All season long, we've all been complaining about the bad promos created by the CW, and the lack of their airings. There have been two exceptions this year, the promo for Of Vice and Men, and the promo for Spit & Eggs. Most of the other promos are either extremely misleading (i.e., taking things out of context and/or using clips from past and farther-in-the-future episodes) or not representative of what the show is about (it is not One Tree Hill). I believe that many of us tune in despite the promos, not because of them, and that new viewers need something better to entice them to watch. Who knows, maybe a CW exec. will see this thread and think "Hey! That's what our promos should be like!". Hey, you never know.

It was suggested in #26 - If Only You Were a CW Promo Monkey that a thread should be started where we can share our own promos for the show, whether they be general or episode-specific. There was a promo contest over the summer at watchveronicamars. Those videos should give you an idea of how to make a promo.

To start off the thread, I'll share my own. One of the worst promos of the season so far (IMO) was the one for 3.06 "Hi, Infidelity". Here's my own promo for the episode, focusing on what the episode was actually about. FYI, it was made in about 30 minutes.

So do you think you can do a better job than those CW promo monkeys? Share away!


(Also, title suggestions are extremely welcome.)

Hee.

How about - 'If Monkeys Can Do It - Our VM Promos'. Although, maybe if we actually want the monkeys to view this thread, we should stop calling them promo monkeys...

I'll throw the one I did in here even though I already posted it in the video thread.
I think it's not episode specific, and it's not anywhere a "typical promo", but it was fun to make.

So here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H_jDc8keEN0

Those were both better than the current promos! Hee.

These are three I love (ones from you, EA):

90 second promo by firefly_ca

60 second promo by EpicLoVe

90 second promo by zimshan

I think the use of music with great clips, as we've seen in the SPN promos, really help capture the mood and draw the attention of new viewers.

After seeing those promos, I'd start watching this show if I wasn't already! So far, I can't say that about the official CW promos, other than Spit & Eggs.

ETA: Adding one more. God, watching those promos just brings it home why I fucking love this show so much.

There were so many great promos created during the summer, and all in inspiration of the famous Comic-Con promo. That promo was fabulous. We all know it's too long to air on the network, but I wonder if the CW folks have seen it. I would assume so, since wasn't it made to ensure a renewal? Why do they not make their promos more like that excellent one?

(rowanceleste, as much as I'd love to take credit, the second one isn't by me.)

Edit: I absolutely love the promo by zimshan. It mostly focused on the dark moments, but I think everyone knows by now that VM has its fair share of laughs. A lot of non-viewers probably know nothing about the noir aspects of the show, and that promo shows it so effectively and so movingly. Plus, I've always loved the "chasing the storm" voice-over, and it fits perfectly with the show.

Damn, now I have to go back and figure out who to credit for the second one! Thanks for the heads up, E A.

ETA: I lied, I'm sort of tied between Zimshan's and firefly_ca's - I think they show case the show in different ways, but the common aspects are that the music is great, the scenes are interesting and the whole thing just draws the attention of the viewer in a positive fashion.

One of my favorites that no one mentioned yet:

Good Time by Alliterator

It's a 60 second general promo for the show, and like many of the ones mentioned above, it has an excellent combination of music and clips. This one also makes good use of critical praise.

Wow. Watching all these awesome promos makes me want to cry because the "professional" CW ones are pure crap in comparison. Actually, no comparison needed. They're just crap.

I know...these promos actually make you want to watch VM, huh?

Definitely an interesting concept when the current CW promos make you want to throw your television out the window!

This one is awesome. Great work.

I really enjoy this video. It would be hilarious as a general show promo (like the SN Johnny Cash one) while also showing the crime/darker elements of the show; that it's not just a high school/college soapy drama.

I Got Stripes by raenstorm

That video is awesome. It would totally make me want to watch. I'd never realized how many scenes there were of people in jail, but when they're put together like that... wow. And the scenes fit the lyrics amazingly well.

That was absolutely fantastic! Not only was that the perfect song for those scenes, it really just showed that something's going on in Neptune if people are going to jail so many times. I loved it.

I just wanted to say that these promos are terrific, guys. A lot of them I hadn't watched since the summer and the new ones are awesome as well. I think it's easy to get so wrapped up in trying to organize campaigns or get people to watch the show, that I (at least) forget what made me love it so much to start with. Watching these vids reminds me and makes me want to break out my DVDs all over again.


Man they need to get season 1 on iTunes. I think all three seasons are great but seeing the promos makes me remember why season 1 of this show will go down, for me at least, as one of the greatest seasons of television of all time. So brilliant.

I can't get over how good "Good Time" is. How can we get the promo monkeys to watch it? The tone of the promos in this thread are nothing like the tone of the promos they throw together. I wish they could get an idea of what makes Veronica Mars so great.

I really wish that TPTB, or whoever could see this and really understand the draw that this show could have if the more seedy aspects were emphasized. Some of these promos are amazing. The only reason I ever started watching this show was because a friend made me watch the comic-con promo and then offered me the pilot to download and I was hooked. Had I just seen network promos I never would have taken the time to even bother.

I changed the music and some other aspects of my first promo, so here is the edited one:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ap5cIddgOm8

God, that's so much better than the official tripe they're churning out right now it's actually depressing.

AprilJoiex - A promo to actually get a person interested in the Dean's murder! Hee. What a stunning concept. It was great.

AprilJoiex, they mentioned your promo video on the Neptune Pirate Radio podcast.

Ha! How cool was that. Thanks for letting me know.

Here is the full list of winning promos from this summer's contest. If we decide to hold another one, I will put this page back up in the main headers of the site and label these pages "Round 1" and the pages about the new contest "Round 2."

Problem is, we are talking about promoting episodes that have not aired yet. It is impossible for us to do that. Maybe instead, every week after the new episode airs, people could post make their, "Now that I have seen the episode, this is how I would have made the promo" promos.

Could round two just be general VM promos and not even season specific? That way people could do it ahead of time and lure people into the show without giving away season mysteries and not necessarily needing a seasonal arc to promote? Not that I have any editing talent, but I think the possibility of fantastic promos are exponential if you have 2 1/2 seasons to use for material.

While I love the idea of a new promo contest, I'd rather we could be proactive and hook people on VM in general, rather than reactive in showing 'this is how it should have been done' since that won't necessarily engage new viewers. What does everyone else think?

I see where you are coming from. I guess my point is that making episode specific promos is actually harder than making general show promos... You have to say enough without saying too much, etc. It is about plot more than character.

Personally I would love to see what some of our talented vidders would do with a 20 second spot about PT&T. How would they promote it now that they have seen it? And then the vids could be sent to friends with notes like, "This week's VM was so good. Check out this 20 second promo and then click here to download the episode from iTunes."

Wednesday morning I would love to start receiving people's alternatives to the evil "I'm pregnant" promo. We could post them all on the site and ask people to pimp their favorites and then maybe vote on the best one for each episode between 3.11 and 3.15 during the hiatus or something...

But you know me, I am already stretched thin, so I will go along with whatever the majority wants.

Spads, I get that. Episode-specific promos are much harder than general promos. I'd love to see alternatives to some of the awful CW episode-specific promos as well... Perhaps a CW exec will see some of them and it could give them some sort of idea of how to properly promote the show? Even if they don't, I love your idea of making the 20 second spots and saying "click here to download the episode from iTunes." If people posted all this on their LJ's and stuff like that, it could really help.

The Internet is a very powerful tool.

Hee. It's too bad I don't talk to anyone that doesn't already love VM.

I love the idea of the twenty second spots and 'click here to download the episode from iTunes' because then we could have a positive impact on iTunes download popularity. Imagine if VM was in the top 10 or hell even top 50 downloaded episodes each week on iTunes? That would kick ass.

I will think thru some contest rules this week and try to get a contest going by the weekend. So it likely will not include the last two promos. The promos that started the commotion... Though maybe the promo for next week's ep will be good and we will have to start talking about something else ;)

God I hope you're right, and given the episode description I would be honestly surprised if they managed to screw up the promo. But so help me I will pop a blood vessel if they focus solely on Logan and Veronica being all mopey and broken up or something (tagged just in case).

And since it's my first time posting in this thread, I wanted to say how much I love all of the promos you guys have posted - including the ones from the contest. I've seen a few of them before, but I spent a good chunk of my afternoon the other day just sitting and watching them all - they really made me remember why I'd fallen in love with the show, and definitely quelled my anger over the CW's promos.

All these promos are brilliant.They real capture the noir and the darkness of the show that drew me in.
I hugely dislike all the CW promo,except for the 309 one,which was pretty brilliant.
I live in England and i watch Season 3. Living TV shows Veronica Mars and has just finished Season 2.I really like their promo's,they seem to highlight the show's best features,yet,alas,none of my british friends watch the show.:[
Still,here are the Living TV promos:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qwDCe63cehI
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xDtgAkcpm3A
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J4_yZkL9VWk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QXI0YaJNM5g

{UK ones...}

Those are good...

What episode is the fight at 00:19 from?

If I'm not mistaken, it's from the teaser for "Happy Go Lucky".

Pretty good promos from the UK, though! It sounded like they sped up Veronica's voice sometimes, though, because every once in a while she sounded like a chipmunk!

Seriously, especially in the last one. But those promos are pretty great, because obviously the people at Living TV get actually get what VM is about. If only the CW would catch on.

I just saw this promo by UPN, and I'm pretty sure we need more like this:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=w6LdxJ6zYg0&...ted&search=

That was good,if not a bit cheesy. I did LOL at whatever happened to Logan's voice though,& when we actually hear the towel smack Veronica that made me laugh too.Still,it's pretty good.

Didn't notice that....i'll have to rewatch them,but yeah,living tv and that UPN promos get the right aspect of the show:].

I love the Living TV promos! Though I think they have the advantage of being able to make them after the entire season has aired in the U.S. (Right?)

It's weird because there are plenty of misleading cuts, but since they are exciting and about the mystery (not whether or not the lead character is pregnant or breaking up with her starcrossed lover again) I find it completely acceptable.

Yep.I think so anyway.

ha! exactly,they don't really tell a 'story' but they make VM look like it should look! That is how you do it CW.

I love the content, pace and scenes in the LivingTV promos, but that commentator's voice got on my nerves. Maybe he just doesn't appeal to American ear drums. Hee.

Those UK ones are so much better than any US ones I've seen that it's outright embarassing. Eeesh.

For 3x10 I've made a promo using only clips from 3x09
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qYRnFRTj3Q0

It was even featured on the official VM myspace page, which was really cool :)

I'm thinking about doing the same for 3x16, any ideas on what it should be like, anyone?

EDIT: I didn't only use clips from 3x09...I used some from earlier episode, but they were mainly from 3x09

Sorry for double posting!

Just wanted to tell you guys I now made the promo :)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xfcwPIAY7tw

Wow, nice job, berend89. That was really good.

Accidentally posted this in the music video thread:

Hey guys! For the past couple of days I've been working on a VM promo as an editing project which, if I become satisfied with it, may possibly go on my demo reel when I graduate. Anyhoo, it's gotten to the point where I could really use some objective eyes, and I figured, who better than VM fans? I've uploaded a low-res version to YouTube (which, for some reason, made the sound go slightly out of sync. I've never uploaded there before...is this common or is there something I can do to fix it?). I still plan to add a few sound effects and quick shots, but please let me know which shots/segments don't work or seem awkward. Your constructive critcism would be much appreciated:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9XQqjbeQsac

Thanks in advance!

Wow flickchick that was sooooooooooo good!! I honestly don't have anything constructive to say, lol. It was just... GREAT! I loved all of the clips, and I liked how you had her talking while you showed other clips. (I don't know technical terms, lol). Sorry i couldn't be more help, lol.

WOW! flickchick85
That was so awesome. Damn it, why can't the so-called professional promo editors do something this good?

Preface this with: that was awesome. One of the best I've seen.

Now, a couple of constructive comments. The CW and Veronica scene in the boy's dorm room, there is a quick shot of CW before it goes to the hallway scene where they talk about their "routines", anyway the final flash of CW seems uneccesary, or if it is neccesary it should be a tad longer because it is kind of jarring being so short. Also, I think maybe the scene where V is talking about shooting a man in reno, I think some more scenes cut into that scene would help break it up a little, at least one because that last part of the reno scene seems to slow the tempo of the promo down in that moment. Oh, and also the clip with the quotes from Kevin Smith, Joss and Stephen King... it seemed a little crowded. Maybe give them each their own title card, so people are more likely to be able to read them all.

Things you did amazingly well: Loved that you did the quotes over the scenes from the credits. Loved the way you cut in scenes from Lilly's murder with the Piz conversation, that flowed beautifully. I really liked the way you showed different aspects of the show, from Veronica in danger to Veronica bonding with her father. I liked the way the the audio overlapped scenes, it really helped the whole thing feel very cohesive.

Seriously, as it stands it is really excellent, so disregard my comments if you disagree at all.

If you ever upload a HQ one, I would be interested in seeing it. I don't know why the sound is sometimes off, it has happened with me before. I usually try a different video format, youtube doesn't like certain formats. I'd really like to post this everywhere. It's that good.

flickchick85 I loved that! One of the best ones out there.

One of the best promos I've seen. Wonderful.

I agree with the flash of Clarence Weidman that April talked about.

Thanks for all the great feedback everyone!

AprilJoiex and Kaspangle, I totally agreed with you on the flash of Weidman, so consider it gone.

As for your other notes, AprilJoiex, I definitely agreed that the last title card is too crowded. I just didn't want to have more than one "famous fans" title card. I think the thing that crowds it the most is Joss Whedon's uber-long credit ("creator of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, and Firefly), so I'll just change that to "writer/director" and lengthen the title card by a few frames.

Finally, I see what you mean with "shot a man in Reno" segment. I'm currently trying out various clips over that section, but so far they all seem a little random. At the same time, I worry about being too literal with the clips (like, one thing I tried "Veronica w/ gun"...cut to "Aaron Echolls in peril") because I don't want to seem like I'm suggesting she actually shot a man in Reno. So, does anyone have any suggestions for what shots would work with the "I shot a man in Reno" segment?

You guys are really helping. I appreciate it.

ETA: As soon as the final version's finished I'll upload the HQ version for anyone who's interested, although that might be too big a file for YouTube so I might just have to upload it to MegaUpload for downloading or something.

Gah! That was so good I want to watch every single Veronica Mars episode all over again. The montage at the end with the whole protective spear was my favorite parts showing the dangerous part of PI as well as camera and computer stuff. Loved it. Now I almost don't even want to keep working on my video as your blows mine outta the water!

Well done, flickchick

Thanks, folks! Time for round two.

Here's the touched up version of the previous cut (still not sure about that "shot a man in Reno" segment):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OpqfoHEDcnY

And here's one with an alternate ending (the rhythm of the end montage was really irking me, so I decided to play with it some more):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gXa6RZi64u8


The sound still went a little out of sync on both of them (grrr).
Which one's better?