I am currently working on a book trailer for my brother’s scifi book “Vier Sterne über Protheus“. A book trailer is basically the same thing as a regular trailer for movies, etc., but usually placed not in cinemas or TV, but as online ad. There are even awards for this kind of trailers – and of course we both want also win one of these awards.
Anyway, I did my first sketch for the soundtrack for the trailer. My good friend Benedikt Zais did a great guitar riff, around which I tried to arrange a matching scifi athmosphere.
The idea was this: I use a guitar riff, which completely breaks with the expectation of the audience (everybody would have expected a more “space-like” sound), in order to give the trailer a very outstanding and unique tone in the scifi context. Others have done this, too – e.g. you can watch this Star Trek scene – and it got great response.
The problem is: Star Trek is known, has a fan base; expectations are completely clear. Playing with the expectations is a great way to give the trailer more visibility. But the trailer of a book that nobody knows, from an author whom nobody knows, can’t use this approach. This is, what my brother pointed out to me, and now I realize this. He is absolutely right.
So, even though I like the idea, I cannot use the approach for the trailer. So, here the soundtrack sketch I have to dismiss. At that point in time I cannot provide the accompanying video footage (sorry for that) – imagine scifi concept art as in “The Mandalorian”.
I have to go back to the start and write something new. Great experience in a way, this is what professional composers always have to do – but they are under time constraints and pressure. I don’t 😉