Book trailer conventions worth breaking

Are book trailers new enough that my making a single one qualifies me to dispense advice about them? Probably not, but then again, most of us sling opinions about things we’ve never done and never will do (play pro football, sing at the American Idol finals, be the leader of the free world).

And for what it’s worth, I did put in twice as much time on my trailer than I'd planned.

So…the following list of book trailer conventions worth breaking is not comprehensive, not ranked, and not likely to shatter the core of what you thought you knew, but will hopefully be helpful nonetheless:

#1 – keep it watchable (no matter the length)

Generally speaking, I think shorter is more strategic. But when someone says “It was too long,” what he probably means is “It’s not interesting enough.” Something longer and engaging is better than something short and forgettable. So rather than focusing on keeping it short, focus on keeping it watchable. (Book people tend to have longer attention spans anyway.)

#2 – show book interiors (picture books only)

If you have a clever way to do so, by all means. But if it will be just a pan-and-scan variation of the same samples that will be on Amazon, why bother? As with your book itself, take the trailer as an opportunity to give readers/viewers something they haven’t seen before…and won’t see elsewhere again. If you do include interiors, I encourage you to include something else as well.

#3 – explain the premise in detail

Surely your book is resplendent, but sell it with a tease, not a torrent. Think back cover, not inside front flap.

#4 – (related) use intertitles plentifully

Yes, books are read—but book trailers don’t have to be. Every project should take ample advantage of its medium. Therefore, in making a trailer, pay attention to words, yes, but also to sound, pacing, composition, and other aspects of filmmaking. In fact, a good challenge: use as few intertitles as you can.

#5 – avoid material that is not in the book

What for? You’re not studying for a test! Actually, an interesting tidbit that for whatever reason did not make it into your book could be the hinge of a good trailer! In ‘80s TV parlance, such a tidbit was often called a “blooper.” On DVDs and downloads, it is called a “deleted scene.” And in this case “deleted” is a positive; “deleted” = “I want.”

#6 – do not have Batman in your trailer

No, do. If your book allows for it, and you stick to fair use, and you can bribe someone to don the costume, you will confirm what Gotham City has known for 70+ years: it’s nice to have the Dark Knight on your side.

If you want to see examples of each of the above in action, here is my trailer.

You want your book to stand out so be sure your book trailer does, too. Good luck, multi-hyphenates!

"Lousy Reputation" by We Are Scientists

The trailer for Bill the Boy Wonder: The Secret Co-Creator of Batman features one of my favorite songs, "Try," by the (now-defunct) folk rock duo Billy Pilgrim. (These days, one is a wonderful solo singer-songwriter and the other is part of another talented band, Sugarland.)

Another top choice for the trailer was "Lousy Reputation" by We Are Scientists, one of whom I've had the pleasure of meeting at the Union League Club Book Fair.



It's a propulsive song and the lyrics sound as though they could have been written by Bill Finger about Bob Kane...or possibly the other way around.

"In terms of sheer goofy charm, it’s hard to resist"

Newsarama kindly mentioned my trailer for Bill the Boy Wonder: The Secret Co-Creator of Batman. But since when is dressing up in purple gloves and question marks goofy?

6/13/14 addendum: Glad I snagged the quotation when I did because the link is now down...

Behind the “Bill the Boy Wonder” book trailer

Without my longtime friend Christian, my book trailer for Bill the Boy Wonder: The Secret Co-Creator of Batman would have looked like the one for Boys of Steel: The Creators of Superman.

In other words, there wouldn’t be one.

This trailer is not the first big project Christian and I have undertaken together. We go back to a Styrofoam-ball solar system in fourth grade. Maybe you haven’t heard of it.

The trailer contains a few bloopers we know of and likely more we don’t. As for the former:

• Riddler’s costume does not have enough question marks. (I imagined we’d see only the forearm in his shot but we end up seeing some of his shoulder, too.)
• Did you spot the stray Whole Foods paper bag?

Not a blooper, but the man-on-the-street interviews contain a bit too much product placement. (Yet no payola.)

I wanted the Riddler scene to take place at night but it would have looked too dark without proper lighting (which we didn’t have).

We wanted to use an 8½ x 11 green envelope for Riddler’s note; that would’ve allowed Robin to remove the note without having to unfold it. However, I couldn’t find such an envelope in time.

In the “Robin approaching” shot, I was worried that the reflective Nike logo on the black running pants I was wearing would be visible. It was not.

In the Batcave computer room shot, I was worried that the cursor on the computer screens would be visible. It was not.

We didn’t shoot consecutively so I attempted to keep my stubble consistent. I think I failed, however.

The two buttons (Batman logo and MTN) were color printouts taped over Staples Easy buttons.

The paper didn’t adhere evenly to the buttons, so if the lighting were any better in that scene, the whole thing would’ve looked even cheesier.

It was hard to make out, but the ringing cell phone said “Batman.” If we had zoomed in any closer, it would’ve been too blurry.

It was daytime when we shot me looking out the window at the MTN-Signal, which is in the night sky. Clumsy filmmaking or subtle joke?

The quality of the Bill Finger voiceover is as good as we could get; it came from a reel-to-reel tape from 1972. It’s the first time the public has heard Bill’s voice.

I discovered the song “Try” in 1994 when it appeared in the “World Happiness Dance” scene of an episode of My So-Called Life. In the pre-Internet age, I had to buy a guy at ABC dinner for getting back to me with the name of the song (which, as I recall, wasn’t identified in the credits).

The man-on-street, Marc-on-the-street, Wayne Manor gate, “Batman calling,” and “calling Batman” scenes were shot in Maryland.

The Batcave and walking-to-car scenes were shot in Virginia.

Here’s where we went to dinner after the third (of three) shoots:

Yes, I was still wearing my Robin shirt. No, this was not planned.

Budget:

$144.30 supplies (primarily the costumes and the Staples Easy buttons)
$56.93 craft services (i.e. a couple of dinners for my crew, AKA Christian)

$201.23 total

Time put in (not counting undocumented prep time, drive time):

4 hours shooting 2/25/12
1 hour shooting 4/10/12
2 hours shooting 4/18/12
6 hours editing 4/22/12
1 hour editing post-4/22/12

14 hours total

I chose Riddler for the villain for several reasons:

• It lent itself the best to the set-up—namely, posing to Batman (and by extension the viewer) the question/riddle “Who created you (Batman)?”
• The Riddler costume is easily recognizable when only a fragment of it is shown.
• The Riddler was created by Bill Finger.

"Bill the Boy Wonder" - the book trailer

The Avengers is not the only superhero movie that opened this past week.

I am excited to unveil the book trailer for Bill the Boy Wonder: The Secret Co-Creator of Batman. (The budget was not quite The Avengers.)

My goal was to try to make it entertaining in its own right. Please stay till the end (through the credits). And if you like it, please spread the word!

Bat-Buttons

Why so mysterious?

Scouting Wayne Manor

I’m making a book trailer for Bill the Boy Wonder: The Secret Co-Creator of Batman. We’ve shot for a day and have the next (hopefully last) shoot date on the calendar. For that, I needed to try my hand at location scouting. For that shoot, we need a distinctive background.

We need Wayne Manor.

For those of you not wearing a Two-Face T-shirt or not awaiting your order of the complete series of Birds of Prey on DVD, allow me to explain:

Wayne Manor is the home of Bruce Wayne.

Bruce Wayne is the secret identity of Batman.

I gave myself an hour to find my mansion. I ended up with at least five candidates:





But I didn’t know who lived at any of those addresses. So I did a reverse-address search, found names (though still didn’t know if they were current), and sent letters to each asking if my crew and me (read: my friend and me) could shoot outside their front gate for about 15 minutes one evening at dusk.

Only one responded—but as luck has it, my favorite one.

Guess which?

The secret is out

 Immense thanks to Mary Trankel.

Vanished: The Movie Trailer

I was thrilled to stumble across a trailer for a (nonexistent) movie based on my nonfiction compilation book Vanished: True Stories of the Missing. I didn't know the person who made it but introduced myself!

Those glimpses of Indiana Jones and the Little Prince are not false advertising; both do figure into a story in the book. I especially love the text treatment at the end.

Robin three times...twice for Halloween

The character I dressed up as the most for Halloween was Superman (three times); Robin comes in second, at two; I do have a third image of me as Robin, but from summer. (I was Robin this often in part because I delusionally thought I resembled him; hence Batman didn't even place.)

circa 1980; note the inventive color choices

1988

last night; just kidding—today; just kidding—1995

4/17/12 addendum: 

  2012

7/14/19 addendum:

Not a full costume but I feel I should still include this rediscovered shot taken while “prepping” to “audition” for Robin for Batman Forever:

1993