When my novel, BLOODLETTING came out, I was thrilled that I finally accomplished a lifetime goal, but worried about marketing since publishers don’t do that anymore – unless you’ve got a name like James Patterson or Stephen King. After all, there are a gazillion books out there, so how the hell would people find my hard-boiled crime thriller? Okay, this doesn’t mean I didn’t have some semblance of a marketing plan in place, but bugging friends and family like a used car salesman wasn’t high on my list of things to do.
I went to my monthly New Jersey Screenwriters Group meeting at Café Beethoven in Chatham, New Jersey, and soon met up with a wonderful friend, Don Reimer. He is not only an excellent screenwriter, but a filmmaker as well, and he’s won many awards to prove his prowess as a writer, director, and editor. Don had been looking at the reviews of BLOODLETTING and was impressed by the feedback. That’s when he offered to create a trailer for the novel with his company Airworthy Productions.
Now that’s a killer idea.
In short order, Don got to work on a concept with video footage and music as I wrote the copy. However, we still needed a narrator, so I turned to the only person that jumped into my mind: Owen McCuen.
I first saw Owen in the short film, LIKE THERE’S NO TOMORROW, from Time to Back Out Productions. His performance blew me away, and he soon came on THE LAST KNOCK podcast (http://crashpalaceproductions.com/2014/02/05/crash-discussions-interview-owen-mccuen/). In less than six months, he was on set for the short crime thriller I was directing and producing, CASE #5930, where he was perfect from the word, “Action!” After he agreed to do the narration of BLOODLETTING’s protagonist, Denny Bowie, we chose a version of his audio work out of a handful of variations. (Owen’s quite the impersonator of celebrities and such, if you didn’t know.)
Once Don had the audio, he got a rough cut to me within 24-hours. Two days later, it was done. From concept to finished product, it took less than fourteen days, including color correction, editing, and audio. I wish making short films was this fluid.
The feedback for the trailer has been wonderful, but if it weren’t for Don’s concept and filming, this would not have happened. Sure, we could have gotten a crew together and rushed off to New York with actors to film at night, but with the bitter cold and costs, this would have been a nightmare. Don came up with the best solution that involved his own video, archival footage, a punk rock font to make the words pop, and killer music Denny Bowie would slam dance to.
I hope you find the work of Don Reimer worthwhile, as well as Owen McCuen’s narration. Both men are true professionals with that commitment to quality we often hear much about, but quite often fail to see. I cannot thank them enough for their exceptional work and expertise. I am truly grateful.
Find out much more about both men and their exceptional services:
Don Reimer: http://www.airworthy.com
Owen McCuen: http://www.owenmccuen.com
BLOODLETTING can be purchased at:
Amazon Author Page: http://www.amazon.com/Bloodletting-William-D-Prystauk-ebook/dp/B00RB8FLZS
Barnes and Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/prystauk?store=allproducts&keyword=prystauk
And here’s my Goodreads Author Page: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23365977-bloodletting