Back in 2009, I schemed relentlessly on creating a video trailer to promote the October release of my thriller novel, 7th Son: Descent. I scoured stock footage sites such as iStockphoto for killer shots, and edited them into a very rough cut, intending to enlist a professional video editor to craft a final version once I’d purchased the footage.
Sadly, I did the math and discovered that my Hollywood-style book trailer would cost at least $1,300 to produce; this price didn’t include time and effort. I regretfully abandoned the project to focus my increasingly-dwindling funds and creative resources on other promotional efforts.
I recently rediscovered the rough cut of that trailer on my hard drive, and thought I’d share it here. While this cut is far from the final version I’d hoped to realize, I think it presents a clear, if incomplete, blueprint of where I was going with the project.
Music for the video was created by Celldweller and remixed by Blue Stahli, with whom I have long and positive creative and promotional relationships. Learn more about Klayton and his brilliant music at Celldweller.com, and bret’s work at BlueStahli.com.
I hope you enjoy this peek at a project that Never Came To Be, but was my labor of love for several weeks last year.
–J.C.
Note: All of the footage in this rough cut is clearly watermarked and low resolution (and visible for free on sites such as iStockphoto), so I don’t believe there’s a rights conflict here. I’m not monetarily profitting from the video’s release in any way. If a copyright holder has an issue with this video’s release, I’ll dutifully remove it.
ROCK THE FRIG ON!!! Though it may not have been a “money” hit- know I and many others still consider it one of the best stories ever- and waiting to experience the other upgrades you made to the original story…and yes VERY willing to pay when you do decide to do it for yourself!
Cheers JC, Cheers!!!
Nice work! Makes me want to read the trilogy all over again!
That was awesome.
Rough cut or no, that was awesome.
Thanks for the kind words, peeps. I watch it now, cataloging all the missing graphical elements that were to be transposed over the footage (and identifying some pacing flaws), and wish the trailer could’ve been further refined, and made it to the finish line.
The trailer is still brilliant, even in this unfinished state. Makes me want book 2 and 3 if/when you manage to self-publish them
Dayamn!!!
That makes me want to buy the book all over again.
@Anthony: Hah! You’re certainly welcome to!
That was a mighty fine trailer. It definitely reminds me that not only should book 2 and 3 have been done, the whole trilogy should have been made into a movie…or three.
sniff?! bawl!!
Damn the Fates.
LOVE. Need to read again. Will.
Wow. I love it!
I totally agree: this trilogy should have been done. Both in book and in movie. Great work, JC!
And if this is a ‘rough cut’ that is lacking a lot of stuff I don’t miss (but I’m not the creator of the work, so it’s easy not to see that), than the final work would have been mind-blowing!
Awesome!
Bummer! I just went to buy the book and it’s not available here in Asia. Kindle edition. I live in Bangkok. What’s up with that?
Sorry, S.G. — That’s a business decision that St. Martin’s Press must make. I do know that we sold rights for publication in China, but have no further information on it.
This RAWKS!!!
I Loved the 7th son series and it has been one of the few stories I have listed to from Podiobooks.com that my teenage kids have also thoroughly enjoyed. I have even loved finding 7th Son “Easter eggs” in other stories.
I would LOVE to own this in book form and TOTALLY agree that this story should be on film. Hell if LOST could be on tv for so long, why couldn’t 7th Son have a shot? Till then though, it is one of the audiobooks that I have NOT deleted after listening just so I could hear it all over again.
Keep writing! I look forward to more!
Thanks for the kind comment, Shadow. The first book, 7th Son: Descent, has indeed been in print for more than a year. Check Amazon, if you’d like to buy a copy.
Missed this one the first time around. Thanks for reTweeting about it so I could check it out. Ahh. Things that could have been!