Project Option A
BOOK TRAILER ASSIGNMENT
What is a book trailer? It is a commercial for a book. Book trailers follow the same concepts as a movie trailer. The purpose of a book trailer is to persuade people to buy your book.
Assignment Description
On your own, you will select a novel from the book list below. After reading the book, you will be responsible for creating a book trailer. The purpose of a book trailer is to persuade people to buy your book.
During the process of reading your book use the Book trailer Planning Template to document your thoughts, your visual and audio considerations, and the technology you would like to use to complete your project.
Day 1: Overview
The best way to start is by watching other book trailers. They can be found by performing a search on YouTube, or by visiting author's websites (although, of course, not all books have trailers). As you watch the trailers keep note of which trailers really stand out, and what makes them so captivating. Would this trailer entice you to go out and buy the book or see the movie? Why?
Book TrailerThe Clockwork Three ~by Matthew Kirby
/ Movie Trailer
2012
/ Book Trailer
The Giver - by Lois Lowry
/ Book Trailer
Sold ~by Patricia McCormick
Day 2: Planning
- Using the Book Trailer Project Plot Planner determine 4 scenes from your novel that best represent the essential elements of the plot.
- Storyboard each scene in relation to characters, actions they engaged in, scene settings and the dialogue that occurred.
Day 3: Searching
Using the resources provided to find the elements (sound, video, pictures) that you will be incorporating into the creation of your trailer.
For many, this is the most fun part of the process. There is a wealth of amazing, professional quality images available online, free of cost. A few places to search include Creative Commons, Flickr (be sure the photos are not copyrighted first), or Google Images (just select "labeled for commercial reuse" under Usage Rights).
Take a look at each phrase of the blurb and jot down a few images that come to mind. This could mean pictures of characters in certain situations, or it could be more symbolic images. Many writers find it difficult to find pictures of people that look the way they imagine their characters, and that's okay. The pictures can be more of setting, of objects important to the story, or anything else the writer can imagine. It's a chance to be creative and make a trailer rich with symbolism.
Try to find a picture for each phrase. Imagine the pictures as a slideshow, with the phrases either underneath the images, or displayed in between each shot.
Here are some sites that will help you find the visual and audio elements for your trailer. If you are an artist at heart, do not hesitate to draw your own sketches for the trailer. Using your own voice for the audio can also make a BIG impact!
Digital Components
Creative Commons
PIRA Photo Gallery
Cepolina Photo
Debisty Designs
StockVault
Free Foto
Open Photo
Wikimedia Commons
Pics4Learning
Morgue File / 7 Sources of Free Sounds for Multimedia Projects
Free Play Music
WavSource
Royalty Free Music
Day 4: Creating
Using one of the technologies below (or one of your choice) create your book trailer. Of course, many book trailers incorporate video. However, that is both more time consuming and more difficult to accomplish. Many persuasive book trailers use only images and words, and are very effective. For those unfamiliar with these programs, spend some time on the tutorials. For a basic trailer, all that's necessary is a timed slideshow arranged so that the phrases line up accordingly with the images using Keynote.
Video Editing Resources
iMovieWithiMovie, you can create, edit, and share your movies right on your computer. Build your movie with a few simple drag-and-drops. Delete bad shots and include only the best scenes.
StudioThis resources allows the creator to add multiple photo's and video clips to one slide. This is an awesome resource with the creative in mind!
Jaycut Free online video editing platform that includes options for motion effects, recording and color editing.