Trailer or Short?
| Trailer | Short | |
|---|---|---|
| Where | Server lists, Discord, YouTube, your website | TikTok, Shorts and Reels feeds |
| Viewer | Already curious about your server | Scrolling; has never heard of you |
| Shape | Landscape 16:9 (plus a vertical cut-down) | Vertical 9:16 |
| Length | 30–90 seconds | 20–35 seconds |
| Job | Show the whole server and how to join | Stop the scroll with one feature or story |
Most servers need one trailer per launch or season, and a steady stream of Shorts in between. The trailer’s best shots make good Shorts on their own.
A trailer structure that works
Hook (0–3 s)
Your most striking moment first: the biggest build, an explosion, a crowd at spawn. No logo intro.
What it is (3–8 s)
One line that names the game mode and what makes yours different: “A prison server where the mines never stop.”
Three to five features (8–40 s)
Each feature gets one or two shots that show it working, getting bigger as you go. Show menus large and zoom on the numbers that matter.
Logo and community (40–50 s)
The logo with an impact sound, then players together: events, a busy spawn, a leaderboard.
How to join (last 5–8 s)
The address, large, and the versions. For new players, show the Multiplayer → Add Server steps.
Filming without a crew
Traditional server trailers are filmed by a team: one player on camera, another flying a spectator camera, and an editor in After Effects or a Minecraft animation tool. Freelance trailers are a whole category on Fiverr and BuiltByBit for that reason.
VoxelCut does the camera work itself. Its companion mod moves a virtual camera independently of your player, so it can film your character in third person like a cameraman would: a lead shot walking toward the camera, a low-angle hero shot, an orbit, a high overview of a mine, a beauty shot of spawn. It can also stage scenes with client-side actors that use any skin, which only exist in the recording.
Cut it down for Shorts
Plan the trailer so each feature section stands alone. Then each one becomes a 20–30 second vertical Short with its own hook and the address at the end. In VoxelCut you export the same project with the landscape YouTube preset for the trailer and the 9:16 presets for TikTok, Shorts and Reels.
Trailer checklist
- First frame is moving, with no fade-in or logo card
- Every feature you mention is shown on screen as it’s said
- Menus shown big, with zooms on the numbers that matter
- Music under the voice, with the voice always clear
- Final loudness around −14 LUFS, so it isn’t quieter than everything else on the platform
- Address on screen for at least the last four seconds, plus the versions
Example
Made with VoxelCut · Feature showcase
PinnaMC Gens Has an Upgrade Wheel
A feature showcase made by VoxelCut: /upgrade typed in chat, the upgrade wheel with its real odds, a win and a miss.
See all examples“60-second landscape trailer for our new season: hook on the spawn, then the mines, the cannons, the enchants and the rift. Logo pop. End with how to join.”
Frequently asked questions
How long should a Minecraft server trailer be?
30–90 seconds. Shorter is better if you can show the hook, three to five features and the address clearly.
What software do people use to make Minecraft server trailers?
Traditionally a capture tool, a camera or replay mod, and an editor such as Premiere Pro, After Effects or CapCut. VoxelCut combines the filming and editing: it controls a real Minecraft client to film the shots and edits them on a timeline.
Should a server trailer be vertical or horizontal?
Make the trailer horizontal for YouTube, lists and Discord embeds, and cut vertical Shorts from it for TikTok, YouTube Shorts and Reels.
Do I need to give someone my server files to make a trailer?
Not with VoxelCut. It joins your server by its address like a normal player, so it needs no server files, plugins or operator access.
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