To craft a 60-second festival trailer (plus 30s and 15s cutdowns) that would capture the spirit of the Adelaide Film Festival, balancing tension, curiosity, and connection, and inspire audiences to attend.
The project came with a tight two-week turnaround, with just five days to picture lock before sound post. Instead of a fixed script, the brief was thematic, moving from tension to release, curiosity, and connection. On top of this, we delivered multiple versions: a 60-second hero trailer, a 30-second cut, and three 15-second edits, all consistent in tone.
We worked closely with Adelaide Film Festival and Cul-de-sac Creative, shaping the trailer around a three-act arc of tension, curiosity, and connection. Brody used experimental techniques like match cuts and visual juxtapositions, cutting without music to find the story’s rhythm before adding Matt McKenzie-Smith’s custom score. A focused in-suite edit session kept feedback swift, helping us lock the picture ahead of schedule.
The 2025 Adelaide Film Festival Trailer premiered on time and exceeded expectations. With strong creative direction, collaborative client input, and sharp editorial instincts, the final cut moved audiences and showcased the Festival’s identity on the big screen.
