Cast
Character Studio
Create your hero and villain once and reuse them in every shot.
Pika AI Trailer Guide
How to Create a Cinematic Trailer with Pika AI
Make a movie-style trailer - for a film idea, a game, a book, a product or an app - entirely with Pika. This guide walks you through the classic trailer structure, the Pika apps for every shot, voiceover, score and title cards, and ready-to-copy prompts for each beat.
- Shots with sound
- Consistent characters
- Voiceover & epic score
- Up to 4K finish
Trailer Anatomy
The Structure of a Cinematic Trailer
Most great trailers follow the same rhythm. Plan your shots around these seven beats before you generate anything.
1Cold open
A striking image or sound that grabs attention in the first seconds.
2The world
Wide establishing shots that show where and when the story happens.
3The hero
Introduce the main character in a memorable close-up.
4The conflict
Something goes wrong - a threat, a secret, a choice.
5Rising montage
Fast cuts that build pace with the music.
6The big moment
The most spectacular shot, then a hard cut to silence.
7Title & tagline
The title card, a short tagline and a "coming soon" end card.
A typical trailer runs 30-90 seconds. With Video Studio making up to 30 seconds per generation, plan two or three sequences and join them.
Toolkit
Pika Tools for Every Part of Your Trailer
Shots
Video Studio + H3 Flex
Multi-shot sequences up to 30 seconds with sound; H3 Flex adds dialogue, camera moves and 4K finishing.
Coverage
Camera Director
Reshoot your best scene from new angles for extra montage shots.
Look
Color Grade
Give every shot one blockbuster look - teal and orange, cold noir or warm epic.
Sound
Pika Soundtrack
Music, ambience and Foley matched to the action in each cut.
Titles
Image Studio
Design the title card and poster, then animate them.
App previews © Pika, from pika.art.
Step by Step
How to Make a Cinematic Trailer with Pika AI
- 1Write the logline and beats
Sum up your story in one line, then map it to the seven trailer beats - Pika in ChatGPT can help you draft them.
- 2Build a shot list
List 10-20 short shots with size, camera move and sound. Pika can also turn a few details into an editable shot-by-shot list.
- 3Create your cast
Make the main characters in Character Studio so faces and costumes stay the same.
- 4Generate in sequences
Use Video Studio or H3 Flex to make multi-shot chunks, @mentioning your characters and setting each time.
- 5Get more coverage
Run your best scenes through Camera Director for close-ups and wides to cut between.
- 6Add voice, score and SFX
Record the narrator in Speech Studio, create the score in Music Studio, and add hits and risers with Pika SFX.
- 7Design the title card
Create the title in Image Studio, animate it, and add a tagline and "coming soon" end card.
- 8Grade, cut and export
Apply one Color Grade look, edit to the music, upscale to 4K and export for each platform.
"Short Film" made with Pika Director's Suite · Credit: Pika (pika.art)
Try Director's Suite for longer trailers
Pika's experimental Director's Suite lets an AI agent build the concept, cast and storyboards, generate clips with full project context, and edit on a timeline. Access is by application. See Pika scenes for storytelling.
Cut to the music
Make the score first, then cut shots on the beats. Short shots (1-3 seconds) in the montage feel more like a real trailer than long takes.
Prompt Templates
Cinematic Trailer Prompts for Each Beat
Replace @Hero with your saved character and adjust the world to your story.
Cold open
Extreme close-up of an old pocket watch ticking in total darkness, a single beam of light falls on it, the ticking grows louder, then stops
The world
Aerial wide shot of a flooded futuristic city at dusk, towers half underwater, boats with lanterns drifting between them, slow crane down, 21:9, deep ambient drone
The hero
Slow dolly-in on @Hero standing on a rooftop in the rain, looking over the city, rim light from neon signs, determined expression, low rumble
The conflict
Medium shot, @Hero opens a door and freezes as red emergency lights start flashing, alarms echo down the corridor, handheld camera, tense strings
Rising montage
Shot 1: @Hero runs through a crowded market. Shot 2: glass shatters in slow motion. Shot 3: a train rushes past. Shot 4: @Hero leaps between rooftops. Fast cuts, pounding drums
The big moment
Low-angle wide shot as a colossal wave rises over the city skyline, @Hero stands small in the foreground, volumetric light, massive bass hit, then sudden silence
Title card
Bold metallic title "TIDEFALL" rising from dark water, light rays behind the letters, slow push-in, deep cinematic boom
Narrator (Speech)
Deep, gravelly male trailer voice, slow and dramatic: "When the water rises... one person remembers the way home."
Trailer score (Music)
Epic orchestral trailer music, starts with a quiet piano motif, builds with strings and taiko drums, huge brass hits at the climax, ends on a single low boom
Ideas
Types of Trailers You Can Make with Pika
🎬
Film & series pitches
Show the tone of a script before it's made.
📚
Book trailers
Bring a novel's world and characters to life for launch.
🎮
Game trailers
Reveal a game world, hero and big moments.
📱
App teasers
Pika's agent skills include an App Sizzle workflow for a cinematic app teaser with a "coming soon" end card.
🛍️
Product launches
Hype a new product with dramatic reveals. See branded content.
📺
YouTube channel intros
A movie-style opener for your series. See animated channels.
Made with Pika
Cinematic Examples Made with Pika
Official Pika videos for inspiration - from H3 Flex shots to Director's Suite films.
All videos © Pika, from pika.art and pika.art/directors-suite.
Pro Tips
8 Tips for a Trailer That Feels Like a Movie
🎧
Sound sells it
Booms, risers and silence matter as much as the pictures.
✂️
Keep shots short
Trim each generation to its best 1-3 seconds.
🧑
Lock your cast
Always @mention saved characters so faces don't drift.
🎨
One colour look
Grade every shot the same way for a single "film".
📐
Go widescreen
21:9 or 16:9 instantly reads as cinema; make a 9:16 cut for social.
🤫
Use silence
A beat of silence before the title makes it hit harder.
🔤
Short text cards
Two to four words per card keeps them readable. See text & graphics.
⚖️
Respect rights
Don't copy real films, logos or actors - create original worlds and characters.
FAQ
Cinematic Trailer with Pika AI FAQ
Can I make a full movie trailer with Pika AI?+
Yes. Generate the shots in Video Studio or with Pika H3 Flex, create the voiceover, score and sound effects with Pika's audio tools, design the title card in Image Studio, then edit everything together.
How long should an AI trailer be?+
Most trailers run 30-90 seconds. Video Studio makes up to 30 seconds per generation, so plan two or three sequences and join them in an editor.
How do I keep the same characters in every shot?+
Create them once in Character Studio, then attach and @mention them in every prompt, with the same costume and style words.
Can Pika make the trailer voiceover and music?+
Yes. Use Pika Speech for the narrator, Pika Music for an original score, Pika SFX for hits and risers, and Pika Soundtrack to score finished clips.
What resolution can my trailer be?+
Pika H3 Flex can finish clips at 1080p, 2K or 4K, and offers widescreen aspect ratios up to 21:9.
Can I use my Pika trailer commercially?+
On paid plans, yes - a commercial license is included from Starter up. Use only original characters and music you have rights to.