So You Want to Make a Promo Video? by Glen Marcus (the reading strategies book .txt) 📖

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      First off, I will start by affirming that I am no wizard when it comes to video production. Most any “skill” that has accumulated to my credit of late, can be attributed to extensive trial and error. While there are many types of video producing and editing software available out there, this book will not delve into the nuts and bolts of producing. It will, in simple layman’s terms, describe how to dive into making your own short promotional videos. Your own software will dictate how you create and my hope is that this short will enlighten you enough to make an attempt. Simply put, “attempting and failing is not failing; failure is not to attempt.”
      While these are my opinions, I welcome the readers to contribute also. By sharing our thoughts and experiences the many will benefit.
      Good Luck!

STEP ONE: The Theme

      You’ve composed the manuscript and made a book. More often than not, hours of research and many more hours of editing have gone into your masterpiece. But your work is not over just yet. Now it’s your job to GET READS. A promotional video is a great way to catch a potential reader’s attention. BookRix has many avenues to showcase your promos, so why not take advantage of this platform? With that said, I hear the cries of “But how do I start?”
      Whether you’ve created a short story, novella or full-length novel, a basic thread runs through all of them. It’s your assignment to expose that gripping theme (that made you want to write about it in the first place) and highlight that in pictures and sound. Once you’ve established the main idea to convey, your artistic juices need to switch from the written to the visual.
      A storyboard is very helpful in assembling your initial ideas. Nothing elaborate, just sketch out how you envision the video might develop. For example, in a recent video I produced for a book of mine entitled ‘I’m Gonna Live Forever’, I felt as if the story needed a gentle touch on the screen. I saw flowers and trees blooming. I intermingled that with transitions describing young and blossoming love. The key for me was the last shot of a young woman, admiring the new blossoms on just such a tree. She was strategic for the video, just as anyone that has read the short knows, because the young woman was the main theme of the written word.
      Don’t try and do too much, too fast and don’t over think the process. Just gather ideas. Make several different storyboards if you like, each with slightly differing angles on the main idea. Once you’ve selected the path for your video, then the real work begins.

STEP TWO: The Art

      With the theme firmly planted in your mind and on the storyboard, the time has come to convert your ideas into images. Video is, of course, a visual art. Though you may choose to insert music or sound effects into the production, the images MUST do two things: Grab the viewer’s attention and convey the main idea or theme. One without the other and the project is a bust. You can choose provocative photos but if they don’t deliver your book’s theme, the project is incomplete. Conversely, you can get caught up into trying to tell the entire story and it may be too much for the viewer to comprehend. After all, this is a promotional video, not a movie. A balance must be struck and you, as producer, will have the final say.
      If you are an artist or photographer, collecting images won’t be a problem. But for the majority of us, it is. First and foremost, DO NOT USE COPYRIGHTED MATERIAL. This cannot be stressed enough. The quickest way to get into trouble is to plagiarize someone else’s hard work. The internet has a tempting variety of “free” images to choose from. And while I don’t condone labeling every image without a watermark, “public domain”, you take certain risks using photos you don’t own the rights to. Let your conscious be your guide and hopefully you’ll steer clear of litigation.
      “So how many pictures will I need?” That is a tough question. If your promo is a minute or less, you will probably only need a few. Captions, video effects and transitions use a surprising amount of your time. The average time for a photo to be exposed is seven to ten seconds, so my recommendation is the fewer the better. On longer projects, you may need more or you can “flash” multiple photos at a high rate of speed for a desired effect. Again, you are the producer, so you make the call.
      Most movie maker software incorporates a “drag and drop” application to insert the photos. Once you have the photos on your computer, simply insert them into the project in their proper order. Adjustments can be made by shifting order or simply using the UNDO button if you need to make changes.

STEP THREE: Time to Tell the Story

      Title screens can be used to transition between frames of photos or you may choose to caption the photos directly with text. I recommend keeping the words to a minimum, since as I said; a video is a visual medium. Let the pictures tell the story where possible. Background colors of the title screens may be changed to suit your mood, so black is not mandatory. But again, keep it simple. Constantly changing backgrounds with a rainbow of colors can be distracting…unless of course, you’re rewriting The Wizard of Oz. Another option is to use something like Windows Movie Maker “Auto Movie Themes”. This option basically sets the scenes for you. The drawback is, it limits your creativity and this format makes your videos look like everyone else’s that use this option.
      Like a book, the opening scenes are critical. You must grab the attention of the viewer with text, photo or both. Let them know of the journey they are about to undertake. Give the audience just enough to whet their appetite. Then reel them in with something shocking or revealing in the ending scene.
      For example, you have written a spy novel. The opening scene might be a dashing young man, dressed to kill with a caption saying, “Most might see Dirk as a businessman.” Then flash several single, quick frames of Paris, Washington D.C. and Afghanistan. Then fade to black and caption it with, “But that’s only his cover.” Simple and effective. The following scenes could zoom in and out on other photo aspects of the story with little or no description. This informs the viewer that Dirk is a man of mystery and the read will take them to exotic places in search of exciting adventure. Little can be much if it is produced properly.
      On the other hand, you may have to give more description. You may have a series in the works and if you feel the viewer hasn’t read of the character’s previous escapades, they may need help in catching up. In that case, give them the Cliff’s Notes version as quickly and as succinctly as possible. Then tease the new book as the final credits roll. Whatever the case, the utmost importance should be paid to getting the tease across.

STEP FOUR: Sounding Off

      If you are like me, while watching a feature film, you may not notice the background music selections. Either I am engrossed in the action or the plot may have me so involved that it has my total attention. But replay the same scene and eliminate the music…rest assured, the outcome falls flat. My point is, you can have all the right photos, captioned with just the right text, but the lack of music (or the right selection of music) kills the effect.
      As with images, copyrighted music is a no-no. That new Rihanna tune may fit your book’s theme perfectly, but unless you know her personally (and all her lawyers) don’t use the song in your promo. “Free” music sites are also mostly taboo. “So what are my options?”
      The easiest thing that I have found to do is open up a free YouTube account. After you polish up your video, simply upload it to your account. They have a feature called Audio Swap which enables you to sort through hundred of tunes. There are numerous types of music to select from and it is also arranged in clips of various lengths to fit your videos timeframe. Once you have chosen the perfect music, click swap audio and it lays down the track over your existing video.
      Furthermore, if you are feeling creative, most computers have sound recorders on them for capturing voice or music that can be laid in just like the images and text. It takes a little more practice, but the effect can be just the right thing to elevate your promo to star status.

TIPS AND HINTS: The Polish that Makes a Promo Shine

-Everyone will have to deal with transitions. They are the little effects that go in between the individual “scenes” of your video. Believe me, they can be annoying to master. Insert them wrong and your text from the previous photo bleeds over to the next picture. And with the wide array of different transitions and animations to choose from, don’t try to use them all in one video. Choose a few that have the desired look and stick with them. While it does take practice to make a “clean” transition, don’t let this dastardly little effect get in the way of your masterpiece.

-There are also many other neat features such as “Visual Effects” that can be used to manipulate your inserted images. I haven’t had the opportunity to blur an image or apply sepia to one yet, but it’s nice to know I can if the desire hits me.

-Animations, pan and zoom and cinematic effects are all handy tools to give that professional look to your project. All it takes is a little trial and error and before long you have what it takes to begin producing sharp videos that people will be complementing.

-Finally, a little trick I’ve learned is to go to my book’s page that I am promoting. Move the cursor over the cover picture and right-click on copy. Then I send that picture to my folder where I store the promo photos. This will allow me to drop in a photo of the book’s cover towards the end of the promo. It seems to be very effective and it lets the potential reader know which book to click on at your profile page. I usually include the web address to my profile page in the final credits also. I liken it to the GPS unit in my vehicle. Turn-by-turn directions are usually the best method to get people where you want them to go.


      So there you have it, my first blush at a How-To book on promos. I will continue to add to as the need arises and welcome any hints or tricks my friends out there have. If nothing else, just give it a try. You never know what benefits can be reaped until you sow a seed or two.