Movie trailer

An announcer with an enviable voice provides a dramatic intro.

Short clips from the movie play with loud theme music, explosions, and all the best one-liners in the script.

The two-minute-long professional edit of scenes from a movie are meant to make people want to watch the film.

It mostly works. They’re hugely popular. People watch lots of movie trailers online.

 

Book trailer

A book trailer is a short video promoting a book.

Writers are always looking for ways to get the word out about their work. A book trailer is an author’s attempt to interest readers in their latest release.

The price for a professionally produced book trailer starts around five-thousand dollars. That’s why many authors opt to create one themselves using text and stock photos. Results on those are mixed.

I’ve been imagining a book trailer for Uly, but it probably won’t happen.

Therefore, I invite you to imagine a movie trailer, a preview, with all the short clips described in words.

 

Sort of like a movie trailer

The music of a gospel choir singing is playing in the background.

“In a world where …” words replace video, here’s my preview of Uly Quits His Job.

Uly and a young man named George are sitting on the tailgate of a truck. Groundskeeping equipment is in the background.
George dug out one of his recycled bottles of water and considered the brown lukewarm water inside. “I could use a nice cold bottled water right about now.”
Uly chuckled. “That reminds me of a story I’ll have to tell you some time.”

Uly walks down a hall in an old house-turned office building and stops at his foreman’s desk.
“Uly, Mr. West has already approved you for the trip next week.”
“Okay, that’s cool.”
“That is if you’re available on Sunday afternoon?”
“You’re driving to Savannah, right?”

After work he is standing next to his truck at a gas station.
To buy gas, he pulled his wallet out of his back pocket. The work memo fell on the ground, so he picked it up. He tucked it back into the pocket. Can’t lose that.

Uly is at the ticket window inside a bus station.
The ticket agent’s attitude softened some. “I’m working with you here, sir, because I know you had to make a special run to get that all-important bag of Fritos and then you got yourself bus-left.”

Lightning flashes and thunder claps with a bang! Uly watches a man he just met when he took shelter under a bridge.
The man stood at the top of the berm under the bridge. He squatted back down. He sprang up again and paced. He wasn’t at all used to being around people. He shouted, “Jump back! What do you lack, Umbrella Fella? White Cadillac!”

Uly walks into the parking lot of an old gas station.
He walked by embarrassed, not looking at them, not knowing what had made them laugh so hard. He hurried inside, avoiding eye contact with the cashier. The laughter continued outside.
He went straight back to the deplorable excuse for a men’s restroom. Looking in the mirror, Uly had no idea who was looking back at him.

A woman is standing outside at the door of a small business checking the doorknob.
“Anyway, I’m locking up here. Do you need anything?”
Uly could see the anxiety on her face and knew she was just being nice while hoping he didn’t need anything.
“No. I don’t think I need anything.”

Later that evening
Uly lay there hungry, homeless, jobless, and penniless. He caught himself not breathing, stuck in a long, unblinking stare that accompanies a feeling of numbness.

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