Making a Book Trailer, Part Deux.

Well here we are, a week after Let It Be Me hit the shelves, and I am so freakin’ stoked by the attention it’s received.  It’s gotten some great reviews, not to mention that Romantic Times gave it a Top Pick, and it’s Seal of Excellence for April!  (Yes, I’m proud.  I’m getting that stapled on my forehead.)

As you may also know, I made a book trailer to whet your appetites, and as usual, I’m so gratified that you guys seem to like it.  Everyone also seems to be curious about how it was made, so I present to you:

How I made my second book trailer, for around $70

            Obviously, given the title, this is not my first book trailer.  And for the basics of making your own book trailer, I wrote that blog too – if you haven’t already, go give it a read and then report back.

Everyone back?  Good.  Now, I can tell you what I learned in the process of creating my second book trailer is that the basics haven’t changed.   The idea is still the most important thing, and having it line up with your abilities to execute it crucial.  I still wrote out a beat sheet of what I wanted to have my book trailer look like, and I planned exactly what I would need ahead of time to make a stop-motion animation trailer with construction paper.

But, here’s the thing I learned from both my book trailers, but especially this second one: no matter how prepared you are, you have to be ready and able to go with the flow.  For example:

While shooting this book trailer, I had taken my still, digital camera and put it on a tripod.  But I need it to shoot directly at a flat surface, not from an angle.  So I ended up scouring my apartment, finding some painter’s tape, and taping the camera to a table, aiming the camera to the floor, where I place the blue background.

Also, the dots that connect England to Venice?  Thought of in the moment.  It was originally going to be a cut-out drawing of a ship, moving in each stop motion frame.  But the ship was not reading very well on camera, so we (my friends Natalie and Erica helped me with the animation) took some construction paper and a three-hole punch, and voila!  Little colored dots.

Now for what you’re really curious about – money.  I spent about $70 on making this trailer.  Up from the $5 I spent on my last one, but still, pretty fiscally conservative when it comes to book trailers.  I spent, according to receipts, $28.56 on paper supplies and printing (I might have bought a fancy sparkle pen for fun as well and threw that cost in there) and $39.99 was spent on a royalty-free version of the Minute Waltz.  (I was unable to find a free royalty piece that suited my needs this time around.) Still, a pretty good return on investment.

I think it turned out well.  I hope you like it.  And as always, until next time, happy reading!

p.s.  and if I had to do it over again, I would only change one tiny thing:  I would properly white-balance the camera.