Capture That Story (Film, Edit and Publish Your Book Trailer)

Greetings innovative teachers, librarians, home schoolers, scout troop leaders and readers interested in books and technology! Today's post offers parts five and six of my lesson plan for a hands-on, self-guided Book Trailer Project that you can incorporate into your own learning environment.

As I noted in an earlier post, I'm embarking on a quest to capture video footage of story time experiences  involving books in my Story Time with Signs and Rhymes series and/or book trailers for titles in my series. For a limited time, I will provide a complimentary Skype/Facetime or Email Author visit with any group that shares a video of this nature that is suitable and available for upload to YouTube.

So far I've Introduced the Project and Provided Sample Book Trailers and discussed Choosing a Book and Planning Your Book Trailer. This week's focus is on Filming, Editing and Publishing Your Book Trailer.

Part Five: Film and Edit Your Book Trailer

Film and edit your book trailer using the tips and guidelines described in this website (developed by Michelle Harclerode, a Teacher Librarian in Florida).

Additional Resources

*If you decide to include background music in your trailer, be sure to use royalty free music (or obtain the proper rights to the music).  Mrs. Hembree, a teacher in Seattle, Washington, who has done book trailer projects in her classroom suggests that students use the royalty free music from Kevin MacLeod on his website, Incompetech.com. He shares his music for free for others to use as long as you give him credit. 

If you want to use pictures or other images in your book trailer, it’s important that you find images that are “copyright friendly” (i.e. so you are not using someone else’s copyright protected files). If you use Google Advanced Image Search, at the very bottom of the screen, next to the option for “usage rights,” click on one of the “free to use” choices. This will filter your image search so that you only get images that are copyright friendly.  The Rochester High School website also has lots of links for other copyright friendly resources.   

Photo Credit: ABDO Publishing Group

*If you want jpegs of the book covers in the Story Time with Signs & Rhymes series, or a picture of me, those resources can be found here.  

*If you want access to electronic/PDF files of any of the books in the Story Time with Signs & Rhymes series (beyond what is available via the Google eBook previews ), please contact me, so I can put you in touch with my publisher.

Part Six: Publish and Announce Your Book Trailer

If you’d like to share your finished project with me, message me or let me know via comment, and we'll make arrangements so I can get a link to your video and plan for your complimentary author visit via Skype/Facetime or Email.  I can’t wait to see your work (and, if I have your permission, and the permission of those who have been filmed, I’ll share it with others). Even if you don't share your work with me, I hope you had fun and learned a lot and will share feedback about your experience with me.  

*Need inspiration? Here is a link to a video project produced by two fifth grade boys.  I think they did a great job, don't you agree?!

*If you really enjoyed this project, and/or you want to do something similar, (and you can finish your project before February 1, 2013), there is a fun, 90-Second Newbery Book Film Festival that you might want to participate in. The Multnomah County Library, in Portland, Oregon, my hometown, is one of the national screening locations. You can find out more about this project here and here.