170 ☼ The First-Ever Fictional Short Film Book Trailer?
also: The Process Is The Reward, and other lessons learned
Dear friends,
This week, I’m excited to share a new short film we made, three lessons I’ve learned recently, and updates on next week’s NJV1 book launch.
Also, don't miss the Process x Moment Giveaway—a $150 coupon to use on film, accessories, cameras, and more!
Thank you for reading. Process is the result of collaborative creativity. It’s written by me and supported by you—whether you read, share, comment, buy my books, hire me for portraits or mentoring, or become a paying subscriber and member of the Process Photo Club.
The First-Ever Fictional Short Film Book Trailer?
I like doing things differently - both trying new approaches myself and stepping away from how things are 'supposed' to be done. So when it came time to make a trailer for NOTICE Journal, Volume One, I didn't want to just make a standard book video. After all, I'd spent three years pouring my heart into this project, and I wanted to show what that can really feel like.
You know how most book trailers go: here's the book, here's what's in it, look at some pretty pictures, and please buy it. But that didn't feel right. Instead, I teamed up with director Joseph Frank and cinematographer Arsen Babaian to make something that captures what it actually feels like to put something you care about into the world - all the stress, excitement, and wild fever panic dreams included.
What we made is Wesley's Lost - a short film that's a bit weird, pretty chaotic, and hopefully makes you laugh. It's fiction, but the feelings behind it are very real.
For a wonderful gallery of behind-the-scenes images taken by Simon Ducos, go here.
NJV1 Out in the World, T-Minus 2 Days
First, a massive thank you to everyone who's backed this book - whether you preordered a copy, went for a Special Edition with a print, or even picked up the one-of-one Artist Edition. It means the world to me that this work speaks to you. Books start shipping next Wednesday, and if you're local, you can either grab yours at today's release party or we'll sort out another way to get it to you.
Some good news about where you'll be able to find the book: NOTICE Journal is landing on the shelves at Carmencita Film Lab in Spain, Safelight in Berlin, and the wonderful photography museum FOAM right here in Amsterdam. A few more shops are in the works - I'll let you know as soon as those are confirmed.
If you're curious to hear more about the project, I've got some fun stuff coming up: a few interviews on Dutch national radio, some podcasts, and conversations with Matt Day for his YouTube channel and Shane over at Framelines. I'll keep you posted on when those go live.
Lessons Learned
The process of making this book has once again taught me a lot, and I want to share some of the first big takeaways:
The Inside-Out Trap
When you're deep in a project, it's easy to forget that others don't live in your head. In talking about the project, I would always mention the half-frame camera I used, but I completely missed explaining what makes it special. At Paris Photo, I watched people flip through the book, admiring the paired images.
When I mentioned that every diptych was created right there in the camera - two sequential shots appearing side-by-side on the same negative - their jaws dropped. Even the veteran photo pros and curators went from "really nice work" to "wait, WHAT?" in seconds.
They'd assumed I'd paired the images later in Photoshop, like most people would I realize now. It hit me that I should have made this clear from the start, right in the book and its description. It's not just a technical detail - it completely changes how people see and understand the work. Big lesson learned: never assume others know what feels obvious to you, especially when it's central to understanding your process.
Working With a Dream Team
I can't stress enough how much it helps to work with people who really know their stuff. Dan Rubin and Maxwell George brought brilliant ideas to the design that I never would have thought of on my own. The illustrations by Jeffrey Phillips, and the beautiful words written by Caroline Cala Donofrio, and Hetty Lui McKinnon added whole new layers to the story that. And working with a printer who's been doing this for 35 years? Game changer. Having experts in your corner makes everything better.
Different Times, Different Choices
Things are different now compared to when I put out my last book, NOTICE. Back in peak Covid times, people were stuck at home, had some extra cash, and were craving physical things like books. Now? Everyone's busy, money's tighter, and folks are pickier about what they buy. That's why I decided to make NOTICE Journal more affordable and approachable than I might have a few years ago, while maintaining the super high quality in materials and printing.
The Process Is The Reward
Even with all the headaches and late nights, I love making photo books. So much that I already have blocked part of 2025 to make NOTICE Journal, Volume Two, with a release date next October so it’s perfectly timed for Paris Photo.
I've also started helping other photographers with their books - like my friend Pie Aerts - doing everything from curating the image selection, to figuring out the story flow and sequence, and thinking through all the strategic choices on how to position their story to reach the most people. It's incredibly satisfying helping someone else's vision come to life. I'm keeping these collaborations limited (they're pretty intense work), but they're some of my favorite projects.
Early next year, I'll share a deeper dive into everything I learned - the good, the bad, and the surprising stuff in between.
Final Thoughts
Quick heads up if you're still thinking about getting a copy: the early bird price of €40 runs until Tuesday. After that, shipping starts, and it'll go up to its regular price of €50.
Remember, Yearly members of the Process Photo Club get 50% off NJV1 and 100%-off coupons for the Process Workbook, €30-off my previous book NOTICE, and more.
I want to wrap this up by again saying thank you. Really. Making a photo book is one of those crazy things you do because you can't help yourself, and having you all along for the ride makes it so much more meaningful. And hey - if reading about this journey makes you want to grab your camera and thinking about making your own zine or book - well, that would make my day.
NEXT WEEK: I'm trading in my long-time client work gear for a brand-new setup!
Keep shooting and take good care of yourselves and others.
Wesley
Housekeeping
BlueSky — Do we need another social media platform? Probably not. But BlueSky is really fun and feels like the good old, pre-toxicity days of Twitter. Find me here!
London Video — The Frameline fellas created a nice Reel with some highlights from our recent Process x Framelines Photo Walk. Check it out here!
Making of NJV1 BTS Video — In case you missed it, last week I shared a fantastic video by Alain Galje, who joined me for the NJV1 printing process. Watch it here.
Gear & Tools Used
Camera: iPhone 12, Nikon D7200
Shout out to MPB.com, my go-to place to buy, sell, and trade used cameras and lenses. I love their service and am a paying customer. MPB caters to over 625,000 visual storytellers and provides a 6-month warranty. Thanks for the support, MPB! <3
Lab: All my analog work is developed and scanned by my friends at Carmencita Film Lab. They’re my favorite lab in the world. Use code “PROCESS” to get a free upgrade.
Process Giveaway
My pals over at Moment are back for a generous giveaway! One winner will receive a $150 gift card to buy whatever you wish including film, bags, a course, and more.
To enter this week’s giveaway answer the following question in the comments:
Q: If you could pick one actor to have a portrait session with, who would it be?
ENTER THIS WEEK’S GIVEAWAY before 11 a.m. EST on December 1st. There’s already some excellent answers in last week’s comments if you need some inspiration.
The winner will be randomly drawn. This giveaway is for Process subscribers only.
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The trailer is delightful! Well done.
And I think you are correct about the importance of knowing that the image pairings were made in-camera. I missed that initially but when I saw that detail in a recent post, my jaw also dropped.
I’d love to shoot the portrait of Riz Ahmed. He’s a stellar actor and I’d live to be able to capture him in studio.