<Comment from the Award-Winner>
Making this book trailer was extremely fun. It was interesting to take and edit videos, and make transitions between shots to make an eye-catching trailer. One thing that I tried to do was add asmr. I thought the sound of trickling water, crumbly rocks, and flipping the pages of a book would sound satisfying. However, there was a problem. Because of cars, planes, or people passing by, it was hard to find the right timing to record to prevent the mic from picking up random sounds. Although there were challenges, I enjoyed participating, and I hope you enjoy the trailer.
<Comment from the Judge>
The viewers can experience what the main character, William, had thought and experienced by watching the video you created. Music matches the scene well. You spoke in Japanese and in English one after another, but note that professional trailers are not created in that way. It will be great if you speak in one language and prepare subtitles in the other language. Moreover, did William go to the library and pick some books from so many books he had to choose from? Does the text match with the narration? These are the things you should be careful of. These would improve the quality of your trailer. Lastly, use a better-quality book cover you can find from the publisher’s website, for example.
Hokkaido International School
Hana Katayama & Aina Nishi (Gr. 10)
<Comment from the Award-Winner>
Despite this being our third time to work together on a book trailer project, we faced a multitude of obstacles throughout the creation process. We struggled most with the interpretation of the book, since the novel was written in a documentary style. However, we were able to overcome such challenges by integrating a series of events that help to communicate the characters’ experiences. Additionally, this year we decided to take a different creative path and incorporated free copyright media in our trailer. In contrast to previous years, we decided to submit our trailer in the C division because it allowed us to narrate in English with Japanese subtitles. Our hope is that the English narration will help to better portray and emphasize the issues of discrimination, classism, racism, and identity which are central to the theme of this book.
<Comment from the Judge>
The music creates the message that there is hope. The main character had to decide whether to go to a public school or an elite Catholic school. You divided the screen into half and communicated that well. However, if you edit the public-school side with a subdued background, and make the people stand out, that would have sent the message that “I have decided to go to the public school, even though it does not look as good as the other school”. In the bilingual division, it is important for those who only understand either Japanese or English to get the same amount of information that the other group got. How would you translate “Welcome back to the real world?” in Japanese? These would improve your trailer.
"Watashi"
『わたし』
Clark High School
Nacional Mellonny (Gr. 12)
<Comment from the Award-Winner>
The book, “わたし”, was very easy to understand which it was easier to make the book trailer for the book. The videos were very hard to find. Finding the right music was also hard, but all in all I enjoyed creating the book trailer.
<Comment from the Judge>
You found many copy-right free videos and collated them into one. These videos involve lots of movements. Therefore, you avoided boredom on the viewers’ end. The Asian influenced music makes viewers think about the philosophical questions this book tries to communicate. In order to improve your trailer, you could consider these two points. Firstly, instead of reading the text as it is, summarize it. Secondly, English language dominated the Japanese. So, try balancing them out.
"Watashi"
『わたし』
Clark High School
Julius Trenkler (Gr. 12)
<Comment from the Award-Winner>
As I was making this book trailer, the most difficult aspect was the animation. See, I’m not very good at drawing, and drawing is really hard! My idea was for Michiko to literally transform into other’s perceptions of her. First of all, as a baby passes by, Michiko transforms into an older sister; but as her older brother passes by, she turns into a younger sister. What I like most about the trailer is the music! I like the music because it’s fun, upbeat, and contrasts well with the book’s themes.
<Comment from the Judge>
The pictures and the texts successfully convey a warm atmosphere. Music matches the content. You managed to communicate well in Japanese and English. In order to further improve your trailer, think of a way you could better connect to the viewers to entice them in reading the book.