, and I finally completed what I have put off this entire time. 

I miss these people, and it truly stings knowing I won’t work with Ethan Philips or Paige Marie Hemmer again (unless the stars align, which hopefully they do). Hemmer is such a kind and understanding soul and they act wonderfully. Philips is a hilarious person without effort and has a natural “go with the flow” nature that follows him wherever he goes. 

Ethan Philips and Paige Marie Hemmer on the Snatch'D (2025) set.

I know that I should not have procrastinated making a trailer for this long, and it was not as bad to make as I thought. Giving yourself some time to reflect is nice, it provides clarity, lets you ask the audience what they found important. It also gives you time for critical thinking, specifically what to keep secret, so future audiences will watch the whole thing.

It was proving increasingly difficult to determine what to include and what to exclude. It wasn't until I received feedback, that I began to feel confident in my choices. It was a lot of being nitpicky and ensuring I had perfect timing. I have a pretty major plot twist in my short. I wanted my trailer to provide clues, but not give it all away–some smart people could still figure it out. It was a lot of give and take–adding a clip to the timeline, shortening it up, straight up removing the audio, or the entire thing, adding transitions, and much more details that seem miniscule when watching, but are significant during the process.

I didn’t want this journey to end. Goodbyes are hard, but hellos are great as well. I still have many of the cast and crew left ready to work for another production, as well as new people! I am ready, waiting for the next wonderful story to begin, even as I say goodbye to something that was so fun and made my college experience.