If you are writing trailer music, there are two things you need to nail before you even open your DAW: duration and structure. Get these wrong and your track will either get rejected or ignored. Get them right and you give yourself the best possible shot at a placement.
The magic number: two minutes thirty
Go to any YouTube trailer channel and start looking at the durations. Suicide Squad: 3:08. The next one: 2:12. Then 2:42, 3:11, 2:22. You will notice a pattern pretty quickly.
The average duration of a movie trailer sits right around two minutes and thirty seconds. It does not have to be exact. Two twenty works. Two forty works. But two thirty is the sweet spot you want to aim for.
Why does this matter so much? Because in the best case scenario, the trailer editor pulls your track into their project and uses it as the only track in the entire trailer. That is the goal.
Now here is the thing: going a bit longer is totally fine. Trailer editors love to treat your track as a toolbox. If your track is versatile and inspiring enough, they will happily cut out the pieces they do not need and keep the parts that work for their edit. A track that runs to 2:50 or even 3:00 gives them options.
Going too short, on the other hand, is a real problem. If your track is under two minutes, it becomes very difficult for the editor to add material or enrich what is there. There is simply not enough to work with, and they will likely move on to another track.
So aim for two thirty as your baseline, and do not stress if it runs a little longer. Better to give the editor a full palette to work with than to leave them wanting more.
And here is the practical side: if your full track gets used as the sole music in a trailer, that means the most money for you.
What about shorter trailers?
You will occasionally see trailers around one minute to one minute thirty. These are teaser trailers, the short previews that get released before the main trailer drops. They also show up on TV. The duration for these is usually discussed directly with the trailer company or producer, so you will know what they need. But when you are practicing or building your portfolio, two minutes thirty is the standard you should be targeting.
The three-part structure
Now let us talk about structure, because this is where a lot of composers trip up.
If you listen to trailer music, you will notice that almost every track follows the same basic blueprint. There are three distinct parts, and they are separated by gaps.
Part 1: The intro
The beginning of the track is relatively subdued. In the context of an actual trailer, this is where the story gets set up. There is usually some dialogue, maybe a voiceover, establishing shots. Your music needs to support that without overpowering it.
The first gap
After the intro, there is a brief moment of silence or a transition element, maybe a downer or a riser. This gives the trailer editor a natural cut point.
Part 2: The middle section
This is where the main theme lives. The energy picks up. In the trailer itself, this is where you start seeing the buildup of action, the tension rising, more dynamic editing. Your music mirrors that escalation.
The second gap
Another moment of breathing room. In the trailer, this is often where a surprising moment or a key piece of dialogue lands. The gap gives it space.
Part 3: The finale
This is full action. Everything you have been building toward pays off here. Fast-edited shots, maximum intensity, and your track hitting its dynamic peak at around two minutes and fifteen to two minutes twenty.
Then comes the climax. The biggest moment. And then it is done.
The number one mistake
Here is what typically goes wrong, and I have made this mistake myself: you start writing and you get excited. You pile on the intensity too early. Suddenly you have hit your dynamic peak at one minute thirty and you still have a full minute of track left with nowhere to go.
Think of it like a movie. You do not reveal who the killer is halfway through. You build toward that moment. The same principle applies to your trailer track. Save your biggest moment for the end.
If you find yourself running out of headroom, it means you escalated too fast. Dial it back. Give yourself space in the intro and middle section so that the finale actually feels like a finale.
Set it up before you start producing
Before you write a single note, set a marker in your DAW from the beginning of the track to around two minutes thirty. Then roughly mark out your three sections and the gaps between them. Having this visual overview of your session will help you stay on track and avoid the pacing trap.
It sounds simple, but this kind of preparation saves you from writing yourself into a corner. Structure first, production second.
Now go write something.
