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I made a book trailer! Check it out!

You can make one too for your book or screenplay! As writers, we play with words. It's fun to play with images to tell our story. Now using AI tools, you can make the movie in your head.

Don’t let AI Trigger You

In my decades long career, nothing has triggered creatives more than generative AI. The only time I have I have received a death threat (from someone I know) was in response to a private e-mail over his reaction to a newsletter. He told me to choke on my own spit and die. If that is your attitude, please unsubscribe. If not, read on!

Whether you have fun playing with generative AI tools or you have decided never to use them in your creative process, AI is here to stay. If you own a Mac or windows computer, a cell phone, use social media, or shop on Amazon, you're using AI. I encourage you to play with the tools instead of being afraid of them. You can use them in a myriad of ways that don’t include writing prose.

Some of the ways to use generative AI:

· Brainstorming

· Writing book blurbs and pitches

· Writing marketing copy

· Writing query letters to agents and managers

· Writing pitch letters to podcast producers for guest spots

· Creating character images for inspiration and reference

· Creating ads

· Creating pitch decks

· Book and script analysis for plot holes and tropes

· Producing audiobooks

· Proofreading

· Translating books

If you don't learn what these tools can do, you're going to be left behind in your creative writing career. ​AI search​ is on the way to replacing Google. Did you know you can take a picture of books on your bookshelf and ask ChatGPT to recommend a book?

More Info:

· A brief explanation of ​how writing generative AI works​ (Large Language Models or LLMs).

· AI Tools are included on my Writing Resources List which you can download ​here​.

Tips:

· Use the paid versions of the AI tools for much better results.

· Using AI is all about iteration. Keep adjusting your prompt and trying different things to get the output you want. It's rarely good on the first try.

Here's how I made the trailer using ​Midjourney​ and ​Runway​:

How to Make a Movie or Book Trailer in Runway

First, I wrote the trailer voice over as a parody of the movie trailer “in a world where.” Then I broke it down into lines and brainstormed the images I wanted for each line.

1. In a world where screenwriters live at the mercy of executives - A screenwriter sits in a dark conference room facing stone-faced executives in black suits.
2. One screenwriter has had enough! - He runs through a modern office building lobby being chased by the executives.
3. Tired of rejection... and endless rewrites... - He sits in despair in front of his computer.
4. He decides to take matters into his own hands! - He happily types on his laptop in a coffee shop.
5. Can he turn his screenplay into a bestselling novel? - He proofreads pages of his novel in the coffee shop.
6.  Will he master the art of writing, publishing, and marketing? - He sits smiling at a table in a bookstore signing his books.
7. Find out in How to Turn Your Screenplay Into a Novel! -  Cover of the book with the website where to buy it.

Audio

A friend recorded the voice on his phone. I used freeconvert.com to convert the phone audio (AMR) to mp3.

Image Generation

These tools change all the time, so I'm going tell you a much easier way to get your images than what I did.

I used the paid version 7 of Midjourney to generate the images.

For best results make your prompts as specific as possible.

• Use Aspect ratio: 16: 9 to get the movie rectangle that you want. If you don't specify aspect ratio, Midjourney generates squares.
• For this project, include movie still style to get the movie look.

For your characters: Iterate with Midjourney until you get an image for each of your characters that you really like.

For your scenes: Create in Midjourney, take pictures in real life, or use stock pictures from Canva.

Make Your Movie Using Runway

1. In the dashboard, choose create a project.
2. Choose generate image.
3. For your scene, drop in your character and scene reference, tagging them with a name.
4. For your prompt, use @Image. For example, @guy sits in @coffee shop typing on a laptop.
5. Hint: Make sure you chose 4 option so you get 4 images at a time.
6. Once you have an image you want, choose video and put in your prompt. Example: The man (no @ needed) types on his laptop, smiling while the camera pans to the left.

For the best prompts:

• Include camera directions.
• Include what your subject is doing.
• Include your style.

In Runway, I used the video editor to edit the clips of each image together and add my audio.

Download your trailer. Put it on YouTube and the socials. Don’t forget LinkedIn. For Instagram and YouTube Shorts, you will have to convert it to a vertical video. Use Opus Clips.

Have fun trying different things! Check out what other filmmakers are doing.

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Podcast Alert

I’m on the ​Native Tongues podcast​! Listen ​ to me talk about writing, life in Hollywood, and my search for the perfect ground beef taco.

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Check it Out!

Ever wonder what it’s like to work with me? ​Watch ​me evaluate pitches on The Dialogue Doctor podcast!

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Buy my book How to Turn Your Screenplay into a Novel! Turn your scripts into books and start earning money today!