Editing Trailers

I would storyboard the action first, then lay down the music first...cut to the soundtrack. The storyboard will give you an clearer idea of where you want to go music wise.

What genre is it? Remember pacing is what a trailer is all about...generally longer takes to short and then shorter. Action is slow to fast cutting, while horror/suspense is generally slow to fast cutting, followed by a longer catch your breath take, then a final short scare take. Of course, check out the trailers on Apple's site for to get more of an idea how it's done.

And Remember, it's just a trailer...a glimpse at the story, not a synopsis of the story itself.

 

And remember trailers should be larger than life - larger than the movie it's promoting. Dialogue doesn't have to make chronological sense, just a few key phrases that get the audience wondering. Take a look at this Doctor Who trail.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=hGoNQLeaSwI

This comedy trailer from 1967 shows that the rules haven't really changed much

http://youtube.com/watch?v=tJMFYX53A04

 

It's really about producing, not cutting.

Even before you think about a storyboard, you need to approach your own film as someone who has never seen it before.

Get a pad of "post-its" and go through each scene of the film and mark up the most memorable action or quote from that scene.

Put the post-its on a wall in the order of your film and remove the stuff that's not so exciting.

Take the quotes and action from the scenes left and rearrange them to tell a new story with a new narrative, but a similar story to your film.

NOW you can start story-boarding you edit!

 

I'll second the notition that you should get the music first and cut to that. I've never done it any other way. Also keep in mind that a trailer has to draw the viewer in and hold their attention. You're going to want to put the best shots/lines of your movie into the trailer and make sure it's paced in a way that will hold your audience.