(C) Dave Mottram, Running Press, 2016
Introducing...
DONNA & LIBBY FARRELL:
Vrooming Book-Trailer Designers
What did you and Libby enjoy about creating the book trailer for RACE CAR DREAMS?
We had such fun bringing Sharon’s words and Dave Mottram’s art together in the video to complement the awesome book they created.
On a personal note, this project was special because it was the first collaboration for my daughter, Libby, and I. We each have a different skill set, so it was amazing for us to be able to bring them both together.
How did you snag the assignment to create the book-trailer for RACE CAR DREAMS?
I've been creating author websites for about seven years now (Sharon is a client), and Libby has been editing personal videos since middle school.
When Sharon asked if I created book trailers, I said, “I don't, but I know someone who is great with video…my daughter.”
We were thrilled that Sharon was open to having us take on the project.
And we are excited that we have already been hired to create another trailer for Lisa Wheeler’s upcoming release The Christmas Boot that is illustrated by the very talented Jerry Pinkney!
What was your creative process in creating the book trailer?
Sharon supplied me a PDF of Race Car Dreams to use to create her webpage. I was able to pull artwork from this to create the trailer.
Sharon also gave us a script of sorts to work from. This included the text that appears in the video.
To create the animations it was necessary to pull images from the book that supported the script. Photoshop was used to isolate parts of images that would later ‘move’ in the video. In some cases this would leave a void in the art. I would then need to use Photoshop-manipulation to fill in the void.
The next steps were all Libby’s. She used Final Cut Pro to turn all these bits and pieces into the final video. Music and sound were merged with the images, and transitions were added.
Though the trailer is only 50 seconds long, how long did it take you to create it? Were there any bumps in the road?
Because this was our first collaboration there was a bit of a learning curve and just like writing there were revisions that needed to be made.
I would say it took us a couple of weeks to find our footing.
Funny that you mention bumps in the road. We literally had one of those. In the scene where the race car speeds down the road, the road is not a straight line. This curve threw us a curve! Making the car move smoothly along the path was tricky and was one of the elements that took us the longest.
The music for the book trailer perfectly suits the tone of Sharon's sweet bedtime story. How did you choose it?
The music that is selected for videos needs to be in the public domain, so Libby started there. She then narrowed her search to terms like; kid friendly music, music for children. She sampled songs until she found the perfect fit.
We had such fun bringing Sharon’s words and Dave Mottram’s art together in the video to complement the awesome book they created.
On a personal note, this project was special because it was the first collaboration for my daughter, Libby, and I. We each have a different skill set, so it was amazing for us to be able to bring them both together.
How did you snag the assignment to create the book-trailer for RACE CAR DREAMS?
I've been creating author websites for about seven years now (Sharon is a client), and Libby has been editing personal videos since middle school.
When Sharon asked if I created book trailers, I said, “I don't, but I know someone who is great with video…my daughter.”
We were thrilled that Sharon was open to having us take on the project.
And we are excited that we have already been hired to create another trailer for Lisa Wheeler’s upcoming release The Christmas Boot that is illustrated by the very talented Jerry Pinkney!
What was your creative process in creating the book trailer?
Sharon supplied me a PDF of Race Car Dreams to use to create her webpage. I was able to pull artwork from this to create the trailer.
Sharon also gave us a script of sorts to work from. This included the text that appears in the video.
To create the animations it was necessary to pull images from the book that supported the script. Photoshop was used to isolate parts of images that would later ‘move’ in the video. In some cases this would leave a void in the art. I would then need to use Photoshop-manipulation to fill in the void.
The next steps were all Libby’s. She used Final Cut Pro to turn all these bits and pieces into the final video. Music and sound were merged with the images, and transitions were added.
Though the trailer is only 50 seconds long, how long did it take you to create it? Were there any bumps in the road?
Because this was our first collaboration there was a bit of a learning curve and just like writing there were revisions that needed to be made.
I would say it took us a couple of weeks to find our footing.
Funny that you mention bumps in the road. We literally had one of those. In the scene where the race car speeds down the road, the road is not a straight line. This curve threw us a curve! Making the car move smoothly along the path was tricky and was one of the elements that took us the longest.
The music for the book trailer perfectly suits the tone of Sharon's sweet bedtime story. How did you choose it?
The music that is selected for videos needs to be in the public domain, so Libby started there. She then narrowed her search to terms like; kid friendly music, music for children. She sampled songs until she found the perfect fit.
Donna & Libby Farrell worked together as a mother and daughter team to create the book trailer for RACE CAR DREAMS, their first professional project together. Donna Is a designer, illustrator, web designer, and entrepreneur. Her web clients are primarily children's book authors and illustrators. Donna is co-founder of Read Your Story, LLC a company that specializes in personalized books for children-- launching soon! Libby is a college math student in Iowa. When not solving equations, she enjoys relaxing to music. Her least favorite way to spend time is working in the D-Hall (that’s the dining hall). Her favorite food is cotton candy. Donna and Libby hope to combine their skills in creating many more book trailers in the future. They can be found online at donnadoodles.com.
