Book Trailer Guide Template

Step 1: What are book trailers?

A book trailer is a video advertisement for a book that promotes the book and encourages people to read it (like a movie trailer!).

• PowerPoint Introduction to the Book Trailer Project
• Grading Rubric for this assignment

Step 2: Get inspired!

Watch and critique other book trailers. What worked, and what didn't work?

• Examples from the PowerPoint
• Book Trailers for Readers
• Slime Kids Book Trailers
• Middle School Book Trailers (Youtube)
• Book Trailers on School Tube
• YA Book Trailers from Publishers

Step 3: Start planning.

What aspects of your book do you want to highlight? How will you hook potential readers? What sort of media will you need?

• Complete this pre-planning worksheet when you are finished reading your book.
• Next, start mapping out your book trailer on this Storyboard worksheet.

Step 4a: Find media to support your vision!

What images are you hoping to find? Videos? Music? Sound effects? Save everything that has the potential for being useful... you never know where your creativity will lead you!

• Check out this "Creative Resources" Symbaloo webmix to access links to excellent, copyright-friendly media sites. See Step 4b for more information on copyright considerations.

Step 4b: Be a responsible digital citizen...respect copyright licenses.

Do not assume that you may use a piece of media simply because there are no copyright notices. All creative works are automatically protected by copyright law. Err on the side of caution, and take the opposite approach... if it says that you may use it, you may use it!

Some basic guidelines:

• If you plan on doing a Google image search, be sure to use the Advanced Image Search, and set the usage rights (on the bottom) to "free to use, share, or modify."
• Creative Commons licenses to go by: CC-BY, CC-BY-NC
• It is Fair Use for you to use 10% or 30 seconds of a popular song--provided that you cite your sources.
• If the media is listed as "Public Domain," you don't need to provide us with the MLA citation. In your Works Cited, simply mention where you got it. For example: Public Domain images taken from Pixabay.

Step 4c: Download AND save your media.

Once you have selected your copyright-friendly images, videos, and sound, be sure to take the following steps:

1. Download each item, and save it in your student drive in a "Book Trailer" folder.
2. Keep track of where you found the media. You will need to create a Works Cited page documenting all the media you end up using in your trailer.
3. For now, simply copy and paste the website links (the pages on which the media is located) into the following document: Documenting Media Sources.

Step 5: Make your book trailer!

Go to the Start Menu on your computer. Search for "Movie Maker." It should pop right up. For a cheat sheet on how to use Windows Movie Maker, please click HERE. The following are a few pointers related to saving your work:

• Save your movie as you work on it. Be sure to save it as a draft--click the little disc-like save button on the left side of the toolbar. Save your draft in the "Book Trailer" folder (on your student drive). If you fail to do this, you will lose your work!!
• When you are ready to publish your movie, click the other save button on the righthand side of the toolbar-- it looks like a magic wand. Save this final draft in that same "Book Trailer" folder, but rename it: Your last name + finalbooktrailer (polidorofinalbooktrailer) It will be an mp4 file.

To turn in your movie:

• Log in to the library's Google Classroom page, and open the Book Trailer Assignment.
• Click "Upload file," and find your final draft (mp4 file).
• Turn it in!

Click on the following images to see an example of a storyboard. Click HERE to see the finished product.

Click on the following image to access links to a variety of media resources:

Click on the following image to access information on types of Creative Commons licenses:

To save your images, simply right click on top of them and click "Save As." Be sure to save them in your "Book Trailer" folder on your student drive.

Watch the following video for a brief tutorial on Windows Movie Maker.