What is a film trailer? History and evolution

Every film lover knows the feeling: the lights in the auditorium dim, the screen lights up, and before the film begins, trailers appear. Those two-minute glimpses into the future of cinema are often just as thrilling as the film itself. But where did film trailers actually come from? And how have they evolved from simple announcements into the tightly produced marketing masterpieces they are today?

The very first film trailer: 1913

The history of the film trailer begins in 1913. Producer Nils Granlund is generally credited with creating the very first film trailer ever made, for the Broadway musical The Pleasure Seekers. This early trailer was little more than a series of still images from the production, paired with title cards encouraging audiences to come and see the show.

The name "trailer" is historically interesting: in the early days of cinema, promotional films were shown after the main feature — they "trailed" behind the film. It was quickly discovered that audiences left en masse after the film ended, which meant the promotional films were barely seen. From the 1920s onwards, trailers were shown before the film, but the name stuck.

The studio era: the 1930s to the 1950s

During the classic Hollywood period — roughly the 1930s through the 1950s — trailers were produced by specialised departments within the major film studios. MGM, Paramount, Warner Bros. and the other major studios each had their own "trailer department". The style was recognisable: lots of on-screen text ("COMING SOON!"), dramatic music and over-the-top voice-overs promoting the film as the absolute highlight of the cinema year.

Don LaFontaine, who later became famous as the most recognisable voice-over artist in the trailer world, set the standard for the deep, dramatic intonation you still hear in many trailers. His style — "In a world where..." — became so iconic it turned into a cultural cliché.

The 1960s and 1970s: a creative explosion

With the rise of the New Hollywood movement in the 1960s and 1970s, the tone of film trailers changed too. Directors such as Stanley Kubrick, Francis Ford Coppola and Steven Spielberg had more artistic control over their productions, and that filtered through into the promotional material. The trailer for Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) was radically different from anything that had come before: abstract, almost experimental, with classical music instead of a bombastic score.

Steven Spielberg's Jaws (1975) introduced a new concept: the summer blockbuster, aggressively marketed with a trailer designed to build tension and fear. This approach — blockbuster marketing — would set the tone for decades of film promotion.

The VHS era and the 1980s

The introduction of the video recorder changed the way people consumed films — and with it, how they were promoted. Studios began producing trailers intended not just for the cinema but also for television broadcasts and video tape inserts. Trailers became shorter, faster and more focused on immediate impact. The MTV generation had a shorter attention span, and trailer editing adapted accordingly.

The internet era: the digital revolution

The arrival of the internet — and later YouTube — changed everything. For the first time, film trailers could go viral. The online release of the trailer for Star Wars: The Phantom Menace in 1998 was a global event: people literally went to the cinema just to watch the two-minute trailer, then left immediately. It proved that trailers had acquired a cultural status of their own, independent of the film itself.

Today, major trailers are launched with carefully timed marketing campaigns. The "trailer for the trailer" — a fifteen-second teaser announcing that an official trailer is coming soon — has now become an accepted part of film promotion strategy.

Modern trailers: art and science

A contemporary film trailer is the result of an intensive production process involving separate specialised companies. Major trailer houses such as Buddha Jones, Wild Card, The Ant Farm and Aspect Ratio work exclusively on trailers and promotional material. They receive raw footage from the studio and have the task of creating a mini-film in two to two and a half minutes that intrigues audiences without revealing too much.

The ideal modern trailer follows a specific structure: a calm opening that introduces the atmosphere and characters, a gradual build of tension or emotion, a dramatic climax — often referred to as "the big moment" — followed by the film title and release date. Music plays a crucial role: trailer music has become an industry of its own, with specialist composers writing pieces specifically for trailer use.

From cinema screen to smartphone

The most fundamental shift of recent years is the change of medium. Where a trailer in 1950 could only be seen in the cinema, and in 1990 also on television, the primary viewing platform for trailers in 2026 is the smartphone. Studios adapt their trailer strategy accordingly: vertical formats for social media, short edits for Instagram and TikTok, and longer "behind the scenes" versions for YouTube.

For cinema programmers and film lovers, this means keeping track of all this material has become a challenge in itself. The volume of trailer content released each week has grown exponentially. Tools like Teasy exist precisely to meet this challenge: a structured way to keep up with the constant stream of new trailer content.

Conclusion: more than advertising

A film trailer is no longer just advertising. It is an art form, a cultural phenomenon and, for millions of film lovers, a source of excitement and anticipation. From its humble beginnings in 1913 to the carefully choreographed media events of today — the film trailer has undergone a fascinating evolution that mirrors the broader development of the film industry itself.