(NOTE: UPDATED 7/18)
So the big thing these days is apparently book trailers, which are exactly what they sound like: little video trailers for upcoming book releases. There are some pretty amazing ones out there, and there are some that are just awful. Mostly, I seem to find the bad ones. There's a reason we're writers and not filmmakers.
Be that as it may, I decided to try my hand at making a trailer for my book. I'm not convinced that this isn't cheesy and awful, but at least I was honest enough with myself to cut it down from my original version, which had voice-overs that could best be described as "seemed like a good idea at the time". I think my original idea suffered from the same thing that a lot of these book trailers suffer from, in my opinion. I was trying too hard. Way too hard.
I may be trying too hard with this version, too. I'll have to look at it in the morning and see how I feel about it then.
(UPDATE: Okay, this is an updated version, with some changes suggested by you. I think I like it a little better, and although I liked the Debussy, I think I was perhaps the only one. Let's see if Chopin fairs any better.)
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(UPDATE TO THE UPDATE: I kept all the other changes, but I restored the Debussy, for no better reason than the fact that it's one of my favorite pieces of music in the whole wide world (or at least the parts of the world where copyright lawyers don't send me email.) I find it to be lovely and ethereal and, you know, doodly in all the right places. Doodly is important.)
All I can say is, "I can't wait to read the book!"
ReplyDeleteSchuyler is stunning!
All I can say is, "I can't wait to read the book!"
ReplyDeleteSchulyler is stunning!
Rob,
ReplyDeleteI thought the trailer was quite good. My wife, Janette, watched it over my shoulder & thought so, too. For what it's worth....
Oh, wow. I like that. It makes me wish you'd make more videos of her now that she's older - there's just such a vibrancy about her that's beautiful to see.
ReplyDeleteNow you just need to add a scene with Schuyler flying a dragon, fighting rampaging dinosaurs! :)
ReplyDeleteSeriously though, it was good. Dang good.
It didn't start with 'In a world...' or 'All he ever wanted...'. Was that a refreshing break from the conventional, or a dangerous excursion into the unknown? You be the judge.
ReplyDeleteI think the trailer may be a little more downbeat than the book itself. To me your story as told in your blog so far is significantly more positive than the way I perceived the trailer.
I hope the music is used with the authority of an appropriate license. You're in the big leagues now.
Speaking of music...was that Claire de Lune? Or am I completely off?
ReplyDeleteI agree with Jim...the trailer was beautiful, but slightly downbeat. I'll watch it again and see if I still feel that way.
Overall, beautiful and slightly haunting.
Hi Rob --
ReplyDeleteI'm a lurker who trundled over from Metafilter, and I've devoured your blog in the past few days. I'll be upfront here and point out the thing that strikes me most: "his wordless daughter"
Schuyler isn't wordless anymore, is she? I mean, I heard her speak right here on this site, and I understood just about everything she said. She is a brilliant (in many senses of the word) little girl who uses many languages to speak to you.
I know its a fight every day for all of you to find more ways to communicate. I know its been a long road for you, and a frustrating one for everyone. But everytime I read the phrase "his wordless daughter" (which comes up a lot in the promos for your book) I think "that's not her. She speaks in a thousand ways every day."
Just my two cents from someone coming in at the end of the film.
(Ok, one more thing from a technical side - your trailer doesn't give a sense of "journey" because almost all the images are of her as she is now. If you brought this to me at work I'd say "make her grow up on film" - show us her as a tiny child, and let us see her grow up in those few seconds that we watch.)
I'll be upfront here and point out the thing that strikes me most: "his wordless daughter"
ReplyDeleteI don't have any control over the subtitle, that comes from the publisher. It might not be completely accurate, but believe me, it could have been much, much worse.
I don't like the font, or the color yellow. Other than that, I thought it was well put together. However, the...somber? music throughout doesn't fit with my images (or admittedly limited personal experience) with Schuyler at all. The music made it seem, to me, a very sad story. I do not think of this as a sad story.
ReplyDeleteLove the trailer. You can see the light within Schuyler. Maybe it's the music that kind of brings it down...Need some kind of cool, hip tune as a backdrop, that seems more fitting for you guys !
ReplyDeleteYou didn't get control of the subtitle of "wordless daughter" but you do have control of the trailer..
ReplyDeleteAnd if I was unfamilar with your blog, and had only watched your trailer, then I would swear your book is about you raising a mute child.
I know that you are quite capable of making a GREAT trailer.. after all I loved the videotape you have of you and Julie and Schuyler at the butterfly garden...
Just videotape a new trailer with the perception of what people would think who have never heard of your story..
And if you could include in it Schuyler talking (perhaps with printed words of what she's saying on the bottom) it would make your trailer SPECTACULAR.
Schuyler is amazing, and if you film her, people will want to buy your book, because Schuyler has an amazing energy about her.
Good luck..
Looks and sounds like old friend Mr. Depression made the video...
ReplyDeleteNot that I know her, but that is not the music I hear in my head when I think of Schuyler. Schuyler is punky. Schuyler rocks.
Thanks for the footage of her in school. That the college students I teach should look half so alive.
I liked the images, but the music and the font at the end used on the title - not so much. I agree that perhaps incorporating some pics/videos of Schuyler when she was younger might add to the trailer as well. Just my two cents (as someone in the PR field). Looking forward to the book!
ReplyDeletei like it! and I'm ready for the book now.
ReplyDeleteAlso, I just realized the meaning of that cover photo. Every time I've looked at it, I've only seen a girl giggling. But just now I saw a girl covering her mouth, and words not coming out.
It gave me chills.... And I think the clip of her signing and using her BBOW shows that she DOES communicate.
ReplyDeleteI love it.
The music is a little down-ing. But the thing that got me the most? (And yes, I'm starting sentences with ands and buts, and using atrocious grammar)... was the comment, "a father without confidence"... Sorry, but somehow I can't agree with that... a father without confidence wouldn't have shared his incredible stories with the world with the skill and outwardness that you have.
ReplyDeleteI appreciate everyone's comments, and I'm going to tweak things this morning and see what I can come up with.
ReplyDeleteOne thing re: the tone. Keep in mind that for the most part, until the very last chapters, this book deals with a very different time in Schuyler's life, and in ours. Things are going so well now that it's easy t forget how bad they were for her, up to about two years ago. Perhaps this is the best case of all for posting some of those archives, I don't know.
(And yes, I was DEFINITELY "a father without confidence". Moreso than now, although even with so many of our choices now vindicated, I still second guess myself a lot, which is, I suppose, a healthy thing.)
The tone of the book is a lot more downbeat, at least in general, than this blog, but then, so was the tone of our lives. If I were writing about her life now, it would be a very very different tone indeed. (It's a nice problem to hhave.)
There is a lot that I want to include, but I'm also probably going to make a longer video for the purpose of showing to media outlets in order to help secure interviews. In that video, we'll actually talk about Schuyler and her device usage. For the trailer (and I hope you can appreciate how weird it is for me to talk about our lives in these terms), I don't want to give away too much of the ending.
As for the music, I guess I'm biased in my love for Debussy. I actually felt like the Clair de lune was, if anything, a little too sweet and floofy. I do need to stick to music and recordings that are in the public domain, and that probably means classical. I'd love to use Andrew Bird, but I have learned the hard way that the song and dance required to get permission to use opyrighted material is pretty extreme.
Okay, working on this, let's see what I come up with...
she is so beautiful in the first picture.. well all of them but that especially..
ReplyDeletewhen does the movie come out ? ;OP
I loved it all, the music and the images. But I agree that "a father without confidence" wasn't ideal.
ReplyDeleteThere are so few words in the video that perhaps it isn't necessary to do the "A blah without blah" thing. Maybe something like:
A child without words.
An insecure father (or an anxious father? sorry, I'm looking at a thesaurus)
A family needing answers.
I think the trailer is a beautiful testamonial to you, Julie, Schuyler and the book.
I love it the way it is. Love the music, too.
ReplyDeleteIf it's criticism you wish (who wants it really?), I would leave out the quote at the beginning. And I would include more pictures from the span of Schuyler's life to give the more an idea of the scope of the book's journey (or at least what I think it is). Now that I look at other people's comments, I see someone else made that point. Oh. Well. I'm buying the book anyway. And, of course, I always thought there should be a movie!
ReplyDeleteLOVE the video of Schulyer. God she's so beautiful and vibrant! Been thinking about the public domaine music...what about something like a Chopin Nocturne? My fave is No. ! in E Minor. I think it has some of the feel of the Debussy but also has some of the rolling, slightly tumultuous feel to it in parts. Every time I hear it, I can almost see a mini-movie in my head.
ReplyDeleteGood luck!
Loved the pictures, the music, not so much.
ReplyDeleteAlong the lines of the 'wordless', I was most struck by 'a child without a voice'. Perhaps I'm wrong, but voice to me is the ability to make sound. She may not have had words, but hasn't she always made sound?
ReplyDeleteI thought it was beautiful, haunting and yes, a tad depressing. Not the vibrant Schuyler we've always loved, before and after her monster.
Okay, a friend describes me as having 'vaporizing honesty', but this is just my opinion. I adore your family and want only the best for you, so it's coming from there. And you know, it's my opinion, so there's always that option of totally ignoring it. :)
ReplyDeleteI know I'm late to the game since you're probably already re-working, but I had to share this.
I have to agree with the dissent, but I'm surprised no one has mentioned what I felt when I watched it.
I love the song - great song - but, and I'm sorry for the image, it gives the video an "In Memoriam" feel. Since it has to include the beginning and all the steps along the way, the book, of course, is going to have a lot more sadness and strife than what *we* happen to be used to here. (I'm a parent of a kid with autism and can't make myself use 'downer' or 'downbeat' to describe the early years, even in type---gah.) So, I'm with you on not making a video full of sunshine and roses.
But my concern is that you do NOT want the un-RRH/MBM&M-exposed potential reader to come away from the trailer with the thought that the book is a eulogy. In trying to watch with the eyes of someone who knows nothing about Schuyler, that's what I saw --- and even knowing that I am greatly looking forward to the book, the impression the video gave me is lingering in a not-so-good way.
I'm also an advocate for more pictures of her at earlier ages with a progression - actually, that could also show that her life started out sunshine and roses, and then the roses grew thorns the size of pick axes and the sunlight turned into laser beams (not to be commercial, but injustice to a child does tend to draw people's attention). No matter what direction you went though, I think the age progression would be a good thing.
Also wondering about the first "without a voice" as opposed to the latter (and subtitle) "without words." I'm not arguing as to which is appropriate or not, but it does either feel confusing or give the impression of 'merely' being mute.
Lastly, but importantly: While I understand the thought behind putting the brain image and 'an invisible monster' later in the game, the amount of material before it gave the viewer too much time to have already formed the thought that this child is mute; therefore, the 'invisible monster' image doesn't have the FORCE behind it that it should in order to convey a sense of depth of the struggle. Interestingly, now that I think about it, it kind of felt like the music also undercut that force.
Okay, enough. You're probably done with the rework by now for Pete's sake.
(I did LOVE the school video too!)
...and ya know, no yellow.
Bring the pink. ;)
So cool, Rob.
ReplyDeleteI do see what people are saying about the eulogy feel. What about a switch partway through to that Andrew Bird song that goes but if you think there's something else... well you're right, there is there's something else...?
Maybe too upbeat, but gosh that song will forever be Schuyler in my mind. :-)
I also think it might help to show the brain scan with the invisible monster much sooner. I'm trying to step back and imagine I didn't know what the book was about.
Is there much in the book about the battle against the austin schools? If so it might be good to show or say something about the wall of no - lots of people are frustrated with the school system and might be curious about the book because of that angle.
Very very cool though Rob. I love the images you've chosen, and the wording is fantastic.
Oh! What about structuring it like this. Set the story up and draw in readers with with some questions... like...
ReplyDeleteBefore she was born, he wondered. Would he be a good father? Would she like him? (insert other doubts here)
She grew, and he still had doubts.
But soon other questions overshadowed his doubts. Why didn't she talk?
From there into the other world of questions opened up... about what the future would hold. What this all meant... what obstacles would she have?
And more than ever, could he be the father she needed?
(you know, except write all of that in a way that doesn't suck.)
Okay, it's updated, with Chopin in a major key and a few other tweaks in accordance with what's been said here.
ReplyDeleteIt's already longer than it should be, and I've elected not to try to "tell the story" in the trailer, which I think would just be a losing proposition.
Very well done. I think it's a great tantalizer for the book itself.
ReplyDeleteThis is the first book trailer I've ever seen, so I have no perspective whatsoever on how they're supposed to work... but one thing I was hoping to see was some of your words.
ReplyDeleteDo book trailer typically contain excerpts from the books themselves? I kept waiting to see lines or bits of text from the book itself. Given how much I like you're writing, a trailer with almost no verbiage from the book seems to sell you short...
I did love seeing the pictures, though.
I did have some quotes in a voiceover, but it was a little like Harrison Ford in Bladerunner. And I don't mean that in a good way.
ReplyDeleteBlade Runner's cool. Harrison Ford these days, not so much...
ReplyDeleteCould it be done as text-on-screen instead of a voice over?
Count me in the minority who didn't love it. What's great about your writing is that it's so UNsentimental, so acerbic and funny and bitter and honest and truthful. You sugar coat nothing. That trailer (soft music, soft-focus pics, oh-so-earnest captions) came across like a self-important saccharine Hallmark card -- NOT at all like your writing. I would have preferred rock music (maybe the eels?) and videos of Schuyler running around being lively and outgoing. -victoria_pond@yahoo.com
ReplyDeleteThe new version conveys the sam feeling as the first. Take this as well meaning please - maybe it is just the music (the new music is the same as the old, in my opinion) - but the video seems schmaltzy and stereotypically tear-jerker-like. If that was my first introduction to S and your monster world, I would not buy your book or read your blog. And I am a big fan. But maybe you are looking for a different audience than us?
ReplyDeleteThat was a little harsh, don't you think? You don't like the trailer, therefore I must be abandoning the people who read me? WTF?
ReplyDeleteI like that you added some younger pics of Schuyler..
ReplyDeleteI still was envisioning something different..
Perhaps with your voiceover saying something like "from the outside she looks like a normal little girl.. but this little girl is haunted by a terrible monster who has taken away her ability to speak clearly..."
I didn't mean to be harsh at all, which is why I made a point to ask you to take it as well meaning. You asked for comments, I complied. Sorry I bothered!
ReplyDeleteits still cool and really funky and tells alot about the book but the music still doesnt "fit" to me, and its not that I dislike the song, its a really nice piece, but it doesnt flow with the speed of the images, it feels like there should be some kind of dramatic crescendo when it says "schuylers monster" ... but theres a crescendo at the end, with nothing overly funky to crescendo about...maybe if u keep the music but like your favourite picture ever right at the peak of the drama at the end?
ReplyDeleteconstructive criticism of course, hell its not even criticism...its the ramblings of a crazed student mind!
u guys rock
The music sounds MUCH better... though I do have to say I miss the video of her tumbling. ^_^
ReplyDeleteI like the upswing in music at the end of the new version...what I was missing was the video of Schuyler playing on the giant breakfast.
ReplyDeleteStill good- I think I like it better now. (Try Debussy on top of the new graphic sequence??)
You asked for comments, I complied. Sorry I bothered!
ReplyDeleteYou're absolutely right, I did. And I think I made a lot of changes based on those comments, so clearly I was sincere in asking for them.
I guess I wasn't expecting to hear that because I didn't create exactly what you wanted to see, I was therefore seeking "a different audience".
I'm occasinally going to do things you don't like. The book isn't guaranteed to please, either. It doesn't mean I'm somehow saying "screw you" to anyone. If you took a two minute promotional video so personally that you felt abandoned as a reader, I'm not sure I can make any guarantees other than one day I'm going to disappoint you again.
Anyway, thanks for your input.
I really liked seeing the slideshow. Your daughter is really very pretty, and has a huge personality and charm.
ReplyDeleteHowever (and please feel free to take or ignore these comments) I guess I look for trailers to give me a preview of what I'm going to see or read. I felt as though the pictures of your family and the classical music didn't convey much to me of what I'll read about in your book. Obviously, the book is about your family, but those images don't really tell me what you're writing about... The one image of Schuyler at school helps to show she's not stereotypically "normal" but the brain scan doesn't say anything to to someone who doesn't know what they're look at/looking for.
Congrataulations on the book, and the best of luck to you and your family!
Oh, wow. I don't think I was seeing the updated version... and I'm sadly too ignorant of classical music to have realized it. This music makes a huge difference! Lovely... the only thing I might add is some snippets from the book itself like one person suggested. Otherwise, I think you're done.
ReplyDeleteLove the video, but I guess I disagree with the choice of any kind of "classical" music.
ReplyDeleteLove the video, but I guess I disagree with the choice of any kind of "classical" music.
ReplyDeleteWell, I'm limited by copyright law as to what i can use.
I'm not sure that I like the preview a book with a mini-movie idea but I do like your blog and the messages that you convey on it, so I decided to offer some humble completely nonprofessional suggestions.
ReplyDeletePreface all of these with "In my opinion..."
1) It was a bit long. About 1/2 the length would do.
2) I agree with Anon's post before me, from the video alone I have no idea what the book will be about.
3) The red print at the end showing the title and other info was very startling. I would suggest another (non blood red) color.
I would suggest more lines-of-words/explanation-inbetween-pics.
Also scroll through the pics a little bit more quickly. Try putting words, pictures to what you would find on the inside of the jacket cover. More pics of Schulyer in non-typical mode (BBOW, signing, etc.).
From two people I showed this to at work:
guy coworker, doesn't know the back story - its about a single father raising his daughter who(daughter) has a mental illness and is unable to communicate.
gal coworker, does know the back story - same thing but she knew there was a family. the daughter couldnt talk because of a disability.
Thanks and break a leg! :)
MHO: The Debussy selection is exquisite and fitting...poignant, lovely, inspiring. So expressive of Schuyler and her family's odyssey. Trust your instincts Rob. They haven't let you down so far.
ReplyDeleteLynda
I may go back to the Debussy, actually. I think I'm going to second-guess myself to death here, particularly for something that is sort of an experimental idea.
ReplyDeleteOh, Rob, that's so much better. I have to admit, when I watched it last night, with clueless boyfriend beside me, I clicked away because it was schmaltzy and clunky, and it wasn't at all how I wanted him to make his first acquaintance with Schuyler.
ReplyDeleteThe changed wording is so much better. "A father without confidence" fell like a brick, so I'm pleased to see you chose different words and a slightly different structure.
Here's my two cents. I know you want to sell the name of the book (it being a trailer), but I do think the structure would work better without it there, in the middle. Here's why: You have a girl without a voice, then a father with self-doubt, and, um, a family with something (sorry, brainfreeze here). That feels like lovely parallel structure. Then, *screech*, you introduce the monster. It attacks/unbalances the parallel structure, but that's good, because it suggests the upheaval the monster has caused. After that, it's sort of unresolved, and you have several pictures and building music, and then...you resolve it with "Schuyler's Monster."
I think if you took out the first mention of Schuyler's monster, then made the following pictorial about 5-10 seconds shorter, and punched up the "Schuyler's Monster" (Maybe with a plain title page, but then with the picture of her fading in, while the title fades out, then script across the bottom with the subtitle.)
Anyhoo, that's my two cents. I think this is several times better than the first one.
p.s. Love the bit with her and the stuffed ... um, dinosaur? ... it's always a treat to see her laughing.
So when I say I know doodly-squat about classical music, I'm actually using a technical term? Very cool!
ReplyDeleteOne last note then I'll be quiet -- You might be surprised how easy it is to get permission to use music for something like this. Worth asking artists anyway maybe? My friend Jinky (http://www.jinkyart.com) got permission from Frances England to use her stuff all over the place, just by asking friendlyly.
I watched the video this morning several times, and something seemed off to me but I had to get to work so I didn't think about it again until a few minutes ago. I realized (without having seen any of the other comments)that it was the music that seemed so "down" when Schuyler is so vibrant and some of the clips within the video showed her playing and having a great time. It seemed like some of what you saw wasn't in sync with what you heard. I saw you had updated, and updated again, so I viewed it for the first time since this morning and I think you've fixed the problem. There are more stills and even though she's smiling and enjoying life, it seems more poignant than out of sync.
ReplyDeleteGood job!
I thought it was beautiful. I like Debussy very much, so it didn't seem sad to me. And it feels like a love story, to me. A father's love for his daughter, that shines through clearly when you see the photos of her, and know YOU are the one taking them.
ReplyDeleteI loved it. It brought tears to my eyes, in a good way.
I only got to see the latest iternation of the video but I liked the musical choices and narration. And it was very cool to see Schulyer signing since I don't think we've ever seen her doing that before, it was great to see her communicating via speaking, signing and using her bbow s you could see she communciats in a lot of different ways.
ReplyDeleteI love it! I loved the first version, and I love this version even more!
ReplyDeleteAnd I like the Debussy. Good choice!
Yes, now it's perfect!!
ReplyDeleteI just want to say that I love it. I can't wait to read the book! Great job!
ReplyDeleteI like the re-working. Doodly Debussy is good, too. :-) I miss the tumbling video but know you can only make it so long...it's not a feature-length film...yet.
ReplyDeleteI missed the Chopin, but I love the Debussey. I especially liked how well the music fit with the MRI of Schuyler's brain and her dancing under the leaves. I don't know if that was accidental or if you had to work hard at it, but those were both stand-out moments.
ReplyDeleteI also loved video of the more grown up Schuyler. Haven't seen video of her in a long time.
I think this is a beautiful promo for the book.
Jim Howard, Stephanie, and the one anonymous who said that the good thing is that you are acerbic and unsentimental, I think, are on to something. This does look like a funeral film, or something you would see on the Lifetime channel with Meredith Baxter as the mother, about overcoming disability in an inspiring and non-threatening way, possibly with the help of prayer and Jesus.
ReplyDeleteI don't know you or anything, but what works about your writing and the story is that it is unsentimental.
But even in its lack of sentimentality, it's really a love story: jerky man (sorry, but you know what I mean, and I'm sure you're much nicer in person than the character-you) falls in love with his new daughter, and becomes a better person for it. It's even one with a happy ending, not a tragic one.
I do love your blog, and it makes everyone fall in love with Schuyler in the same way you did: in a silly, monstery way. You've worked so hard to keep Schuyler from being a poster child, being turned into a symbol instead of being seen for herself. That's what most of the blog is about: how to the school, to teachers, to all kinds of people, all they see is the broken stuff, when that there's so much more (all of the personality that you make the reader love). But the vibe from the clip is exactly one of a tragic figure, or a symbol of overcoming adversity.
I suspect that this trailer would end up attracting exactly the kind of people who will hate your book and write angry, offended letters once they read it: the deeply religious, looking for a simple, sentimental tale in which everything turns out good in the end. Triumph over adversity and all that.
Sorry if I seemed harsh. I just love your blog and Schuyler, but this trailer seemed to me all of the things that you've worked so hard not to be.
Sara
Add me to the people that don't think the music goes with it. Have you tried something like:
ReplyDeletehttp://mp34u.muzic.com/index.php
with music in the public domain of different genres?
I like the new changes except that I miss the video where she is playing and then turns and looks at the camera. I thought that was very arresting and the one thing I really remembered later about it.
Love the first couple of photos of her with that burgundy hair. They are still my favorites (along with some of her Halloween pink hair photos).
BTW, we moved to Austin right after you left and now we are talking about a job-related move to Richardson, TX so may still end up meeting you someday. :)
Rob, I wrote a long comment about this yesterday, but I don't think it got sent. Just in case, the short version: I think you're an incredibly skilled author and photographer, but your video editing skills are still very unprofessional, for a variety of reasons. I think you should definitely continue to persue it as a hobby, and there's no doubt that with time you'd become as talented at it as you have your other hobbies-turned-professions... but for now, you should not be aiming to promote your book through your videography skills.
ReplyDeleteVery sorry to be so harsh, but I love your writing, and want people's first impression of it to be the strong, professional work I know it to be. If the choice is to make a trailer yourself or have no trailer at all, I'd have no trailer at all.
Aja B - feature film animator, ivy league film school graduate, and general pain in the ass. :)
I dig that picture in the heart shirt at the apartment in New Haven (I think).
ReplyDeleteI like this version better. What fun to follow along on this book thing.
I'm definitely in favor of the changes. The Debussy works better with the more upbeat imagery, I think; if the potential future reader only got the first half of the images, it would be very down. This is a better arrangement. I can't recall, did the original have movies in it, or was it all stills? I think the action definitely assists in either case.
ReplyDeleteGood job.
YOU OFFICIALLY ROCK!
ReplyDeleteits perfect, you have crescendoed (and doodled also) in all the right places...and the part with the brain scan, wow....made me all tingly, was that incidental, even if it was I would totally take full credit for it because it is now a masterpiece, with a real happy flow to it that showcases your beautiful daughter and your amazing work for the entire world!
Well, I've liked every version. But
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you brought the original music back-even though it made me cry. Maybe because of that fact. I'll be reading the book...
There is no more dramatic piece of music, both happy and sad at the same time. I played it at my mother's funeral and I walked down the aisle to it at my own wedding. It is perfect in your trailer - both heartbreaking and joyous. Beautiful work, as always.
ReplyDeleteLove it!! I truly do
ReplyDeleteI just want to say you're a rock star for putting this out there, asking for input, taking input to heart, making changes, and not calling everyone assholes in the process.
ReplyDeleteI just want to say you're a rock star for putting this out there, asking for input, taking input to heart, making changes, and not calling everyone assholes in the process.
ReplyDeleteWell, there's saying it and then there's actually typing it out...
(Just a joke! Being funny boy!)
Rob, I had to watch it again before I commented. I have been lurker of your sight, but don't know that I've ever posted...Here is what I see...(a little background on me first...My daughter has Rett Syndrome, and was robbed of her ability to speak at 15 months. A year later she was robbed of the ability to use her hands for most things...These leaves her with eye gaze as her only reliable form of communication..Though as Schuyler, she appears to be a very typical little girl...)
ReplyDeleteLooking at it from the perspective of someone who doesn't read your blog. I can imagine that the bulk of your sales will be from other families that deal with a monster of their own. I see a child, like my own, who looks typical. If it wasn't for my child, I may think (very politically incorrect) how can someone who looks so typical have such a huge monster?
I plan on reading your book, and then leaving it on the coffee table in the hopes that my husband will read. There aren't enough books written from a dad's point of view. I personally loved the trailer!
Alas, I fear I must add my voice to the chorus of those who find this far too sentimental and , dare I say, sappy. The Debussy is a beautiful piece of music, but has been used so often that it immedeately conjures up period English dramas, shafts of sunlight on dust motes, Jane Austen types strolling by the river, letting the ribbons from their bonnets trail in the grass... Where is the humor we know and love? I understand that the book may have a more serious tone than the blog, but this music and editing doesn't even let Schyler's personality through. I kept hoping that the music and soft focus stills of Schyler in "wistful" mode would suddenly break into footage of her in silly grrl playing mode, while the music shifted to something fun and spirited... more like that theme used on "The Benny Hill show" (an extreme example) The trailer alone (for me) would not inspire curiosity about the book. Of course, as a blog reader, your wit and schyler's charm have already made a big impression.
ReplyDeleteI like seeing her sign! and I enjoyed how when the music came to a crescendo, the video clips kicked in.
ReplyDelete*weeps*
ReplyDeleteYou're an artist, Rob, you know that?
Okay, now I've read all the comments, and I can see some of the points being made (though I didn't see the earlier versions so can't comment on the changes), but I still like it. Maybe I'll watch it again with a more critical eye. Maybe I'll just watch it again so that I can enjoy the juxtaposition of, as one commenter said, the heartbreaking and the joyous, which is one of the things about your writings and Schuyler's story that keeps bringing me back and will make me buy your book. ;-)
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