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Can you engineer 90 seconds that make a stranger need to see your film?
Trailer Beat Sheet
â–¶ Enter ProjectContext
You are the production staff of a Seoul-based film studio on pitch day. The director pitches a story concept—a character with a real flaw, external pressure forcing change, actual stakes. You have 90 minutes to lock a beat sheet: a one-row-per-beat map of story moment, timecode, music cue, and first shot. This beat sheet is not a suggestion; it's the contract the entire production obeys. The editor will cut to it. The voiceover artist will time to it. The final frame will land on the music because you engineered it to. A rough cut screens at 2 PM for investors. If the persuasion fails, the funding stalls.
Mission
Produce a one-page, four-row beat sheet table (beat # | story moment | timecode in–out | music cue | visual strategy | first shot) with a companion shot list (one shot per beat, bespoke and justified). The beat sheet must pass cross-team lock review: every cell filled, every story moment defensible, every timecode audible, every shot ruthlessly cut. A voiceover artist must be able to time dialogue to it without calling for clarification.
Finish Line
A locked, timecoded Trailer Beat Sheet that screens at Seoul Expo and drives next week's AI Trailer cut.
Deliverables
Trailer Beat Sheet
lessonA timecoded map of your 60-90s trailer's four beats that the edit, voiceover, and shot list all obey.
Team Roles
Director
You own the story engine; you ship the signed-off beat sheet.
- Map the four-beat skeleton: setup/inciting incident, escalation, crisis/choice, resolution. For each beat, write one sentence stating the story moment—what the audience believes about the protagonist after this beat that they didn't before (not the visuals, the emotional cargo).
- Pitch the beat sheet in person to the editor and assistant editor. Defend why each beat is necessary: what argument dies if you cut this beat?
- Review the locked beat sheet (after assistant editor fills it) and sign off in writing: checkmark ✓ or annotate story intent that was missed. The sheet is locked when the director approves it.
Editor
You translate story beats into visual and sonic rhythm; you ship the visual strategy and timecode defence.
- From the director's four story moments, write one sentence per beat describing the visual strategy: is it a reveal (fast cut, title card, music hit)? An intimate moment (hold, close-up, silence before sound)? An action beat (montage, intensity)? Make the choice causal, not decorative.
- Write one sentence per beat defending the timecode choice: why does setup hold 20s? Why does crisis compress to 30s? Connect timecode to the story pressure (setup breathes to establish stakes; escalation tightens as pressure rises; crisis sustains tension; resolution snaps on the beat). Assumption: 90-second total trailer (sketch: 0–20s opener, 20–40s escalation, 40–70s crisis, 70–90s resolution).
- Review the locked beat sheet and confirm: can you execute these timecodes and visual strategies in the edit suite? Or are they wishful? If you can't defend a beat's pacing, flag it before lock.
Assistant Editor
You own the blueprint: you build and ship the beat sheet table and final handoff.
- Deliver the locked beat sheet as a single-page table: four rows (one per beat), columns beat # | story moment | timecode in–out | music cue | visual strategy | first shot. Every cell filled, no blanks. Format in a tool all three roles can read (Google Sheets, Markdown table, or a screenshot of a slide).
- Audit timing: sum all timecodes—do they equal ~90 seconds? If not, flag to director and editor before lock. Document any timecode shifts in a revision line (e.g., 'Director approved extending crisis to 35s; total now 92s').
- Build the final shot list (one shot per beat, titled and tied to its beat) and include it in the handoff doc. Confirm every shot is bespoke (unique to this story) or stock (noted as such). The handoff doc is ready for the voiceover artist and editor the moment lock happens.
Audience
You ship a one-page test report: does the beat sheet survive a stranger's first watch?
- Watch the four-beat sequence (rough assembled, no voiceover, music cue only) and timestamp when you feel each story moment land. Compare your timeline to the beat sheet—list beat # | expected timecode | your felt timestamp | match (yes/no). If a gap >3 seconds, note what visual or music cue made you feel the beat late or early.
- State what you believe about the protagonist after each beat. Write one sentence per beat: 'After Beat 1, I believe…' Compare to the director's story intent—does the visual sequence obey the blueprint, or is it talking past the music?
- Name one shot that doesn't earn its space—a moment where the visual is generic, the cut feels sluggish, or the frame lands awkwardly on the music cue. Propose what would work instead (one sentence).
- Sign the test report: 'Beat sheet is lock-ready' or 'Beat sheet needs revision' with one reason. This is the gate: if the report doesn't pass, one team member fixes it and re-tests.
Exemplars
- Golden Trailer Awards
Golden Trailer Awards
The industry awards body for movie trailers — the exemplar bar for what a finished, professional-grade trailer looks and sounds like.
- Runway AI Film Festival
Runway
The premier festival showcase of finished AI films — the "this is what pro AI filmmaking looks like" gallery. Complements the Golden Trailer Awards craft bar.