Although I spent twenty-five years editing with Sony professional gear, all of that stuff is now obsolete. Millions of dollars of equipment rendered worthless by time.
This week I spent in the comfortable confines of my home video editing suite. It does everything the old one did, and more, for the cost of a PC, monitors, and software. Technology is amazing.
The challenge:
Create a book trailer for A Different Time.
My first pass was a rough and unpolished draft, just hitting the key elements I wanted to convey. I tested it with my key demographics and the news wasn’t good. A bit boring.
But I had the basic pieces in place.
So I went back into the edit suite and over four days produced seven different versions of the trailer, before settling for the one I would use.
The key mistake I made in the first edit was jumping the viewer right into key information before they were prepared for it. To correct that, I padded the first few seconds with a bit of VHS static, which is an important element in the novel.
I then added three images that represent the main characters and how their time is blending. Added sound effects, transitions, and then tightened it all up.
Here is the final cut…
I would love to hear your thoughts and feedback.