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The Winner of Stuck in Neutral by Terry Trueman is . . .Lori Kadosh of Austin, Texas!!! Congratulations, Lori! Please email Kimberley at kglittle@msn.com with your snail mail address and your copy of Stuck in Neutral, will be on its way to you! |
| THE MAKING OF A BOOK TRAILER by Kimberley Griffiths Little
Over the last 2-3 years book trailers have become the new rave for book lovers, whether you're a reader or a writer. A book trailer is just like a movie trailer-a 1-2 minute tease or preview of the story and plot.
About 75% of all new books each year have a book trailer created for it - and many students and kids and teens are creating book trailers for their favorite books. Just go to YouTube and see all the fan-made book trailers for Twilight, for example.
Some book trailers are created by the author, some by the publisher, and some by a combination of the two or in conjunction with a trailer making company.
Book trailers can by humorous, spooky, or suspenseful. In the beginning, book trailers were created with still photography or images, and a running line of text to explain the storyline with music added that fit the mood of the book. Recently, book trailers are being created with live action filming and voice-overs.
 Ever since book trailers hit the YouTube and blogging scene, I've been gobbling up the newest ones for Young Adult and Middle-Grade novels and I couldn't wait to do my own for The Healing Spell (Scholastic, 2010).
By the time I started thinking about the script for my book trailer I realized that I didn't have the computer software or any movie-making experience, but I'd watched a couple hundred book trailers and had spent a lot of time thinking about what worked and what didn't and what I wanted to do differently.
Shayne was an absolute delight to work with. I sent her a synopsis and details of my story and she went to work searching for free images that could visually tell the story. I spent a lot of time searching, too, and I began to realize that it was proving difficult to find the specialized images for the swamps and magical elements that were a part of The Healing Spell.
I was having a difficult time finding the right music to evoke the feeling and setting of the novel, too.
Since every book trailer at this point was a line of running text (or text fading in and out) I decided that it would be very different and wonderful to create a voice-over instead, but neither she nor I had the capability at that point.
I wrote a script for the voice-over and turned to my long-time friend, Cindy-Rae Jones who, with her son Bet, had recently launched their own music business, writing and creating music as well as building their own sound studio. Nua Music was born. They also specialized in sound design. (Listen for all the critters, gators and special effects when you watch the trailer!)
Shayne turned over the images she'd found - about half within the final trailer - and I went to Louisiana on another research trip to take more pictures of what I needed. I also spent hours creating the images I couldn't find or took them myself with a new camera
The response has been overwhelming. Everyone who sees it says it's the best trailer they've ever seen. My book trailer was even a finalist in School Library Journals first ever book trailer contest so the result has been very satisfying.
I just finished the editorial and production work with Scholastic for my next novel, Circle of Secrets (October 2011) and Nua Music and I are already talking about ideas for this new trailer. I've written the script and we're planning a research trip to New Orleans in June to do live filming-so it will be filmed like a real movie instead of the photography still shots.
My friends at Nua Music say that this next book trailer will be even better! Hey, I'm sold!
You can listen to the full original song written for my book trailer AND download it to your Ipod or computer for FREE!!!
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Special Column Q&A with Elementary School Librarian Cynthia Stogdill by Kimberley Griffiths Little |
Are YOU interested in helping your students create book trailers of their own for their favorite book? I discovered a wonderful librarian from an elementary school in Nebraska, Cynthia Stogdill, who just finished this terrific experience with her students. She graciously agreed to let me pick her brain on how she accomplished this in the short time span of a mere two weeks! Here's our discussion: Kimberley: How did you first come up with the idea to have your students create book trailers?
Cynthia: My daughter's former teacher introduced me to book trailers. She used them in her classroom for different things and she knew I was in "library school." I was brainstorming for different ideas for my after school reading enrichment program, and I thought book trailers would be something we could try. I try to incorporate some creativity, as well as higher level thinking in our activities. My activity units run for two weeks. We meet on two afternoons a week so everyone has an opportunity to participate at some time. For this activity we did the planning one day, filmed on two days, and had our screening party on the last day.
Kimberley: How did you choose the books? Cynthia: I let the students pick the books they wanted to feature. The only stipulation was that they had to have read the book at some time.
Kimberley: How was it set up? Did they work by classes or in teams? Which grades were involved?
Cynthia: This activity was part of the after-school reading enrichment program. It is open to our students in grades 1-4, and we also have some older students drop by, as well. The students created individual book trailers, but were supported by their peers.
They discussed their ideas with each other offering ideas and suggestions before we started the taping process. I really stress character development with my students, so I insisted that they be constructive and supportive with each other. A few of the students chose not to participate, but they stayed close by, watched, and offered support to the other students.
We kept the process pretty simple and kept the length to less than a minute. That forced the students to be concise and to the point.
Kimberley: Did they write their own script? Did they storyboard it out like a movie?
Cynthia: I provided the students with a brief questionnaire to help them outline their book trailer. It consisted of the book's title, author and/or illustrator, and brief summary of the book. It also included a comment on why someone should or would want to read that particular book. I encouraged them to prepare that ahead of time and use it as a guide when they were practicing.
Some students followed their outline very closely, and some didn't use a guide at all. Additionally, I used the questionnaire as a springboard to get them to really think about their book and why they would recommend it to someone. I really wanted them to move to a reflective level of thought. In general, I think they accomplished this because they were discussing their choices with each other.
Kimberley: How did they film the trailers? What technology did you use?
Cynthia: I did all the filming with my Flip video camera. It is easy to use, has a two hour memory, and long battery life. My kids use it to film plays, sock monkeys, and our pets all the time. It might sound like a commercial, but it is a great all purpose camera at an affordable price. It was perfect for this project.
Kimberley:Did you use any music/song background for the trailers?
Cynthia: Some of the book trailers have a background sound track. I ripped short pieces of music and overlapped them to create a repeating background track. I avoided using whole pieces of music for copyright reasons.
Kimberley: How were they edited? How many book trailers were created all together?
Cynthia: I used Windows Moviemaker to create the book trailers - I am a PC person. After doing some research, I chose this software for our project. Ideally, something like Garage Band would have been perfect, but I didn't have ready access to that software. Moviemaker allowed me to edit the clips, piece them together with transitions, add titles and credits, and soundtrack. The software then allows you to transfer the videos onto a DVD.
One can also use photos instead of video clips, so that is an option. (Like The Healing Spell - which is a great example of another way to do a book trailer!!!!) Video can be a big challenge but nothing a brave librarian can't handle.
My students were younger, so the editing process rested on my shoulders and we kept it really simple. We created about twelve book trailers that were thirty to sixty seconds long. That translated into about eight hours of editing. I think older students would have a great time creating and editing their own work. If a librarian had access to a good editing program and time to familiarize students with its workings, this would make a great performance assessment.
Kimberley: Did you have any sort of competition with the book trailers? Prizes? Cynthia: Nope, just for fun. In the future, I would have an awards ceremony and find some plastic statues to give to the students - similar to the Oscars. Just for the fun of it. Kimberley: What was your culminating activity to show off the book trailers? Cynthia: We finished the book trailer activity with a screening party. The students had popcorn and pretzels, and they were sprawled out on the floor. It really was like a movie party. We watched all the book trailers and then I created a Blooper video with some of their outtakes and mistakes. That was the last thing on the DVD. I think we watched the entire DVD three times.
Our screening also fell on parent teacher conferences and our Book Fair. I had given the DVD to the principal after our party, and she actually had it running in a conference room for parents to stop in and watch.
Kimberley: What a great, easy way to let the parents see the book trailers of their children!
Cynthia: Looking back, I wish we would have had the DVD running for both nights of parent-teacher conferences and the Book Fair. Unfortunately, we had some snow days and I really wanted the students to be the first ones to watch the DVD.
In closing, this was not a complicated process. The Moviemaker program takes a little practice, but it was fun and pretty straightforward. This activity will definitely make an appearance in the future. I am so proud of the students and their focus and commitment to putting together something really special.
Kimberley: You make this whole process seem very doable for any school or classroom. Thank you so much, Cynthia, for being with us here at SPELLBINDERS. What a treat!
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Kimberley's Book Buzz Kimberley Griffiths Little |
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Kimberley Griffiths Little |
This month we're all about the Book TRAILER Buzz so I thought I'd throw out a few more intriguing book trailers for you to view and get an idea of the sheer variety of trailers there are out in the world. Every trailer is different, just like every story is different, whether told through a movie, short story, or novel.
As mentioned above in the Feature Article, just a mere two years ago book trailers were the *new* thing in book publicity and marketing. Using a social and visual media - as well as an online media that kids and teens really tune into - seemed like a great way to reach potential readers. Now book trailers are practically part of the standard promotion package for the launch of a new book.
It is true that most trailers have been produced for Young Adult novels, which makes sense since YA trailers are more easily geared to teens who are online. Elementary age students' online activities are much more parentally-controlled and supervised. Teens are blogging and Face-booking like crazy. Third-graders are not. But since book trailers in general have become so popular, middle-grade novels as well as picture books are being made into trailers.
Here are a few for your enjoyment. AND don't forget that you can always do a search on Google or You Tube by plugging in the title and/or author of a book and find out within seconds if there's been a book trailer created for it. Then pass the link along to your friends, family, students or children!
Book trailers are truly enhancing the reading experience - which is a very good thing for book lovers and those who are trying to encourage the young people in their life to become book lovers. A win-win situation all around!
(Note: Each link embedded within the book title will take you to the book trailer at YouTube. If your school computer doesn't allow this be sure and follow the links within this issue at home and don't miss out!)
First up is your SPELLBINDER'S book trailers!
A story of gators and magic and sisters and secrets on the bayou. While hiding a pet baby alligator as well as a terrible secret, Livie must travel deep in the forbidden swamp to get a healing spell from the mysterious folk healer .
Seventeen-year-old Dylan is trying to get his life together so he can be with rich, beautiful Jess, but trouble seems to follow him everywhere. On the run from the law and an LA gang, he goes to Texas to find his father who is on death row. He wants to know if badness is in his blood, or if it is something he can outrun.
Owen Jester has captured the biggest, greenest, slimiest, most beautiful bullfrog ever and named it Tooley Graham, but this is not Owen's fantastic secret. That arrives the night he hears something fall off a passing train . . .
Historical fiction set in 1855 about a girl on a ship from San Francisco to Australia, and a treasure map that leads to a magical stone. Danger and romance included!
Beautiful Creatures is a delicious southern Gothic that charms you from the first page, drawing you into a dark world of magic and mystery.
Kimberley Griffiths Little is the author of: The Healing Spell (Scholastic) Circle of Secrets (Scholastic, October 2011)
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The Secret Language of Stories Carolee Dean |
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| Carolee Dean |
Since this month's issue is all about book trailers, I will discuss how to use book trailers for inspiring reading as well as supporting curriculum through the Multiple Intelligences. First I'd like to start out by talking about my new book trailer for Take Me There.
I had a specific vision for this story of a dyslexic poet on the wrong side of the law who is trying to turn his life around so he can be with the girl he loves. Because the novel includes many original poems, and because I have background in music, I wanted my trailer to look like a music video.
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| Cover for Take Me There |
I dusted off my old guitar, took one of the poems from the book, and turned it into a song. Then I set out looking for someone who could take the outline I had created and turn it into a video. I was lucky enough to find Josh Stuyvesant, a local film student, Josh has a friend, Kyle Ruggles, who is a fabulous musician. Kyle took the melody line and guitar chords I had created and turned the music into something quite extraordinary. Kyle and Josh are in the process of launching a new venture called WRITER'S BLOCK, where they hope to help other authors and business people promote their products through video. To visit Writers Block Go To Writers Block
Working on this project with Josh and Kyle reminded me of all the different ways we can connect with stories. Howard Gardner, in his groundbreaking book, Frames of Mind: The Theory of Multiple Intelligences, along with his subsequent works, has discusses the fact that students should have the opportunity to demonstrate their understanding of a subject in ways that make sense to them, according to their various areas of strength or intelligence.
Providing students with opportunities to make book trailers gives them the chance to use their strengths to demonstrate how they connected with a particular story. When they share their trailers with others, they encourage them to get excited about books. Book trailers can be made available in the library for students to view when considering what books they may want to read.
Below is a list of a few of the ways that making book trailers can support the various intelligences.
Spatial Intelligence refers to the ability to envision a final product. Students use spatial intelligence when deciding which visual images to use to depict various parts of a story. Choosing photographs or creating pictures for a slide show as well as staging a scene to video tape all rely on spatial intelligence.
Linguistic Intelligence refers to the use of words in either written or spoken form. Students use linguistic intelligence when writing a script for a video, composing lines for a voice-over, or deciding which words will appear on screen with which visual images.
Logical-Mathematical Intelligence is displayed through reasoning, performing calculations, and recognizing patterns. The video editing process involves taking visual images, whether in slides or video clips, and connecting these with sound. The film editing process requires sequencing and understanding of programs such as Movie Maker, which is available through most Microsoft Word programs.
Bodily-Kinesthetic Intelligence addresses the body motion, timing, and reflexes - skills required in sports, dance, and acting as well as the type of muscle memory that is required to play an instrument. Students use this type of intelligence when they act or dance in videos and when they pose for still shots for slide shows. Playing an instrument also involves this type of intelligence as does handling video equipment.
Musical Intelligence has to do with awareness of sounds and rhythms. People who play instruments, sing, or compose background music for a video demonstrate this type of intelligence, but so do people who simply select a piece of music that conveys the mood of a story.
Interpersonal Intelligence refers to people who interact well with others. Students who serve as directors to oversee a final product are using interpersonal intelligence.
Intrapersonal Intelligence relates to having self-reflection, intuition, and understanding of personal feelings and motivations. Students demonstrate intrapersonal intelligence when they view book trailers and are then asked to write about their personal responses to the videos and use that information to select a story they might want to read.
Naturalistic Intelligence has to do with having a relationship to one's natural surroundings. Students use naturalistic intelligence when they go outdoors to film or take photographs and have to incorporate things like lighting and weather into their final product. Deciding which elements of nature found in the limited surrounding of the school grounds can be made to fit into the setting of the novel, also incorporates this type of intelligence.
Book trailers are great ways for students to show their connection to a book as well as to promote books to their peers. For an example of how I created a "script" for my book trailer, visit the blog on my website at www.caroleedean.com Carolee Dean is a high school speech-language pathologist and author of: COMFORT (Houghton Mifflin) TAKE ME THERE (Simon Pulse) NO WAY OUT (Simon Pulse, 2012)
To find out about her books, writing activities, and author/poet visits, go to her website. |
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Take Me There by Carolee Dean
Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margie Stohl
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