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Derek Lieu

Trailer Editor
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    • AAA Game Trailers
    • Spec Trailers
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Featured
How a Short Trailer Can Feel Incredibly Long
Apr 1, 2018
Newsletter
How a Short Trailer Can Feel Incredibly Long
Apr 1, 2018
Newsletter

Unless you have outside restrictions, the length of a trailer shouldn't be the first question in mind, because good editing can make two minutes fly by, and bad editing can make one minute feel like an eternity. 

Apr 1, 2018
Newsletter
What Makes a Good Teaser Trailer
Mar 17, 2018
Newsletter
What Makes a Good Teaser Trailer
Mar 17, 2018
Newsletter

Teaser trailers are often even better than the full trailers because they have to be so enticing that people maintain interest, yet don't know enough so that they can make a full decision on whether or not they want to see it. How do you strike this balance?

Mar 17, 2018
Newsletter
Nostalgic Plinky Piano Score
Mar 10, 2018
Newsletter
Nostalgic Plinky Piano Score
Mar 10, 2018
Newsletter

A brief trend in trailer editing was music covers of classic themes using a simple and understated piano score. Why was this a thing, and what were the trailer producers thinking when they did it?

Mar 10, 2018
Newsletter
Good Transitions Make Great Trailers
Feb 24, 2018
How to Make a Trailer, Newsletter
Good Transitions Make Great Trailers
Feb 24, 2018
How to Make a Trailer, Newsletter

Transitions are the glue that make a great trailer; they're one of the hardest things to edit, but learning how to master the various techniques opens up a world of possibilities. 

Feb 24, 2018
How to Make a Trailer, Newsletter
What I'm Thinking When I Edit a Trailer
Jan 21, 2018
Newsletter, How to Make a Trailer
What I'm Thinking When I Edit a Trailer
Jan 21, 2018
Newsletter, How to Make a Trailer

There are a number of things that I think about while editing a trailer that guide my decision making. Here's what they are, and how I arrived at them in my career as an editor.

Jan 21, 2018
Newsletter, How to Make a Trailer
How Trailer Spoilers Work
Dec 30, 2017
Newsletter
How Trailer Spoilers Work
Dec 30, 2017
Newsletter

Trailers are notorious for containing spoilers, but there are ways to use spoilery shots without alerting the audience. How can this be done, and what does it look like when it's done wrong?

Dec 30, 2017
Newsletter
The Inception BRAAAAAAAM Sound
Dec 3, 2017
Newsletter
The Inception BRAAAAAAAM Sound
Dec 3, 2017
Newsletter

The Inception Braaaaaaam sound is one of the most influential bits of sound design/music in modern trailers.

What that made it so popular?

Dec 3, 2017
Newsletter
Harry Potter and the Foolproof Trailer
Nov 18, 2017
Newsletter
Harry Potter and the Foolproof Trailer
Nov 18, 2017
Newsletter

Sometimes when there's a built-in audience for an already popular property, great trailers are made, and sometimes it's clear that the trailer producers knew that how the trailer is edited isn't as important as just showing what the audience wants to see.

Nov 18, 2017
Newsletter
How to Get Into the Trailer Industry
Nov 15, 2017
Newsletter
How to Get Into the Trailer Industry
Nov 15, 2017
Newsletter

How the heck do you get a job as an editor in the trailer industry? It's not that different from any sort of creative job you might want; you just have to know where to look, and what to expect.

Nov 15, 2017
Newsletter
Why Love Stories Work Better in Trailers
Oct 12, 2017
Newsletter
Why Love Stories Work Better in Trailers
Oct 12, 2017
Newsletter

Some of my favorite trailers are for love stories I either didn't like in the final film, or didn't find as affecting as I did in the trailer. What is it about the storytelling of a trailer that works differently from the final film that causes this to happen?

Oct 12, 2017
Newsletter
How I Got My Dream Gigs Without Really Trying
Dec 21, 2016
Newsletter
How I Got My Dream Gigs Without Really Trying
Dec 21, 2016
Newsletter

Two stories about the events that lead up to me getting two of my favorite gigs. Nothing I did that got me these gigs were done for the sake of getting hired, and yet it worked out that way in the end.

Dec 21, 2016
Newsletter

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I write articles about trailers every Sunday!

Thank you!