11 Must-haves for Making Video Trailers as Told by Mary Deal
11 Must-haves for making Video Trailers
Video trailers help sell books. Just as a preview of a film or TV special can spark interest and make you impatient for the day you can see the show so, too, can trailers incite a potential reader’s interest.
If you are computer savvy, you will probably enjoy making your own trailer. If you are not knowledgeable in the way of putting written word, moving or still pictures and music together to make an exciting presentation, you should have the following items ready when you approach a professional to make the trailer for you.
1) Book title
2) Sub-title, if applicable
3) Name or pen name of the author(s)
Under this, you can include such phrases as “Award-winning novelist,” or
Author of ____(previous book title)_____
4) One or two brief blurbs from popular writers or well-known persons in the industry, if you have them.
5) A tagline: One sentence as brief as possible.
6) The story synopsis
7) 5 – 10 sentences that distill your story and/or synopsis without giving away the ending
This can be difficult. In order to distill, you need to keep your focus on your main
character and the main plot thread.
In my thriller, River Bones, I have a strong sub-plot about Vietnam MIAs which totally feeds into the main plot and that the story couldn’t be without. However, I never mentioned this sub-plot in any of the information used for the making of the trailer. See the trailer here (All four of my video trailers are on this page):
http://www.writeanygenre.com/book-trailers.html
8) Places where the book can be purchased
9) A .jpeg image of your front cover. You will be told the size requirements.
10) You should plan to do a fairly thorough search for photos that fit your distilled description. If they do not match the description, they will make the trailer seems confusing to the viewer. For each line of description, try to find one or two good photos that represent that bit of information. You may not use all of the pictures but it will give your video maker a good selection from which to choose.
11) You can also do a search for music to accompany your video. Music, in my opinion, can make or break your project. Blazing Trailers, who made all my videos, found an exquisite bit of music by Kevin MacLeod for my novel, The Ka, that so fit the story that I can’t remember the music I originally suggested.
All of these items will be required in order to begin building your video. The maker will probably suggest other pictures that better suit the action. She or he may also suggest different music than you were able to find. Professionals have access to royalty free photos and music that writers may not. Your suggestions in all of this will guide them to find the best products that emphasize your vision of how your wish your story portrayed.
If the video maker makes suggestions, listen. Check out every detail they offer. Your suggestions of photos and music are just that. If they don’t fit, they give the video maker a good idea of what you hope to create. Having once read your synopsis and distillation into ten sentences, you will be told which sentences to use and which to omit. The maker may even reword your sentences to make them more exciting. That may also be required in order to overlay the words onto a picture.
As the process moves along….
The maker will send you a mock-up, like a first draft. You can change or correct anything. Make sure your verbiage is as exciting as possible. The pictures should be as close a representation to the story as possible, especially any characters. If your story is about a brunette, don’t use a picture of a blonde. The music should accentuate the action. Once you approve at this point, the video is made into its final format.
The finished presentation may start with your book cover, but not necessarily. With my novel The Tropics, the video starts with a sailboat way out in the middle of the blue ocean. This was to exemplify the feeling of aloneness.
From the order of information at the end of the trailer for my thriller, Down to the Needle:
~ The book cover, author name and Web site
~ A very brief one line blurb from a popular writer or other, if available.
~ A list of places where the book can be purchased
~ The logo of the person or company that created the video
~ A credit for the music composer
Having all of this information readily available before you seek someone to make your trailer will quickly speed things along and minimize time and expenses. You’ll have some changes along the way to tighten up the presentation but once finished, you should have an exciting clip.
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