The movie trailer is by far the most popular kind of short film.  The typical length is between 30 seconds and two minutes. But there are outliers such as Spanish filmmaker Marc Martínez’s  20-second mobile movie trailer for “Horseface.” The  movie trailer previews a  Comedy-Horror-Science fiction-thriller-Animal-Drama shortfilm starring himself and his grandmother. Made for 20 euros, “Horseface” was an Official Selection at the 2016  European Independent Film Festival in the European Dramatic short category. It also won the Best International Film at the 2015 Mobile Motion Film Festival.

Like every other kind of film, trailers are judged in part on elements such as concept (is it original), camerawork, acting, locations, and editing. But one criterion stands above all the others: Does the trailer make you want to see the film it represents?

If you’re planning to make your own trailer—for a completed film or for a film still in the dream stage—a good place to start is by studying memorable trailers. You can find an impressive list here. And for other movies by Martínez, visit https://vimeo.com/martinezjordan.