Video of some of my experiences while studying for my MFA this year. It wasn’t all bad. I was given so many opportunities, so much feedback from industry professionals, and the support from my peers. I just had to remember that this experience was a stepping stone towards something bigger.
I am a writer. I have never been silent in my passion, but for this assignment I went above and beyond (most likely at the expense of my sister’s embarrassment). There is a courtyard park in the historical district where parades, festivals, and town meetings are often held. On my way to a new job offer, I asked my sister to pull the car over. Once the car came to a stop, I got out and shouted “I am a writer.”
Because it was an artsy part of town, I got a few claps, but the conservative habits of the midwest got me a few glares. After my public display of madness, there were a few people who thought pursuing a writing career and an education in writing was a waste of time. I ignored these individuals because I never chose to be a writer, it’s just who I am.
The process of creating, revising, and finalizing the short scene of Bits And Baubles has been an adventure to say the least. The most challenging aspect was following feedback that was only positive. Constructive criticism can be used to learn and develop skills; however, positive feedback is great to hear, but it adds nothing to the creative process. There is always room for improvement.
While creating a “Director’s Treatment” for the Bits And Baubles short scene, I experienced difficulties in drafting the call sheet and choosing editing software. The call sheet proved challenging because I was using stills accompanied with a voice-over performance of the scripted dialogue. Below is a reflection video of the planning process.
This week I struggled with overthinking a simple assignment. I couldn’t decide what genre to use, what script would be the best to work with. I don’t often write simple scripts with one or two characters per scene; however, I remembered my webisode from a previous class, “Bits & Baubles” that would be perfect for this assignment. Below is a short animated video that I made using Powtoons to give a visual representation.
My film adaptation of “The Gift of The Magi” titled, “For The Record” aspires to put the audience into a position where they can witness both the blissful domesticity and the struggle for acceptance found within modern same-gender relationships.
Stories such as “The Gift of The Magi” lighten the heart with a potent warmth that spreads through your entire being. I still find myself affected by this story even after reading it countless times. Stories like these are what inspired me to become a writer; stories that everyone can relate to. We’ve all struggled to find the perfect gift, we’ve all struggled with financial debt, and we’ve all struggled to fix a situation that went wrong despite good intentions.
When approaching my screenplay adaptation, I wanted to integrate the original core concept with a contemporary setting that is relatable to a modern audience. The poverty that most of the current generation is facing was heavily employed, including the act of buying, trading, and selling things online to make ends meet. I also wanted to convey how much we depend on technology even when we value antiquated things. I wrote the characters as fresh-out-of-college young adults focused on following their dreams even when facing financial crisis. Having the story follow a lesbian couple is still considered a bold move even in this progressive era, but I was determined to take risks with this project, even small ones.
I intend to continue writing screenplays for book adaptations; currently considering projects such as the “Immortals After Dark” series by Kresley Cole, the “Dark-Hunter” series by Sherrilyn Kenyon, and the “Hell’s Eight” series by Sarah McCarty. I also look forward to writing my own book series and an accompanying screenplay for film adaptation.
For The Record Trailer
Credit to footage: https://www.pexels.com and https://www.videvo.net/. Music from iTunes.
There are many examples of “gamification” and “media convergence” despite the fact that we have yet to thoroughly define the terminology behind these concepts.The idea is that (A) gamification makes life more fun through play, and (B) media convergence makes life easier through technology.
One of the most obvious examples of media convergence is the conjunction of reading materials and digital devices. Carrying a bag full of books is not only inconvenient, but it’s uncomfortable. Tablets and Kindles can hold endless amounts of digitized books without any physical distress.
· ChoreWars
http://www.chorewars.com
ChoreWars is a game that was designed to make even the most mundane tasks entertaining. With everything from gardening and grocery shopping to repairs and organizing parties, ChoreWars is perfect for increasing motivation in the workplace or getting things done around the house.
· Audible
https://www.audible.com
If eBooks and Kindles are at the forefront of book-related media convergence, then audio books are not too far behind. Sometimes you just don’t have enough hands to balance a book and the rest of your life. Audible provides audio files of storytellers reciting books out loud. Audio books from Audible can be accessed on smartphones, tablets, laptops, desktops, etc.
The best marketing comes from creators/services/companies that know their target audience. I’m sure they’ll accept business from anyone, but their main goal is to attract a certain collective of individuals that would appreciate their product the most. Here are some recent examples of brilliant marketing tactics employed by easily identifiable brands.
#1. Deadpool Marketing Campaign
Keeping with their ‘R-Rated’ theme, the Deadpool marketing campaign took serious risks to promote the 2016 film that made some viewers uncomfortable while the rest of us were too busy laughing to be scandalized. Full of sexual innuendos and witty tag lines, these marketing strategies successfully prepared potential viewers for what they should expect from the film. Having grossed over $132 million dollars in the opening weekend, I would say it was quite successful.
#2. Bioshock Brand Design
The original Bioshock game burst onto the scene in 2007 with a grunge and gritty nautical-steampunk aesthetic that appealed to all gamer weirdos, like myself. Before you get to the mech-bot Big Daddies and syringe wielding Little Sisters, you come across the Bioshock logo. The logo features rusted metals, block letters, dripping water, and some interesting lighting; Pair this with some ominous music and you have a stellar introduction to an immersive video game. There are some aspects to the marketing that was considered risky for a new game franchise, including the catchphrase like “No Gods or Kings” and “A Man Chooses, A Slave Obeys.” alongside themes such as drug addiction, brainwashing, and extreme violence.
#3. Wendy’s Twitter Account
Over the past year or so, the Wendy’s fast food franchise has taken social media marketing to an entirely new level. With the popularity of savage behavior on the rise, everyone’s favorite pigtailed mascot headed over to twitter to deliver some seriously witty insults to their competitors. This resulted in a viral twitter campaign, a rap mixtape, and an increase in interactions between major brands and their consumers. With fans requesting to be “roasted” and Wendy’s providing brutally honest charm to their business strategy, this could change marketing on a global scale.
(Image Source: SZ. (2014, November 04) Retrieved from Desi Rants N Raves)
Until about three months ago, I had never considered writing scripts or screenplays because I have always viewed myself as a novelist. In the past, I had always written extremely detailed, immersive fictional pieces that would have a sense of “fluidity”. This allowed the reader to imagine the story in their mind like they were watching a movie. Without knowing it, I had been using various formats intended for film in my novels; for example, the three-act structure, character roles, A and B storylines, hero’s journey and character arcs, major turning points that propelled the plot, etc. Writing the dialogue and action elements of a script helped me understand the correlation between what a character does and what the character says and how these things evolve the story.
Throughout the process of creating my own Web Series and Pilot Webisode, I tried to ground my storylines in reality as much as possible. Despite my background in writing sci-fi fantasy adventures, every time I tried to explore science fiction or fantasy elements I would have to scrap the ideas because they would cause the scenes to run too long. Identifying my target audience, general theme, and fully establishing character roles really helped me map out where I wanted the story to go. After a lot of trial and error, I realized that if one element in your three-act structure isn’t working, you should backtrack and figure out where you went wrong before moving on. Each event should trigger something to happen to or around your characters (like a domino effect); if it doesn’t, you should probably leave it out.
When I was writing as a freelance journalist, I would describe actions and events and provide relevant details that allowed the readers to draw their own conclusions. I do the same thing when writing scripts. Instead of explaining why a character was doing something or what they were thinking, I simply describe their actions and how these actions trigger events around them. This allows the character to say what they’re thinking or explain why they did something through dialogue. Simplicity is key, let the characters speak for themselves.
Although I still view myself predominantly as a novelist, I will continue to develop my skills in writing for film, television, and video games. I can definitely see myself writing scripts and screenplays for a living, possibly even delving back in and writing a few original Web Series; however, before I jump into that, I will be reaching out to creators on YouTube and other social media platforms to get some experience in writing internet content. I will also be experimenting with how book ideas and novels translate into scripts and screenplays.
SZ. (2014, November 04). Qissa [Dramon Ki] Kahani Ka. Retrieved from Desi Rants N Raves: https://desirantsnraves.com/2014/11/04/qissa-dramon-ki-kahani-ka/
Witch Crafting with Xymira: Ancient Tomb Spell Book
Witch Crafting with Xymira: Ancient Tomb Spell Book
Being the immeasurably powerful deity that I am, it is important that I keep track of all of my spells, hexes, enchanted objects, etc. Under ordinary conditions, I would simply conjure a spell book; however, your pathetic mortal realm is magicless and my powers have been rendered invalid. By the gods! This is tedious and frustrating, but it must be done! Even though most of you unsophisticated human fools could not possibly set aside your “mobile phones” to dredge up enough concentration to complete this task, I have included the instructions.
Ancient Tomb Spell Book
Required Tools:
1. Acrylic paint: black, various shades of brown, dark green, beige/tan, and gold or bronze.
2. Cut cardboard or cut shoebox to 9.5 in. wide x 12 in. long. Do this twice.
3. Fresh hide from a recent kill or (for you empathetic pitiful organisms) use faux leather cut Total: 27 in. wide x 13.5 inc. long.
4. Adhesives: E6000 glue, rubber cement, and hot glue.
5. One pack of 500 sheets of 8.5 x 11 in. standard printer paper
6. Scrapbook metal book corners or old-looking jewelry.
7. Tissue paper
8. Water
9. The blood of your enemies.
Step one:
Lay out the fabric that has been cut to appropriate sizes and arrange the two cardboard pieces on the fabric. Allow 1.5-2 in. of overlap/edge space around the two pieces of cardboard and 3 inches in between the two pieces of cardboard.
I really hope you have basic mathemagic skills and can measure.
Step two:
Fold the top of the fabric evenly across and tightly against the cardboard, then glue the even fold down and secure it across the full length and to the cardboard. Repeat on the bottom of the book.
Let dry until glue is hardened.
Step Three:
Set the pack of standard printer paper on top of the piece of cardboard to the right (back of the book) so that the left edges of the cardboard and package are lined up. Fold the left piece of cardboard (close the book) and adjust the amount of paper so that there is enough paper to fill the 3-in. spine fabric.
Step Four:
Set aside the proper amount of paper into a neat stack. Use water to thin out the brown paint and tan paint. Use this to age the entire stack of paper! Soak it! Make it look like old paper.
Let it sit until the pages feel dry and textured.
Step Five:
Re-stack the paper neatly because I know you messed it up with your careless painting. Put something heavy on top of your stack. Use the rubber cement and cover the left side of the stack of paper (where the spine would be located). Allow this to dry and then repeat once more for a thorough coating.
Let dry overnight.
Step Six:
Slather the rubber cement onto the spine fabric. Reposition the stack of paper inside of the book, close the book, and make sure it is flush against the wet rubber cement. Keep the book closed and set something heavy on top. Let dry completely.
Step Seven:
Fold and glue the rest of the fabric edges onto the cardboard using hot glue. Let dry until glue is hardened.
Step Eight:
Use left-over paint to age the leather/hide/or faux leather fabric. Make it look as filthy and tattered as your soul. Use scrunched up tissue paper to add texture and paint over it.
Step Nine:
E6000 glue is used to add the book corners and other metal embellishments.
Step Ten:
The final step is to use the blood of your enemies and spell-bind the book to your lineage. I doubt it would work with your tainted ancestry, but it should prove amusing to watch you fail.
These steps can be followed to create a smaller version for a journal.
(Photos were taken by one of my more tolerable human servants, Elizabeth Chroninger)
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