Last weekend the kids and I discovered a new website, xtranormal, which is a brilliant place where anyone can make movies simply by typing in dialogue and having characters speak it. I have seen several extremely funny videos made this way, including this one about writing a novel which I posted a while ago. Author Laura Zigman has made a whole series of extremely funny films, which I recommend highly. Here’s a good place to start.
The kids enjoyed playing about with the site. My son likes making complicated stop-motion movies with his ipod touch – he can spend hours in his bedroom animating soft toys and other things and making them do strange things. I guess that’s better than watching another re-run of iCarly, right? Here’s an example.
Anyway, I could see my son’s eyes grow bigger as he played about with xtranormal as the possibilities blossomed and multiplied in his head. I went off to take a shower, and by the time I came downstairs again, he and his sister had come up with this. All their own work – they come up with the concept, the script, the execution – the lot.
I don’t know if there will be an official book trailer for my novel – nobody has said anything to me about it – but that question has been rendered somewhat moot. Because how, really, can you do better than this?!?
I love my kids.
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Your kids must have pulled some serious strings to get both Abe and George Washington — two very fine Americans — to appear in your book trailer! Color me impressed. 🙂
Author
Oh yes, they’re very well connected. They did another one with Hillary Clinton! (which was unintentionally hilarious.)
Thanks so much for sharing this! I cannot wait to share it with our girls!
Alex, when I found that site about a year ago, I DIED laughing! I made up all kinds of wonderful stories (okay, venting stories) based on interactions with customers from my job. It was such a great stress reliever, exaggerating certain aspects of people. I can imagine, based on what you said about your son and stop-action, that he could have such fun with this! Did you know you can download the program so you don’t have to be online to use it? The free version is extremely limited, though. As for the trailer, well, if I hadn’t already planned on purchasing your book, this would have convinced me! Job well done, kids! (You, too, Dad!)