I’m holding a book trailer contest for kids in grades 4+. The winning trailer will be the OFFICIAL trailer for Days That End in Y (due out in February) and the winning filmmaker will get all sorts of fun stuff like signed books, a prize package from Scholastic Canada, and his/her school will win an author visit from me!
For inspiration I thought I would give some examples of really cool trailers.
WHO COULD THAT BE AT THIS HOUR?
It helps that this book has awesome graphics from Seth, which are perfect source material for an animated trailer. This is also a great example of an effective and simple voice-over.
INSURGENT
This is a simple concept, extremely well done. No actors, no voice over, just images and music in a perfect combination. I know it got my heart racing!
THE ONE AND ONLY IVAN
This one always makes me tear up a little. I blame the haunting cello in the background. Again, this is a very simple concept, featuring still artwork and quotations.
THE SELECTION
Here is an example of a live action trailer, featuring actors. What I love about this trailer is that it gives a sense of the book while not actually being a scene, requiring actors to memorize lines, perform stunts, or do anything too crazy. Simple and effective!
For more tips, hints, and trailers visit:
The Director’s Cut -Check out some book trailers made by students!
Scholastic Videos in the Stacks– Check out some book trailers from Scholastic US!
Book Trailers for Readers – Check out some book trailers made by a librarian in the US!
Vikki VanSickle 