Sunday, July 30, 2006

Trailered out.

I've had a few late nights working on the editing of my trailer. Once I get an idea I can't let it go. I think it's pretty much there and I'm really pleased with the result. In the end I decided not to use a Snoopy ring binder. So I was able to let go of that little obsession.

It's raw and minimalist, maybe a little like the book?

I will be revealing all soon. But I need to live with it for a while.

Oh, if anyone has any thoughts on how I can circulate a trailer to as many people as possible, I'd appreciate hearing them. There's the problem, you see. Once you've made the thing, what do you do with it?

In the meantime the relentless plugging must go on. And there's nothing you or I can do to stop it.

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

Roger, I've just read a previous post of yours and followed a link and I now have a better understanding of book trailers. Thank you for that.

But I'm not sure that book trailers are a good thing. And that thought has given me inspiration for a post on my own blog. It boils down to this - when you create a visual of the novel/book, you immediately take a chunk away from the reader's own imagination. A reader reads a story and creates in his/her own mind how it looks and how the characters appear. A visual trailer removes a big chunk of that by creating a done deal. If actors get involved, it might make it worse.

I say this as a reader who hates to see something on screen before reading the novel. A novel is pure; a dramatised programme is some others' interpretation of it, from script writer through to director. A trailer seems to me to be a condensed version of the same, unless it stops at the graphics of the cover and a talkover that remains just that.

Roger Morris said...

Ah but the trick is not to give anything away, I think. Though I do agree that there is a danger of influencing the reader's imaginative reactions. But then again even cover art can do that. Especially these days when there is a tendency to use photos in cover art, casting models to represent characters.

I feel that a trailer could be a moving (as in motion) version of a possible cover, not necessarily the same one that the book has. It's interesting though and I think your reservations are valid.

monideepa sahu said...

Hi Roger. I think you're doing great. I'm learning a lot from your plog. all the best!

Roger Morris said...

Thanks for looking in, Moni! How are you doing?

Anonymous said...

Roger, the best way to distribute your trailer is to upload it to youtube. More and more people are sharing youtube videos, I just linked to a Chinese KFC ad that I was writing about. It's amazing when writing about an ad on Chinese TV to just be able to say, look, you can watch it at youtube. A great site.

http://www.youtube.com/

Roger Morris said...

Tom, you'll be getting a look all right! Thanks for the tip, Joel. You reckon youtube is better than the other places? I put it up there briefly, just to check it, but the quality seemed really degraded. I'll have a nother go when I'm ready.