I edited my video precisely so that the timing of the text and music matches. I did so to present a sense of unity in my trailer. I also started the trailer with the main character's perspective to catch the audience's attention. Rather than making the trailer more "summary-like", I used a small amount of text with words that would make the audience want to read the book. I used particular pictures and words that connect to the story. For example, I used the picture of the cream stew since it was the favorite food of the main character.
The trailer has a great opening sequence, starting with the footage of the main character's feet and ending with the same character looking up at the sun. The originality must be commended. It is a good representation of how the character was placed in a tough situation, and then manages to turn things around by becoming a traditional rickshaw driver. Also, putting in a hint about the character's missing mother at the end wraps up the trailer nicely. It would have been great if the quality of the texts and the images were in high resolution.
"Kimi no na wa"
『君の名は。』
"Mata, Sakura no Kuni de"
『また、桜の国で』
Hokkaido International School
Ranko Hong (Gr. 10)
For my second time making a book trailer, I tried to keep my book trailer I made last year in my mind and tried to form a better video. Last year, I only used pictures and videos that I took, but for this year, I used some copyright free materials to improve the quality of my video. I used the green screen effect which I had learned how to do not long ago and made the meteor scene. There were parts in the video where I had to keep on repeating the process of editing and saving and though it was a bit time consuming, in the end, the video looked good so I was glad.
Tsukuba International School
Kenji Chang (Gr. 10)
During the making of this book trailer, I placed my focus on simplicity as the time setting for this book was back in world war 2. Although I considered using animations, I decided to use footage and sound effects to make the viewers think about the story along with the sound. Near the end of production, I went over the video multiple times to check for the connection of sound and scenes. Although it might not seem that important, the style of the trailer was as simple as possible so I had to make sure things fit right on time.
The footage filmed in the perspectives of the two main characters is very effective in illustrating their sheer confusion about what had happened. The contrast between the city and country landscapes also serves to demonstrate how drastic this switch is. Showing puzzling texts on the smartphone screen also helps add to the mystery. You created a trailer that makes audience read the book. There are at times some videos from foreign countries used in the trailer. However, the story takes place in Japan.
A simple trailer. However, black background, simple sentences, a sound of a train and a quiet piano song are combined and effectively convey the situation. The last scene where the cherry blossom petals gushed and scattered was impressive. The choice of music is excellent. Combined with the simple text images, the music helps the audience imagine the different scenes of the book. Also the black background helps give the oppressive atmosphere of war. You could use less text and add more movies or pictures to further improve the quality of your trailer.
"Smile Maker"
『スマイルメイカー』
Hokkaido International School
Reina Otake (Gr.12) & Ayumi Fukuyama (Gr.12)
For my second time making a book trailer, I tried to keep my book trailer I made last year in my mind and tried to form a better video. Last year, I only used pictures and videos that I took, but for this year, I used some copyright free materials to improve the quality of my video. I used the green screen effect which I had learned how to do not long ago and made the meteor scene. There were parts in the video where I had to keep on repeating the process of editing and saving and though it was a bit time consuming, in the end, the video looked good so I was glad.
This is a nice combination of miniature car footage, hand-drawn pictures, and stop-motion filming. The trailer does a good job of explaining the premise of the novel. Creativity can also be seen in the details, such as when the key phrases are written in red while other phrases are all in black. The sentences are simple and easy to understand for the readers. Originality is excellent. In order to improve the quality of the trailer, you could reduce the texts and use more pictures or videos.
"Shafu"
『車夫』
"Kimi no na wa"
『君の名は。』
International School
Wolf Elvin (Gr. 10)
There are many episodes from different characters that are included in the story but I decided to focus on the main character’s perspective. Since I wanted to create a feeling that the person watching was on a rickshaw in Asakusa, I used words that imitate the rickshaw moving and used images of Kaminarimon and Tokyo Skytree which is one of the most famous tourist spots in Asakusa. One technique I used in the video was to layer the images with different depths so it creates a more dynamic impression.
Hokkaido International School
Midori Hong (Gr. 12)
The number one thing I placed my focus on for this book trailer was for it to be simple. I tried to not make it look busy or to put too many words. The best part that I thought I had made throughout the whole trailer was where I combined both a picture and a video. I usually see trailers where there is only a picture or a video, which I thought was pretty boring, so I decided to put both together to see if it would be a little more interesting.
Images are effectively matched to the story. The text is well thought out. You can improve the quality of this trailer by adding sound effects and narration.
The music and images match the story well. I like the last scene of hands. There are times when the music suddenly stopped and the following scene starts. In order to consider the audience, you could lower the volume or let the audience know by giving them a hint through an image. Adding narration would improve the quality of the trailer.
"Tsubaki Bunguten"
『ツバキ文具店』
"Mitsubachi to Enrai"
『蜜蜂と遠雷』
Tsukuba International School
Tyler Drummond
(Gr. 10)
This is my 5th year contributing to this contest, and the process of planning the video and editing seemed to go very smoothly. Compared to previous years, the time given to work on this task was very limited, but I was able to manage my time and finish the product. This year, I focused on inputting what I felt reading this book, directly in the book trailer. I also made the overall atmosphere of my trailer very relaxing, and this approach was made by using calming music and warm coloured photos.
Hiroshima International School
Mairi Ikegami
(Gr. 9)
This year, I decided to focus on the details of the book trailer, such as choice of music. Since the story itself is revolving around music played by characters in the piano competition, I tried to use pieces of music used in the book. While I was making this book trailer, I tried to create something that would captivate the audience and make people want to read the book.
The pictures, the font of the texts, and the song played by the piano match the story very well. Slow tempo portrays the emotion of the story. Texts are easy to read, however, you could add narration to help the audience understand the story.
The eyes of the characters communicate emotion. The song matches the story well. There are times when the texts are very hard to read, and sometimes texts need to be reviewed. Instead of stopping the music so suddenly, you may want to consider lowering the volume before changing the song.
"Stage of the Ground"
『ステージ オブ ザ
グラウンド』
Hokkaido International School
Ryu Katayama
(Gr. 10)
Compared to the book trailer I made two years ago, I felt like this year’s is a better quality in terms of mood and how smooth I had created. I used free stock images instead of drawing them by hand since I am not really good at art. Since it was more than 2 years since my last one, my video editing skills have improved from various outside projects. I think this video can show the slightly sad mood of the story and showcasing the general plot of the book. I am very pleased with how this video turned out.
The audience feels the young boys passion through music and the content of the trailer. It gives them energy. Texts are generally used a little too often and the size and the font change frequently. This makes it difficult for the audience to read. It would be great if you could display the message through pictures, videos and/or narration.