Book Trailers

1
Book Trailers
2
Rationale

• There are many students who seem disengaged at
  school. It has been said that young people are
  not reading and wont write anymore than they
  absolutely must.
• Outside school however it is a different story.
  Studies have shown young people are reading and
  writing incessantly updating their
  MySpace/facebook pages keeping blogs and
  WebPages
• In other words they are reading and writing but
  in different modes and media to the more
  traditional print literacies of the 20th century.
  Indeed the definition of literacy is evolving all
  the time. Literacy can no longer just encompass
  print-only works. In the 21st century literacy
  must include digital hypertext images and the
  plethora of communication media that make up the
  complex systems that bound in todays world.
• The complexity of messages in todays world means
  that our students have to not only know how to
  read them but also know enough about them to be
  critical viewers with the power to analyse and
  understand the obvious and more obscure meanings
  of the messages around them
• Students are bringing multi-literacy skills to
  the classroom and teachers tap into their
  interests and skills and then enhance their
  students understanding of these various diverse
  texts. This will enable them to become skilled at
  critically viewing any of the diverse texts that
  is presented to them so that they can confidently
  use all the media around them to learn clarify
  and communicate information rather than by
  passive users who can be coerced confused and
  persuaded by the unscrupulous.

3
Some Statistics

• 73 or ¾ students on the internet watch or
  download videos
• ½ of the young internet users say they watch
  YouTube
• Many young people post videos to blogs and even
  more forward on a link in an email
• They are socializing researching playing games
  getting news via technologies.
• In schools we need to look at innovative ways to
  capture the interest and commitment of students
  to the understanding the deep-thinking and as the
  learning world because more and more immersive
  these initiatives are an important step.

4
Why Book Trailers

• Book trailers offer an alternative way to respond
  to some reading/a book ways that are creative
  but encourage critical thinking and analysis.
  Students can use
• still or moving images
• special effects
• recorded soundtrack
• voiceovers and/or music print text and
• cutting/editing techniques
• to share their interpretations and critiques of
  what they have read.
• Technology is not the goal. It is a means for
  students to explore a variety of literacies and
  ways of communicating their response to their
  reading. Visual aural indeed many learning
  styles and modes can be used It can help
  reluctant readers and writers by offering them a
  chance to use methods that interest them and that
  make use of other strengths that they may have.

5
Finding book trailers

• Whilst looking at the some publishers websites I
  saw a few different book trailers.
• They were interesting but there was nothing there
  that I believed our students were capable of
  creating some.
• When I went looking specifically for book
  trailers I found many more. They were varied in
  their levels of skill approaches to the books
  they were publicising and the reasons for their
  creation.
• In the US they seemed to be encouraging all sorts
  of people to create trailers the authors for
  their own books readers of all levels and
  professional film people.
• The trailers were shown by libraries used by
  publishers and in schools. There are competitions
  run by publishers and others for the best books
  trailers.

6
Process

• Choose a book
• Read the book
• Analyse the book - what was good unique
  interesting etc list/brainstorm/mindmap
• Write a first draft impressions feeling
  important points
• Create a storyboard
• Plan effects (transitions sound colouring etc)
• Review the plan with teachers other students
• Create the trailer

• Show the students some different examples of book
  trailers. Let them see/hear and critique them.
• http//www.youtube.com/watchvYEwCK_DJZXI
• http//www.youtube.com/watchvoXxSn7NScww
• http//www.youtube.com/watchv4bVZQvy0vN8
• http//www.youtube.com/user/PenguinYoungReaders

7
The Product

• There can be an amazing array of approaches.
• The product can be used to entice other reader by
  playing it on electronic screens within the
  school/library.
• The trailers can be out up on blogs webpages
  etc. and shared with others beyond the
  classroom/school so they are used by others not
  just a class assignment never to be revisited.
• An Assessment Rubric can be found at
• http//reading-active-and-engaging.wikispaces.com/
  BookTrailers-AssessmentRubric

8
Tools

• The students used Audacity (to put together
  sound) Ulead VideoStudio to create the video
• Use Creative Commons sites to find licensed
  images and sounds/music.
• Images
• Video cameras and other digital cameras could be
  borrowed by the students to take the shots they
  needed.
• Sound
• Some music students at the school were also happy
  to help create music and sound for the students
  doing the trailers.

• Sites for
• Images
• FlickrCC
• FlickrStorm
• Compfight
• FlickrLeech
• Wikimedia Commons
• Sound
• ccMixter (sound)
• The freesound project (sound)
• Soundsnap (sound effects and loops)

9
Some Points to Note

• Have a hook for the audience.
• Get people interested in/excited about the book.
• Grab their attention from the first second
• Dont have too much text
• Set the mood and convey the feeling of the book
• Length is important. Not too long or too short
  just give a quick taste of the book.
• Be mysterious
• Look at the concept behind the story and dont
  focus on the details of the book (the minutiae)
• Music and sound is essential