Last week I gave you a general idea on how to make a movie trailer. This week, I want to share mine with you and tell you the exact steps I took to do so.
My pc came with Windows Live Movie Maker. I didn’t know how to use it so I just jumped in and tried to figure it out. It is a lot like making a Power Point presentation that I had experience with, so I knew I could do it.
I started by clicking the button for “add videos and photos” since I knew pretty much what I wanted to do. At this point, I had NOT made a storyboard or list, but I thought the “elevator speech” I had ready would be the basic outline. If you don’t know about an “elevator speech”, it is something attendees at conferences learn to use if riding an elevator with one of the agents or publishers. It is how to pitch your book in 30 seconds or less, the time you have to ride the elevator to their floor.
After adding a bunch of sample pictures and one video to the “collection,” I was able to arrange them in any way I wanted by click and drag. Getting the hang of it now, I choose to add music. There was a sample audio that came with my pc so I used that and it lined itself up over the photos in the pane. Note that if you are using Windows Movie Maker (for other versions of the operating system), you may have areas at the bottom of your screen where you drag your photos and the music. Next, I tried to add a webcam video of myself, but I couldn’t figure out how, so I just loaded a picture of myself. Then I played around with the Title, Caption and Credits option on the menu. Under Video Tools menu option, I was able to select how long I wanted each photo/video to appear. I chose 15 second duration. The same options and more are available under the Music Tools option, including fade in and fade out. Under Animations, I could choose the transition from one photo to the next. There are many, but I selected “Dissolve rough.” I was getting excited now. There are pan and zoom options , which I left at the default since I like my dissolve as it is. I didn’t use any of the Visual Effects but you may like them. Now I played what I had and immediately knew I was ready to try the real thing.
I made up my storyboard/list. Here’s what I outlined (but note I did not follow it exactly in the final product): Storyboard for Blood Ties
- Book Cover: Blood Ties: The Souvenir Killer, By Kathy McKenzie-Runk
- Picture: palm trees
- Text: In a peaceful little community in Florida
- Picture: small white shoes
- Text: A child is found murdered
- Picture: BIRD ON REEDS
- Text: A decomposed torso is recovered in the Everglades
- Picture: Sheriff badge
- Text: Sheriff Mackenzie Scott must track down the killer or killers
- Picture: Teenage girl
- Text: The sheriff’s daughter is also missing
- Picture: DNA or blood
- Text: The murderer’s DNA matches the sheriff’s
- Picture:
- Text: Since the sheriff was adopted as an infant, Is a biological relative responsible?
- End: Follow Mackenzie on his journey to find the answers.
Now I didn’t find all these photos free, but I found some that were better at http://www.dreamstime.com. I only purchased one photo for one credit (the way they sell photos), which was about $.20. It is the one of the dead body that I liked better than the free small white shoes. I had to search the internet to find the free music at http://www.jewelbeat.com.
I tested the waters by creating a movie for email, which worked beautifully and was a relatively small file. I also uploaded to Facebook, which was a huge file (30 mg.!) I don’t have any DVD’s at home, but that I will try next.
I hope this helps you to make your own trailer. I can’t wait to start the next one “Murder in the Caribbean” and I already have ideas for the book I’m starting next “Murder at the Zoo.”
Have fun! I did! If you need help, email me at kathy@kathymckenzierunk.com. Click on any of the parts of my storyboard list to view the video on YouTube.
Kathy
From Junior Journalist to Mystery Writer 