tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6498739347909985243.post8728991468196971961..comments2024-03-28T07:09:28.500+00:00Comments on The Speculative Scotsman: Opinionated Speculations: Book Trailer ParkAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08713791516631476930noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6498739347909985243.post-43856547700012264422010-03-03T00:00:56.379+00:002010-03-03T00:00:56.379+00:00Thanks for the positive feedback on my promo for Y...Thanks for the positive feedback on my promo for Yann Martel's Life of Pi.<br /><br />It's worth noting that movie that you show here was actually just the side effect of a larger interactive promo that I created for Canongate. It's still online at http://pi.flamjam.com/life_of_pi.htm but I see it incorrectly suggest you need to update your Flash player. Just click on the 'Have we got it wrong' link.<br /><br />Working on a book promo is quite different from other marketing projects, as there is always the desire to build on the narrative of the book itself which can pull against the requirement to stay true to author's vision. A big factor is that one has no visual assets to work with, with the exception of the jacket artwork, which usually arrives at the eleventh hour.<br /><br />In the case of Life of Pi, I met Jamie Byng and Peter Collingridge in the bar of the Filmhouse in Edinburgh in 2002, and Jamie handed me the manuscript telling me that this was a book that would make me believe in God. The only brief was to create something beautiful inspired by the book. Nobody had done anything like this online yet, and so we were in virgin ground with an amazingly foresighted client whose primary driving force was to create something beautiful, with the assumption that it would be a marketing success because of this.<br /><br />I've worked on many book promos since, and with a couple of exceptions, I feel 'marketing' has always stood in the way of greatness.<br /><br />A few months after being handed the manuscript I had dinner at Jamie's home in Edinburgh with Yann and a handful of other interesting people. We went through the sketch book into which I'd been dumping my response to the story, and spent a fantastic evening discussing the direction the promo could take. <br /><br />Yann was extremely supportive, even agreeing to stay up late one night in Germany where he was staying, to call my home in Glasgow after my family had gone to bed, and the noise from the road outside had died down for the evening, so I could record him reading my favourite scenes for inclusion in the promo.<br /><br />The promo for Life of Pi is a mixture of cinema and interactivity, with hidden scenes for those with the desire to stray off the beaten path. Being an interactive Flash project did cause some issues when it came to showing it offline, so I exported highlights to a short Quicktime sequence which is what you have here.<br /><br />I really enjoyed your article, and yes book promos are not for everyone, but to quote Bill Cosby, I don’t know the key to success, but the key to failure is trying to please everybody.<br /><br />Best,<br />Hoss.Hoss Giffordhttp://hossgifford.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6498739347909985243.post-68228269379216197572010-02-25T10:17:46.218+00:002010-02-25T10:17:46.218+00:00I think the reason for book trailers is to just ha...I think the reason for book trailers is to just have another way to get the book noticed, another tool for publishers to use for creating buzz and I don't see anything wrong with them. I don't have an aversion to them and I've watched some, although I will admit that it will always be the synopsis on the back cover that will get me buy the book. However, I have investigated a book I had no knowledge about after seeing a book trailer, and that's what it's all about IMO :)Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13838008635965872830noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6498739347909985243.post-71644474341571565792010-02-24T23:17:57.699+00:002010-02-24T23:17:57.699+00:00I've never even looked at a book trailer, and ...I've never even looked at a book trailer, and I do not see the point of them AT ALL. Surely reading the description of the book from Amazon or the publisher's website achieves more than watching some trailer? I mean, correct me if I'm wrong, but you read the book, right? You're not going to watch it? So why watch a trailer of the book? Definitely not for me.Magemandahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08986754628836562869noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6498739347909985243.post-22321276335098230222010-02-24T19:22:54.899+00:002010-02-24T19:22:54.899+00:00I've never bought a book because of a book tra...I've never bought a book because of a book trailer. Usually, when I see a trailer, I roll my eyes, cringe, and make a mental note not to read it. So far I've not seen a single trailer for a book that I've enjoyed. Perhaps if they were given proper "commercial appeal" then they would be better, but until then, it's like a few high schoolers got together and made a montage.logankstewarthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12269634215857320344noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6498739347909985243.post-89513757137538286332010-02-24T19:10:01.936+00:002010-02-24T19:10:01.936+00:00Oh, Aidan, it's good to know I can always coun...Oh, Aidan, it's good to know I can always count on you for such considered opinion! ;)<br /><br />Famed Shakin' Stevens lookalike Mark Charan Newton has pointed me towards another trailer since I wrote this post, in fact: for two forthcoming Black Library books, and though it's unlike any of the others showcased in this article, I kind of like it. It's lo-fi, but down-to-earth - certainly the sort of trailer that would entice me into buying a book I otherwise wouldn't. Have a look-see for yourselves here, readers:<br /><br />http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=viFLhyJXqNQAnonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08713791516631476930noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6498739347909985243.post-87969688865186509482010-02-24T19:03:09.299+00:002010-02-24T19:03:09.299+00:00Even good book trailers (of which there are few) a...Even good book trailers (of which there are few) are laaaaaaaaaaame.Aidan Moherhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11680602160285884082noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6498739347909985243.post-9501742051775649412010-02-24T19:00:05.577+00:002010-02-24T19:00:05.577+00:00I think they are cute and enjoyable and sometimes ...I think they are cute and enjoyable and sometimes hook me in to go and see who is talking about the book. <br />Like most of the online marketing it seems to be about raising the general consciousness of your book existing rather than watch trailer = instant purchase.Adelehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12876050775872445521noreply@blogger.com