Creating the White Cat trailer

I had the chance to recently sit down and chat with Vania Stoyanova, the genius behind the White Cat trailer (as featured on the right)!

Tell us a little about yourself;
Gosh, I don’t really know how to answer this. But I guess I’m a 22 year old photographer and lover of books.

Now tell us about your photography business and what inspired you to start it.;
I have been doing photography of a few years but mostly weddings and portraits. My background and schooling is in Fine Art so I never felt like I was allowed to be creative enough with weddings and portraits. And while I loved them I found book trailers to encompass everything I love. Art, creativity (mine and the authors) and the wonderful YA community. I have found a home among the YA people!

How long have you been a photographer?;
I have been doing photography since high school. But hadn’t started book trailers till July of last year.

What was your first reaction when you heard that you’d be working on the WHITE CAT trailer?;
I flipped out! Especially since I was already a mute fangirl when I met Holly in LA at SCBWI a few months back. She actually emailed to warn me that she was going to talk to S&S and good thing they liked me because I was beyond ecstatic. I truly admire Holly and it was an unbelievable privilege to work her and the wonderful S&S team!

What is your favorite part of the trailer?;
I love the VoiceOver and the very beginning. But my fave part is  the cover reconstruction at the end. Mostly because it’s a great cover and a hot boy and it’s a shame his face’s covered with smoke. ((LOL))

What was the process of creating the trailer? Did you talk with Holly, read the book, make a storyboard?;
After an author or publisher approaches me I usually read the book, jot down some ideas or a rough story board and then I run it by them. After that it’s a team effort to iron out the story board. Once that’s done I stalk models, hunt down costumes and locations.. you name it and then I shoot and edit.

How long did the trailer take to make—from planning to the finished project?;
Gosh, I believe it took about 2 months. And a week or so of tweaking.

Who is your favorite character from the books?;
I absolutely love Cassel, but Lila is a girl after my own heart. Anyone who’s this independent and had been confined like that for so long deserves my praise! But the whole book is filled with such a great cast. That’s why I had to have them all in my trailer! OK not all but trust me, I tried!

Is there a scene in WHITE CAT that you wish you could have featured in the trailer?;
We had shot a few extra stuff and did have a roof scene and a trunk scene that I wanted in since I knew it was so important to Holly’s “research” but in the end we had to cut it.

What are some of your new projects?;
I am finishing up trailers for some of my fave books like INFINITE DAYS and EVERLSTING but am really ecstatic to show you all Cassandra Clare’s trailer in a few weeks.

Will we see you back for RED GLOVE?;
OH I WISH! I really hope that S&S will have me back but only time will tell! Either way I am really looking forward to Holly’s sequel!

Are there any photos that weren’t used in the trailer that you can share with us?;
Of course! Here’s the shot we took out from the car scene.

Thank you so much for your time, Vania!
You can follow Vania on twitter @ReverieBR and check out her website here.

Also, don’t forget to follow @FaerieDrink!