We do. Sometimes I wonder if it was dark energy that kept creeping in and disrupting our efforts.
The Dark Energy trailer script had been written for months. The talented actors who played Gillian and her boyfriend Jon in the Becker Circle trailer had already agreed to reprise their roles. A friend was the exact Pinkie I envisioned. With a little coaxing, he accepted the offer to play Pinkie. We were looking into bars to use as the location.
Then COVID.
Restaurants and bars closed. People quarantined. The book released in June, and we didn’t give up.
In July, bars had to close again. We took a chance and asked a bar owner we know if we could shoot in his bar while it was closed. He said yes. We jumped on a date when the location and small cast and crew were available. We found some great props and gathered a few extras. We took a late afternoon into the evening to shoot several scenes.
Editing takes specialized equipment and skills to put the right footage together to tell the story, record voiceover, select music, and add cover art, publisher information, and a purchase link. Do you recognize the green computer code as the trailer begins? A brilliant addition!
This trailer is extra special because of the song Dark Energy you hear toward the end. The song plays a huge role in both novels since the main character inspired the song. Look for Dark Energy by Brian Miller (Amazon, Spotify) and Dark Energy .germans mix by Brian Miller and Bobby Hoke (Amazon, Spotify) on your favorite music retail and streaming sites.
There’s no better way to bring a story to life than with film. That’s why some authors create trailers to help market their books. The experience creating this trailer was completely different than the one for Becker Circle. Book trailers of this quality are possible for me since I’ve assisted with hundreds of videos in my day job, but especially because of my good friend who’s an experienced, talented videographer.
This trailer is surrounded by talent. Dustin Grant, Pink Mouse Blue Mouse Productions, produced, directed, and edited the video. John Harrell of Harrell Creative art directed it and designed the art cards and album art. Katlyn Steele plays Gillian, including voiceover, and Rafeal Villagas plays Jon. This is Vermaine Howard’s acting debut as Pinkie. Numerous amazing friends pitched in as crew and also extras that make the neighborhood really come alive. I’m grateful to everyone who helped make it happen!
The trailer for Dark Energy turned out better than I could have imagined. My favorite words during the process…
That’s a wrap!
