How a 23-Second Teaser Drove 307,000 Instagram Views in 4 Days
When Somnium launched on Amazon Prime, Apple TV, Google Play, and Fandango at Home, a 23-second teaser generated 307,000 Instagram views in its first four days.
Not because it was “beautiful.”
Not because it was “creative.”
Because it was engineered around one thing: human attention psychology.
Most trailers try to impress. I design them to perform.
The Business Context: Pre-Release Validation Determines Platform Success
In distribution, attention is currency. Instagram views aren’t vanity—they are leverage.
Distributors and international buyers respond to verified demand, not artistic intention.
Instagram’s first four days of engagement determine whether a film enters algorithmic momentum or dies in the scroll.
I work with distributors who don’t want “a cool trailer.” They want a performance asset that reduces marketing risk before they spend a dollar on ads.
The Creative Constraint: Maximum Impact With Minimal Assets
When Racheal approached me with Somnium, the situation was simple:
- No existing audience.
- First-time director with zero built-in fanbase.
- No marketing infrastructure.
- Only one 4K master file of the film.
- A high-stakes announcement across four major streaming platforms.
For most editors, those are limitations.
For me, they define the strategic environment.
The High-Leverage Editing Strategy: Four Psychological Levers
I don’t edit by intuition. I apply measurable attention mechanics.
1. Strategic Hook: Borrowed Audience
The first frame shows Grace Van Dien, known from Stranger Things.
This wasn’t artistic choice. It was psychological leverage.
Recognizable faces trigger pattern recognition in under 500 ms. That micro-recognition buys attention before a viewer decides to scroll.
On Instagram, those milliseconds determine survival.
2. Narrative Compression: Maximum Tension Density
Somnium is strongest in its unsettling dialogue.
I used LLMs to extract the most disturbing lines from the entire script, compressing them into 12 seconds.
The goal wasn’t storytelling.
The goal was emotional destabilization, followed by clear platform logos that convert curiosity into action.
3. Rhythm Engineering: Beat-Mapped Editing
I selected an upbeat track from the film’s score and mapped all cuts to its beats.
When visual rhythm aligns with audio rhythm, the brain perceives coherence and reduces cognitive load.
That increases watch-through rate, which increases algorithmic reach.
4. Image Selection: Faces Over Everything
Human faces trigger the brain’s fusiform face area within 170 ms.
They outperform landscapes, abstract visuals, and wide shots in predictive engagement.
I structured the teaser around tight human expressions, not scenery.
Distribution Strategy Alignment: Built for Instagram’s Algorithm
Instagram doesn’t reward cinematic excellence. It rewards engagement signals.
The teaser was engineered for three behaviors:
- Scroll-stopping hooks in the first three seconds
- High-contrast, mobile-friendly visuals
- Peak emotional spike between seconds 3–5
- Clear streaming platform logos for immediate intent conversion
This isn’t compromise. It’s alignment between platform mechanics and human psychology.
The Result: 307,000 Instagram Views in 4 Days
The teaser delivered:
- Verified audience interest before platform launch
- Reduced marketing risk for the distributor
- Organic validation without paid social campaigns
- Momentum for launch week, improving platform visibility
The teaser didn’t “announce.”
It validated demand.
I apply the same system to Social trailers, OTT platform assets, Theatrical trailers, Pre-roll ads, International sales packages.
Every distribution channel has its own logic. My job is to engineer creative assets that fit that logic.
This isn’t taste.
It’s strategy.
Partner With MAX-Q: Attention-Engineered Trailer Design
I design trailers using cognitive science, behavioral data, and platform-specific mechanics.
Whether you’re releasing on Amazon, pitching to a buyer, or preparing a theatrical rollout, the underlying system remains the same.
If you need an editor who understands that attention isn’t given—it’s engineered—let’s talk.
MAX-Q Studio 