Name: _____________________________

Hour: ___________



Book Trailer/Letter Project


Assignment: The film industry has done a great job promoting itself. Through its use of previews and trailers,
viewers learn a little about the dozens of movies that are coming soon. Because of this, we are able to make
educated decisions about what to see, what movies we might enjoy, and what we should avoid.

For this project, you will be following in the footsteps of film executives and creating a book trailer for a book
you have read this semester and would like others to read as well.

After watching the book trailers created by your fellow students, you will be writing a letter to a gift-giving
source in your life (parents, grandparents, Santa, etc.) and requesting books for an upcoming holiday or
birthday.

Purpose: to advertise your book, to get other students interested in reading it; to request books from a gift-
giving source

Role: You are writing as yourself- an impassioned reader.

Audience: An interested group of avid teenage and adult readers; a potential gift-giver

Length: approx. 1 minute/ 12 slides; 300 words

Form: book trailer created in Photo Story using the found poem you created to provide text for the trailer;
personal letter

Learning Targets:
I can use appropriate language and grammar reflecting the task.

I can present messages that are powerful, creative and critical.

I can use technology tools to produce polished written and multimedia work.

I can explain how background knowledge affects my understanding of a text/topic while making text-to-
self connections.

I can show understanding by using ideas and information from varied grade appropriate texts for
multiple purposes.



Procedure:
1. Lets look at some samples. As a class, lets watch some book trailers. Be on the lookout for what
worked well, and what didnt work as well. Based on the trailer, would you be interested in reading that
book? Record your observations below.

What worked well? What didnt work so well?









2. Storyboard your ideas. Before a movie director turns on a camera, he begins with a storyboard. A
storyboard is simply a graphic organizer of images in order; it is used to pre-visualize and plan a film
project.

This is a storyboard that Peter Jackson drew for his Lord of the Rings films. This was his plan for what
the final product would look like. Watch the finished movie scene at
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mcuDMoSOOrs



For your trailer, you should have a minimum of 12 slides, but you may certainly have more. Below is some
space for you to begin planning:


















































3. Collect images. Using Google Images, collect the images you need for your trailer. Remember, you
are making a trailer based on a sequence of still photos, so pay particular attention to the quality of your
pictures. Avoid anything grainy or blurry, and avoid pictures that are copyright stamped. And, since a
picture is worth a thousand words, make sure your pictures are communicating your ideas accurately. If
you need a picture of a dark and moody (but attractive) male angel, dont just insert the first angel
picture you find (of a baby with wings) and say it is good enough. Random and disjointed pictures will
only confuse your viewer.
Note: you will save yourself some time if you put all your pictures for your trailer into one folder
labeled Trailer.

4. Open Photo Story. Check the computer you are using to see if you need to install Photo Story by going
to Start\All Programs- Photo Story 3 for Windows and Begin a New Story. If you need to install: go to
Start\All Programs Student, then open App-Install. This will show Photo Story in the list to install it to
that computer (you may need to scroll down). Then it should run.

5. Create Trailer. Photo Story is an easy program to use. It will walk you through the step-by-step
assembly of your trailer. The steps include importing your pictures, formatting your pictures, adding
text, adding music and adding narration.

6. Screen trailer for class. We will be showing all of our trailers to the class. While watching the trailers
of your classmates, keep track of which trailers look most interesting and which books you may want to
read.
Note: To help out our viewing, it would be great if you would email it to me at
bentleyk@westottawa.net. This would speed the process greatly!

Books that looks amazing! Um, no thank you!
Title: Author: Title: Author:
Title: Author: Title: Author:
Title: Author: Title: Author:
Title: Author: Title: Author:
Title: Author: Title: Author:
Title: Author: Title: Author:
Title: Author: Title: Author:
Title: Author: Title: Author:
Title: Author: Title: Author:
Title: Author: Title: Author:
Title: Author: Title: Author:
Title: Author: Title: Author:
Title: Author: Title: Author:
Title: Author: Title: Author:
Title: Author: Title: Author:


7. Write letter. After watching all of the trailers, you will write a letter to a gift-giver. That person may
be a parent, a grandparent, Santa, etc. In your letter, you will tell your gift-giver what books you would
like to receive for an upcoming birthday or holiday. You will also persuade the letters recipient to get
you those books. Why should that person get you these books? Think about the arguments you could
use. Why are books good gifts? How might these books help/inspire/entertain you?

Format for a Friendly or Personal Letter
The following picture shows what a one-page friendly or personal letter should look like. The
horizontal lines represent lines of type.
8.
9.
10.






The Heading
The heading of a friendly letter should contain the return
address (usually two lines) followed by a third line with
the date.
In a friendly letter the heading is always indented to the
middle of the page.
If the correspondents are familiar enough and the
recipient knows the writer's address, or if the stationery
is imprinted with the return address, then the return
address may be omitted. (Although another reason for
the return address is a backup in case the envelope gets
damaged...)
Always include the date.
Example:
123 Main St.
West Newfield CT 06123
December 14, 2007
The Greeting
The greeting in a
friendly letter
capitalizes the first
word and any
noun. It normally
ends with a
comma, though it
might be all right
to end with an
exclamation point
when writing to
someone with
whom you are
very familiar and
the emphasis is
appropriate.
Example:
Dear Aunt Miriam,

The Body
The body of the letter
contains the main text.
The block style (no
indented paragraphs) is
considered too formal
for a friendly letter, so
each new paragraph
should be indented.
Skipping a line between
paragraphs, especially
in typed or printed copy,
also helps the reader.
The Complimentary Close and Signature Line
The left edge of the close and signature line in a friendly letter begin in the
center, at the same column as the heading.
The complimentary close begins with a capital letter and ends with a comma.
Skip from one to three spaces (two on a typewriter), and type in the signature
line, the printed name of the person signing the letter. If the writer and reader
are very friendly, or if the letter is handwritten in the same script as the
signature, the signature line or the last name in the signature line may be
omitted.
Sign the name in the space between the close and the signature line, starting at
the left edge of the signature line.
Unless there is great familiarity between the correspondents, the signature
should be in blue or black ink.
Example:
Truly yours,
(Signature goes here)
Margaret Fong