January 14, 2009
ANOTHER BOOK TRAILER UPDATE
I am just about ready to actually begin my students writing the scripts that will eventually be my book trailer.
The other teachers are still onboard to help me out with this. My kids are getting excited, because I have
informed them that what they write is going to be acted out and recorded. And being that they are helping out
their teacher, they are all eager to get started.
The added bonus is, I am making it a competition, which has them even more excited. I am having them work
in groups, which would give me ten scripts altogether. Since I can't, or at least shouldn't, expect the media
teacher and the drama teacher to go out and shoot ten separate videos, I have told my students that only the
best ones are going to be made into the book trailer, and I will let the drama teacher pick his favorite 2 or 3 to
give his actors.
The other thing is, I plan on giving each of the groups a different scene in the book to adapt into this book
trailer. I am going to take key scenes - scenes which a group of teenagers in high school could possibly shoot
during the course of a school day. While the advanced media sudents are adept in special effects, I do not
know how capable they would be in having a person change into a mudlike substance, or shoot lightning from
their hands. So, the scenes I am picking are going to be "low-tech", with limited special effects.
If you are going to shoot your own book trailer, whether or not you use students or other help, the most
important thing to remember is: know your limitations. If you can't do special effects, and you are trying to
shoot a trailer for a sci-fi or fantasy novel, then you might want to consider picking some "low-tech" scenes as
well. If you are paying a professional to do your trailer, however, this is not something you need to worry about.
Remember, a book trailer is meant to entice people to read your book. While you want to express what is in
the book, you don't want people to turn off your book trailer until they've watched it all the way through. So,
whatever scenes you are picking, or if you are doing a montage of scenes, make sure it is something that is
going to thrill your audience.
This will be the last update on this until I get the scripts back from my students. So, you will hear about this in
another week or so.
ANOTHER BOOK TRAILER UPDATE
I am just about ready to actually begin my students writing the scripts that will eventually be my book trailer.
The other teachers are still onboard to help me out with this. My kids are getting excited, because I have
informed them that what they write is going to be acted out and recorded. And being that they are helping out
their teacher, they are all eager to get started.
The added bonus is, I am making it a competition, which has them even more excited. I am having them work
in groups, which would give me ten scripts altogether. Since I can't, or at least shouldn't, expect the media
teacher and the drama teacher to go out and shoot ten separate videos, I have told my students that only the
best ones are going to be made into the book trailer, and I will let the drama teacher pick his favorite 2 or 3 to
give his actors.
The other thing is, I plan on giving each of the groups a different scene in the book to adapt into this book
trailer. I am going to take key scenes - scenes which a group of teenagers in high school could possibly shoot
during the course of a school day. While the advanced media sudents are adept in special effects, I do not
know how capable they would be in having a person change into a mudlike substance, or shoot lightning from
their hands. So, the scenes I am picking are going to be "low-tech", with limited special effects.
If you are going to shoot your own book trailer, whether or not you use students or other help, the most
important thing to remember is: know your limitations. If you can't do special effects, and you are trying to
shoot a trailer for a sci-fi or fantasy novel, then you might want to consider picking some "low-tech" scenes as
well. If you are paying a professional to do your trailer, however, this is not something you need to worry about.
Remember, a book trailer is meant to entice people to read your book. While you want to express what is in
the book, you don't want people to turn off your book trailer until they've watched it all the way through. So,
whatever scenes you are picking, or if you are doing a montage of scenes, make sure it is something that is
going to thrill your audience.
This will be the last update on this until I get the scripts back from my students. So, you will hear about this in
another week or so.
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