Relics - The Book Trailer by Maer Wilson

When I first heard about book trailers, I was intrigued by the idea. I spent a lot of time watching
as many as I could. Eliminating live action with actors was easy. No big budget here, so I
focused on what other new authors and authors I knew were doing with theirs. I got some great
ideas!

One thing I noticed right off was the use of stock photos. Sometimes they were awesome, other
times - not so much. I wanted my trailer to stand out, though, and I didn’t want to comb through
endless pictures trying to find exactly the right ones.

I also wanted something that would be unique to my book and I wondered about using an artist
to create my pictures. During the summer of 2012, I put the word out to my friends that I was
looking for an artist to help with the trailer.

A pro was probably out, budget-wise. However, I also knew there were plenty of talented
students or recently graduated artists who might be a perfect fit.

It wasn’t long before a friend hooked me up with Kyle Floyd. Kyle and I began a long series of
emails, discussing ideas. I sent him my draft of the script and the ideas I had for special effects.
Originally, I had thought to use a digital style, but we quickly moved over to the watercolor style
that ended up in the trailer. I love the misty, other-worldly effect this created.

Collaborating with Kyle was simply a joy. He was very easy to work with and has an intuitive
grasp of artistic concepts. He’d send me drafts and we would tweak each one, discussing what
worked and what didn’t. There were actually very few changes.

Once we had the pictures down, Kyle moved into the assembling and effects phase. The things
he managed to do with those were beyond what I had imagined. This is where his own artistry
took over and he created something I’m extremely proud to show. The bleeding text near the end
was an idea I had that I think Kyle pulls off brilliantly. The lighting effects in the beginning are
pure Kyle and were a surprising gift when I saw the finished trailer.

For music, I turned to Kevin McLeod’s prolific website, as have so many other authors. His
generosity in making his music available under Creative Commons has enhanced so many book
trailers. I love his site and his music. His “Rising Game” was perfect for what I wanted. I also
used a couple of special sound effects, both composers are credited on the trailer.

Kyle took the music and sound effects and timed the slides to the musical cues and changes,
which I provided. Again he was able to take my ideas and bring them to a beautiful reality.

You can read more about Kyle and how we created the trailer at my website in a special “In the
Spotlight” interview. http://maerwilson.com/2013/04/29/in-the-spotlight-kyle-floyd/#more-1533

Julia, thanks again so much for having me on your show and blog!