If filmmakers made our book trailers.

I love relaxing with the staff picks on Vimeo.

My first love was cinema so having the best short films curated saves you from searching for these gems. Thought-provoking documentaries, whimsical animations and off-beat drama is usually what’s chosen for you, and enjoying a short film festival at home through the television and hifi is a real weekend treat.

I’m also someone who loves casting actors for my book trailers and am possibly searching for someone to play famous fashion blogger, Madeline Q, from my novel, Social Media Central. This book will be the next one released by my publisher and although I know of someone keen to play her, we’ve only emailed each other. She’s overseas for a while and I’m not sure of her return date.

I’ve had trouble casting.

Many actors I contacted online who were suitable either didn’t get in touch, or when they did, they fell silent when I tried to arrange a meeting. A small number did meet me, though, and I have all my cast, I think. It all depends on how committed my mysterious woman is in being part of the shoot.

This is also the first time I’ve found it difficult to find people. I’ve shot trailers for both Drama Queens with Love Scenes and Drama Queens and Adult Themes, and discovered many who wanted to audition. It’s probably a question for another blog but I wonder what’s changed since I first shot my trailers.

Wouldn’t it be nice to have up and coming filmmakers shoot your trailers?

As authors we’ve all done it, pictured our novel as a film. I often imagined a trailer for Nate and the New Yorker with scenes shot in New York, Sydney and Tokyo. Snappy one liners delivered by Cameron’s cross-dressing butler in quickly edited shots as you often see in Rom Com trailers. Nathan and Cameron staring lovingly at each other over the table of a fancy New York restaurant, or Elliot’s wild dialogue captured briefly in snippets.

Is this the type of thing you can ask for in a fund-me campaign? Flights to landmarks around the world with actors from both Australia and the United States? We can dream.

And surely a filmmaker would love playing with the devil?

For Drama Queens and Devilish Schemes I wanted to use the same actors I had for the previous book in the series. The older guy playing Adam would be in a library speaking to camera explaining all the different types of devils there are. You know, devils that seduce you. Devils disguised as bosses. Devils that break your heart.

Between shots of Adam delivering his lines would be cut in shots of the silhouette of a guy trying on different clothes until he was finally revealed dressed in top hat and pearls as the devil character in my book wears. Then the product shot – the cover which also features a top hat and Satan’s tail.

So with all the collaborations online, why not?

One web marketing seminar I went to explained that an author making a video of themselves reading from their book is a better way to sell your stuff than producing a trailer. I’ve done both. Can’t say if it’s true.

But in an increasingly ‘do it yourself’ online world wouldn’t it be great if a filmmaker offered to produce your trailer. Anime for dystopia or steam-punk. Mood lighting for thrillers. Clever lines revealed for the contemporary novels.

It would be the perfect way to connect with the creatives in your online community.