2018 Golden Trailer Award Nominees

Every year, the Golden Trailer Awards celebrate the greatest achievements in the world of TV and film trailers. Though trailer creators make up a relatively small community, their work is seen by hundreds of millions, if not billions of people. Just think – for every movie you see at the theater, you’re seeing five or six trailers – and that’s not counting trailers on television or internet media!
Because trailers must make a strong impression in just a minute or two, every element must be executed to perfection. The film editing, sound design, and music must come together seamlessly to deliver a bold message about the film.
We’ve already discussed trailer music in a few previous blogs, such as our superhero trailer entry and our cover song entry, but this month we thought we’d take a deep dive into the trailer music that’s being recognized from within the industry. Here are the five Golden Trailer nominees for Best Music.
All the Money in the World – “True Story”

 
This trailer for Ridley Scott’s All The Money in the World uses the Zombies classic “Time of the Season,” expertly edited to accommodate dialogue. The song’s lyrics are fairly on-the-nose – who’s your daddy? / Is he rich like me?  The trailer then transitions into a stretch of action underscore before returning for the anthem chorus of the Zombies’ tune, engaging the audience with a wide variety of emotions and tones.
Baby Driver - “Tekillyah”

 
We’ve written about Baby Driver’s innovative use of music before, and this trailer takes things a step further by using a custom-made score that’s part trap hip hop, part sound effects from the film, and part mashup of The Champs’ “Tequila.” It’s a great example of how trailers are, in a way, their own film, and can be scored as such.
Oceans 8 - “7 People”

 
This trailer for Ocean’s 8 continues the trend exemplified by Baby Driver – that is, taking a classic song and adding a trap-influenced beat. In this case, it’s Nancy Sinatra’s “These Boots are Made for Walking” – a feminist anthem that ties in well to the themes of this all-female reboot of a previously all-male franchise.
Pacific Rim: Uprising - “Untouchable”

 
It would be difficult to imagine a trailer for a film about giant robots without an epic orchestral score, and in this sense, the trailer for Pacific Rim: Uprising does not disappoint. They take it a step further, however, by adding in a vocal track from 2Pac’s “Untouchable.” Interestingly, this 2Pac track was also remixed for the final shootout scene of Django Unchained, mashed up with James Brown’s “The Payback.”
The Greatest Showman – “Imagination”

 
Sometimes, the best strategy is to keep it simple. When your film’s music is written by Oscar, Tony, and Golden Globe winners Pasek & Paul, it’s best to let that music speak for itself. This trailer simply features a powerful ballad from the film called “Never Enough,” presented without all of the stylish remixing and editing used in the other trailer nominees.

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